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alex sam

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  1. Top Scientists Comments on Scientific Miracles in the Quran

     

    The Qur'an has attracted a lot of attention because some of its verses discuss scientific facts that were discovered only recently.

     

    Shaykh `Abd al-Majid al-Zindani did an excellent job by inviting leading scientists from all over the world and asking them about scientific facts present in the Qur'an and authentic hadith.

     

     

    Keith L. Moore

     

    Professor Emeritus, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Toronto. Distinguished embryologist and the author of several medical textbooks, including Clinically Oriented Anatomy (3rd Edition) and The Developing Human (5th Edition, with T.V.N. Persaud).

     

    Dr. Moore was a former President of the Canadian Association of Anatomists, and of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists. He was honoured by the Canadian Association of Anatomists with the prestigious J.C.B. Grant Award and in 1994 he received the Honoured Member Award of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists "for outstanding contributions to the field of clinical anatomy."

     

    ----------------------------------------------

    E. Marshall Johnson

     

    Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, and Director of the Daniel Baugh Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

     

    Author of over 200 publications. Former President of the Teratology Society among other accomplishments.

    --------------------------------------------------

    T.V.N. Persaud

     

    Professor of Anatomy, and Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

    Author and editor of over 20 books, and has published over 181 scientific papers. Co-author of The Developing Human (5th Edition, with Keith L. Moore). He received the J.C.B. Grant Award in 1991. Professor Peraud presented several research papers.

     

    ----------------------------------------

    Joe Leigh Simpson

     

    Professor and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA

     

    He is the President of the American Fertility Society. He has received many awards, including the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Public Recognition Award in 1992.

     

    -----------------------------------------------

     

    Prof. Alfred Kroner

     

    Professor of the Department of Geosciences, University of Mainz, Germany

    Professor Kroner is one of the world's most famous geologists, becoming well known among his colleague scientists for his criticisms against the theories of some of the major scientists in his field

    --------------------------------------------------

    Prof. Gerald G. Goeringer

     

    Dr. Gerald C. Goeringer is Course Director and Associate Professor of Medical Embryology at the Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.

    ----------------------------------------------------

     

    Yushidi Kusan

     

    Director of the Tokyo Observatory, Tokyo, Japan.

     

    Dr. Yoshihide Kozai is Professor Emeritus at Tokyo University, Hongo, Tokyo, Japan, and was the Director of the National Astronomical Observatory, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan

     

    --------------------------------------

     

    Professor Armstrong

     

    Professor Armstrong works for NASA and is also Professor of Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA

     

    -------------------------------------------

     

    William Hay

     

    Professor of Oceanogprahy, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA

    -----------------------------------------

     

    Durja Rao

     

    Professor of Marine Geology teaching at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    ----------------------------------------------

     

    Professor Siaveda

     

    Professor of Marine Geology, Japan

    -----------------------------------------------

     

    Tejatat Tejasen

     

    Chairman of the Department of Anatomy and is the former Dean of the faculty of Medicine, University of Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

    -----------------------------------------------

     

    Dr. Maurice Bucaille

     

    Born in 1920, former chief of the Surgical Clinic, University of Paris, has for a long time deeply interested in the correspondences between the teachings of the Holy Scriptures and modern secular knowledge

    -------------------------------------------------------

    see text

    http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Science/scientists.html

     

    see video

    http://scienceislam.com/scientists_quran.php

     

    thank you

  2. Earth Layers

     

    earth_cutbk.JPG

     

    It is a Miracle of the Quran and the Prophetic Tradition. We're going to see the compatibility between science and our religion….

     

     

    Probing the depths of the Earth and taking pains to uncover the secrets of its internal structure and composition, scientists came to realize that the old myths about the Earth are scientifically baseless. Scientists in the twentieth century decided that the Earth consists of only three layers. Having discovered the sphericity of the Earth, they suggested that this sphere comprises three parts; the core, the crust which is very thin compared to the total volume of the Earth and a third layer in between the two called The Mantle.

     

    Evolution of the scientific facts

    However, the three-layer theory didn’t hold true for long, owing to recent discoveries in Geology. Measurements and recent tests showed that the pressure of the material of the Earth’s core is immense and reaches three million times the pressure at the surface.

    Under such pressure the material transforms into the solid state, which means that the core of the Earth is solid and is enclosed by a liquid layer of extremely high temperature. This also means that the core of the Earth consists of 2 layers not just one; a solid inner core and a liquid upper core.

