THE BIG BANG AND FINE-TUNING
"The original phase-space volume required fine-tuning to an accuracy of one part in ten billion multiplied by itself one hundred and twenty-three times. It is impossible to write down that number in full, since it would require more zeroes than the number of elementary particles in the entire universe."
-Roger Penrose (Oxford Physicist)
15 billion years ago, there was no space, time or matter. Then, out of nowhere (literally) there was an explosion of indescribable magnitude. 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000001 seconds after this explosion, a pinpoint of pure energy smaller than an atom, with a temperature of 1,000000000000000000000000000000000 degrees fahrenheit gave birth to the force we call gravity. Every one of the trillions of stars, planets, moons, plants, people, insects, etc., that have ever existed or will ever exist, originated from this one tiny speck of energy. (the ancient religious belief that we are all one became a scientific fact with this discovery) 0.00000000000000000000000000000000001 seconds later, the newly created universe gave birth to the strong nuclear force, at just the right strength to hold atomic nuclei together. Had it been just a little stronger, hydrogen would not be the major component of the universe, and therefore no stars, which means no new elements and no life. 0.00000000001 seconds after the bang, the universe cooled to 20 quadrillion degrees F. Electromagnetism and the weak nuclear force came into being, at the perfect strength to encourage atoms to join into molecules. 0.00001 seconds after, the universe cools enough to allow pure energy to become matter. Subatomic particles form electrons, protons and neutrons. 3 minutes after the "BIg Bang", the universe cools to a few billion degrees. Protons and neutrons bond and the three smallest atoms are created: Hydrogen, helium and lithium. 300,000 years after the Big Bang, the universe cooled to about 4000 degrees F. Electrons settle into orbit around the nuclei. For hundreds of thousands of years, gravity clumps together hydrogen until nuclear fusion occurs and these "stars" burn. Then, galaxies of stars form over time. 1 billion years and more after, large, old stars burn until they implode on themselves, turning into supernovas, which produce enough heat to form the rest of the 92 elements. One of these is carbon, which is the only element which is complex enough to be the building block of life. Carbon is formed when a helium nucleus somehow finds and is absorbed by radioactive beryllium, although beryllium has a lifespan of only 0.0000000000000001 seconds. By the time the universe was about 7 billion years old, there were now billions of galaxies, including the milky way. 80,000 light years in diameter and 6,000 light years thick, this is our neighborhood.
-Roger Penrose (Oxford Physicist)
15 billion years ago, there was no space, time or matter. Then, out of nowhere (literally) there was an explosion of indescribable magnitude. 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000001 seconds after this explosion, a pinpoint of pure energy smaller than an atom, with a temperature of 1,000000000000000000000000000000000 degrees fahrenheit gave birth to the force we call gravity. Every one of the trillions of stars, planets, moons, plants, people, insects, etc., that have ever existed or will ever exist, originated from this one tiny speck of energy. (the ancient religious belief that we are all one became a scientific fact with this discovery) 0.00000000000000000000000000000000001 seconds later, the newly created universe gave birth to the strong nuclear force, at just the right strength to hold atomic nuclei together. Had it been just a little stronger, hydrogen would not be the major component of the universe, and therefore no stars, which means no new elements and no life. 0.00000000001 seconds after the bang, the universe cooled to 20 quadrillion degrees F. Electromagnetism and the weak nuclear force came into being, at the perfect strength to encourage atoms to join into molecules. 0.00001 seconds after, the universe cools enough to allow pure energy to become matter. Subatomic particles form electrons, protons and neutrons. 3 minutes after the "BIg Bang", the universe cools to a few billion degrees. Protons and neutrons bond and the three smallest atoms are created: Hydrogen, helium and lithium. 300,000 years after the Big Bang, the universe cooled to about 4000 degrees F. Electrons settle into orbit around the nuclei. For hundreds of thousands of years, gravity clumps together hydrogen until nuclear fusion occurs and these "stars" burn. Then, galaxies of stars form over time. 1 billion years and more after, large, old stars burn until they implode on themselves, turning into supernovas, which produce enough heat to form the rest of the 92 elements. One of these is carbon, which is the only element which is complex enough to be the building block of life. Carbon is formed when a helium nucleus somehow finds and is absorbed by radioactive beryllium, although beryllium has a lifespan of only 0.0000000000000001 seconds. By the time the universe was about 7 billion years old, there were now billions of galaxies, including the milky way. 80,000 light years in diameter and 6,000 light years thick, this is our neighborhood.
