The Miracle in the Cell Membrane

By Global Publishing

The 100 trillion or so cells that make up the human body perform countless activities, without ever stopping, growing tired or needing a rest. In the same way that every living thing needs energy—and therefore, food—to survive, so the cell also needs various nutrients in order to perform its countless functions. In the same way that raw materials to be used in production are carried inside a factory and stored until needed, and waste products are later sent out of the factory later, so a very complex production, storage and waste-disposal system operates within the cell.
In the same way that the qualities of the raw materials brought to the factory are specified by contract, so the cell observes special conditions for the substances it takes into itself. Substances do not enter the cell at random. as if they were already familiarized beforehand, these molecules are subjected to “identity checks” at the cell membrane. There are entryways held open solely for substances regarded as admissible. Other substances, whose entry is regarded as possibly undesirable, are eliminated with a care reminiscent of fingerprint checks. The way the nature of these materials is checked and confirmed before entering the cell is of vital importance. These strict security precautions avoid the risk of entrance of any virus, bacterium or poisonous substance into the cell. This huge responsibility is assumed by the thinnest of membranes.
Each one of the trillions of cells that make up your body acts with this awareness. Each cell membrane implements this sensitive selection mechanism in that part of the division of labor that falls to it. No human being can even be aware that such extraordinary functions are taking place, let alone be able to perform any such selection consciously. The appearance of an intelligence beyond human in the cell membrane shows that the source of that intelligence is not the cell itself but rather the inspiration of Allah, Who created it. by the command of Allah each and every cell carries out its duties for us flawlessly.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Global Publishing
• Release date: Jul 4, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463824627

