The brilliant maneuverings of the rational intellect of man: changing one cell type into another; Quotes of Aga Khan IV

From Science and Religion in Islam: The Link

This is the story: All the cells in the human body have a full complement of genetic information in their nuclei but only specific genetic information is activated that will turn that particular cell into a specialised cell type, eg, a skin cell or a brain cell. Most of the rest of the full genetic complement of the cell is ‘switched off’. Through decades of research scientists have found the genes that make the various ‘on’ switches that make one cell a skin cell and another a brain cell. By creating viruses that have these switching genes incorporated into their DNA, they now have been able to infect one type of pancreas cell(the alpha cell, the one that makes enzymes to break down the food we eat as it reaches the small intestine) with the virus, which then incorporates these unique ‘on’ switches into the pancreas cell’s DNA, and turn it into another type of pancreas cell whose sole function it is to produce the life-sustaining hormone insulin (the beta cell).

The implication of this for the millions of people worldwide who are diabetic is enormous! This is also a testament to the ingenuity and rational intellect of man.

In the Islamic tradition, and in keeping with the ethos of this blogsite, that intellect is always subservient to a higher intellect:

“In Islamic belief, knowledge is two-fold. There is that revealed through the Holy Prophet (s.a.s.) and that which man discovers by virtue of his own intellect. Nor do these two involve any contradiction, provided man remembers that his own mind is itself the creation of God. Without this humility, no balance is possible. With it, there are no barriers. Indeed, one strength of Islam has always lain in its belief that creation is not static but continuous, that through scientific and other endeavours, God has opened and continues to open new windows for us to see the marvels of His creation” (Aga Khan IV, AKU, 16 March 1983, Karachi, Pakistan)

Complete at the source