31
The Cell Membrane and 100 Trillion Organized Workers
Figure 108. Every cell works in the place and manner approved for it by God. In the same way that workers in a factory specialize in different departments, different cells work in each region and fulfill their duties with flawless organization. Consider how an automobile factory operates. All of its 1,000 or so workers must cooperate with great discipline and in great harmony. Several supervisory and chains of commands are in place to ensure that organization. Each section manufactures the parts demanded of it. For example, engines are produced on one assembly line, and doors in another. Everyone knows where every product will be used; everything remains under control.
Figures 109 and 110. The brain issues the instruction to divide to those cells whose division is desired. With the transmission of that command to the relevant cells, the appropriate hormones are secreted. When the hormone comes to the cell, it notifies the receptor-protein on the cell membrane. The message received by the protein is reported to the center, whereupon the cell understands this message, makes a decision and acts accordingly. Yet the human body contains not 1,000 but 100 trillion workers, all laboring together in perfect harmony. These individual cells are far more knowledgeable and better equipped than the workers in any factory. Not only are the miraculous processes they carry out quite breathtaking, but so also is the coordination among them. They recognize one another by means of signals in their membranes. Stomach cells recognize stomach cells, and hair cells recognize other hair cells (Figure 108).
We now face some inevitable questions: How can two membranes recognize each another? How were these “workers” trained? How is it that they perform their duties with such devotion?
Each one of these 100 trillion cells does what the body asks of it. So how does every cell know what it is to do, at every moment? All this happens, of course, through the knowledge and inspiration of Almighty God. For example, if cell division is desired in a given region, the brain issues the relevant command to the cells there. For this purpose, hormones are released and each one transmits the brain’s message by traveling to the relevant cell. When the envoy reaches the cell, it notifies the receptor protein on the cell membrane. The cell understands this message and takes the appropriate action (Figures 109 and 110).
A cross-section of the cell membrane that performs miraculous processes in our bodies.
But is it possible for an island of protein in a crowd of fat cells to understand an instruction given to it and passing this on to the nucleus of the cell? Will the cell obey this instruction and devote its life to producing a routine substance without even knowing where it will be used? Of course not!
In addition, as stated earlier, the hundreds of passage points, receptors and controllers along the cell membrane, all work together in great harmony, aware of one another’s existence. Yet these are all unconscious proteins. It is clear that the cell membrane did not come into possession of these attributes of its own accord, but that this entire system was created.
And that system was of course created for a particular purpose. Anyone of reason and conscience can see these miraculous proofs and appreciate God as He deserves. The attitude of believers to the miracles of our Lord is revealed thus in verses:
In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are signs for people with intelligence: those who remember God, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: “Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire.” (Surah Al ‘Imran, 190-191)
32
What Happens at the Moment of Hearing?
When you run into friends in the street who call out, “Hello!” the sound waves they emit are collected by your ear. At sea level, sound travels through 6 meters (19 feet) of air in 1/50 second.
Figures 111 and 112. When friends say “Hello,” the sound waves quickly reach your middle ear and cause the ear membrane to vibrate. This vibration is transmitted to three small bones. Their vibration is transmitted to the inner ear, where a special fluid inside the cochlea is set in motion. Inside the cochlea, there are fine threads of differing thicknesses just like the strings of a harp. Figure 113. The thickest strings vibrate first, followed by the thinner ones. Finally, tens of thousands of rod-shaped bodies in the inner ear transmit their own vibrations to the hearing nerves. The sound of your friends’ “Hello” is now only an electrical signal.
Figure 114. The electrical signals reaching the brain are analyzed by neurons and perceived as sounds, thanks to which you are able to hear your friends greeting. The air vibrating in both of your ears travels the short distance to your middle ear at great speed. The ear membrane, only 7.6 millimeters (0.2 inches) in diameter, begins vibrating, which vibrations are transmitted to three small bones that convert these sound vibrations into mechanical vibrations. The vibrations in these bones are then transmitted to the inner ear and the fluid inside a structure known as the cochlea, which resembles a snail (Figure 111).
