Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth — Page 376
і. THE JINN. Dickerson inadvertently agrees with the Quranic view when he observes that the most ancient organisms:". . . would have lived on the energy of lightning and ultraviolet radiation . . . ”4. This scenario of cosmic radiation is not specifically mentioned in the work of other scientists in their search for the pre-biotic organisms. But they too have corroborated the idea that whatever organisms existed before biotic evolution must have drawn their energy directly from heat. . Of all the categories of bacteria classified as the most ancient only ‘prokaryotes' 'prokaryotes' and ‘eukaryotes' were mentioned by previous generations of scientists. However, that conclusion proved to be a hastily drawn one, according to Karl R. Woese and his colleagues. They observed: 'Simply because there are two types of cells at the microscopic level it does not follow that there must be only two types at the molecular level. ". For the benefit of the lay reader the difference between the two bacteria, known as the prokaryotes and eukaryotes, is explained in terms as simple as possible. It relates to the presence or absence of a nucleus in them. The prokaryote type of bacteria, despite having a well-defined cell membrane, have no distinct nucleus. The eukaryotes on the other hand, possess well-defined and well-developed nuclei occupying the centre of each cell. . It was considered that these were the only two ancient forms of bacteria which gave birth to others and evolved into organisms which could be referred to as the ancestors of life. However, Woese published the findings of his pioneer research in Scientific American, June 1981, claiming that archaebacteria, could be rightly considered as the earliest form of organisms. He and his colleagues informed the scientific community that they were a third 365