    Measurement devices developed and scientists were able to observe a clear distinction between the different parts of the Earth’s interior. A layer of hot rocks underneath the crust was discovered, that is the Lithosphere. Underneath the Lithosphere are three layers distinct in density, pressure and temperature.

    Having discovered these layers, scientists found themselves dividing the Earth into seven layers and no more. The Cut-away view below shows these layers drawn to scale according to the recent findings of scientists. The fact that the Earth comprises seven layers is established. It is taught at universities and observed through seismographs and through studying the magnetic field of the Earth.

    Scientists also found out that the atom consists of seven layers which confirms the uniformity of the creation because the system that governs the creation of the whole universe is one, the earth consists of seven layers and each atom on it consists of seven layers too.

     

     

    earth7111.JPG

     

    The figure demonstrates the seven layers of the Earth. We note the thin crust then the four layers of the Mantle increasing gradually in thickness. Next is the liquid outer core then the solid inner core. They all add up to seven layers.

     

    The layers of the Earth are radically different in composition, density, temperature and material. Hence, the Earth can not be considered as one layer as was previously believed. The notion of the seven layers is relatively new and didn’t exist at the time the Quran was revealed. Scientists in the twenty-first century concluded that the Earth consists of seven layers, but what does the Quran have to say about that?

     

    What the Quran says:

     

    Telling of the seven layers of the Heavens and the Earth, God says in the Holy Quran:

     

    1- "He (Allah) Who created the seven heavens one above the other" [Al Mulk: 3]

     

    2- "Allah is He Who created seven heavens and the earth the like of them" [ Al Talaaq: 12]

     

    The first verse is talking about two characteristics of the heavens; their number, that is seven, and the arrangement of them (one above the other) or ‘in layers’. The second verse asserts the similarity between the Earth and the heavens (And the Earth the like of them), so as the heavens consist of seven layers, the earth identically consists of seven layers.

     

    Let’s ponder on (one above the other). It denotes the layering of the Earth, and this is what today’s scientists discovered. Now we can see that the Quran had determined the structure of the Earth, which is in layers, and had also determined the number of these layers, that is seven. In other words, the Quran had given a precise description of the earth’s interior, thus it preceded the scientists of the twenty-first century by fourteen centuries in proving this fact. Isn’t this a splendid miracle of the Quran?

     

    What the Hadith says:

     

    Pondering on the Hadith (sayings) of Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), we’ll find one that asserts the existence of the seven layers of the earth concentric and one above the other. The prophet (PBUH) said: (Whoever usurps even one span of the land, his neck will be encircled because of it with seven earths) [narrated by Al Bukhari]. Here the prophet gave another characteristic of the layers, encirclement, by saying (will be encircled with it) and this is how the layers truly look like, they are concentric and each one encircles the one underneath it.

     

    The question here is: Isn’t this a great miracle of the prophet? Not just that the Hadith determines the number of the earth’s layers, seven, and determines the arrangement of these layers, but it also bears an indication to the sphericity of the earth.

     

    From this article we find that the Holy Quran and the Hadith reached these facts about the earth long before modern science did. The Quran had given us the precise description of the earth’s internal structure (layers one above the other) and also had given us the exact number of these layers, seven, while it took scientists long years of theorizing and re-theorizing to come up with the same conclusions. So exalted be Allah who said in His Holy Book : (And in the earth are portents for those whose faith is sure- and also in yourselves, can ye then not see) [Al Thariaat: 21-22].

     

    source:kaheel7.com

  3. The Quran on Seas and Rivers:

     

     

    Modern Science has discovered that in the places where two different seas meet, there is a barrier between them. This barrier divides the two seas so that each sea has its own temperature, salinity, and density.1 For example, Mediterranean sea water is warm, saline, and less dense, compared to Atlantic ocean water. When Mediterranean sea water enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill, it moves several hundred kilometers into the Atlantic at a depth of about 1000 meters with its own warm, saline, and less dense characteristics. The Mediterranean water stabilizes at this depth2 (see figure 13).

     

    923834566.jpg

     

    Figure 13: The Mediterranean sea water as it enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill with its own warm, saline, and less dense characteristics, because of the barrier that distinguishes between them. Temperatures are in degrees Celsius (C°). (Marine Geology, Kuenen, p. 43, with a slight enhancement.)

     

    Although there are large waves, strong currents, and tides in these seas, they do not mix or transgress this barrier.