Global Publishing

Now writing under the pen-name of HARUN YAHYA, Adnan Oktar was born in Ankara in 1956. Having completed his primary and secondary education in Ankara, he studied arts at Istanbul's Mimar Sinan University and philosophy at Istanbul University. Since the 1980s, he has published many books on political, scientific, and faith-related issues. Harun Yahya is well-known as the author of important works disclosing the imposture of evolutionists, their invalid claims, and the dark liaisons between Darwinism and such bloody ideologies as fascism and communism.Harun Yahya's works, translated into 60 different languages, constitute a collection for a total of more than 45,000 pages with 30,000 illustrations.His pen-name is a composite of the names Harun (Aaron) and Yahya (John), in memory of the two esteemed Prophets who fought against their peoples' lack of faith. The Prophet's seal on his books' covers is symbolic and is linked to their contents. It represents the Qur'an (the Final Scripture) and Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), last of the prophets. Under the guidance of the Qur'an and the Sunnah (teachings of the Prophet [may Allah bless him and grant him peace]), the author makes it his purpose to disprove each fundamental tenet of irreligious ideologies and to have the "last word," so as to completely silence the objections raised against religion. He uses the seal of the final Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), who attained ultimate wisdom and moral perfection, as a sign of his intention to offer the last word.All of Harun Yahya's works share one single goal: to convey the Qur'an's message, encourage readers to consider basic faith-related issues such as Allah's existence and unity and the Hereafter; and to expose irreligious systems' feeble foundations and perverted ideologies.Harun Yahya enjoys a wide readership in many countries, from India to America, England to Indonesia, Poland to Bosnia, Spain to Brazil, Malaysia to Italy, France to Bulgaria and Russia. Some of his books are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Urdu, Arabic, Albanian, Chinese, Swahili, Hausa, Dhivehi (spoken in Mauritius), Russian, Serbo-Croat (Bosnian), Polish, Malay, Uygur Turkish, Indonesian, Bengali, Danish and Swedish.Greatly appreciated all around the world, these works have been instrumental in many people recovering faith in Allah and gaining deeper insights into their faith. His books' wisdom and sincerity, together with a distinct style that's easy to understand, directly affect anyone who reads them. Those who seriously consider these books, can no longer advocate atheism or any other perverted ideology or materialistic philosophy, since these books are characterized by rapid effectiveness, definite results, and irrefutability. Even if they continue to do so, it will be only a sentimental insistence, since these books refute such ideologies from their very foundations. All contemporary movements of denial are now ideologically defeated, thanks to the books written by Harun Yahya.This is no doubt a result of the Qur'an's wisdom and lucidity. The author modestly intends to serve as a means in humanity's search for Allah's right path. No material gain is sought in the publication of these works.Those who encourage others to read these books, to open their minds and hearts and guide them to become more devoted servants of Allah, render an invaluable service.Meanwhile, it would only be a waste of time and energy to propagate other books that create confusion in people's minds, lead them into ideological confusion, and that clearly have no strong and precise effects in removing the doubts in people's hearts, as also verified from previous experience. It is impossible for books devised to emphasize the author's literary power rather than the noble goal of saving people from loss of faith, to have such a great effect. Those who doubt this can readily see that the sole aim of Harun Yahya's books is to overcome disbelief and to disseminate the Qur'an's moral values. The success and impact of this service are manifested in the readers' conviction.One point should be kept in mind: The main reason for the continuing cruelty, conflict, and other ordeals endured by the vast majority of people is the ideological prevalence of disbelief. This can be ended only with the ideological defeat of disbelief and by conveying the wonders of creation and Qur'anic morality so that people can live by it. Considering the state of the world today, leading into a downward spiral of violence, corruption and conflict, clearly this service must be provided speedily and effectively, or it may be too late.In this effort, the books of Harun Yahya assume a leading role. By the will of Allah, these books will be a means through which people in the twenty-first century will attain the peace, justice, and happiness promised in the Qur'an.The works of the author include The New Masonic Order, Judaism and Freemasonry, Global Freemasonry, The Kabbala and Freemasonry, The Knight Templars, Templars and Freemasonry, Israel's Policy of World Domination, Islam Denounces Terrorism, The Black Clan, Terrorism: The Ritual of the Devil, The Disasters Darwinism Brought to Humanity, Communism in Ambush, Fascism: The Bloody Ideology of Darwinism, The 'Secret Hand'in Bosnia, Holocaust Violence, Behind the Scenes of Terrorism, Israel's Kurdish Card, Communist China's Policy of Oppression in East Turkestan, Palestine, Solution: The Values of the Qur'an, The Winter of Islam and The Spring to Come, Islam and Buddhism, The Philosophy of Zionism, Articles 1-2-3, Romanticism: A Weapon of Satan, The Light of the Qur'an Has Destroyed Satanism, Signs From the Chapter of the Cave in the Qur'an to the Last Times, The End Times and the Mahdi, Signs From the Qur'an, Signs of the Last Day, The Last Times and The Beast of the Earth, Truths 1-2, Idealism The Philosophy of Matrix and the True Nature of Matter, The Western World Turns to God, The Evolution Deceit, The Perfect Design in the Universe Is Not by Chance, Why Darwinism Is Incompatable with the Qur’an, Darwinism Refuted, New Research Demolishes Evolution, A Definitive Reply to Evolutionist Propaganda, The Quandary of Evolution I-II (Encyclopedic), The Error of the Evolution of Species, The Blunders of Evolutionists, The Collapse of the Theory of Evolution in 50 Steps, The Errors of The NAS:A Reply to the National Academy of Sciences Booklet Science and Creationism, Confessions of Evolutionists, Perished Nations, For Men of Understanding, Love of Allah, Allah's Art of Affection, The Glad Tidings of the Messiah, The Prophet Musa (as), The Prophet Yusuf (as), The Prophet Muhammad (saas), The Prophet Sulayman (as), The Prophet Ibrahim (as) and the Prophet Lut (as), Maryam (as) The Exemplary Muslim Woman, The Golden Age, Allah Exists, Allah's Artistry in Colour, Magnificence Everywhere, The Importance of the Evidences of Creation, The Truth of the Life of This World, The Nightmare of Disbelief, Knowing the Truth, Eternity Has Already Begun, Timelessness and the Reality of Fate, Matter: Another Name for Illusion, The Little Man in the Tower, Islam and Karma, The Dark Magic of Darwinism, The Religion of Darwinism, The Collapse of the Theory of Evolution in 20 Questions, Allah is Known Through Reason, The Qur'an Leads the Way to Science, Consciousness in the Cell, Biomimetics Technology Imitates Nature, The Engineering in Nature, A String of Miracles, The Creation of the Universe, Miracles of the Qur'an, The Design in Nature, Self-Sacrifice and Intelligent Behaviour Models in Animals, Deep Thinking, Never Plead Ignorance, The Green Miracle: Photosynthesis, The Miracle in the Cell, The Miracle in the Eye, The Miracle in the Spider, The Miracle in the Mosquito, The Miracle in the Ant, The Miracle of the Immune System, The Miracle of Creation in Plants, The Miracle in the Atom, The Miracle in the Honeybee, The Miracle of Seed, The Miracle of Hormones, The Miracle of the Termite, The Miracle of the Human Body, The Miracle of Human Creation, The Miracle of Protein, The Miracle of Smell and Taste, The Miracle of the Microworld, The Secrets of DNA, The Miracle in the Molecule, The Miracle of Creation in DNA, The Miracle of Talking Birds.The author's childrens books are: Wonders of Allah's Creation, The World of Animals, The Glory in the Heavens, Wonderful Creatures, Let's Learn Our Islam, The World of Our Little Friends: The Ants, Honeybees That Build Perfect Combs, Skillful Dam Constructors: Beavers, Tell Me About Creation, The Miracle in Our Body, A Day in the Life of a Muslim, Children This is for You I-IIThe author's other works on Quranic topics include: The Basic Concepts in the Qur'an, The Moral Values of the Qur'an, Quick Grasp of Faith 1-2-3, Ever Thought About the Truth?, Crude Understanding of Disbelief, Devoted to Allah, Abandoning the Society of Ignorance, Paradise: The Believers' Real Home, Learning from the Qur'an, An Index to the Qur'an, Emigrating for the Cause of Allah, The Character of the Hypocrite in the Qur'an, The Secrets of the Hypocrite, Names of Allah, Communicating the Message and Disputing in the Qur'an, Answers from the Qur'an, Death Resurrection Hell, The Struggle of the Messengers, The Avowed Enemy of Man: Satan, The Greatest Slander: Idolatry, The Religion of the Ignorant, The Arrogance of Satan, Prayer in the Qur'an, The Theory of Evolution, The Importance of Conscience in the Qur'an, The Day of Resurrection, Never Forget, Commonly Disregarded Qur'anic Rulings, Human Characters in the Society of Ignorance, The Importance of Patience in the Qur'an, Perfected Faith, Before You Regret, Our Messengers Say, The Mercy of Believers, The Fear of Allah, Jesus Will Return, Beauties for Life in the Qur'an, A Bouquet of the Beauties of Allah 1-2-3-4, The Iniquity Called "Mockery," The Mystery of the Test, Real Wisdom Described in the Qur'an, The Struggle Against the Religion of Irreligion, The School of Yusuf, The Alliance of the Good, Slanders Spread Against Muslims Throughout History, The Importance of Following the Good Word, Why Do You Deceive Yourself?, Islam: The Religion of Ease, Zeal and Enthusiasm Described in the Qur’an, Seeing Good in All, How do the Unwise Interpret the Qur'an?, Some Secrets of the Qur'an, The Courage of Believers, Hopefulness in the Qur'an, Justice and Tolerance in the Qur'an, Basic Tenets of Islam, Those Who do not Heed the Qur'an, Taking the Qur'an as a Guide, A Lurking Threat: Heedlessness, Sincerity Described in the Qur'an, The Happiness of Believers, Those Who Exhaust Their Pleasures During Their Wordly Lives, A Sly Game of Satan, Passivism in Religion, The Religion of Worshipping People, Agonies of a Fake World, How a Muslim Speaks, The Silent Language of Evil, The Ruses of the Liar in the Qur'an, Loyalty in the Qur'an, The Solution to Secret Torments.

