--------- #1301 - Can Bird Poop Break a Car Windshield?
- A lady had a cracked windshield and claimed a bird had done it. The car was parked. The bird poop over the cracked windshield was 4 inches in diameter. To break a car windshield you need in excess of 50 million Pascal of pressure. One Pascal of pressure is one Newton of force per square meter of area. Wait a minute I will do the math:
- Attachment - Likely Bird
- If the 4 inch circle of bird poop was 2 millimeters thick it would be a cylinder 4 inch diameter circle and 2 millimeters high.
- A 4 inch diameter is a 0.05 meter radius. (1 foot = .3048 meters. 0.33 feet = 0.1016 meter diameter, or, 0.051 meter radius, R = 0.051 m)
- The volume of a cylinder is = pi * h * R^2
-------------------- Volume = 3.14 * 2*10^-3 * ( 0.05)^2 meters^3
------------------- Volume = 1.62 * 10^-5 meters^3
- If the density of the bird poop is about the same as the density of water it would be about 1,000 kilograms / meter^3.
------------------- Density = mass / volume
------------------ Mass = Density * Volume
----------------- Mass = 1,000 kg/m^3 * 1.62 *10^-5 m^3
------------------ Mass = 0.0162 kilograms of bird poop hit the windshield.
- To determine how hard the mass of poop hit the windshield we need to know the velocity of the poop in flight. We do not know how high the bird was when it released the poop. But, if we assume the velocity became constant (terminal velocity) then the force of gravity was balanced with the opposing force of the air resistance, and, we can calculate the velocity.
- The force of the air resistance is a function of the density of the air, the cross sectional area of the poop, the drag coefficient of the shape of the poop and the velocity squared.
------------- The Force of the Air Resistance = ½ d * A * C * v^2
--------------- “d” = density of the air = 1.2 kilogram / meter^3
--------------- “A” = the cross sectional area of the sphere shaped poop.
--------------- “C” = the drag coefficient of a sphere which is 0.47.
- The poop was spherical in flight before it hit the windshield. This is important because the air resistance is a function of the cross-sectional area of the sphere. We calculated the volume of the poop and we know the formula for the volume of a sphere.
----------------------- Volume = 1.62 * 10^-5 meters^3
----------------------- Volume of a sphere = 4/3 * pi * r^3
----------------------- r^3 = 1.62*10^-5 * 3 /4 /pi
----------------------- r^3 = 0.387 * 10^-5 m^3
------------------------ r = 1.56*10^-3 m
----------------------- radius of the sphere of the poop = 0.00156 meters.
---------------------- Cross Sectional Area = A = pi*r^2
--------------------- A = 3.14 * 2.46*10^-4 m^2
--------------------- A = 7.74 * 10^-4 meters^2
--------------------- Force of Air Resistance = ½ d * A * C * v^2
---------------------- F air = ½ (1.2 kg / m^3) * (7.74*10^-4 m^2) * (0.47) * v^2
----------------------- F air = (2.18*10^-4) * (v^2) kg / m
- The other balancing force to achieve a constant velocity is the force of gravity:
-------------- The Force of gravity = mass * acceleration
------------------ F = m * a, or in this case m * g
----------------- Where “g” is the acceleration of gravity near the surface of the Earth, 32 feet per second per second, or 9.8 meters per second^2.
------------------ F g = 0.0162 kg * 9.8 m/sec^2
------------------ F g = 0.16 kg * m/sec^2
- OK, now we are ready to set the 2 forces equal to each other to determine the velocity of the poop when it hit the windshield.
------------------------- F air = F g = (2.15*10^-4) * v^2 kg / m = 0.16 kg * m/sec^2
-------------------- v^2 = 7.4 *10^4 m^2/sec^2
------------------- v = 27.2 m /sec
------------------ 1 m / sec = 2.237 miles / hour
------------------- v = 60.6 miles per hour
- Now we know how fast the poop hit the windshield. The energy with which it hit the windshield was the Kinetic Energy which = ½ * mass * velocity^2:
---------------------- KE = ½ * m * v^2
--------------------- KE = ½ * .0162 kg * (26.8 m/sec)^2
----------------------- KE = 5.8 kg * m^2 / sec^2
- Action = reaction. The energy is always “conserved” so the work done on the windshield must equal this Kinetic Energy. Energy is the ability to do work and Work is the force moving over a distance. Here we assume the distance the force works over is the radius of the poop as it is smashed against the windshield.
------------------------ Force * distance = KE
------------------------ Force * 0.0156 m = 5.8 kg * m^2 / sec^2
----------------------- Force = 372 kg * m / sec^2
--------------------- Force = 372 newtons
- The pressure the force exerts on the windshield is a function of the area of the collision. The amount of force changes over the duration of the collision. What we have calculated is the average force. The contact area also changes over the course of the collision. The radius of the poop expands from 0.00156 meters to 0.051 meters. We will assume the contact area at maximum force was at a radius of 0.01 meters.