     

    The Holy Quran mentioned that there is a barrier between two seas that meet and that they do not transgress.God has said

    (He has set free the two seas meeting together. There is a barrier between them. They do not transgress). (Quran, 55:19-20)

     

    But when the Quran speaks about the divider between fresh and salt water, it mentions the existence of “a forbidding partition” with the barrier. God has said in the Quran:

     

    (He is the one who has set free the two kinds of water, one sweet and palatable, and the other salty and bitter. And He has made between them a barrier and a forbidding partition). (Quran, 25:53)

     

    One may ask, why did the Quran mention the partition when speaking about the divider between fresh and salt water, but did not mention it when speaking about the divider between the two seas?

     

    Modern science has discovered that in estuaries, where fresh (sweet) and salt water meet, the situation is somewhat different from what is found in places where two seas meet. It has been discovered that what distinguishes fresh water from salt water in estuaries is a “pycnocline zone with a marked density discontinuity separating the two layers.”3 This partition (zone of separation) has a different salinity from the fresh water and from the salt water4 (see figure 14

     

    407496489.jpg

     

    Figure 14: Longitudinal section showing salinity (parts per thousand ‰) in an estuary. We can see here the partition (zone of separation) between the fresh and the salt water. (Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, p. 301, with a slight enhancement.)

     

    This information has been discovered only recently, using advanced equipment to measure temperature, salinity, density, oxygen dissolubility, etc. The human eye cannot see the difference between the two seas that meet, rather the two seas appear to us as one homogeneous sea. Likewise, the human eye cannot see the division of water in estuaries into the three kinds: fresh water, salt water, and the partition (zone of separation).

  4. That dry, dusty moon overhead? Seems it isn't quite as dry as it's long been thought to be. Although you won't find oceans, lakes, or even a shallow puddle on its surface, a team of geologists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), working with colleagues at the University of Tennessee, has found structurally bound hydroxyl groups (i.e., water) in a mineral in a lunar rock returned to Earth by the Apollo program.

     

    their findings are detailed in the journal Nature.

     

    "The moon, which has generally been thought to be devoid of hydrous materials, has water," says John Eiler, the Robert P. Sharp Professor of Geology and professor of geochemistry at Caltech, and a coauthor on the paper.

     

    "The fact that we were able to quantitatively measure significant amounts of water in a lunar mineral is truly surprising," adds lead author Jeremy Boyce, a visitor in geochemistry at Caltech, and a research scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

     

    The team found the water in a calcium phosphate mineral, apatite, within a basalt collected from the moon's surface by the Apollo 14 astronauts.

     

    To be precise, they didn't find "water" -- the molecule H2O. Rather, they found hydrogen in the form of a hydroxyl anion, OH-, bound in the apatite mineral lattice.

     

    "Hydroxide is a close chemical relative of water," explains coauthor George Rossman, Caltech's Eleanor and John R. McMillan Professor of Mineralogy. "If you heat up the apatite, the hydroxyl ions will 'decompose' and come out as water."

     

    The lunar basalt sample in which the hydrogen was found had been collected by the Apollo 14 moon mission in 1971; the idea to focus the search for water on this particular sample was promoted by Larry Taylor, a professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, who sent the samples to the Caltech scientists last year.

     

    "The moon has been considered to be bone dry ever since the return of the first Apollo rocks," Taylor notes. However, there are lunar volcanic deposits interpreted as having been erupted by expanding vapor. Although carbon dioxide and sulfur gases have generally been thought to dominate the expanding vapor, recent evidence from the study of the these deposits has suggested that water could also play a role in powering lunar volcanic eruptions. The discovery of hydroxyl in apatite from lunar volcanic rocks is consistent with this suggestion.

     

    The idea of looking for water in lunar apatite isn't new, Boyce notes. "Charles B. Sclar and Jon F. Bauer, geoscientists at Lehigh University, first noted that something was missing from the results of chemical analyses of apatite in 1975," he says. "Now, 35 years later, we have quantitative measurements -- and it turns out, they were right. The missing piece was OH."

     

    The Caltech team analyzed the lunar apatite for hydrogen, sulfur, and chlorine using an ion microprobe, which is capable of analyzing mineral grains with sizes much smaller than the width of a human hair. This instrument fires a focused beam of high-energy ions at the sample surface, sputtering away target atoms that are collected and then analyzed in a mass spectrometer. Ion microprobe measurements demonstrated that in terms of its hydrogen, sulfur, and chlorine contents, the lunar apatite in this sample is indistinguishable from apatites from terrestrial volcanic rocks.

