DNA function and design

            Do you like to build things? Have you ever received a gift for your birthday that came with “assembly instructions?”

            The instructions to this chimp probably list the exact number of tiny blocks chosen by the original creators. If already glued together, it would be impossible to take apart again, and without the original box, we are left with an estimated guess of how many pieces are there.

            The more parts an object has, the longer and more detailed the instructions need to be. Imagine how long and complicated the instructions would be to assemble this chimp!

            I don’t know about you, but, if someone were to ask me             “How many parts are there in the human body?”

            I would have to answer,

            “I don’t know. I can’t count that high!”

             From just the parts listed above, there are over 3 billion trillion parts in your body. Each and every one of these parts dies on a regular basis and needs to be replaced.

DNA: Instructions

            Imagine the “assembly instructions” required in order to put together each and every one of so many parts of a cell! (Like the chimp made up of so many blocks!)

            Where are the instructions to build all of these parts? These instructions are found in what scientists call deoxyribonucleic acid. That’s a big word, so most people call it by its nickname, DNA.

            DNA somewhat resembles a “ladder.” Just as you are reading this article one word and one letter at a time, scientists identify the “rungs” of this ladder by two of 4 different letters: A, T, C, and G. Just like a book, the “assembly instructions” for all of these parts in your body are made up of these individual letters.

            Our alphabet has 26 letters. The alphabet in the DNA only has 4 letters. These individual “letters” are made up of a type of “sugar,” and a phosphate.

            DNA can be found inside organisms called eukaryotes within a special area of the cell called the nucleus.

           In order to package this “six-foot-long ladder” into the nucleus of a cell, it is “coiled.” This coiled shape is called a “helix.” Then, this coil is wrapped up into other bigger shapes that scientists call Chromosomes.

            If you’re curious to know how much DNA fits in the nucleus of one of your human cells, imagine trying to cram 24 miles of thin thread into a tennis ball, or for even more of a challenge, try packing around 9 miles of thread into a little green pea (that is about ¼ of an inch in diameter! That’s impossible to do if we just shoved it clumsily into the center! It has to be packaged and placed a certain way! This shows us design, and intent. This actually points to a very careful Creator that wanted humans marvel at his creativity!

            For now, it is not important that you remember all of these great big words. The point is: the instructions for building these 3 billion trillion parts in your body are found in the “rungs” of this ladder.              That’s a BIG book!! Actually, it is not just a “big book.” It contains enough information to fill all of the books of the largest library in the world!

                    The Exact Number:

            Remember we said that only the creators of the chimp made of blocks would know the exact number?

            God is the Creator of our bodies, and the Bible says he knows the number of the very hairs on our heads!

        Scientists can only estimate what that number is! There are over 7 Billion people on the earth and every hair follicle is different thicknesses, and some have a lot more follicles of hair than other people! Based upon your nationality, you may have a ton of thick hair, or a ton of tiny thin hairs and no one has the time to count all the Billions of hairs on every person’s head.

            Yet, something as trivial as that, God says the very hairs of our heads are all numbered!

Think about that for a minute! That God would care about the hairs upon our head tells us he is very interested in the details of His creation. He didn’t just throw it into existence and expect it to run itself and sit back and do nothing. Oh, no.

God is omniscient. This is a big word that means he knows all things. If you think about science, that means to know something. Like “knowledge” so next time you hear someone say that God is omniscient, you know what this means. God knows everything! From how many cells are in your body, and the functioning pieces within each cell, God knows all about you! Every mole, and freckle, every hair follicle, and all the special attributes about you that makes you who you are!

That should make you feel special: Very very special! Because you are!

    REFERENCES:

• https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Deoxyribonucleic-Acid-Fact-Sheet DNA’s Make-up

• https://www.ashg.org/discover-genetics/building-blocks/

• Author credit: Jay Auxt.

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