Page 118 - The Microworld Miracle

.The virus infecting the
bacteria, the bacterio-
phage, can be seen on
the right.
DNA

Head section

Sheath

Tail fibers
Lower section

it immediately comes to life and goes into action. It now resembles
a conscious entity, seemingly capable of planning, developing strat-
egies and using intelligence. The sole reason for this extraordinary
change is that Allah has given it life and inspired in it the need to

take action. No other force, knowledge or technological mechanism
can bring about this extraordinary conscious behavior.
THE MICROWORLD MIRACLE cell which it can enter and infect. Once it has entered a cell, it can
A virus can remain in an inanimate state for a long time. The
only things it needs to awaken are the warmth and moisture of a

sometimes reproduce itself 100 times in an hour and can sometimes
alter its genetic structure so much as to kill 20 million human beings
in a year. Viruses, despite wielding such powerful and lethal effects,
18

116 are so small that 10 of them (10 followed by 18 zeros) would only