Its 10am on a bright Sunday morning. I look outside the window and I can see nature in its full glory. Lush green lawns, flowers in full bloom, leaves swaying in the gentle breeze and trees spreading out their branches soaking in the sunlight. It reminds me of the lessons on photosynthesis. How these green plants serve a purpose much more than just beauty, how they manufacture food and thus form the base of our food chain. And all this is done by cells, not a single cell, but millions of them working in perfect synchronization with each other. But fundamentally its one cell, so minute that we need to magnify it about a hundred times, only to see it as a tiny speck!!
As I turn back to the book I am reading- “Cell Biology- Bruce Alberts”, I marvel at the functioning of this molecule. Hundreds of books and thousands of research articles have been written to explain it and yet there are quite a few things that we are still unaware of.
Its amazing how such a tiny molecule makes such a major difference to our very existence!
Life is said to have evolved from a single cell, and here we are, millions of years later, trying to understand the functioning of a single cell!! And today we are alive essentially coz our cells are doing their jobs correctly. Its amazing really, there are cells which divide to creates more of their own kind so that they can perform a function. There are cells which divide to create others which are meant for different functions and also cells which divide and just sit there silently not doing anything at all! And then suddenly one day, when the body needs it, they will come out and take charge of the situation. Its like a never ending army of soldiers. After the frontline falls, there is a backup ready to replace them. But this backup is not always there and that’s when we are in trouble. What intrigues me is how do the cells know what to do? How are they so perfectly timed and so perfectly synchronized?!
I mean, think about it, one cell doesn’t work properly and the next thing you know, you have a deadly disease in your system!! Scary, intimidating and yet, fascinating!!
What is more fascinating is how the understanding of this one cell can give you insights on the working of a system. Talk about being fundamental!! You know what is wrong with the cell, fix it, and your problem is solved! But alas, if only a cell were that simple…..
I wish I could see a cell, see how it works, the intricacies of its structure, the ingenious engineering behind its flawless functioning. It’s a system in itself. A system so robust, our life depends on it. A system so self sufficient, it can survive on its own. A system so complex, that every new insight creates a thousand other questions. A system so fascinating, that man has created some of the most brilliant technological innovations just to study the cell. And a system so beautiful, it has to be the finest creations on this planet!!!!
