CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE CELL

INTRODUCTION

The theory of evolution was put forward by the naturalist Charles Darwin in the middle of the 19th century, when the level of science and technology was rather primitive, compared with today's. Nineteenth-century scientists worked in relatively simple laboratories. With the very unsophisticated equipment available to them, scientists couldn't even see bacteria. Moreover, they were still under the influence of many false beliefs left over from the Middle Ages.

One of these misconceptions was that living organisms had a fundamentally simple structure—a belief that can be traced back to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, who wrote that life could come about spontaneously and coincidentally, as a result of inorganic matter assembling itself in a moist environment.

In developing his theory, Darwin drew on the assumption that living things had only a simple structure. Other biologists who later adopted and defended Darwin's theory shared this same belief. For example, from the view of cells that 19th century microscopes provided, Ernst Haeckel, Darwin's greatest supporter in Germany, believed that a cell was a "simple little lump of albuminous combination of carbon," not much different from a piece of microscopic jello. (John Farley, The Spontaneous Generation Controversy from Descartes to Oparin, 2nd ed., Baltimore:The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1979, p. 73)

The theory of evolution was based upon this and other similar presumptions. Authors of the theory like Haeckel, Darwin, and Huxley believed that because life was made up of very simple structures, it could come about by itself, randomly. But they were wrong, of course.

During the past 150 years, from Victorian times until now, both science and technology have made enormous strides. Scientists have discovered the real structure of what Haeckel described as being a "simple little lump." They have been amazed to see that the cell is not remotely as simple as was once believed, but contains a number of unimaginably complex systems that could never have been conceived of, much less understood, in Darwin's day.

In explaining the structure of the cell, Professor Michael Denton, the famous molecular biologist, makes this analogy:

To grasp the reality of life as it has been revealed by molecular biology, we must magnify a cell a thousand million times until it is twenty kilometers in diameter and resembles a giant airship large enough to cover a great city like London or New York. What we would then see would be an object of unparalleled complexity and adaptive design. On the surface of the cell we would see millions of openings, like the port holes of a vast space ship, opening and closing to allow a continual stream of materials to flow in and out. If we were to enter one of these openings we would find ourselves in a world of supreme technology and bewildering complexity... (Michael Denton, Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, London: Burnett Books, 1985, p. 328)

This book will introduce the miracles of creation in the living cell, a miniature masterpiece that possesses a much more complicated and wondrous system than a giant spaceship's. We will show how the organelles inside the cell, together with the enzymes, proteins and other substances that it produces, perform purposeful functions that could never be expected of them. We'll give examples of the literally trillions of cells to be found in the human body, each of which displays superhuman intelligence and wisdom. Once again, we remind ourselves how all of this cannot be merely an unconscious coincidence, but is a product of God.

Proofs of God's creation, and manifestations of His superior power, wisdom and artistry are everywhere. Wherever we turn, we come face to face with God's creations that move us to exalt Him with glorification.

One reason why this book concentrates on the cell in particular is once again to present the truth to those who deny God by claiming that life is only a result of coincidence. Living things are too complex, too infinitely detailed to have come about as the result of happenstance. It's clear that they were created by a superior Mind and Power. Also, this book aims to explain the superiority manifest in God's creation and to glorify Him thereby.

INTELLIGENT DESIGN, IN OTHER WORDS CREATION

In order to create, God has no need to design

It's important that the word "design" be properly understood. That God has created a flawless design does not mean that He first made a plan and then followed it. God, the Lord of the Earth and the heavens, needs no "designs" in order to create. God is exalted above all such deficiencies. His planning and creation take place at the same instant.