     

    "We realized that the moon and the earth were able to make the same kind of apatite, relatively rich in hydrogen, sulfur and chlorine," Boyce says.

     

    Does that mean the moon is as awash in water as our planet? Almost certainly not, say the scientists. In fact, the amount of water the moon must contain to be capable of generating hydroxyl-rich apatite remains an open question. After all, it's hard to scale up the amount of water found in the apatite -- 1600 parts per million or 0.16 percent by weight -- to determine just how much water there is on the lunar landscape. The apatite that was studied is not abundant, and is formed by processes that tend to concentrate hydrogen to much higher levels than are present in its host rocks or the moon as a whole.

     

    "There's more water on the moon than people suspected," says Eiler, "but there's still likely orders of magnitude less than there is on the earth."

     

    Nonetheless, the finding is significant for what it implies about our moon's composition and its history. "These findings tell us that the geological processes on the moon are capable of creating at least one hydrous mineral," Eiler says. "Recent spectroscopic observations of the moon showed that hydrogen is present on its surface, maybe even as water ice. But that could be a thin veneer, possibly hydrogen brought to the moon's surface by comets or solar wind. Our findings show that hydrogen is also part of the rock record of the moon, and has been since early in its history."

     

    Beyond that, Eiler continues, "it's all a great big question mark. We don't know whether these were igneous processes," -- in which rocks are formed by solidification of molten lava -- "or metamorphic" -- in which minerals re-crystallize or change in change in chemistry without melting. "They're both on the table as possible players."

     

    In addition to Boyce, Eiler, Rossman, and Taylor, other authors on the Nature paper, "Lunar apatite with terrestrial volatile abundances," include Research Assistant Professor Yang Liu from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville; Edward Stolper, Caltech's William E. Leonhard Professor of Geology, and Yunbin Guan, manager of Caltech's ion microprobe laboratory.

     

    Their work was funded by grants from NASA's Cosmochemistry Program, the National Science Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

  5. here are three ways to talk about a star’s brightness.

     

    We can discuss the apparent magnitude of a star, or how bright it appears when we look at it.

     

    We know, however, that stars nearer the earth appear brighter than faraway stars, even though they may not actually be brighter.

     

    So, astronomers also talk about the absolute magnitude of stars, or the brightness of a star if the observer were 10 parsecs from it.

     

    The third way to measure a star’s brightness is called luminosity.

     

    Luminosity is a measure of how much energy a star puts out in comparison to our Sun.

  6. The hottest continent on earth is Africa.

     

    It was on this continent, in the country of Libya, a desert nation on the southern shores of the Mediterranean, in which the highest temperatures on earth were recorded. The thermometer hit a record high of 136.4 degrees F.

     

    The United States comes in second in the race for high temperatures. Death Valley, California, one time hit a high of 130 degrees F. The United States comes in first, though, so far as changes in temperature go. In Spearfish, South Dakota, the temperature once rose 49 degrees in just two minutes.

     

    The record for the coldest cold is not at the North Pole in the Arctic. That honor is held by Antarctica, which is the coldest continent on earth. A world record for cold was set at Vostok. The temperature hit an all-time low of 126.9 degrees F. below zero.

  7. The climate of the earth varies a great deal from place to place, yet animals can adapt and survive under almost all conditions.

     

    Some creatures, like the snail, can survive temperatures of 50 degrees below zero, while certain one-celled animals can live in water with a temperature of over 120 degrees.

     

    Man can live in the frozen wastes of Siberia, where the temperature may reach 75 degrees below zero, or in the broiling desert where temperatures climb to over 125 degrees.

     

    Some fish live in the deepest parts of the ocean, where the pressure of the water is so great that no person could survive there even for a moment. Goats and llamas live high in the mountains where only mosses grow.

     

    Camels and kangaroo rats live in the hottest deserts, along with cacti and insects, while penguins and seals live in the frozen polar regions. In fact, almost every square foot of soil on earth contains worms, insects, and one-celled animals, and every drop of water contains tiny plants and animals.

     

    We can say that, except for the coldest regions of the North and South Poles, and a few completely barren parts of the deserts and mountains, animals live everywhere on earth.

  8. A human and a Dimetrodon...

     

     

     

    DimetrodonKnight.jpg

     

    Wonderful

     

    I have been interested in watching survival story's about animal attacks so I started researching them out of boredom then I found out that Crocodiles are related to birds and hippos are related to whale.

