The Parish Magazine December 2024

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30 The Parish Magazine — December 2024 Please mention The Parish Magazine when replying to advertisements EXPERIENCED QUALIFIED INSURED Pruning, Felling & Planting Stump Grinding & Removal Dangerous Trees Saved & Made Safe Reductions, Thinning & Dead Wooding Modern Noninvasive Cable Bracing Help with Tree Problem Diagnosis Experience in Japanese Ornamental Tree Pruning Pro-Active Tree Care MON-FRI 8.45-5.30: OFFICE 0845 034 0962 0779 931 5661 OUT OF OFFICE HOURS: MOBILE 0779 931 5661 www.canontreecare.co.uk Bathrooms &Kitchens Ltd Plumbing, Plastering, Tiling and all associated work Contact us today for a FREE No obligation Consultation and Quotation 0778 897 2921 markt@kingfisher-bathrooms.com http://www.kingfisher-bathrooms.com 167 Kingfisher Drive, Woodley, Reading, Berks RG5 3JQ 135 DECEMBER 2O24.indd 30 13/11/2024 10:15:47
THE SCIENCES The Parish Magazine — December 2024 31 Five trillion cells — and counting New born baby Savin Sorin Matei Contescu, dreamstime.com By Dr Ruth M Bancewicz, Church Engagement Director, The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, Cambridge After the bright beam of annunciation fused heaven with dark earth His searing sharply-focused light went out for a while eclipsed in amniotic gloom: His cool immensity of splendour His universal grace small-folded in a warm dim female space The above extract from Luci Shaw’s poem 'Made Flesh' captures something of the wonder of the moment when the second person of the Trinity became an embryo. How does a single cell turn into an infant, and what does that process say about us — and God? These are the questions that Prof Jeff Hardin, a developmental biologist, asks himself. Having studied theology as well as science, he has a unique perspective on embryonic development. A new-born baby is made of around five trillion cells. These cells come in hundreds of different types, each of which must be in the correct place for the child’s body to function properly. Every new life is the result of intricate and highly ordered processes. Three things must happen as an embryo develops. DRIVEN FORWARD The first important process is for cells to take on their identity as types of muscle, bone, nerves, and so on. The second is when each cell learns which part of the body it belongs to. Third, those cells are moved around to form the different tissues and organs. These three are not discrete stages, but they all happen at around the same time, building up gradually like the different aspects of a picture coming into focus. All three processes are driven forward by the movement of cells, the connections between them, and the signals they pass to each other. Jeff studies a sort of cellular glue which is involved in joining cells together. Making and breaking these Close-up of a human cell with nucleus glowing brightly surrounded by a liquid environment'. This image captures a detailed and vibrant close-up of a single human cell, focusing on the glowing nucleus. The cell is set against a watery background, illustrating complex biological structures and scientific exploration. AI generated Doberman84, dreamstime.com adhesions can affect how cells move and signal to each other, their identity in the body, how they are organised as groups, and ultimately their survival. This glue is found on the surface of cells throughout the animal kingdom, including the small worms Jeff’s lab studies. For Jeff, peering down a microscope at tiny worm embryos can be an act of worship. It is also an exercise in art appreciation as he learns to appreciate the created order. Understanding the complexities of development, while also being aware that God knows that process intimately both as Creator and created, fills Jeff with a profound sense of awe, wonder and worship. Does the minute scale of our early development, compared with the incomprehensibly vast and ancient universe, give us a sense of insignificance? Psalm 8 says, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” For Jeff and the Psalmist, such feelings can be a positive experience if they serve as a reminder to be humble in the face of a universe that is vastly complicated but also deeply meaningful, made by a God who loves each one of us. THE 135 DECEMBER 2O24.indd 31 13/11/2024 10:15:48
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The Parish Magazine December 2024

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