25th July was, apparently, the birthday of Rosalind Elsie Franklin, a British biophysicist and X-ray crystallographer who made critical contributions to the understanding of the fine molecular structures of DNA, RNA, viruses, coal, and graphite. This week we visited the Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, where we saw a fantastic model of the molecular structure of DNA:
Every time I see such a model or picture, I am awed. How can all this complex structure possibly exist in every single cell of my body?!
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.” (Ps 139:13-15 TNIV)
Everywhere you go in Oxford there are the historical blue plaques commemorating people’s achievements and showing where they lived. What I love about these plaques is how they commemorate all kinds of different achievements!
This one is for Sarah Cooper, creator of ‘Oxford Marmalade’:
This one commemorates a scientific discovery which means a lot personally to me, since it enables me to check my blood sugar levels easily and quickly:
It’s great to celebrate people’s achievements and to acknowledge all they have done to benefit our understanding of the world, but as I have marvelled at nature and looked at all the different types of plants, fossils and rocks this past week, I am even more impressed at God’s creation and all His achievements!