Inside the cochlea, which contains fine strands of varying thicknesses, just like the strings of a harp (Figure 112), different tones are divided from one another. Your friend’s voice literally plays these strings. First the thickest strands vibrate, followed by the thinner ones. Finally, tens of thousands of rod-shaped bodies in the inner ear activate the hearing nerves through their own vibrations (Figure 113).
The sound of your friends’ “Hello” is now an electrical signal that travels rapidly towards the brain along the auditory nerves. At the end of this journey, a large portion of the millions of neurons in the brain are occupied with analyzing the hearing data thus obtained. Thus, finally, you actually hear your friends say “Hello” (Figure 114).
These processes, here described in greatly simplified terms, are in fact exceedingly complex and take place in less than a second. We see and hear hundreds of thousands of times every day, yet we generally never think how we do this. Everything we see and hear, we see and hear through the mercy of God, the Compassionate and Merciful. This should be a means whereby all believers give thanks.
In fact, God reveals in the Qur’an that human beings should reflect on this and be duly grateful:
God brought you out of your mothers’ wombs knowing nothing at all, and gave you hearing, sight and hearts so that perhaps you would show thanks. (Surat an-Nahl, 78)
33
Blood Clotting
Figure 115. A protein known as the von Willebrand factor prevents the thrombocytes traveling through the bloodstream from bypassing the site of the injury.
When you cut yourself, or when an old wound starts bleeding again, you know that the bleeding will eventually stop. Over the area concerned, a scab will form that will gradually harden, and under it, the wound will heal itself.
This may seem to you to be quite a simple matter. The fact is, however, that biochemists’ research has revealed that this is the result of a highly complex system.26 The absence or impairment of any of the components of this system will mean it fails to function at all.
The blood must clot in the right location and at the right time, and it must cease when local conditions return to normal. The system must function flawlessly, right down to the very smallest detail.
In the event of bleeding, clotting must take place at once if the organism concerned is not to die from loss of blood.
Blood platelets—or thrombocytes, the smallest of the bone-marrow cells—have one vitally important characteristic. These cells are the main element in blood clotting. A protein known as the Von Willebrand factor ensures that the thrombocytes traveling through the bloodstream do not bypass the site of any injury. The thrombocytes caught here release a substance that brings other thrombocytes to the same site. Together, these cells then close up the open wound.
Once they have discharged their duties, the thrombocytes die. Their self-sacrifice is just one part of the blood-clotting system (Figure 115).
Figure 116. Thrombocytes set up a network consisting of fibrinogen threads. Other become caught up in the web and accumulate, thus halting the bleeding by acting as a patch or a stopper.
Another protein responsible for blood clotting is thrombin, a substance produced only where there is an open wound. This production must be neither to great nor too small. In addition, it must take place and cease at exactly the right time. To date, more than 20 bodily chemicals that play a role in thrombin production have been described, and all are enzymes. These enzymes can halt or initiate their own production. The process is so tightly controlled that thrombin forms only in the event of tissue injury. As soon as all the enzymes required for clotting reach the requisite levels in the body, structural substances—long fibers which are actually proteins, known as fibrinogen —are formed. In a short time, a whole network of fibrinogen fibers is established where the blood is flowing to the outside. The thrombocytes in the blood become caught in this network and accumulate in it.
As this accumulation thickens, it will halt the flow of blood by acting as a stopper. What we refer to as a scab is the stopper that forms in this way (Figure 116).
The blood clot is absorbed when the wound is fully healed.
The system that ensures the formation of a clot, that determines the extent of that clot, and that strengthens or eliminates it is of irreducible complexity. Blood clotting is a chain of events in which one event sets another in motion.
The system functions flawlessly, right down to the tiniest detail.
What would happen in the event of the slightest impairment to that system? What, for instance, would occur if clotting took place in the absence of any wound? Or if the clot that formed were easy to detach from the injury? In that event, the arteries leading to such vital organs as the heart, lungs and brain would become clogged up with clotting materials, and this would inevitably result in death.
