QUOTE : Of all the metals there is none more essential to life than iron. It is the<br />accumulation of iron in the center of a star which triggers a supernova<br />explosion and the subsequent scattering of the vital atoms of life<br />throughout the cosmos. It was the drawing by gravity of iron atoms to<br />the center of the primeval earth that generated the heat which caused the<br />initial chemical differentiation of the earth, the outgassing of the early<br />atmosphere, and ultimately the formation of the hydrosphere. It is molten<br />iron in the center of the earth which, acting like a gigantic dynamo, generates<br />the earth's magnetic field, which in turn creates the Van Allen radiation<br />belts that shield the earth's surface from destructive high-energypenetrating<br />cosmic radiation and preserve the crucial ozone layer from<br />cosmic ray destruction…<br />Without the iron atom, there would be no carbon-based life in the cosmos;<br />no supernovae, no heating of the primitive earth, no atmosphere or<br />hydrosphere. There would be no protective magnetic field, no Van Allen<br />radiation belts, no ozone layer, no metal to make hemoglobin [in human<br />blood], no metal to tame the reactivity of oxygen, and no oxidative<br />metabolism.<br />The intriguing and intimate relationship between life and iron, between<br />the red color of blood and the dying of some distant star, not only indicates<br />the relevance of metals to biology but also the biocentricity of the<br />cosmos…<br />This account clearly indicates the importance of the iron atom. The<br />fact that particular attention is drawn to iron in the Qur'an also emphasises<br />the importance of the element.