Book preview

The Miracle in the Cell Membrane

Harun Yahya (Adnan Oktar)

About the Author

Now writing under the pen-name of HARUN YAHYA, Adnan Oktar was born in Ankara in 1956. Having completed his primary and secondary education in Ankara, he studied fine arts at Istanbul's Mimar Sinan University and philosophy at Istanbul University. Since the 1980s, he has published many books on political, scientific, and faith-related issues. Harun Yahya is well-known as the author of important works disclosing the imposture of evolutionists, their invalid claims, and the dark liaisons between Darwinism and such bloody ideologies as fascism and communism.

Harun Yahya’s works, translated into 63 different languages, constitute a collection for a total of more than 55,000 pages with 40,000 illustrations.

His pen-name is a composite of the names Harun (Aaron) and Yahya (John), in memory of the two esteemed Prophets who fought against their peoples' lack of faith. The Prophet's seal on his books' covers is symbolic and is linked to their contents. It represents the Qur'an (the Final Scripture) and Prophet Muhammad (saas), last of the prophets. Under the guidance of the Qur'an and the Sunnah (teachings of the Prophet [saas]), the author makes it his purpose to disprove each fundamental tenet of irreligious ideologies and to have the last word, so as to completely silence the objections raised against religion. He uses the seal of the final Prophet (saas), who attained ultimate wisdom and moral perfection, as a sign of his intention to offer the last word.