This fact shows us once again that the human body has been perfectly created. It is impossible for even the blood-clotting system to be explained in terms of coincidences and gradual development, as the theory of evolution would maintain. This system, every detail of which is the product of a separate blueprint and calculation, reveals the perfection of creation. Almighty God, Who created us and placed us on this Earth, has created our bodies with this system that protects against wounds both great and small.
In addition, blood clotting is highly important not just for those external wounds visible to the naked eye, but also for repairing damage that takes place every day in our capillary vessels. Although you seldom feel them, you actually suffer tiny hemorrhages during the whole course of the day. When you bump your arm against a door or sit down too hard, hundreds of tiny capillary blood vessels are broken. But the internal bleeding that occurs as a result of this is immediately stopped, thanks to the clotting system, and the body subsequently rebuilds its capillary vessels. If the blow concerned is quite hard, the internal bleeding before clotting occurs will be quite powerful also, for which reason bruising occurs at the site. Anyone born without this clotting system in the blood is known medically as a hemophiliac and must be protected against the slightest knock for his whole life, and even wrapped in cotton wool. However, patients with severe hemophilia do not tend to live long. Even internal bleeding caused by a fall in the street can swiftly prove fatal.
In the face of these facts, all human beings must reflect on the miracle of creation of their own bodies and give thanks to God, Who created it so perfectly. This body, of which we are unable to produce a single system, or even a single cell, is a blessing bestowed on us by Almighty God.
In the Qur’an our Lord states:
We created you, so why do you not confirm the truth? (Surat al-Waqi‘a, 57)
There are certainly Signs in the earth for people with certainty; and in yourselves as well. Do you not then see? (Surah Adh-Dhariyat, 20-21)
34
The Immune System
Figures 117 and 118. Phagocytes engage in face-to-face combat with the enemy. If they fail to do their job, then macrophages enter the fray and raise the temperature of the body up to 39oCelsius (102oFahrenheit) in order to provide energy.
The immune system that protects our bodies against enemy bacteria and viruses works much like a disciplined army. The immune system’s war against our microscopic enemies consists of three major stages:
1- Identification of the foe: first intervention.
3- Return to peacetime conditions.
Before declaring war, the immune system first has to identify the foe and obtain intelligence regarding it. Every war differs, according to the nature of the enemy. And unless this intelligence-gathering is done properly, our immune system could attack our own cells by mistake.
Figure 119. Helper T-cells carry information about the enemy to killer T-cells. The first intervention comes from the phagocytes, the body’s “dustmen” or janitors. The phagocytes declare war on the enemy. They are rather like infantry units that establish the first contact with enemy combatants (Figure 117).
Sometimes the phagocytes are unable to match the speed at which the enemy multiplies. In that event, the macrophages go into action. Macrophages may be compared to cavalry striking at the mass of the enemy troops. At the same time, thanks to a special protein they secrete, macrophages sound the general alarm in the body, by raising its temperature by fever (Figure 118).
Macrophage cells have another very important property, however. They can trap and engulf a virus, breaking off a particular section of it, which it then carries like a flag. This part acts like a sign for other components of the immune system, and also demonstrates the intelligence of advance planning.
Figures 120 and 121. The information about the enemy collected by the helper T-cells is sent to the lymph glands, where waiting B cells go into action.
The first task of the helper T-cells that identify the enemy, thanks to the intelligence obtained by the macrophage, is to notify the killer T-cells and stimulate them to multiply (Figure 119). Thus stimulated, killer T-cells soon become an army. The helper T-cells do not only stimulate the killer T-cells, but also ensure that many phagocytes attend the battlefield and transmit the information they’ve gathered concerning the enemy to the spleen and lymph glands (Figure 120).
When the lymph glands are reached, B cells that have awaited their call to duty are set in motion thanks to this information. After being produced in the bone marrow, B cells travel to the lymph glands to await the call to action (Figure 121).
The awakened B cells go through a number of stages. Every stimulated B cell begins to divide and multiply, until there are thousands of cells of the same type. The B cells, now ready for the fray, divide further and become plasma cells that release antibodies, chemical weapons to be used in the war against the enemy. B cells can produce thousands of such antibodies in a second, which weapons are highly practical. They will first bond to the enemy antigen, and then impair that foe’s biological structure (Figure 122).