Whenever God wills a thing to come about, it is enough for Him just to say, "Be!" As verses of the Qur'an tell us: His command when He desires a thing is just to say to it, "Be!" and it is. (Qur'an, 36: 82)

[God is] the Originator of the heavens and Earth. When He decides on something, He just says to it, "Be!" and it is. (Qur'an, 2: 117)

Reflections of Ramadan: Atoms that come alive

BY HARUN YAHYA www.harunyahya.com

Atoms are building blocks of animate organisms as well as inanimate objects. Since atoms are inanimate particles, it is extremely astonishing for them to be the building blocks of living beings. This is an issue evolutionists can never explain. Just as it is impossible to imagine pieces of stone coming together to form living organisms, so is it impossible to imagine inanimate atoms by themselves coming together to form living organisms. Think about a lump of rock and a butterfly; one is inanimate, the other is animate. Yet, when we delve into their essences, we see that both are made up of the same sub-atomic particles. A living cell is formed by the arrangement of inanimate atoms in a very special creation. Faculties of living cells, such as growth, reproduction and others, are results of perfect creation rather than the properties of molecules. Whatwe find at this point is only Allah’s creating the living from the dead: Allah is He Who splits the seed and kernel. He brings forth the living from the dead, and produces the dead out of the living. That is Allah, so how are you perverted? (Surat al-An’am: 95) When the theory of evolution was advanced in the middle of the 19th century, scientific research conducted with primitive microscopes had then created the impression that the cell was just a simple lump of matter. In the 20th century, however, the use of advanced technology revealed that the cell has an extremely complex structure that could only have beenperfectly created.. Most importantly, this research showed that it is absolutely impossible for life to arise spontaneously out of inanimate matter. The source of life is life alone. This fact has been proved experimentally, too.1 This is a problem evolutionists can never resolve. For this reason, instead of presenting scientific evidence, renowned evolutionary scientists, who are at a great impasse, tell tales which they themselves do not believe either. They put forward totally illogical and unscientific claims that matter has a consciousness, ability and will of its own. Nevertheless, they are eventually forced to confess that the main questions that need to be answered cannot be answered scientifically: There was once a time before our life, when the Earth was barren and utterly desolate. Our world is now overflowing with life. How did it come about? How, in the absence of life, were carbon-based organic molecules made? How did the first living things arise? How did life evolve to produce beings as elaborate and complex as we, able to explore the mystery of our own origins?2 The outstanding evolutionary mystery now is how matter has originated and evolved, why it has taken its present form in the universe and on the earth, and why it is capable of forming itself into complex living sets of molecules.3 As the evolutionary scientist above confesses, the basic purpose of the theory of evolution is to deny that Allah created living beings. This is the scenario evolutionists claim, describing the transformation of inanimate and unconscious atoms into animate organisms, and most significantly, into people with high levels of consciousness and intelligence. After the Big Bang, atoms, containing precisely balanced forces, somehow brought themselves into being. While some of the atoms, adequate in number to form the whole universe, formed the stars and the planets, and some others the Earth. Some of the atoms making up the Earth initially formed the land and later on, suddenly decided to form living beings! These atoms first transformed themselves into cells with highly complex structures and then they started speaking and hearing. Subsequently, these atoms transformed into university professors viewing themselves under the electron microscope and claiming that they came into being coincidentally. Some atoms came together to form civil engineers who construct bridges and skyscrapers, while some others came together to manufacture satellites, space crafts. Atoms like carbon, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and iron came together to form, instead of a dark mass, perfect brains of exceptional complexity, the secrets of which have not yet been fully unraveled. It is possible to prolong this story but let us stop here and see whether unconscious atoms can spontaneously form the DNA molecule.DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid), which is located in the nucleus of the cell, contains the codes carrying the information of all organs and all characteristics of the body. It is is a series of nucleotides arranged in a special sequence. A protein is a series of amino acids arranged again in a special sequence. First of all, it is mathematically impossible for either DNA molecules or protein molecules that come in thousands of different types to sort out the appropriate sequences necessary for life by chance. Probabilistic calculations reveal that the probability of even the simplest protein molecules achieving the right sequence by chance is zero. (For more information, see the book The Evolution Deceit by Harun Yahya). There is also an important chemical obstacle to the coincidental formation of these molecules. If the relationship between DNA and protein were a result of time, chance, and natural processes, then there would be some sort of chemical tendency towards DNA and protein to react, as acids and bases have a great tendency to react. In that case, if chance had really played a role, sugar-acid, aminophosphoric acid, and a whole host of other natural chemical reactions would occur among any random fragments of DNA and protein and the living beings we see today would not form. As seen, it is absolutely impossible for DNA and proteins, which can by no means form randomly, to be left uncontrolled to form life following their own formations. Jean Guitton, a contemporary philosopher, addressed this impossibility in his book titled Dieu et la Science (God and Science): Following which ‘coincidence’ did certain atoms draw near each other to form the first molecules of amino acids? Again, through which coincidence did these molecules come together to form this extremely complex structure called DNA? I am asking this simple question just like the biological scientist François Jacob did: Who prepared the plans of the first DNA molecule to give the first message that led to the birth of the first living cell? If one is satisfied with assumptions involving coincidences, these questions – and many others – remain unanswered; this is why, for the last few years, the biologists began to change their views. Top researchers are not satisfied by re-telling Darwin’s laws without thinking, parrot-fashion; they put forward new surprising theories. These are theories based on the idea that an organizing principle that is apparently superior to matter is involved in the process.4 As Jean Guitton stated, science has reached such a point, that it has been scientifically established that Darwin’s theory of evolution has no validity whatsoever. American biologist Michael Behe addresses this in his famous book Darwin’s Black Box: Science has made enormous progress in understanding how the chemistry of life works, but the elegance and complexity of biological systems at the molecular level have paralyzed science’s attempt to explain their origins. There has been virtually no attempt to account for the origin of specific, complex biomolecular systems, much less any progress. Many scientists have gamely asserted that explanations are already in hand, or will be sooner or later, but no support for such assertions can be found in the professional science literature. More importantly, there are compelling reasons – based on the structure of the systems themselves – to think that a Darwinian explanation for the mechanisms of life will forever prove elusive.5 Just as the entire universe, all the living beings were created from nothing. Only Allah, Possessor of infinite power, infinite wisdom and infinite knowledge, has power to do all these: Your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the Earth in six days and then settled Himself firmly on the Throne. He covers the day with the night, each pursuing the other urgently; and the Sun and Moon and stars are subservient to His command. Both creation and command belong to Him. Blessed be Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. (Surat al-A’raf: 54) To purchase the works of Harun Yahya, please visit www.bookglobal.net

