SCT: Life Pushes the Limits

Biomechanics clarifies the ultimate
engineering requirements that make possible
the extreme capabilities of living things

This article was first published at Science & Culture.

Life at the Limits of the Possible
by David Coppedge
Science & Culture, 4 June 2026

Giants once roamed the earth: super-sized dinosaurs, giraffe-size pterosaurs able to leap into the air and fly, wooly mammoths, massive marine reptiles, in addition to large specimens of familiar creatures (dragonflies, beavers, sloths, bears, lions, armadillos, sharks) that make their modern counterparts look puny. Earth retains some giants, such as blue whales, giant squid, giant sequoia trees, and whale sharks, but almost every phylum of plants and animals had bigger members in the past. The present biosphere seems impoverished by comparison.

In his excellent new book Ultimate Engineering (Discovery Institute Press, 2026), award-winning engineer Dr. Stuart Burgess discusses life at the extremes of the possible. In Part I, he shares details of human body systems that exemplify ultimate engineering and can only be explained by intelligent design. In Part II, he expands the scope of his subjects to other well-designed creatures. Chapters 19 and 20 in particular include a gallery of ultimately engineered creatures that push the limits of the possible in terms of size (both large and small), materials, structures, echolocation, locomotion, coloration, navigation, and habitat. Burgess argues that engineering at these extremes goes beyond mere intelligent design. They suggest an ultimate cause: theistic design.

Giants of the Past

Burgess’s point is best strengthened by examples. Here are some recently reported news stories about giant creatures coming to light from their fossil remains….

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