Figures 122 and 123. B cells multiply by dividing and are then differentiated. As a result, they are able to produce thousands of the weapons known as antibodies. If the antibodies are unable to catch the virus, then T-cells take over, identifying and trapping the viruses thanks to the MHC molecules.
If a virus enters the cell, the antibodies are unable to trap the virus. In that event, the killer T cells again go into action and identify the viruses inside the cell, thanks to the MHC molecules, and kill the cell (Figure 123).
However, if the virus is camouflaged in such a way that not even the killer T-cells can detect it, then cells known as natural killer (NK) cells take over, destroying the cells that the others could not identify and which contain the viruses (Figure 124).
Figure 124. NK—that is, natural killer— cells destroy the viruses that the killer T-cells have missed. Once the victory has been won, the suppressor T-cells call a halt to the fighting (Figure 125). The war is now over, but it will never be forgotten. Memory cells have by now recognized the foe, and these cells remain in the body for years. When the same enemy is ever encountered again, they will trigger a defense response that is rapid and effective (Figure 126).
The heroes of this war receive no military training, and are not rational human beings, but rather tiny cells, millions of which would still fail to fill the space occupied by a period on this page.
Furthermore, this army with its astonishing properties is not limited to fighting alone. It produces all the weaponry to be used during the war, draws up the battle plans and strategies, and cleans up the “battlefield” once the fighting is over.
Like everything in the universe, our immune systems behave in line with their creation. As Almighty God reveals in the Qur’an:
Hearkening to its Lord as it is bound to do! (Surat al-Inshiqaq, 2)
Figure 125. Suppressor T-cells call a halt to the war once the victory has been won. At the side can be seen defense cells (yellow) fighting a cancer cell (pink).
Figure 126. At the end of the war, the memory cells record information about the enemy in order to be ready for the next assault. Every detail in the defense system is a manifestation of our Almighty Lord’s incomparable and flawless artistry.
35
The Journey of Vitamin B12
One feature of the stomach’s mucus is that it contributes to the bone marrow that produces blood. It ensures that vitamin B12, which is of enormous importance to the body, reaches the marrow. When we examine the journey that vitamin B12 undertakes before it reaches the marrow, and the role played by this in the stomach mucosa, we shall see yet another miracle taking place at the microscopic level.
Figure 127. Vitamin B12 first enters the body through the digestive system, and then enters the bloodstream through the small intestine. After entering the human body, vitamin B12 makes a long journey through the digestive system. It finally enters the bloodstream from the small intestine and reaches the bone marrow cells (Figure 127).
The absorption of vitamin B12 takes place in the small intestine. However, no digestive cell in the small intestine is able to trap the vitamin. There is a special group of cells in one small region of the small intestine that has solely been charged with capturing vitamin B12.27 This group of cells dedicates their lives, in a most miraculous manner, to trapping this vitamin. These cells identify and seize vitamin B12 from among trillions of molecules. How do these cells identify it, and how do they distinguish it from so many other substances? Why do they feel themselves obliged to capture vitamin B12?
The intelligence exhibited by these cells in catching vitamin B12 cannot, of course, emerge as the result of chance. As we shall clearly see, Almighty God, the sublime and mighty, deliberately created this system. When we examine it in a little more detail, miraculous proofs of creation will become more clear.
The cells in the small intestine are unable to recognize vitamin B12 in its raw form. In order for it to be recognized and caught, vitamin B12 needs to be marked with a special molecule. This requirement has, of course, already been taken into account, and a system to mark the vitamin B12 before it reaches the intestine has been established.
While the vitamin B12 is still in the stomach, the stomach cells produce a special “marker” molecule for B12. This molecule is like an identity document that the vitamin will need on the later stages of its journey. This “marker” adheres tightly to the vitamin B12 as it continues on its journey to the small intestine (Figure 128).
