This section will explore answers to the following questions ...
• Are Cells Really That Simple?
• The “Not-So-Simple” Cell
• Are Cells Evidence of God’s Design?
• What is Cell Biology?
• Where can I learn more about the Cell?
• Are Cells Really That Simple?
• The “Not-So-Simple” Cell
• Are Cells Evidence of God’s Design?
• What is Cell Biology?
• Where can I learn more about the Cell?
• Are Cells Really That Simple?
Each person begins as a single cell - a cell structure formed by the joining of the mother's egg and the father's sperm. That single cell contains the digital code to make thousands of other kinds of cells, from fat cells to bone cells - from brain cells to lung cells. There are muscle cells, skin cells, vein cells, capillary cells and blood cells… Ultimately, from that one original cell, the human body will have something like 30 trillion cells conducting an orchestra of different functions. In the first half of this century, scientists still assumed that the cell was a fairly simple blob of protoplasm. Without electron microscopes and other technology, the cell was treated as a “black box” that mysteriously performed its various functions - an unobservable collection of “gelatin” molecules whose inner workings were unknown. Through the marvels of 21st century technology, scientists now understand that the cell is actually very complex. Although the tiniest bacterial cells are incredibly small, weighing less than 10-12 grams, each is in effect a veritable micro-miniaturized factory containing thousands of exquisitely designed pieces of intricate molecular machinery, made up altogether of one hundred thousand million atoms, far more complicated than any machinery built by man and absolutely without parallel in the non-living world. Each microscopic cell is as functionally complex as a small city. When magnified 50,000 times through electron micrographs, we can see that a cell is made up of multiple complex structures, each with a different role in the cell's operation. If the cell is that complex, what about the simplest organisms made up of these cellular structures? Is there really such a thing as “simple,” now that we can view organisms using the latest in microbiological and biochemical technology?
(Cell Structure, All About The Journey, Randall Niles, http://www.allaboutthejourney.org/cell-structure.htm)
• The “Not-So-Simple” Cell
Simple, microscopic organisms created in prebiotic rock soup are at the foundation of evolutionary thinking. So what is a “simple” microscopic organism? Is there such a thing? Wouldn't any organism - even the first one - have to synthesize fuel, generate energy, reproduce its kind, etc.? Is it really all that “simple”? Through the marvels of 21st century technology, scientists now understand the following... Although the tiniest bacterial cells are incredibly small, weighing less than 10-12 grams, each is in effect a veritable micro-miniaturized factory containing thousands of exquisitely designed pieces of intricate molecular machinery, made up altogether of one hundred thousand million atoms, far more complicated than any machinery built by man and absolutely without parallel in the non-living world. Each microscopic cell is as functionally complex as a small city. When magnified 50,000 times through electron micrographs, we see that a cell is made up of multiple complex structures, each with a different role in the cell's operation. Using the city comparison, here is a simple chart that reveals the awesome intricacy and design of a typical cell.
(City) Workers - (Cell) Proteins
(City) Power Plant - (Cell) Mitochondria
(City) Roads - (Cell) Actin Fibers and Microtububes
(City) Trucks - (Cell) Kinesin, Dynein
(City) Factories - (Cell) Ribosomes
(City) Library - (Cell) Genome (DNA, RNA)
(City) Recycling Center - (Cell) Lysosome
(City) Police - (Cell) Chaperones
(City) Post Office - (Cell) Golgi Apparatus
If a cell is that complex - is it logical (or scientific) to believe that that they could come into existence (evolved) on their own - or is there evidence of design and a Designer?
Article Source - http://www.allaboutthejourney.org/cell-structure.htm
Illustration - http://www.bibleprobe.com/humancell2.jpg
• Are Cells Evidence of God’s Design?
God has created man with 100 trillion cells, each of which is a wonder of microminiaturization. The biochemical processes that occur moment by moment are nothing less than astounding. The bewildering complexity of these tiny functional units was acknowledged even before recent discoveries of how cells operate at the nanotechnological level. If we could build a motor one millionth of a millimetre across, you could fit a billion billion of them on a teaspoon. It seems incredible, but biological systems already use molecular motors on this scale. 1 Indeed, “it seems incredible” to suggest that such sophistication is the result of chance, time, and genetic mistakes! A 1997 Nature article by Steven Block detailed the “Real engines of creation” that included a discussion of sub-cellular structures composed of springs, rotary joints, and levers - all made of protein.2 The awareness of cellular sophistication has only increased by orders of magnitude since then, further demolishing the increasingly anemic Darwinian explanations for the origin of cells. The cell or plasma membrane surrounding each cell has been called living because of its extremely precise selectivity - allowing or actively pumping some materials in or out, but not others. Complicated but efficient protein molecules “float” in the midst of this bilipid membrane. Some extend halfway and others all the way through the two interconnected membrane layers. For the cell to remain alive, there must also be a constant exchange of materials from the outside of the cell to the inside, and vice versa. For example, among many other ions, potassium is critical for cellular function and homeostasis.3 A precisely shaped and charged potassium gate found in the cell membrane is known to have a latch that rotates much like an iris! It also has switches and pulleys.4 Working in exquisite harmony, the four principal parts of the gate - collectively called the Kir channel - are designed to selectively allow millions of potassium ions per second to pass through the gate while keeping out legions of pesky gatecrashers (other ions). Cellular machines are not the stuff of randomness, but reveal unparalleled sophistication emanating from the mind of the wise Creator. Consider this quote describing the transfer of an electron to a heme portion of a ubiquitous protein involved in ATP (energy) production in living systems: This [electron] loading increases the redox potentials of both hemes a and a3, which allows electron equilibration between them at the same rate. Then, in 0.8 milliseconds, another proton is transferred from the inside to the heme a3/CuB center, and the electron is transferred to CuB. Finally, in 2.6 millisesconds, the preloaded proton is released from the pump site to the opposite side of the membrane. 5 Is it logical to attribute such overwhelmingly complicated machinery to genetic mistakes “guided” by natural happenstance? No. Cellular research increasingly unveils amazing discoveries that should cause Darwinists to consider Paul's proclamation to the church in Rome: “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20). Sadly, for many biologists it doesn't matter what the burgeoning evidence shows. Those with a secular worldview must avoid pursuing the obvious design implication and therefore give glory to the creation instead of the Creator to whom it is due.
