A Butterfly’s Faith

Some butterflies have what appears to be eyes on their wings. This may scare off potential predators who will confuse the butterfly with a different kind of animal which has large eyes. This pattern was formed by the process of random mutation and natural selection, where butterflies with no eye patterns were eaten before they had a chance to reproduce. The butterfly is not aware of the patterns on it’s wings. If the butterfly was able to analyze its own wing patterns it would be able to infer that there is an animal out there that looks like its own wings and that the pattern provides protection. This is interesting because it makes you wonder if humans can study themselves too in order to find something we cannot see through our senses. We can study both our body and brain.