In the small intestine, border officials—a specialized group of cells, whose sole duty is to find vitamin B12—ensure its passage into the bloodstream. However, these “officials” are unable to recognize vitamin B12 in its unprocessed state. At this point, the “passport” carried by the B12 comes to its assistance. Thanks to this document, the border officials identify and locate the vitamin B12 from among trillions of other molecules. Then, again thanks to this marker molecule, they enable the vitamin B12 to enter the bloodstream. In this way, the B12 succeeds in reaching the bone marrow (Figures 129 through 131).
As you’ve seen, the stomach cells know the importance to the body of vitamin B12. Moreover, the intestinal cells know what kind of marker they need in order to recognize B12, and they produce this marker molecule. Intestinal cells, have no eyes, hands or brains, yet they recognize this marker and thus catch the vitamin B12.
Another very important point is that the vitamin B12 absorbed as the result of all these events provides no direct benefit to the cells in either the stomach or the intestinal wall. Vitamin B12 is used very far away, in the bone marrow. Thanks to it, the human body can produce blood, and is thus able to survive.
The journey undertaken by a single vitamin and the details of that journey are sufficient for us to realize the flawless nature of the system established inside our bodies.
Figure 129. Cells in the small intestine are unable to recognize vitamin B12 in its unprocessed form. In order for B12 to be recognized and caught by the cells, it must be marked with a special molecule. Figure 130. The labels affixed to the vitamin B12 by the stomach cells come into play here, as the small intestine cells recognize these labels and accept the B12.
Figure 131. In this way, vitamin B12 enters the bloodstream.
It is certain that the keen awareness and flawless functioning displayed in the course of these processes cannot take place through the will of the cells concerned. After all, the entities known as cells are structures consisting of collections of unconscious molecules. It would be meaningless to look for consciousness, will or a power inside a cell. It is our Lord, Almighty God, Who created this system, and all things, from nothing.
36
The Pancreas: The Human Body’s Chemist
Figure 132. A special message is needed for the pancreas to go into action during digestion. This message is the release of a special enzyme known as cholesystokinin into the bloodstream. When this enzyme reaches a specific level, the pancreas is stimulated. At this, the pancreas starts secreting breakdown enzymes into the duodenum.
Let us imagine that you have eaten a pleasant dinner. You may never have considered how you will digest that wide range of foodstuffs. You may not even be aware that each one of them must be processed by different enzymes.
It’s of course perfectly normal that someone who has never received special training on this subject should be unaware of these facts. Yet one organ in the body does possess all this information. It knows which foods will be digested by which enzymes; and dispatches the right chemical secretion to the foodstuffs, at just the right time, with no confusion or error ever arising.
This organ is the pancreas, one of the most important organs in the body. It decides how many sugar molecules there should be in the blood flowing through your veins. If the number of sugar molecules in the blood has declined, the pancreas immediately takes steps to raise that number;, and these measures save the life of the individual concerned. If the number of sugar molecules rises, then it takes steps to reduce their number.
If we look at these tasks one by one, we see that this organ, which may never have attracted your notice, acts in a very conscious and planned manner on your behalf, and it possesses a flawless system that keeps you alive.
The pancreas’ entry into action in the digestive system takes place with a special message. As the digestive processes continue in the stomach, a special enzyme called cholesystokinin begins to enter the bloodstream. When this enzyme reaches a certain level in the blood, this stimulates the pancreas, notifying it that the time for action has come, whereupon the pancreas begins secreting fragmenting enzymes into the duodenum 28 (Figure 132).
Figure 133. The pancreas identifies the foods entering the stomach and secretes different enzymes to digest them.
The pancreas is not limited to understanding that the digestion process has begun, it also understands what varieties of food you have eaten—and produces digestive enzymes in line with those different foods. For instance, when you eat pasta and bread, which are rich in carbohydrates, the enzyme secreted by the pancreas is of a kind able to break down carbohydrates. When these foods reach the duodenum, the pancreas produces an enzyme known as amylase (Figure 133).If you consume foods like red meat, fish and chicken, the pancreas immediately recognizes that you have eaten protein. And again, when these foods reach the duodenum, the pancreas secretes different enzymes, such as trypsin, chymotrypsin, carboxypepsidase, ribonuclease and deoxyribonuclease, which break down protein. If the food you eat has a high fat content, then yet another enzyme, lipase, goes into action alongside these other enzymes, to digest the fat.
