THE DESIGN OF LIFE: FLIGHT: THE GENIUS OF BIRDS

Illustra Media has produced some of the most amazing, stunning nature and scientific documentaries. Now they have a new series called THE DESIGN OF LIFE. The first movie is FLIGHT: THE GENIUS OF BIRDS. It is amazingly wonderful, exciting and awe-inspiring.

The movie begins with a quote from Voltaire that should appeal to the materialists, “All nature cries aloud that there is a supreme intelligence.” A series of scientists from prestigious institutions such as Paul Nelson, Timothy Standish, and others discuss some of the most amazing elements of design, purpose and plan in individual birds. They note that there are 9,000 species of birds, and that birds are the ultimate flying machine. Man’s attempt to replicate the flight of birds has been much less elegant. They show how, in a few short seconds, a fertilized egg becomes this incredible creation, with brain, spine, bone, and wings, all adapted uniquely to flight. Every transformation of the fertilized egg is directed by the DNA to produce these beautiful creatures.

The filmmakers focus on some unique species of birds, like hummingbirds. There are 343 varieties of hummingbirds. They can hover, go backwards, and do things that are absolutely amazing. The speed of their wings and their heart rate is incredible. Flight shows a mechanical hummingbird that took years to develop, and it’s not as good as a hummingbird, but it took intelligence to design it.

In another segment, the filmmakers show that the migration patterns of starlings, who travel in groups of up to 300,000, close knit, ever-changing formations, are dictated by incredible navigation systems that not even Air Force test pilots can emulate.

Then, they talk about a bird called the birds of the sun, which travel from the Arctic to the Antarctic every year, more than 24,000 miles. Recent discoveries show they have an incredibly designed flight plan down the middle of the Atlantic. Some of these birds will fly this path 30 times in their lifetimes, which is like going to the moon and back three times, with pinpoint accuracy.

FLIGHT is more fascinating than most feature films. It’s so well plotted that it constantly surprises us while probing the mysteries and mechanisms of these beautiful creatures. The photography is awe-inspiring. The science is meticulous. The documentary is captivating.

The poet William Blake wrote that to see an eagle in the air is to observe “a portion of genius.” By the end of FLIGHT, you know that only a divine genius – God – could have designed a bird.