download PDF version - Dr Harold Hillman

(vi) one suggestion about how intracellular movements could occur in the presence ofa cytoskeleton is that the mitochondria, lysosomes or peroxisomes, could secrete lytic enzymeswhich dissolve the cytoskeleton, and then they re-form in real time. While it is just conceivablethat these biological particles might contain such enzymes, it is hardly credible to suggest thatground glass, carbon black, or iron filings would do so;(vii) many biologists believe that intracellular movements are caused by „molecularmotors‟, attached to the intracellular structures. The motors are believed to be macromolecules(Vale and Fletterick, 1997;Vallee, 1998). However, the motors are simply not seen by electronmicroscopy.Intracellular movements can occur from the energy imparted by the ambient temperatureand from the illuminating light source (Hillman, 2008, p 292-294). For over 100 years,movements have been studied in mixtures of salts, water and oil , called colpoids, (Butschli,1893; Herrera, 1900; Bastian, 1930, Herrera, 1928; Fox and Dose, 1977). Brownian movements,diffusion, streaming and convection movements may be seen in colpoids. Modern cell biologistsshould regard it as a duty to exhaust the properties of simple systems, before generatingbiological theories to explain physico-chemical properties. William of Ockham would have notexpected this.13