     

    I was wondering if there was any other relatives to animals you would never expect??

     

    Angora Rabbit

    24631.png

    24632.png

     

    I guess I never really thought of it that way thanks mate

    24639.png

  9. Panet-Earth.jpg

     

    Around the world, the threat of a dying planet has spurred the development of many new “green” technologies. From the production of biogas to the abundance of solar, wind, and water renewable energy, innnovators from all around the world have shifted their focus to the development of technologies capable of reducing the carbon footprint of the human race.

     

    Politicians continue to preach green, creating countless new legislation in favor of saving our planet. The development of biofuels and biogas is growing exponentially. However, while most people may think of green technology as renewable energy, there is now an abundance of unique, creative technologies around the world that are contributing to a more energy-efficient planet.

     

    Listed below are a few examples of these technologies:

     

    1. The Magnetic Fridge

     

    In Cambridge, the company Camfridge has begun to develop a new refrigerator that uses magnetic fields to cool metal alloys. The new method of cooling is a technology that is predicted to cut energy usage by 40%. As refrigerators and air conditioners are the most electricity consuming home applications, this new technology may help to cut energy consumption around the planet.

     

    2. Methane Harvesting

     

    In Penkun, Germany, a biogas plant has begun to extract methane from manure and using it as fuel. This new method can provide usable fuel around the whole planet from what we would usually consider waste. Fermenters are used to generate energy for all 50,000 citizens of Penkun.

     

    3. Microwave Chemicals

     

    Chemical manufactureres around the planet use an exhorbinant amount of energy heating chemical reagents. Microwaves may be implemented as a new method of heating these reagents. The new green technology may cut chemical production energy costs up to 90%. It method is still under development in the UK, however.

     

    4. Remote Power Monitors

     

    In Austrailia, the company Semitech Innovations located in Melbourne has created a new controller that allows you to monitor and control all household appliances. This is available to be done through the computer or a mobile phone. The added control over energy consumption can aid in reducing energy consumption all around the planet.

     

    5. Energy Producing Tiles

     

    A US company named PowerLeap has recently developed tiles that can generate energy when stepped on. Using American feet as an energy generator is an idea that can utilize the busy nature of our country to better our environment. The technology is suggested to be used in high-traffic areas such as Penn Station in New York and could generate up to 18,250 kilowatt-hours per 100 square meters per year.

     

    These technologies are but 5 of countless other technologies aimed at the effort to save our planet. Companies will continue to develop these technologies if not only due to the effect of supply and demand. As more and more people realize the threat of the world’s energy consumption on the planet, more technologies will continue to be developed, all working together to provide as much protection for our planet as possible.

  10. cooler, wetter place because of flowering plants, according to new climate simulation results published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The effect is especially pronounced in the Amazon basin, where replacing flowering plants with non-flowering varieties would result in an 80 percent decrease in the area covered by ever-wet rainforest.

    100616133327-large.jpg

    The simulations demonstrate the importance of flowering-plant physiology to climate regulation in ever-wet rainforest, regions where the dry season is short or non-existent, and where biodiversity is greatest.

     

    "The vein density of leaves within the flowering plants is much, much higher than all other plants," said the study's lead author, C. Kevin Boyce, Associate Professor in Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago. "That actually matters physiologically for both taking in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for photosynthesis and also the loss of water, which is transpiration. The two necessarily go together. You can't take in CO2 without losing water."

     

    This higher vein density in the leaves means that flowering plants are highly efficient at transpiring water from the soil back into the sky, where it can return to Earth as rain.

     

    "That whole recycling process is dependent upon transpiration, and transpiration would have been much, much lower in the absence of flowering plants," Boyce said. "We can know that because no leaves throughout the fossil record approach the vein densities seen in flowering plant leaves."

     

    For most of biological history there were no flowering plants -- known scientifically as angiosperms. They evolved about 120 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period, and took another 20 million years to become prevalent. Flowering species were latecomers to the world of vascular plants, a group that includes ferns, club mosses and confers. But angiosperms now enjoy a position of world domination among plants.

     

    "They're basically everywhere and everything, unless you're talking about high altitudes and very high latitudes," Boyce said.

     

    Dinosaurs walked the Earth when flowering plants evolved, and various studies have attempted to link the dinosaurs' extinction or at least their evolutionary paths to flowering plant evolution. "Those efforts are always very fuzzy, and none have gained much traction," Boyce said.