ATOM AND SUBATOMIC PARTICLES

3- Not even an atom’s weight in the heavens and the earth, or something smaller or greater than it is hidden from Him, but all are in a clear record.
34-Sheba, 3

The atom is the smallest particle of matter. God drew attention to the existence of the atom, laying emphasis on the importance of its knowledge. A naked eye looking at a table, a carpet, a wall or a stone cannot fully grasp the importance of the atom and the knowledge it contains. While the Quran stresses the importance of the atom, it emphasizes also the subatomic particles, “Or something smaller or greater than.” In the expression “greater than” is comprised the knowledge of the greater compositions like molecules, the entirety of which is within God’s ken.

Men contemporary with the Prophet could not possibly have known that in the atom and subatomic particles and their compounds different types of knowledge were comprised. The Quran asserts the omniscience of God. Drawing attention to the existence of the atom and the subatomic particles is relevant to the present day information that physics has discovered.

The knowledge obtained today by means of cosmological physics studying the science of the origin and structure of the universe are interrelated with the data of atomic physics. Another miraculous sign of the Quran is its referring to the weight (miskale in Arabic) of the atom wherever the word “zerre” (atom) is mentioned.

FROM VAST TO SMALLEST MAGNITUDES
Imagine you are eating a pizza with great relish. What are its ingredients? Sausage, cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes and flour. What are the constituents of these sausages, cheeses, mushrooms and tomatoes and what are the constituents of the constituents? This series of questions leads us to molecules. The molecules themselves are made up of atoms such as oxygen, hydrogen and carbon. Then come protons and electrons, together forming eventually the nucleus of the atom...

The entire universe is made of matter or energy. From the trunk of a tree to its leaves, from the hands of a human being to his eyes, from golden ornaments to cotton dresses, everything is matter. The atom is the individual structure that constitutes the basic unit of any chemical element.