All of Harun Yahya's works share one single goal: to convey the Qur'an's message, encourage readers to consider basic faith-related issues such as Allah's existence and unity and the Hereafter; and to expose irreligious systems' feeble foundations and perverted ideologies.

Harun Yahya enjoys a wide readership in many countries, from India to America, England to Indonesia, Poland to Bosnia, Spain to Brazil, Malaysia to Italy, France to Bulgaria and Russia. Some of his books are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Urdu, Arabic, Albanian, Chinese, Swahili, Hausa, Dhivehi (spoken in Maldives), Russian, Serbo-Croat (Bosnian), Polish, Malay, Uygur Turkish, Indonesian, Bengali, Danish and Swedish.

Greatly appreciated all around the world, these works have been instrumental in many people recovering faith in Allah and gaining deeper insights into their faith. His books' wisdom and sincerity, together with a distinct style that's easy to understand, directly affect anyone who reads them. Those who seriously consider these books, can no longer advocate atheism or any other perverted ideology or materialistic philosophy, since these books are characterized by rapid effectiveness, definite results, and irrefutability. Even if they continue to do so, it will be only a sentimental insistence, since these books refute such ideologies from their very foundations. All contemporary movements of denial are now ideologically defeated, by means of the books written by Harun Yahya.

This is no doubt a result of the Qur'an's wisdom and lucidity. The author modestly intends to serve as a means in humanity's search for Allah's right path. No material gain is sought in the publication of these works.

Those who encourage others to read these books, to open their minds and hearts and guide them to become more devoted servants of Allah, render an invaluable service.

Meanwhile, it would only be a waste of time and energy to propagate other books that create confusion in people's minds, lead them into ideological confusion, and that clearly have no strong and precise effects in removing the doubts in people's hearts, as also verified from previous experience. It is impossible for books devised to emphasize the author's literary power rather than the noble goal of saving people from loss of faith, to have such a great effect. Those who doubt this can readily see that the sole aim of Harun Yahya's books is to overcome disbelief and to disseminate the Qur'an's moral values. The success and impact of this service are manifested in the readers' conviction.

One point should be kept in mind: The main reason for the continuing cruelty, conflict, and other ordeals endured by the vast majority of people is the ideological prevalence of disbelief. This can be ended only with the ideological defeat of disbelief and by conveying the wonders of creation and Qur'anic morality so that people can live by it. Considering the state of the world today, leading into a downward spiral of violence, corruption and conflict, clearly this service must be provided speedily and effectively, or it may be too late.

In this effort, the books of Harun Yahya assume a leading role. by the will of Allah, these books will be a means through which people in the twenty-first century will attain the peace, justice, and happiness promised in the Qur'an.

Translated by Carl Nino Rossini

Edited by Timothy Mossman

Published by

GLOBALPUBLISHING

Talatpasa Mahallesi, Emirgazi Caddesi, İbrahim Elmas İş Merkezi a Blok, Kat: 4

Okmeydani - Istanbul / Turkey

Tel: [phone]

Printed and bound by Secil Ofset in Istanbul

100 Yil Mah. MAS-SIT Matbaacilar Sitesi 4. Cadde No: 77 Bagcilar-Istanbul/Turkey

Phone: [phone]

All trans la tions from the Qur'an are from the Noble Qur'an: A New Rendering of its Meaning in English by Hajj Abdalhaqq and Aisha Bewley, pub lished by Bookwork, Norwich, UK. 1420 CE/1999 AH.

www.harunyahya.com

www.harunyahya.net

www.en.harunyahya.tv

To the Reader

A special chapter is assigned to the collapse of the theory of evolution because this theory constitutes the basis of all anti-spiritual philosophies. Since Darwinism rejects the fact of creation—and therefore, Allah's existence—over the last 150 years it has caused many people to abandon their faith or fall into doubt. It is therefore an imperative service, a very important duty to show everyone that this theory is a deception. Since some readers may find the opportunity to read only one of our books, we think it appropriate to devote a chapter to summarize this subject.

All the author's books explain faith-related issues in light of Qur'anic verses, and invite readers to learn Allah's words and to live by them. All the subjects concerning Allah's verses are explained so as to leave no doubt or room for questions in the reader's mind. The books' sincere, plain, and fluent style ensures that everyone of every age and from every social group can easily understand them. as a result of their effective, lucid narrative, they can be read at one sitting. Even those who rigorously reject spirituality are influenced by the facts these books document and cannot refute the truthfulness of their contents.