     

    Boyce and Lee are, nevertheless, working toward simulating the climatic impact of flowering plant evolution in the prehistoric world. But simulating the Cretaceous Earth would be a complex undertaking because the planet was warmer, the continents sat in different alignments and carbon- dioxide concentrations were different.

     

    "The world now is really very different from the world 120 million years ago," Boyce said.

     

    Building the Supercomputer Simulation

     

    So as a first step, Boyce and co-author with Jung-Eun Lee, Postdoctoral Scholar in Geophysical Sciences at UChicago, examined the role of flowering plants in the modern world. Lee, an atmospheric scientist, adapted the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate Model for the study.

     

    Driven by more than one million lines of code, the simulations computed air motion over the entire globe at a resolution of 300 square kilometers (approximately 116 square miles). Lee ran the simulations on a supercomputer at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center in Berkeley, Calif.

     

    "The motion of air is dependent on temperature distribution, and the temperature distribution is dependent on how heat is distributed," Lee said. "Evapo-transpiration is very important to solve this equation. That's why we have plants in the model."

     

    The simulations showed the importance of flowering plants to water recycling. Rain falls, plants drink it up and pass most of it out of their leaves and back into the sky.

     

    In the simulations, replacing flowering plants with non-flowering plants in eastern North America reduced rainfall by up to 40 percent. The same replacement in the Amazon basin delayed onset of the monsoon from Oct. 26 to Jan. 10.

     

    "Rainforest deforestation has long been shown to have a somewhat similar effect," Boyce said. Transpiration drops along with loss of rainforest, "and you actually lose rainfall because of it."

     

    Studies in recent decades have suggested a link between the diversity of organisms of all types, flowering plants included, to the abundance or rainfall and the vastness of tropical forests. Flowering plants, it seems, foster and perpetuate their own diversity, and simultaneously bolster the diversity of animals and other plants generally. Indeed, multiple lineages of plants and animals flourished shortly after flowering plants began dominating tropical ecosystems.

     

    The climate-altering physiology of flowering plants might partly explain this phenomenon, Boyce said. "There would have been rainforests before flowering plants existed, but they would have been much smaller," he sai

  11. The Quran on Seas and Rivers:

     

    Modern Science has discovered that in the places where two different seas meet, there is a barrier between them. This barrier divides the two seas so that each sea has its own temperature, salinity, and density.1 For example, Mediterranean sea water is warm, saline, and less dense, compared to Atlantic ocean water. When Mediterranean sea water enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill, it moves several hundred kilometers into the Atlantic at a depth of about 1000 meters with its own warm, saline, and less dense characteristics. The Mediterranean water stabilizes at this depth2 (see figure 13).

     

    923834566.jpg

     

     

    Figure 13: The Mediterranean sea water as it enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill with its own warm, saline, and less dense characteristics, because of the barrier that distinguishes between them. Temperatures are in degrees Celsius (C°). (Marine Geology, Kuenen, p. 43, with a slight enhancement.)

     

    Although there are large waves, strong currents, and tides in these seas, they do not mix or transgress this barrier.

     

    The Holy Quran mentioned that there is a barrier between two seas that meet and that they do not transgress.God has said

    (He has set free the two seas meeting together. There is a barrier between them. They do not transgress). (Quran, 55:19-20)

     

    But when the Quran speaks about the divider between fresh and salt water, it mentions the existence of “a forbidding partition” with the barrier. God has said in the Quran:

     

    (He is the one who has set free the two kinds of water, one sweet and palatable, and the other salty and bitter. And He has made between them a barrier and a forbidding partition). (Quran, 25:53)

     

    One may ask, why did the Quran mention the partition when speaking about the divider between fresh and salt water, but did not mention it when speaking about the divider between the two seas?

     

    Modern science has discovered that in estuaries, where fresh (sweet) and salt water meet, the situation is somewhat different from what is found in places where two seas meet. It has been discovered that what distinguishes fresh water from salt water in estuaries is a “pycnocline zone with a marked density discontinuity separating the two layers.”3 This partition (zone of separation) has a different salinity from the fresh water and from the salt water4 (see figure 14).

     

    407496489.jpg

     

    Figure 14: Longitudinal section showing salinity (parts per thousand ‰) in an estuary. We can see here the partition (zone of separation) between the fresh and the salt water. (Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, p. 301, with a slight enhancement.)