The proton is an elementary particle that is the positively charged constituent of ordinary matter, and, like the neutron, is the building stone of atomic nuclei. The electron is an elementary particle that is the negatively charged constituent of ordinary matter. These are the recent discoveries of science that led us to the discovery of the television, computer, Internet, etc. Take, for instance, a grain of sand in the palm, which is assumed to be the simplest matter, and think of the quadrillion of atoms it contains; quadrillions of atoms you could not finish counting throughout the span of your lifetime. Imagine that each of these atoms has its electrons moving around the nuclei, like the planets making their rounds around the sun. A quadrillion solar systems contained within a grain of sand or piece of rock in your palm. An intelligent mind will readily conceive that there is nothing simple in the universe. Be it a pizza or a rock, suppose that you fancy recomposing them. To embark on such a huge project, you must go back to the very beginning, to the primeval explosion, and repeat the process. In this odyssey, you will run into atoms, cornerstones of the universe, entailing the existence of protons, electrons and neutrons; then you will be faced by the gaseous substance made of hydrogen and helium; these will be followed by stars and atoms produced in these stars which will one day be transformed into the mushrooms, cheese and tomatoes of our pizza. In order to really make a pizza, we need to create the entire universe with all the stages it had.


The more you delve into the study of the atom the greater becomes your wonder. Suppose a penny on the table is the nucleus of an atom. The orbit that the electron would trace around it would be at a distance of 2-3 km. What is in between? The distance between the two, i.e., the nucleus and the electrons, is a vacuum. In other words, a piece of rock held in our hand contains in it quadrillions of solar systems, but 99.99% of it is a vacuum. Interesting, isn’t it?

While we observed the fact that the universe was replete with orbits as described in the verse (51-The Dispersing, 7), we witnessed the infinitude of God’s power and magnitude. This divine power is demonstrated through more than one hundred million galaxies, more than a hundred million stars contained in each, countless planets and satellites and their quadrillions of devised orbits. A grain of sand, then, contains quadrillions of miniature replicas of the solar system where electrons dance around the nuclei of quadrillions of atoms. What should one deduce from this? To begin with, the incommensurable magnitude of our Creator’s power is also observed in the depth of matter. Endless vastness has been created from these particles. The motion of the atom is the same movement around the center of limitless magnitudes. The system in any given galaxy and the one forming a particle of dust is the same system. The Author of that speck of dust is also the Author of the universe. All these phenomena point to the immensity of His power and to the order reigning in the universe, as well as to the fact that nothing is casual in His creation. The creation of the smallest and of the biggest is equal for Him. The creation of a point containing trillions of atoms and of immense space is equal for Him and difficulty is a notion not applicable for Him. There is no limit to His wisdom and power.

27- And if all the trees on earth were made into pens, and the ocean supplied the ink, augmented by seven more oceans, the words of God would not run out. God is indeed Almighty and Wise.
31-Luqmaan, 27
INFINITESIMAL CONTENTS OF ATOMS
The nucleus of the atom contains protons charged with positive electricity. These positive charges repel each other. The miracle of creation occurs when protons adhere to each other forming a single point. The power that confines the protons repelling each other and the neutrons within a single point is immense; it is called strong nuclear force. The elementary particles containing this force are referred to with the French epithet “gluons” meaning “sticky” (The immense destructive energy of the atomic bomb was obtained by the use of this force). God, who devised everything in the universe with mathematical precision, has also conceived this immense force with mathematical exactitude. This force adheres the mutually repelling protons to each other; had the power been weaker or stronger, the protons could disintegrate or it could cause the intrusion of protons and neutrons into each other.

The atomic bomb demonstrated tragically the immense power of the atom. It also showed that one of the factors that contributed to our worldly existence is its intrinsic balance. Thanks to the welladjusted order reigning in this field, matter does not disintegrate all of a sudden, giving rise to noxious effects of radiation. Another important factor that contributes to the stability of the atom is the weak force inherent in it. This force is particularly important in establishing the balance of the nuclei that comprise an excessive number of neutrons and protons.

