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The 'Cell' Imitation Is Not 'Creation' from Nothing!!

Prof. Dr. Saleh Abdulaziz Al-Karim

Publication date: July 15, 2026 23:17 KSA

The writer and biological researcher Niko McCarty wrote an article on his official website titled: 'The Synthetic Cell Eats, Grows, and Divides,' in which he explains the artificial cell (I have not come across any scientific publication of what he mentioned in any scientific journal, but what he mentioned is only available on the University of Minnesota website), he mentioned that it is an incomplete cell, derived from biological molecules taken from living cells; therefore I called it a cell imitation and he named it SpudCell.

I read the full article, where he emphasized that the synthetic cell lacks many characteristics of a natural cell, such as metabolism; it does not have an integrated metabolic system; therefore it does not feed in the biological sense, and the genetic composition is very limited, no more than 40 genes, and there is a deficiency in division, as it ends after a very limited number of divisions, and biological details that would take long to explain and are difficult for non-specialists to understand, indicating that it does not represent a natural cell at all. There is no harm, and there is nothing preventing scientists in the future from producing a complete cell from cellular and biological components created by God – glorified and exalted be He – and become a new cell lineage; this is not ruled out, and it is scientifically and research-wise desirable, but in the end it is nothing but creation derived from what God created, accomplished through 'biological synthesis'. Human genius, intellect, and scientific and software tools can harness the genetic and cytoplasmic biological components present in cells to produce new lineages, as in genetic engineering and cloning experiments, where scientists can now intervene in shaping the content of bacterial cells, some viruses, animal and plant cells, and manipulate their genes and cytoplasmic components; this may be beneficial or harmful to humans, and some of it is scientific meddling resulting in alteration of God's creation. The Holy Quran has indicated this: ('And I will command them so they will alter God's creation'). Therefore, the divine challenge remains: man's inability to create something from nothing, as He said: ('Is He who creates like one who does not create? Will you not then remember?') (Surat An-Nahl). So, is the cell imitation (the synthetic cell) considered a new creation formed from nothing? Certainly not. The challenge in the matter of creation is in initiation and formation from nothing. As for assembling and forming something from what God created of biological molecules derived from living cells that God – glorified and exalted be He – created, this is not creation from nothing, but rather assembly and synthesis using biotechnologies. God – glorified and exalted be He – creates from nothing, and begins creation from nothing ('God begins creation then repeats it'). So, can man create from nothing?

Niko McCarty The Synthetic Cell