-------------------------- Pressure = Force / Area
---------------------- Pressure = 372 newtons / pi *r^2
--------------------- Pressure = 372 newtons / 3.14 * (0.01m)^2
---------------------- Pressure = 1.18 million Pascal
- This pressure is way to low to smash the car windshield. If we assume the peak force was 3 times larger than the average force this only gets us up to:
-------------------- Pressure = 3.55 million Pascal.
- What if there was a small rock that was imbedded in the bird poop? The contact area could have been more concentrated to a radius of 0.001 meters.
--------------------- Pressure = 1116 newtons / pi * (0.001 m)^2
-------------------- Pressure = 355 million Pascal.
- That pressure would surely break the windshield that can normally withstand only 50 million Pascal. Of course, another explanation could be that there was a flaw in the windshield that would shatter under less pressure.
- If you got through this an remained conscious that is a good thing. Consciousness is that annoying time between naps. The best way to learn something you did not know is to teach someone who did not know it.
_______________________________________
Other physics reviews:
(1) #1183 - Mysteries for science students
(2) # 1074 Physics the way I learned it.
(3) # 738 The science of physics
(4) # 762 The trouble with physics
(5) #531 Joseph Henry - an American teacher
(6) #532 Robert Millican - a physics teacher
(7) #524 Physics keeps getting simpler.
(8) #534 The physics of a CD
(9) #559 The laws of motion
---------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RSVP, please reply with a number to rate this review: #1- learned something new. #2 - Didn’t read it. #3- very interesting. #4- Send another review #___ from the index. #5- Keep em coming. #6- I forwarded copies to some friends. #7- Don‘t send me these anymore! #8- I am forwarding you some questions? Index is available with email and with requested reviews at http://jdetrick.blogspot.com Please send feedback, corrections, or recommended improvements to: jamesdetrick@comcast.net.
or, use: www.facebook.com, or , www.twitter.com.
707-536-3272, Thursday, September 22, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Learn about heredity, and why we are alike, yet different
--------- #1300 - Why Every Genome is Different?
- Every human genome is different otherwise we would all be identical, human clones exactly alike. What’s a genome? And, what is different that makes individuals out of 3,000,000,000 humans.
- Attachment - none
- The genome is the manual with instructions to build a human being.
- The chromosomes are the chapters in the manual.
- The genes are the individual instructions that make the proteins.
- All the words in the manual are from a 4 digit, AGCT code in the DNA.
- Most all the life on Earth shares this same chemistry, bugs, trees, and elephants
- Chromosomes are made of long strands of deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA for short.
There is about 6 feet of DNA strands squeezed into every cell in your body. Each strand of DNA contains 3,200,000,000 letters of the AGCT code. That would amount to 5,000 books just to print out all those letters. If all the DNA strands in our body were tied end to end they would stretch back and forth from the Moon 26 times. The estimated amount of your DNA threads is 12,420,000 miles, the distance to the Moon is 238,855 miles.
- Chromosomes are composed of DNA and carry the genes that pass on the heredity. Chromosomes exist as a tangle of threads (chromatin). The proteins (histones) bind the DNA to organize the threads that we call chromosomes.
- Most bacteria have a single circular chromosome. Higher organisms , like us, have threads of chromosomes. Each species has a fixed number of chromosomes. For humans it is 46, 23 from your father and 23 from your mother, coming from the sperm and the egg, and coming together during fertilization.
--------------------- females have 2 “X” chromosomes.
--------------------- males have an “X” and a “Y” chromosomes.
- Every cell in your body contains a nucleus and every nucleus contains these 46 chromosomes. Almost every cell in our body contains exactly the same configuration of chromosomes. 99.999 % are identical. The cells that are exceptions are red blood cells, some immune system cells, and the egg and sperm cells.
- Genes are nothing more than instructions to make proteins.
- Add up all the genes and you have the human genome.
- The shape of the DNA molecule is a twisted rope ladder. The uprights of the ladder are a sugar, called deoxyribuse. The rungs of the ladder are the AGCT code components with “ G” and “C” always paired. And, “ C” and “T” are always paired. The four DNA components are:
----------------- A = adenine
----------------- G = guanine
----------------- C = cytosine
----------------- T = thymine
- Guanine is always paired with cytosine, GC
- Thymine is always paired with adenine , TA
- The order in which “ GC” and “AT” appear in the rings of the ladder is the human genome code. When the DNA wants to reproduce the ladder rings part down the middle, they unzip like a zipper on a jacket, with each half separating to form a new partnership. Each separated strand serves as a template for forming a new matching strand. As they pair together “G” always goes with “C” and “A” always connects with “T”. This all happens in the cell in a matter of seconds. A DNA replicate itself. That is the secret of life, but, the DNA itself is not alive.
- Most of the time the DNA replication is perfect.
- However, once in a million cases there is a chance occurrence that allows the letters to get in the wrong place. This mis-letter might make the person more susceptible to some disease. Or, it might predispose the person to some advantage, say red blood cells that are more adaptable to high elevations. The whole Darwinian theory is that the good adaptations survive and the bad adaptations die.
