Almost everyone knows that salamanders can regenerate many limbs after their amputation. Just as the lost tail of a lizard is replaced, the limbs of salamanders are also replaced when they lose them.
This feature seen in some living beings in nature is called “regeneration.” Regeneration is a trait peculiar to some certain tissues in living beings. Periodical regeneration of skin and blood cells and the harmed parts of liver can be cited as examples. However all these are limited to certain parts of the body.
The limb of a salamander is fully formed in approximately 40 days. Furthermore the bone grows to its original length and structure. Nerves, muscles, skin, bone, distribution of veins, in brief all tissues take their original forms intact.
Blastema 'programming backwards'
Recent experiments indicate that in an area of few millimeters cells program themselves backwards shortly after amputation. That is, cells in this region acquire traits similar to stem cells.
All tissues that will form the bone, connective tissue, muscle and the new limb acquire a new structure. This clump of cells which is essential for regeneration is called blastema.
The existence of nerves is essential
For the regeneration to occur the existence of nerves is essential. If all nerves in a salamander’s limb were taken off before amputation, the regeneration would never occur.
But something astonishing happens at this point; if the main nerve in the limb is surgically removed and connected to a wound next to the limb, a new limb starts to grow on this point.
Cells aware of the right direction
This flawless and perfect mechanism of regeneration that scientists are unable to explain led them to make further experiments to better understand the process.
In one of the experiments the regenerated area is attached to the opposite direction. For instance the limb is attached to the animal’s back. Sometime later when they cut the limb at any point, both of the limbs grew into equal lengths and structure. That is the new limb always grows into the same direction and structure according to the body’s axle.
Hormones:
Hormones always have a vital importance for body development in living beings. Hypophysis gland is the section of the brain that secretes hormones. It is observed that those salamanders whose hypophysis is removed from their brains do not have the trait of regeneration. This indicates that a deficiency in only one part of the body renders the whole system functionless. That is, for the regeneration of the salamander’s lost limb, the traits that exist as a program should definitely be intact. The absence of a single one of these traits renders this astonishing and perfect system dysfunctional.
Chance cannot account for this glorious system
This phenomena has no explanation from the Darwinists perspective since they come up with the claim that living beings evolved through chance. They claim that traits of living beings evolved gradually in a time span of millions of years. The fact is however, no matter which living being we examine in nature, even the absence of one of its traits renders the whole system functionless. Consequently it is impossible for such a structure to have been evolved by chance.
For instance the absence of the salamander’s nerves or the hypophysis in his brain renders regeneration impossible. All the systems and traits All Mighty Allah created in this living being must be intact simultaneously. Even the absence of a single one of them renders it futile. It is All Mighty Allah, Who with His infinite Might of creating, encodes those traits in every single cell of that living being and gives whatever characteristics He wills.
Our Lord created perfectly functioning programs in the bodies of every living being. If the regeneration system were absent in living beings life would be impossible. For instance the slightest harm occurring on human body could lead to a life-threatening situation. When the skin is injured, a process of maintenance is initiated on the surface of the skin and a special defense system enters the equation in order to protect the skin against microbes and infections. If such a perfect defense system were non-existent in the body, subsequent fatal physical incidents would occur in the body.
All Mighty Allah created all living beings with their perfect systems
It is Allah Who creates living beings with an amazing artistry, keeps them at a particular balance and creates them from nothingness with His superior Might. Allah is al-Hayy, the One Who creates the death and life. It is not adequate for a living being to have all its systems intact in order to be alive. In order to be alive, it needs the soul that our Lord, al-Hayy, grants to that being. As long as our Lord does not give soul to a body that has all its organs intact, that body will never have life. Flesh, bones, liver and other organs put together are insufficient for life. It is our Lord, All Mighty Allah, Who endows life to every single molecule in its cells.
Allah shows us that He is able to create infinite beauties in this world with such examples. He makes us ponder upon them. Our All Mighty Allah also displays the deficiencies of this life of this world which He creates to put us to test. Every example of creation in this world is an instrument our Lord creates to make us to think about the Hereafter and the superiority of Allah’s artistry in creation.
Our Lord shows these amazing features of living beings as signs of faith. In Surat al- Baqara verse 269 our Lord states: “He gives wisdom to whoever He wills and he who has been given wisdom has been given great good. But no one pays heed but people of intelligence.”
For wisdom to occur, reason, an inner-eye and a sensitive heart are essential. As our Lord states in one verse, only those who turn to Allah can assess what they see independently and with an open conscience. They are the ones who take heed from the beings created by Allah, grasp the wisdom in them and recognize the truth.
Reference: NTVBLM / December 2010