This and all the other books by the author can be read individually, or discussed in a group. Readers eager to profit from the books will find discussion very useful, letting them relate their reflections and experiences to one another.

In addition, it will be a great service to Islam to contribute to the publication and reading of these books, written solely for the pleasure of Allah. The author's books are all extremely convincing. for this reason, to communicate true religion to others, one of the most effective methods is encouraging them to read these books.

We hope the reader will look through the reviews of his other books at the back of this book. His rich source material on faith-related issues is very useful, and a pleasure to read.

In these books, unlike some other books, you will not find the author's personal views, explanations based on dubious sources, styles that are unobservant of the respect and reverence due to sacred subjects, nor hopeless, pessimistic arguments that create doubts in the mind and deviations in the heart.

Contents

Foreword

Introduction: The Consciousness Beyond Matter and the Collapse of Mechanism

The Miniature Factories Comprising Our Bodies: The Cells

The Cell’s Complex Structure Can Not Be Explained in Terms of Coincidence

Superior Creation in the Structure of the Cell Membrane

Complex Transportation Systems in the Cell Membrane

The Selective Permeability of the Protein Channels in the Cell Membrane

Selectivityin Nerve Cells

Signal Selection in Traffic of Data Among Cells

Selection in the Immune Sys Tem’s Cells

Vital Selec Tions in the Blood

The Importance of the Creation in the Cell Membrane in Terms of Multi-Cellularity

The Delicate Balance in Substances Selected in the Body

The Cell Membrane Invalidates Claims of the Theory of Evolution

Conclusion: Allah Pervades Every Where With His Wisdom

The Deception of Evolution

Notes

Captions

Back cover

Foreword

Is He Who creates like him who does not create? So will you not pay heed? If you tried to number Allah’s blessings, you could never count them. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Allah knows what you keep secret and what you make public. (Surat an-Nahl, 17-19)

Take a brief walk through your house and consider how many things that make your life easier have been thought of beforehand and laid out for your use.

Before you even enter the front door, you find a doormat set out for you to wipe your shoes on and, as you step inside, a coat rack on which to hang your coat or jacket. Various items such as armchairs, carpets, curtains and a television have been laid out for decoration or comfort; the refrigerator, oven and cupboards in the kitchen are ready to meet all your needs.

The same applies to your desk, lamp, wardrobe and bookcase. There is a purpose behind each of them being located where they are.

No one could claim that all these devices are the products of coincidence or that they installed themselves in their allotted places. Whether the item be as small as a salt cellar, or as heavy as a mirror hanging on the wall, every visitor will agree that these are all deliberate substances, having been arranged in their locations in a conscious manner. It would be exceedingly illogical to try to account for these products of considerable planning, intelligence and knowledge, created to satisfy particular needs and for specific purposes, in terms of coincidence.

However, bring up the subject of living things, and some people claim that a living cell—which even with the most advanced technology, in the most highly developed laboratories and with the accumulated knowledge of many years, has never been brought into being—appeared as the result of a chain of coincidences over millions of years. They defend that claim, which is devoid of any scientific basis, out of their blind belief in Darwin's theory.

In fact, however, just as the theory of evolution has been invalidated in such fields as paleontology, genetics, comparative anatomy and observational biology, so it has collapsed in the sphere of molecular biology, which deals with the very origin of life. The claim of Darwinists, which may be summarized as life is the product of coincidences and natural laws reaches an impasse at the molecular level, before even reaching the cellular stage.

In the course of this book you will see that the cell membrane, just one of the complex structures in the cell, is the work of a superior Wisdom and Creation, and will see how by itself, even this delicate membrane invalidates the Darwinists' claims of coincidence.

Introduction: The Consciousness Beyond Matter and the Collapse of Mechanism

He is the Knower of the Unseen, Whom not even the weight of the smallest particle eludes, either in the heavens or in the Earth; nor is there anything smaller or larger than that which is not in a Clear Book. (Surah Saba', 3)

Before the spread of materialist philosophy, the scientific world accepted the fact that Allah had created the universe and everything in it from nothing and kept it under His might at all moments. Materialism, however, first denied Allah's eternal dominion over nature. The view known as mechanism advanced the proposition that all the systems in nature and the universe functioned like machinery, in a self-contained manner. One of the foremost 18th-century representatives of this thesis was the Frenchman Pierre Simon de Laplace, who explained the motion of the Solar System by using the laws of gravity. and in a reply to Napoleon, who questioned his theory, he fell into a serious error by denying that the functioning of the universe was under the control of Allah.