(Source: Cells - Sophisticated and God-Designed, ICR, Frank Sherwin, http://www.icr.org/article/5515/361)
References
1. Feringa, B. L. 2000. Nanotechnology: In control of molecular motion. Nature. 408 (6809): 151-154.
2. Block, S. M. 1997. Real engines of creation. Nature. 386 (6622): 217-219.
3. Dubyak, G. R. 2004. Ion homeostasis, channels, and transporters. Advances in Physiology Education. 28 (4): 143-154.
4. Clark, et al. 2010. Domain Reorientation and Rotation of an Intracellular Assembly Regulate Conduction in Kir Potassium Channels. Cell. 141 (6): 1018-1029.
5. Belevich, I. et al. 2007. Exploring the proton pump mechanism of cytochrome c oxidase in real time. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 104 (8): 2685-2690.
• What is Cell Biology?
Cell biology is the study of the cell and its molecular processes. In the early twentieth century, the cell was viewed as essentially a blob of protoplasm (a collection of gelatin molecules) and, although the inner workings were not yet understood, it was assumed that the first cell developed through a process of chemical evolution (abiogenesis). The following is a quote from Ernest Haeckel, who was affectionately known as Darwin's bulldog. “ …not composed of any organs at all, but consist entirely of shapeless, simple, homogeneous matter … nothing more than a shapeless, mobile, little lump of mucus or slime, consisting of albuminous combination of carbon.” On the other hand, 21st century technology reveals that although the tiniest bacterial cells are incredibly small, weighing less than 10-12 grams (or 1 picogram), the entire cell is incredibly integrated and each part works as part of a team. Cell biology illustrates overwhelming evidence of intelligent design; in particular, due to the many irreducibly complex molecular machines. Cells are so tremendously complicated that we are only beginning to understand their internal workings, and indeed many functions within the cell still remain a total mystery. An analogy sometimes used is the comparison of a cell to a city. For instance, the workers can be compared to the protein, the power plant to the mitochondria, the roads to the actin fibres and microtubules, the trucks to the Kinesin and Dynein, the factories to the ribosomes, the library to the nucleic acid, the recycling centre to the Lysosome, the police to the chaperones, and the post office to the golgi apparatus.
(Source: Cell Biology, Creation Wiki, http://creationwiki.org/Cell_biology)
• Where can I learn more about the Cell?
• The Watchmaker - Cell Structure (3:38)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwEhSsltU6k
Kids 4 Truth
• Cell Origins (1:57)
http://www.icr.org/thatsafact
ICR, That's A Fact
• Dr. Dean Keyon - Cell and DNA Molecule (2:29)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrXf8KCJLMg
Back in the days of Charles Darwin relatively little was known about the complexity, the enormous complexity at the microscopic level, the microscopic world of living organisms. “There was a view in the later part of the 19th century that a living cell was eventually featureless bag of enzymes...” “In the 20th century we've mad enormous strides in understanding that that's not the case at all. There is a great degree of intricacy in architecture down in the cell units.” “...No longer is it a reasonable proposition to think that simple chemical events could have any chance at all to generate the kind of complexity that we see in the very simplest living organism.” “…We have not the slightest chance of a chemical evolutionary origin for even the simplest of cells...”
• Journey Inside The Cell - Discovery Institute (3:35)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fiJupfbSpg&feature=player_embedded
Animation, Dr. Stephen C. Meyers, www.signatureinthecell.com
• The Wonder of the Cell (15:41)
https://answersingenesis.org/human-body/brain/brain-experiences/dr-purdoms-presentation-on-wonder-of-the-cell
AIG, Dr. Georgia Purdom
• Cellular Complexity (28:17)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn8GfMGXoso
Evidence Press, Dr. Georgia Purdom
• Wonder of the Cell (DVD)
http://www.christianbook.com/wonder-of-the-cell/pd/509329?event=ESRCG
AIG, Dr. Georgia Purdom, Approx. 48 minutes.
CBD Stock No: WW509329, Christian Book Distributors (CBD)
140 Summit St., Peabody, MA 01960, 800-247-4784
• The Design and Complexity of the Cell (Book)
http://www.icr.org/design-cell
http://store.icr.org/The-Design-and-Complexity-of-the-Cell/productinfo/BDCC1
ICR, Jeffrey P. Tomkins, Ph.D.
Item Number: BDCC1, Audience: General, semi-technical
Institute for Creation Research, P. O. Box 59029, Dallas, Texas 75229, 800-337-0375