As you see, this organ understands what the foods you eat consists of, then produces one by one the proper chemical fluids needed for each one to be digested, but only at the time when they are required. The pancreas never secretes an enzyme that breaks down protein for carbohydrate molecules, nor one that breaks down carbohydrate for fat molecules. It never forgets the chemical formulae of the complex enzymes it produces. No requisite substance is ever left out. In healthy individuals, the pancreas works to perfection for their entire lifetime.
Figure 134. The stomach sends a message to the pancreas by means of hormones, which find their way through the body in a miraculous way and reach the right location.
The stomach cells do not stand idly by as digestion continues in the stomach. As if they knew that the food being digested in the stomach will later reach the duodenum, some of these cells start secreting hormones that call on the pancreas cells for help. They then send their messages to the pancreas by way of the bloodstream.
The signal released into the blood travels through the body. When it arrives, the pancreas cells recognize it and straightway act on it. Interestingly although it travels in the bloodstream through almost the entire body, the cells of other organs do not open the message, and certainly do not read it. All the cells know that this message is directed to the pancreas, and not for them. In other words, the molecular structure of the message has been designed in such a way as to interact solely with the receptor cells on the membrane of pancreas cells. That is, the stomach cell that produced it writes the correct “address” on the hormone. Moreover, it writes the correct address from among all the other billions of different locations in the body. In order to be able to write this address, the stomach cell has to know all the relevant features of the pancreas cell (Figure 134).
The miracle goes beyond the mere correct writing of the destination, to the message in the letter. In the depths of the human body, two living things (cells) a long distance from each other correspond and communicate. Although they have never seen one another, they know which language the other understands. In addition, this communication is for a purpose. Two cells have joined forces and make plans for the food you’ve eaten to be digested. There can be no doubt but that this is a great miracle.
The pancreas that receives the hormone cholesystokinin that reaches it loses no time in obeying the instruction it conveys. Immediately the gland begins secreting the enzymes necessary to digest that specific food. If the meal is mainly carbohydrates it will produce an enzyme that breaks down carbohydrate and sends this enzyme off to the duodenum.
Imagine that a blackboard has been placed in front of you containing the formulae for a protein molecule, a fat molecule and a carbohydrate molecule, in that order. The atomic sequences of these molecules have also been set out. You are then asked to produce the formulas for enzymes with the molecular structure most appropriate for breaking down these different molecules and to write them down on the board (Figure 135).
Only an expert chemist could write down the formulae for the enzymes that would break down these exact molecules. That person could not arrive at the appropriate three formulas by guesswork; he could write them correctly only in light of the training he had received and knowledge previously imparted to him.
That being so, how do the pancreas cells know the chemical structure of the enzymes they produce? Each pancreas cell possesses the knowledge of the formulas in question. Additionally, it uses that information in the best way possible and tirelessly serves the body of which it’s a part. While the entire human being must have received special training to produce these formulas, a tiny cell is born knowing them by heart.
No coincidence can bestow on a cell such a superior intelligence, such specialized information. No coincidence can establish a system in which cells can communicate with and seek assistance from one another. In the same way, that coincidence can never teach a pancreas cell a single chemical formula, nor can it give the cell the ability to use that information at the right time.
It is Almighty God, Lord of the Worlds, Who causes such miraculous events to take place in succession and by inspiring them to function at every moment, places them at the service of human beings.
And He has made everything in the heavens and everything on the earth subservient to you.It is all from Him. There are certainly Signs in that for people who reflect. (Surat Al-Jathiyya, 13)
In the heavens and earth there are certainly Signs for the muminun. And in your creation and all the creatures He has spread about there are Signs for people with certainty. (Surat Al-Jathiyya, 3)
37
Transporter Molecules in the Cell Membrane
Figure 136. Every transporter protein is responsible for carrying a different molecule. For example, in the event of the slightest geometrical difference in a molecule’s shape, the transportation system will detect this and abandon the molecule, refusing to carry it.