    This information has been discovered only recently, using advanced equipment to measure temperature, salinity, density, oxygen dissolubility, etc. The human eye cannot see the difference between the two seas that meet, rather the two seas appear to us as one homogeneous sea. Likewise, the human eye cannot see the division of water in estuaries into the three kinds: fresh water, salt water, and the partition (zone of separation).

     

    thank you

  12. I heard, that overall food consumption rises during Ramadan.

    That's the last thing that most of the Western world needs.

    My recollection from somewhere or other in the past is backed up by this

     

    "Ramadan is a month of simplicity and fasting but it is well known that in the Muslim World food consumption increases. "

     

    from here.

    http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009080445706

    Among other places.

     

    THE Muslims INVITED EACH OTHER IN RAMDAN TO EAT AND SHARING THEIR FOOD AND THAT MADE PEOPLE SEE EACH OTHER

  13. Muslims world wide observe total fasting (no food or water) between dawn to sunset in the month of Ramadan. They do so not for losing weight or any medical benefit, but as it is ordained in Quran which says.

     

    "O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you, as it was prescribed for those before you (i.e. Jews, & Christians) so that you may (learn) self-restraint."( 2:183 )

     

    According to Islamic Laws, children below the age of 12, sick patients, travelers, and women who are menstruating or nursing a baby are exempt from fasting. In addition to staying away from food or water for the whole day, they are asked to stay away from sex, smoking or misconduct during the period of fast. In addition, they are encouraged to do more acts of piety i.e. prayer, charity, or reading Quran during this month.

     

    Food is needed by the body to provide energy for immediate use by burning up carbohydrates, that is, sugar. Excess of carbohydrates which cannot be used is stored up as fat tissue in muscles, and as glycogen in liver for future use. Insulin, a hormone from the pancreas, lowers blood sugar and diverts it to other forms of energy storage, that is, glycogen. To be effective, insulin has to be bound to binding sites called receptor. Obese people lack receptor; therefore, they cannot utilize their insulin. This leads to Insulin Resistance and Glucose Intolerance..

     

    When one fasts (or decreases carbohydrate intake drastically), it lowers his blood glucose and insulin level. This causes breakdown of glycogen from liver to provide glucose for energy need and breakdown of fat from adipose tissue to provide for energy needs.

     

    On the basis of human physiology described above, semi-starvation (ketogenic) diets have been devised for effective weight control. These diets provide calculated amount of protein in divided doses with plenty of water, multi-vitamins, etc. These effectively lower weight, blood sugar, but because of their side effects, should be used only under supervision of physicians.

     

    Total fasting reduces or eliminates hunger and causes rapid weight loss. In 1975, Allan Cott in his "Fasting as a Way of life" noted that "fasting brings a wholesome physiological rest for the digestive tract and central nervous system and normalizes metabolism." It must be pointed out, however, that there are also many adverse effects of total fasting. That includes hypokalemia and cardiac arrhythmia associated with low calorie starvation diets used in unsupervised manner

     

    Studies On Islamic Fasting

    There have been many studies on Ramadan Fasting. In 1996 , an international conference was held in Casablanca , Morocco , under King Hasan Foundation for Health in Ramadan and about 50 papers were presented including those from Dr. Soliman ( Jordan ), Azizi ( Iran ) , Naomani ( USA) and Athar(USA). The conclusions of these presentations were that Ramadan Fasting had beneficial effects on health especially on blood Glucose , blood pressure , lipid profile and weight. No serious adverse effects were noted ( ref 7-10 )

     

    Why Islamic Fasting Is Different Than Other Types of Fasting (ref. 7)

    1.As compared to other diet plans, in fasting during Ramadan, there is no malnutrition or inadequate calorie intake since there is no restriction on the type or amount of food intake during Iftaar or Sahar. This was confirmed by M.M.Hussaini (ref. 6) during Ramadan 1974 when he conducted dietary analysis of Muslim students at the University of North Dakota State University at Fargo. He concluded that calorie intake of Muslim students during fasting was at two thirds of NCR- RDA.

    2.Fasting, in Ramadan is voluntarily undertaken. It is not a prescribed imposition from a physician. In the hypothalamus part of the brain there is a center called "lipostat" which controls the body mass. When severe and rapid weight loss is achieved by starvation diet, the center does not recognize this as normal and, therefore re-programs itself to cause weight gain rapidly once the person goes off the starvation diet. So the only effective way of losing weight is slow, self-controlled, and gradual weight loss by modifying our behavior, and the attitude about eating while eliminating excess food. Ramadan is a month of self-regulation and self-training in terms of food intake thereby causing hopefully, a permanent change in lipostat reading.

