I love staring at neurons under the microscope - tiny, minuscule and yet so complex. They are so cooperative and yet so fragile. Why on earth do cells – these independent, minute and invisible-on-the-macroscale level things still survive once separated from the organism?
At the early stages outside the brain, the neuron cells do not look too interesting. There are a couple of sprouting synapses here and there. Their inter-communication is very low and worst of all, they look as though they will die any minute. However, given a number of days in the culture dish, proper incubation temperature and the right media to grow in… they turn out healthy, robust, mature and bubbling with energy (not literally!)... basically, you'd be staring at the most beautiful networks of communication in the universe.
It is the transformation that fascinates me. I am always nervous at the beginning days of their culture time that they look too unhealthy, or could get contaminated or worst of all, would all die (Nightmare!). And yet, that hardly ever happens as long as the protocol is being followed. Tracking the growth of the neurons kind of reminds me of watching children grow. You know you are feeding them day-by-day. You don’t fully understand how the food fed to them works, yet, you know that somehow the food is doing its job. While you are away, you trust that all is well with the children, and when you return, you see that they’ve grown an inch taller… or so. However, with dying shock, one day you wake up and realize that they are way taller than you. Of course, you had kept watch the whole time… it was you who fed them. You had expected this… yet you are still in awe of how quickly and well they sprout up… amazing isn’t it?
So here I am working on these neurons, not fully understanding the total processes behind everything I do to them, or how their intricate systems work… no one person can tell you they understand a 100% how the neuronal culture circuits work, we only know in part. And yet, we go along with the protocol trusting that it works, and we are all amazed when we get favorable results!
It reminds me so much of the Big Man up there - God. Staring at the neurons under the microscope, and filled with fascination, I realized that: [Hey, God already understands all there is with these flaming cells right here]. He knows how their intricate systems work already. He has graciously given us the tact and wisdom to reach a point where we can see a minute peek at how He operates. We only know in part, yet, He knows it all in full. We wish to know in full… which is why we strive to constantly get the answers to our questions… funny. I long for the day that I will know in full, understand in full and appreciate His Love in full.
So He already knows everything on the microscopic level. And, He also knows everything on the macroscopic level… makes Him worth trusting isn’t it? I think am going to bet my two cents in on that conclusion or what do you think?
Photograph: One of my many pretty flaming neurons imaged summer 2009.
Enjoy my song of the moment... just beautiful *sigh*
Enjoy my song of the moment... just beautiful *sigh*
