Page 84 - The Miracle in the Cell Membrane

The Miracle in the Cell Membrane

out, it is essen tial that the cell mem brane should behave like a
"two-dimen sion al liq uid" and be able to flow in all direc tions
over the sur face of cyto plasm to main tain a con tin u ous bar ri er
between the cell and its sur round ings in the face of "the ever
chang ing pro tru sive activ i ties of the cell sur face." 30
In con clu sion, the lipid dou ble-layer mem brane pos -
sess es at once a high level of flu id i ty, but also the vis cos -
i ty of olive oil. If the mem brane pos sessed many flaw less
prop er ties but lacked only that vis cos i ty, then the cell
could not sur vive. These prop er ties, all essen tial ly impor -
tant to the con tin u a tion of life, show us the final detail
and bal an ces in Allah's Cre a tion. Anyone who sees these
proofs of Cre a tion must real ize His exis tence, know that
he owes his life to Allah and give thanks to Him.

How Do Substances Enter and Leave the
Cell Without Damaging the Membrane?
The cell mem bra ne's fat-based lipid struc ture pre -
vents water with in the cell and the solutes dis solved in it
from leak ing out. But how are waste pro ducts car ried
out side the cell through a mem brane that admits no leak -
age, with out the cell being rup tured or swell ing up and
burst ing? And how do nutri ents man age to get inside?
The dou ble-layer lipid mem brane rep re sents the
main bar ri er to sub stan ces sol u ble in water such as glu -
cose, urea and ions. At the same time, the lip ids in the
mem bra ne's struc ture pre vent water and any sub stan ces
dis solved in it from mov ing free ly from one region to
anoth er. But oxy gen, nitro gen, and other small mol e cu les

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