Electromagnetic force is another factor contributing to the existence of atom. It is this force that brings about the attraction of oppositely charged particles and the repulsion of particles having like electric charges. This has made possible the coming together of the protons and electrons. However, this coming together has its limits. Electrons do not stick to the protons while they move at a breathtaking speed around the nucleus in their orbits. The repulsion of negatively charged electrons turning in succession, and the attraction of the electrons by the protons changes nothing. In this way, the electron does not stick to the proton that attracts it, nor is it moved away. The Creator of this system, of these electrons, deprived of consciousness, is undoubtedly the Creator of matter, atoms, electrons, etc. Let us make an experiment as conscious human beings. Imagine tying a rope around the waists of three or four people while others stand in the middle of the circle. Let those in the middle try to pull the tied people towards themselves while the outside people are circumnavigating the center, and let the people making the circle push each other and those in the center as well, resembling the movement within the nucleus of an atom. We certainly do not expect them to make thousands of rotations per second like an electron. Can reasonable human beings continue to imitate the motion of an atom for the length of one minute? And imagine for an instant that we venture to imitate the model of an atom with 3 or 4 orbits and that there are three or four rotations around the symbolic nucleus. In addition to this, suppose that sumo wrestlers representing the gluons with adhesive properties within the nucleus try to keep those pulling the rope while pushing each other at their places. What an awkward experience this would be! How have the protons and electrons been performing this feast over and over again endlessly for eons and eons with the quadrillions of atoms contained in a small rock?

These atoms existing in the universe and in our bodies were produced long ago in supernovas. The calcium in our teeth, the carbon that our pizza contains, and the iron atoms in our body are products of stars of high temperatures. These raw materials of the universe are prepared in the laboratory of these stars before being transformed into pizzas, water, blood, flesh, teeth and eyes.

This is not a story of an adventure taking place far away from us. Our hands, hair, eyes, our very food and the chair we sit on, everything is performing this process indiscriminately. Our Creator is perpetuating this process incessantly with His omnipotence and omniscience. All these movements of the atom and the energy inherent in it are what perpetuate our existence.

2- To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. No son has He begotten, nor has He a partner in His dominion. It is He who created all things, and ordered them in exact measure.
25-The Distinguisher, 2
WHAT ELSE?
It is estimated that there are some 1080 particles in the universe. Add 80 zeros after 1 to have an idea of this magnitude. These particles function thanks to complex, ingeniously devised and balanced forces. So do the comets, supernovas and planets, a consequence of the harmonious interaction of these particles. What else must one bring forth to give an idea of the power and design lying behind all these? In this chapter, I tried to outline the structure of an atom and emphasize that it was extremely complex, perfect and ingeniously devised. Were we to push our exploration further, our wonder would be much greater. The emergence of elementary particles in the wake of the Big Bang is the result of an intelligent design. The heat at every instant during the explosion, the number of atomic particles, the forces involved in every stage and their intensities have been carefully planned. Any change in these values would be the end of existence, of galaxies and atoms, and would end up in chaos. The consequence of this primeval explosion was not chaos as might be expected, but a perfect harmony, the work of the Creator, governed by physical laws, a perfect order reigning among galaxies and atoms.

Tiny units of split seconds had their function to perform in the creation of the universe. Had the particles and anti-particles been created in equal number, all of them would be destroyed when the temperature fell below one billion degrees, leaving behind nothing but
radiation. The very fact of our existence is evidence to the contrary. The number of electrons had to be somewhat more than the number of positrons and the number of protons should exceed the number of anti-protons and the figure representing the neutrons should be superior to the number of anti-neutrons.

Every particle had to come into being at a predetermined velocity, temperature and time sequence. The primeval explosion was designed in such a way that it was followed by an evolution that reflected the Creator’s ingenious artistry. We have touched on the structure of the atom and the formation of atomic particles after the primeval explosion. The more one delves into the mystery of creation the more one’s wonder and amazement increase. The actual magnificence of the atom, the creation of particles of the atom by an intelligent design and the transformation of the particles into atoms are beyond the grasp of the intellect. If 1080 particles, with mutually attracting and repulsing electricity charges, had not been transformed into atoms in a finely balanced manner, neither the human ego, nor the book we read, nor the earth we inhabit would exist.

Whether we ascend to the heavens or descend to the microscopic depths, we encounter the same perfection and immensity of God’s work and design.

120- To God do belong the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that there is therein, and it is He who has power over all things.
5-The Feast, 120