Love Your Anemones
Psalm 46:9: "He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire."
The world that God created for us and intended us to live in had no wars and no death because there was no sin whatsoever. Once the first man, Adam, brought sin into the world, murder, wars and disease descended upon the entire creation, including the animal world.
While sea anemones might seem to be relatively peacefully creatures, researchers have discovered that they have a sophisticated army with warriors as well as scouts. The California anemones that were studied live in colonies of genetically identical individuals. Often, another colony of such clones, but genetically different from the first colony, lives quite close. The colonies are separated by a narrow patch of non-clone anemones. While genetically identical individuals get along with each other within each colony, they engage in warfare with the neighboring colony. Some of the individuals, the warriors, have tentacles that are not used for catching food, but rather for lashing invading anemones with stinging cells. Sometimes, scouts will enter the non-clone no-man's land between the colonies. The non-clones appear to be guards that sting any scout that enters their territory from either colony. Researchers were flabbergasted to find such a complex social system and penchant for war among anemones.
While warfare is something we added to the creation when we sinned, only Jesus Christ can bring us true peace with God.
Prayer: Prince of Peace, give me Your peace in the midst of a world filled with wars and rumors of war. Amen.
Notes: Science News, 6/4/05, p. 355-356, S. Milius, "Anemone Wars."
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