Upon reaching the cell membrane, a substance in the bloodstream does not immediately enter the cell. It is met in different ways, depending upon its size, chemical properties, and whether or not it is beneficial. Any substance about to enter a cell is subjected to tight controls, just like visitors to the borders of another country. If it is a foreign substance, its identity is established and, if it is determined that it represents a threat to security, it is deported. However, the entry and departure of some substances has been made easier, in the same way that countries do for their own citizens. These substances are able to enter and leave the cell without being subjected to any precautionary measures. In short, substances approaching the cell membrane are greeted with different forms of welcome, depending on their identity.
In order for a substance to be able to pass through the cell membrane, it must be able to mix with the cell membrane—in other words, to be soluble in fat. In the same way that you can never mix oil and water, no matter how hard you try, so it is impossible for a substance that iso insoluble in fat to mix with the cell membrane. A special method is employed for the passage of such substances, and in this, proteins in the cell membrane play a crucial role.
Some molecules are unable to pass through the cell membrane on their own because of their small size. Channel and transporter proteins help molecules and ions to which they give permission to pass through the membrane. The cell membrane’s proteins will transport specific substances and behave most carefully in selecting them. For example, the sugar-transporting system will not transport amino acids.
The transporter protein distinguishes between the two molecules on the basis of their forms and the number of atoms they contain. For instance, two molecules may have the same number of atoms and carry the same chemical groups, but if one has the slightest variation in its molecular form, the transportation system will refuse to carry that molecule (Figure 136).
How is it possible for a transporter or channel molecule to recognize the chemical formula of another molecule and to distinguish it on the basis of the number of its atoms? Could a protein devoid of intelligence and consciousness of its own accord assume a responsibility that will be of benefit to the cell? It is, of course, impossible for these proteins to engage in division of labor of their own accord, to identify beneficial molecules, to assume the job of transporting them inside the cell or to fulfill these responsibilities to the letter as the result of sheer chance. Any rational, honest person will see in these details evidence of the infinite knowledge of Almighty God, the Creator of all things from nothing.
38
Complement Proteins Responsible For Protecting the Body
Figure 137. Complement proteins regard the body’s own cells as hostile, just as it does enemy bacteria entering the body from the outside. However, every cell in the body has been equipped with the means to defend itself against complement proteins, so that these proteins can inflict harm on the enemy only.
Figure 138. Complement proteins cling to the enemy bacterium’s surface, thus neutralizing it.
There is a system in the body that protects it at all times. Complement proteins, one component of that system, are programmed to attack virtually every cell in the body.
This is really astonishing. Although they exist to protect the body, they regard all the cells that comprise that body as hostile. Complement proteins are manufactured in the liver, from where they enter the bloodstream and under normal conditions, travel through the bloodstream at random, producing no effects. When stimulated, however, they suddenly decide to eradicate all the cells they encounter.
This stimulus they receive is disseminated throughout the entire body by way of a single complement protein. They make no distinction between friend and foe.
However, harmless cells belonging to the body have been created in such a way as to defend themselves against complement proteins. As soon as complement proteins make contact with cells belonging to the body, the cells neutralize those proteins. On the other hand, any foreign organisms that have entered into the body, will be subjected to an unexpected assault from these security guards (Figure 137).
Figures 139 and 140. The complement protein pierces the cell membrane of the defenseless bacterium. Following the attack the bacterium absorbs water and explodes. The enemy is then destroyed by carnivorous cells.
When one complement protein attaches itself to a foreign organism, it changes its own shape. This is followed by another complement protein bonding to the bacterium. Then other proteins belonging to the complement system adhere to the bacterium, one by one, until the invading bacterium finds itself surrounded by complement hunters (Figure 138).
The final element in the complement system is responsible for attacking the bacterium’s cell membrane. This protein opens a hole in the cell membrane, the only shield of the now-defenseless bacterium. Following this attack, the bacterium absorbs water and explodes (Figure 139).