In the 19th century, these errors grew still further: The falsehood was propagated claiming that not only the functioning of the universe could be explained solely in terms of natural laws, but so could the origins of living things. In other words, in the same way that Allah's dominion over nature and the universe was denied, so was His original Creation. The forerunner of this rejection was Charles Darwin, who maintained that living things were the product of natural laws and coincidence. In the 19th century, the eternal universe model dominated, maintaining that the universe had existed for ever and functioned solely by means of natural laws and coincidence. by the 20th century, materialists imagined that they had accounted for everything in terms of their own theories.

However, the 20th century unfolded in a way they never expected. A string of scientific discoveries in the fields of both astrophysics and biology proved that the Universe and living things had been created. The hypotheses of Darwinism collapsed, one after the other. The Big Bang theory showed that the universe had been created from nothing. New findings showed the great creativity and fine tuning in the material world, again revealing claims of materialism to be groundless.

Over the last years, these two important issues—the scientific collapse of Darwinism and the Creation of the universe from nothing and its fine tuning—have been raised by a great many scientists and scientific writers. In the 1970s, physicists and astronomers raised the Anthropic Principle, which showed that the universe was not a mass of coincidences but on the contrary, reveals an extraordinary Creation and arrangement ideally suited to human life in its every detail. We have already examined these subjects in detail in our previous works. (See Harun Yahya the Creation of the Universe, and the Chain of Miracles.)

All these books concern the origin of the universe and living things and refute Darwinism or the eternal universe view that prevailed in the 19th century. The refutation of the materialist view of the functioning of the universe and living things, that is to say of mechanism, has not yet been revealed in such detail, however.

In fact, scientific findings make this rejection both possible and necessary. It is impossible for the materialist logic, to account not only for the origin of the universe and living things, but also for their functioning.

What Molecular Biology Reveals

From molecular biology came the greatest impact to the evolution theory in the 20th century. According to the scientists, the cell, the fundamental unit of life, was full of irreducibly complex molecular machines. It was impossible to account for the origin of these machines in terms of Darwinism's blind mechanisms, that is natural selection and mutation.

Today, the known fact that molecular biology has invalidated the claims of Darwinism has been stated in a wide-ranging manner by many biologists who question the theory. One point that frequently escapes notice, however, is that coincidence and natural laws cannot explain not only the origins of the molecular machinery and other extraordinary entities within the cell, but also the way these structures function.

To clarify this with an example, consider DNA, the cell's data bank. DNA is a long molecular chain in the form of a spiral staircase, present in every cell. All the data regarding that cell's physical and chemical structure—as well as the entire organism to which the cell belongs—are encoded along that chain. On its own, however, the presence of such a data bank inside the cell has no significance. The use of that data bank is also of the greatest importance. In other words, the data it contains must be read in the correct manner and actions taken according to the information obtained.

Some of the molecular machines in the cell charged with this task are known as enzymes. These find the necessary information for the production of proteins that the long DNA chain requires, and then open up the DNA, in order to read it. They produce a copy of the information in the appropriate region of the DNA and meanwhile, twist the DNA in order to skip past unnecessary sections. When this reading has been completed, they fold the DNA up again and return it to its original form. They perform all these extraordinary processes at the astonishing speed of 1/1,000th of a second. Every cell in your body produces an average of 2,000 new proteins every second.1

These functions carried out by enzymes—of which DNA replication is only one of very many—are truly astonishing. but most molecular biologists have become accustomed to not being astonished. Therefore, if you ask them how enzymes manage to accomplish such complex tasks, in all likelihood they will reply, chemical reactions and physical effects within the cell require these. According to this claim, in the same way that it is natural for sodium and chloride to combine to make sodium chloride, or salt when brought together, so the tasks performed by enzymes also consist of similar chemical reactions.

Yet their reply would be erroneous, because an important part of the processes inside the cell consists of flawless actions that do not stem from chemical or physical effects. Some of the best examples of that appear not in the cell nucleus, but in the membrane, the subject of this book. The cell membrane seems to know what is needed inside the cell and either admits or rejects outside substances in accordance with those requirements.

One of those realizing the extraordinary nature of this is the Israeli biophysicist Gerald Schroeder, trained in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), studied biology for many years, published papers in a great many