Page 46 - Engineering in Nature

Engineering in Nature

These living things conceal within their cells nutriments in the form
of tiny globules of fat produced thanks to photosynthesis. After dia-
toms die and sink to the bottom of the sea, these tiny particles gradu-
ally combine and, under the influence of geological and biological

forces, give rise to the formation of oil deposits. Most of the petrol we
use today was formed by diatoms that died in prehistoric seas. 14
The bottom of a 30 million square kilometer area of the North
Pacific and Antarctic Sea is covered with layers of dead diatoms that
slowly fossilize and form diatomites, which are used for industrial
purposes. With their light weight and pores, diatomites possess an
ideal filtering structure. Due to that feature, in the same way that they
can be employed in the space industry they can also be used for other
different purposes, from the production of insecticides to paint filler.
Though most people are unaware of the existence of diatoms and
the purposes for which they can be used, that doesn't diminish their
vital importance. Diatoms are living things specially created to play a
major role in the maintenance of a number of balances on Earth.
The way these living things employ special chemical processes to
produce shells of perfect beauty and architecture is one of the bless-
ings created by God for mankind. Characteristics of living things
such as these, familiar and unfamiliar alike, let us better comprehend
the infinite might of God.

In one verse, He reveals:
It is He Who created ev-
erything on the Earth for
you… (Surat al-Baqara:
29)

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