In the Beginning was Information

3. The Morpho rhetenor butterfly: The South American butterfly,Morpho rhetenor, is depicted in Figure 3 under various magnificationsso that the detailed structure of its wing scales can be seen(Scientific American, Vol. 245, Nov. 1981, p. 106). The wingsexhibit marvellous colourful patterns, metallic blue above (top left)and brown underneath (top right). The wings were analysed forpigmentation, but none was found. How can this colourful beautythen be explained?The detailed structure of the wings becomes apparent in three magnificationsteps, namely 50 ×, 350 ×, and 20,000 ×. At the lower magnificationsthe structure resembles roof tiles, but when the magnificationis 20,000, the secret is revealed. The structure is quite extraordinary:a regular grid of precisely constructed wedge-shaped ridgesspaced at intervals of about 0.00022 mm. This pattern is repeated soaccurately that the maximum deviation is only 0.00002 mm. Noearthly workshop specialising in miniaturisation, would be able tomake one single wing scale with this required precision. What is thepurpose of this marvellous structure?A certain physical effect is utilised here in a marvellous way. It can beexplained in terms of a simple example: When one drops two stonesin a pool, concentric waves spread out from each point of impact. Atsome points these waves cancel out, and at other points they enhanceone another. This effect is known as interference, and it is exactly thiseffect which causes the observed colours. When light rays from thesun impinge on the stepped grid, some colours are cancelled out andother colours are enhanced. The grid spacing and the wavelengths ofthe incident light are precisely tuned in to one another.How did this marvellous structure arise where everything is gearedto a special physical effect? Once again the answer is: information!4. The development of human embryos: The wonders whichoccur during the nine month gestation period, are unsurpassable.During the first four weeks of the new life, billions of cells areformed, and they arrange themselves according to a fascinatingplan to shape the new human being. Around the fifteenth day a dramaticnew development occurs: the first blood vessels appear. A15