Complement proteins sometimes employ another method. They surround the foe with a fine membrane, thus marking it for carnivorous cells (Figure 140). All this demonstrates that a single bacterium entering the body, and the molecules that wage war on it inside the body, are all the work of a single Creator, our Lord God. Bacteria are well aware of the kind of dangers they will encounter. Body cells, on the other hand, take precautionary measures before even recognizing a bacterium that may enter the body. It is utterly irrational to claim that unconscious cells could take these measures themselves. It is God, Lord and Ruler of the entire universe, Who creates this system.
In verses, our Lord states:
Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of humanity, the King of humanity, the God of humanity.” (Surat an-Nas, 1-3)
39
Anti – Acid Formulas Producing Molecules
Figures 141 and 142. When the acid level in the duodenum rises to dangerous levels, bicarbonate molecules go into action by way of the hormone secretin, to neutralize the stomach acid.
Digested foods reaching the intestine from the stomach contain powerful acids, which constitute a grave danger for the duodenum—because unlike the stomach, the duodenum has no special lining with which to protect itself.
How is it, therefore, that these acids leave the duodenum unharmed? When we look at the events taking place during digestion in order to answer that question, we encounter miraculous phenomena occurring in the body.
When the amount of acid reaching the duodenum from the stomach together with foodstuffs reaches danger levels, the intestine begins secreting a hormone called secretin from the cells in its walls. In the small intestine, this secretin that protects the duodenum exists in the form of prosecretin. But under the influence of acidic digested foods, this hormone transforms into secretin, a different chemical substance (Figures 141 and 142).
The hormone secretin enters the bloodstream and reaches the pancreas, where it asks the pancreas to secrete enzymes. Learning—by means of the secretin—that the duodenum is in danger, the pancreas sends bicarbonate molecules to the region, which molecules neutralize the stomach acid and protect the duodenum.
The duodenum and pancreas are pieces of flesh consisting of unconscious atoms. The way that they behave in such a conscious manner and exhibit such intelligent behavior is a manifestation of the creation and omniscience of God.
How do have processes, of such vital importance to human beings, come about? Intestinal cells know that the substance they need is to be found in the pancreas and know the chemical formula that will spur the pancreas into action. The pancreas understands the message from the intestine and begins to secrete bicarbonate. These are all incomparable, miraculous processes created by our Lord.
Verbs such as knowing and being aware, used here in reference to intestinal cells, are employed to better emphasize events taking place in the body. But as all rational people will appreciate, it is impossible for a cell to think, make free-will decisions, be aware of the features of another organ and manufacture substances according to given formulas.
It is Omniscient and Almighty God Who creates cells together with these attributes. Anyone of good conscience will find proofs of our Almighty Lord’s infinite intelligence and knowledge in every detail in the universe.
40
The Consciousness Displayed by Egg Cells
Although the cells of a developing embryo, preparing to settle in the walls of the womb are genetically different to those of the mother, they are not rejected in the same way that an organ or tissue transplanted into the body will be. This fact remained a mystery for a long time. G. L. Flanagan sets out the answer in his book, Beginning Life:
... The cell cluster suppresses its genetic markers and instead gives out special signals that can be compared to a universal password. This password is the same for all people and is the same one that the mother’s cells expressed when she herself was just such a cluster. Therefore, her cells do not now mobilize defences against the new arrivals, because they biologically recognize the nesting cluster as universal friend, not foe.29
There’s one very important point here. The way a collection of cells can send a universal message, as Flanagan puts it, and that their message can be understood by other collections of cells, which then know whether they’re dealing with friend or invader, is a truly great miracle. It must not be forgotten that the “societies” in question consist not of human beings, but tiny cells with no hands, eyes, ears or brains, invisible to the naked eye, themselves made up of unconscious atoms, molecules and proteins. It would be completely illogical to expect such a display of awareness from cells.
The mother’s defense cells approach to eliminate the embryo (top). However, thanks to the perfect creation in the body, they are unable to harm the egg.
The way that the embryo is able to settle in the mother’s womb with no difficulty, and to survive there, takes place by the mercy of God, Who creates everything—the embryo, the mother, and the defense system in the mother’s body.
Truly God has knowledge of the Hour and sends down abundant rain and knows what is in the womb. And no self knows what it will earn tomorrow and no self knows in what land it will die. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (Surah Luqman, 34)
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