Natures wonders: mitochondria in bird migrations (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 16:51 (8 hours, 59 minutes ago) @ dhw

dhw: Wonderment too at our human ability to study these miraculous feats and explain the processes which make them possible.

DAVID: This raises questions; how do unguided birds learn to fly such long distances? How do mitochondria change in anticipation of the flights? Changing as a result of the flights is understandable. It all looks planned and designed to me.

dhw: I agree. But the follow-up question is what does the designing and the planning, and what is the history leading up to the miracles now being achieved? These may well be the result of millions of years in which birds gradually extended their search for better living conditions, and their intelligent cells gradually adapted to the requirements of these journeys. Or do you think your God did one of his “de novo” acts, and in order to ensure the existence and survival of humans, performed operations on the cells of certain birds so they could immediately fly thousands of miles unharmed?

Can a bird think "there must be a warm place in which I can over-winter in?" Why some at 10,000 miles? And which came first, mighty mitochondria, or extended flight to build them up? This is why design is so appealing.