THE MOON
In 1993, it was discovered that the moon stabilizes the tilt of the earth's axis to within one and a half degrees, stabilizing our seasons. Another vital way the moon helps us is by increasing the tides by 60%. The other 40% is done by the sun. This is possible because the moon is unusually large compared to it's host planet. The tides help put nutrients into the oceans from land and help circulate heat and therefore even out ocean temperatures. However, if the moon were any larger, then the tides would be too strong and earth's rotation would also slow, making the days longer with bigger temperature swings.
THE EARTH
Because the earth is just the right size, it is able to retain it's atmosphere, which is thin enough to allow heat to escape but thick enough to filter out harmful cosmic radiation. If earth were smaller, it would cool down too quickly and die out. If it were larger, the surface gravity would pull out the mountains and smoothen the surface of the earth, flooding our planet to a depth of 2 kilometers. Instead of a gradual release of nutrients into the seas, all the nutrients would sink to the bottom of a watery world.
THANK GOD FOR JUPITER
Jupiter has a mass of more than 300 times that of the earth. Its size and location enables it to act as a shield for us. It has reliably taken most of the impacts from comets, which come mostly from that direction.
THE SUN
The sun fuses 660 million tons of hydrogen into helium per second, producing huge amounts of energy. If the sun were even slightly more massive, it would have a much shorter lifespan. It emits the right balance of blue and red color, preventing a flood of uv radiation on earth. It is unusually stable, it's light output varies by only 1 tenth of one percent in every 11 year cycle, preventing huge climate swings here at home. It also has an unusually circular orbit unlike most stars it's age in our galaxy. The most amazing thing about the relationship between the sun and earth is the eclipse. Of the 9 planets and at least 63 moons in our solar system, earth is the only place to see a total solar eclipse. This is only possible because the sun is four hundred times bigger than the moon, and also four hundred times further away. This provides scientists an opportunity to study the nature of stars using a spectroscope during an eclipse. They were also able to prove Einstein's theory correct in 1919, when they confirmed that gravity does indeed bend light. During an eclipse, the moon covers just the right amount of the sun to make such observations possible, yet safe.
The Human Brain
Ever wonder why almost every religion places such importance on prayer and meditation? Recent studies by neuroscientists explains why. Their research shows that meditation strengthens the part of the brain called the anterior cingulate, and when this part is stimulated, it generates peaceful, compassionate, loving feelings. The amazing thing is that it can be stimulated by beautiful music, a pretty picture, or even looking at a smiling face. Add to that the fact that when you are the one doing the smiling, it also stimulates your anterior cingulate, and you can see why smiling is actually a required practice in the Buddhist religion. Breathing deeply and slowly enhances the meditation process. Meditating even for just a few minutes a day will actually build new neural circuits in the brain and strengthen existing ones. You don't even have to have any beliefs at all, you just simply have to think about anything pleasant that makes you feel happy. This has been shown to actually increase lifespans due to a healthier brain positively affecting the entire body. Unfortunately, this also works the other way as well. Even just looking at a picture of a frowning or angry face can stimulate the part of your brain called the Amygdala, which causes feelings of doubt, fear, anger, etc.,
"If we are not able to smile, then the world will not have peace."
-Thich Nhat Hanh
The human brain weighs 3 pounds, and has ten thousand million nerve cells. Each one can create a thousand million million connections.
"If we are not able to smile, then the world will not have peace."
-Thich Nhat Hanh
The human brain weighs 3 pounds, and has ten thousand million nerve cells. Each one can create a thousand million million connections.
The lungs
Every cell lining in your respiratory tract has about 200 cilia on it's surface. Cilia are whiplike hairs that move in sync to clear foreign particles out through the throat by way of mucus. Looking through electron microscopes, scientists have found that cilium are complex molecular machines made up of 200 protein parts, which work like rods, linkers and rotors. They are irreducibly complex, which means if you take away one component, the cilia doesn't work. No one can explain how they could have developed gradually.
The amazing spider
Did you know that spider silk is stronger than Kevlar? A vest knit with spider silk would be bulletproof.