    3.In Islamic fasting, we are not subjected to a diet of selective food only (i.e. protein only, fruits only etc). An early breakfast, before dawn is taken and then at sunset fast is broken with something sweet i.e. dates, fruits, juices to warrant any hypoglycemia followed by a regular dinner later on.

    4.Additional prayers are prescribed after the dinner, which helps metabolize the food. Using a calorie counter, I counted the amount of calories burnt during extra prayer called Traveeh. It amounted to 200 calories. Islamic prayer called Salat uses all the muscles and joints and can be placed in the category of a mild exercise in terms of caloric out put.

    5.Ramadan fasting is actually an exercise in self discipline. For those who are a chain smoker, or nibble food constantly, or drink coffee every hour, it is a good way to break the habit, hoping that the effect will continue after the month is over.

    6.Psychological effect of Ramadan fasting are also well observed by the description of people who fast. They describe a feeling of inner peace and tranquility. The prophet has advised them "If one slanders you or aggresses against you, tell them I am fasting". Thus personal hostility during the month is minimal.

     

    It is my personal experience that within the first few days of Ramadan, I begin to feel better even before losing, a single pound. I work more and pray more; physical stamina and mental alertness improve. As I have my own lab in the office, I usually check my chemistry, that is, blood glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride before the commencement of Ramadan and at its end. I note marked improvement at the end. As I am not overweight, thank God, weight loss is minimal. The few pounds I lose, I regain soon after. Fasting in Ramadan will be a great blessing for the overweight whether with or without mild diabetes (type II). It benefits those also who are given to smoking or nibbling. They can rid themselves of these addictions in this month.

     

    Fasting For Medical Patients: Suggested Guidelines (ref. 10)

     

    As mentioned earlier, patients are exempt from fasting. But some do decide to fast. For physicians treating Muslim patients, the following guidelines are suggested.

     

    1.Diabetic Patients: Diabetics who are controlled by diet alone can fast and hopefully with weight reduction, their diabetes may even be cured or at least improved. Diabetics who are taking oral hypoglycemia agents along with the diet should exercise extreme caution if they decide to fast. They should reduce their dose to one-third, and take the drug not in the morning, but with Iftar in the evening. If they develop low blood sugar symptoms in the daytime, they should break the fast immediately. Diabetics taking insulin should not fast. If they do, at their own risk, they should do so under close supervision and make drastic changes in the insulin dose. For example, eliminate short acting Insulin altogether and take only NPH or Lantus Insulin after Iftar or before Sahoor. Diabetics, if they fast, should still take a diabetic diet during Iftar, Sahoor and dinner. The sweet snacks common in Ramadan are not good for their disease. They should check their blood sugar before breakfast and after ending their fast.

    2.Hypertensive or Cardiac Patients: Those who have mild to moderate high blood pressure along with being overweight should be encouraged to fast, since fasting may help to lower their blood pressure. They should see their physician to adjust medicines. For example, the dose of water pill (diuretic) should be reduced for fear of dehydration and long acting agents like Inderal LA or Tenormin can be given once a day before Sahar. Those with severe hypertension or heart diseases should not fast at all.

    3.Those with Migraine Headache: Even in tension headache, dehydration, or low blood sugar will aggravate the symptoms, but in migraine during fasting, there is an increase in blood free fatty acids, which will directly affect the severity or precipitation of migraine through release of Catecholamines. Patients with migraines are advised not to fast

    Pregnant Women (Normal Pregnancy): This is not an easy situation. Pregnancy is not a medical illness, therefore, the same exemption does not apply. There is no mention of such exemption in Quran. However, the Prophet said the pregnant and nursing women do not fast. This is in line with God not wanting anyone, even a small fetus, to suffer. There is no way of knowing, the damage to the unborn child until the delivery, and that might be too late. In my humble opinion, during the first and third trimester (three months) women should not fast. If however, Ramadan happens to come during the second trimester (4th-6th months) of pregnancy, women may elect to fast provided that (1) her own health is good, and (2) it is done with the permission of her obstetrician and under close supervision. The possible damage to the fetus may not be from malnutrition provided the Iftar and Sahoor are adequate, but from dehydration, from prolonged (10-14 hours) abstinence from water. Therefore it is recommended that Muslim patients if they do fast. do so under medical supervision

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