- If mutations make a person too different he becomes a new species. In order to stay the same species our DNA must be 99.9 % the same. But, on the other hand it is the 0.1% difference that makes all of us different individuals.
- From the evolutionary point of view sex is just a reward mechanism to encourage us to pass on our genetic material. The DNA in our genetic material simply wants to reproduce itself.
- As mentioned earlier we humans have 46 chromosomes. More complex organisms do not just have more chromosomes. In fact there are ferns that have 500 chromosomes. The common newt has more than 200 chromosomes. With our 46 chromosomes it is estimated that we have about 35,000 genes. In a very few cases a disease or some disorder is caused by a single dysfunctional gene. But, things are not that simple because in most disorders it is not a single gene but some mysterious alliance between many genes that create the disorder. Obviously, this is making medical research much more challenging.
- We understand the human genome as the “parts list” for the human body, but, that does not begin to tell us how it works. It has taken life over 3,800,000,000 years to work out this system we are using, so, it not surprising that it make take us a few years to figure it out. We are convinced it all started from a single source. Even people and bananas share the same chemical reactions to live. Somehow our chemical processes got more complicated, but they remain basically the same. And, people and bananas are able to pass on their secrets to the next generation. If you look at the common AGCT codes for each species there is not much difference in percentages:
--------------------------- ---------- “A” ---------- “ G” ------ “ C” -------- “T”
---------------- Human ----------- 30.4 ------------ 19.6 ------- 19.9 ----------- 30.1
---------------- Sea Urchin ------ 32.8 ------------ 17.7 ------- 17.3 ---------- 32.1
---------------- Wheat ------------ 28.1 ------------ 21.8 -------- 22.7 ----------- 27.4
---------------- E Coli Bacteria -- 24.7 ------------ 26.0---------- 25.7 ----------- 23.6
- In 1977 science first broke the ACGT code.
- The first genome sequenced was the 5,375 pairs in a bacterial virus. Viruses are parasites and not considered living organisms.
- In 1995 the first living bacteria was sequenced with 1,830,138 pairs ( 1,743 genes)
- In 1998 the first animal sequenced was the round worm
- In 2000 the first plant sequenced was the mustard.
- In 2001 the human genome was sequenced at 2,910,000,000 pairs with 35,000 genes.
That is what we pass on to our children. They should be 99.9% exactly like us, but, that 0.1 % makes them individuals. I can look at my 3 kids and say they are all alike, and, at the same time, they are all different. Nanotechnology will soon be taking us to the next level of atomic biology. An announcement will be made shortly, stay tuned. We have a lot to learn how all this stuff works.
---------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RSVP, please reply with a number to rate this review: #1- learned something new. #2 - Didn’t read it. #3- very interesting. #4- Send another review #___ from the index. #5- Keep em coming. #6- I forwarded copies to some friends. #7- Don‘t send me these anymore! #8- I am forwarding you some questions? Index is available with email and with requested reviews at http://jdetrick.blogspot.com Please send feedback, corrections, or recommended improvements to: jamesdetrick@comcast.net.
or, use: www.facebook.com, or , www.twitter.com.
707-536-3272, Tuesday, September 13, 2011
- Every human genome is different otherwise we would all be identical, human clones exactly alike. What’s a genome? And, what is different that makes individuals out of 3,000,000,000 humans.
- Attachment - none
- The genome is the manual with instructions to build a human being.
- The chromosomes are the chapters in the manual.
- The genes are the individual instructions that make the proteins.
- All the words in the manual are from a 4 digit, AGCT code in the DNA.
- Most all the life on Earth shares this same chemistry, bugs, trees, and elephants
- Chromosomes are made of long strands of deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA for short.
There is about 6 feet of DNA strands squeezed into every cell in your body. Each strand of DNA contains 3,200,000,000 letters of the AGCT code. That would amount to 5,000 books just to print out all those letters. If all the DNA strands in our body were tied end to end they would stretch back and forth from the Moon 26 times. The estimated amount of your DNA threads is 12,420,000 miles, the distance to the Moon is 238,855 miles.
- Chromosomes are composed of DNA and carry the genes that pass on the heredity. Chromosomes exist as a tangle of threads (chromatin). The proteins (histones) bind the DNA to organize the threads that we call chromosomes.
- Most bacteria have a single circular chromosome. Higher organisms , like us, have threads of chromosomes. Each species has a fixed number of chromosomes. For humans it is 46, 23 from your father and 23 from your mother, coming from the sperm and the egg, and coming together during fertilization.
--------------------- females have 2 “X” chromosomes.
--------------------- males have an “X” and a “Y” chromosomes.
- Every cell in your body contains a nucleus and every nucleus contains these 46 chromosomes. Almost every cell in our body contains exactly the same configuration of chromosomes. 99.999 % are identical. The cells that are exceptions are red blood cells, some immune system cells, and the egg and sperm cells.
- Genes are nothing more than instructions to make proteins.
- Add up all the genes and you have the human genome.
- The shape of the DNA molecule is a twisted rope ladder. The uprights of the ladder are a sugar, called deoxyribuse. The rungs of the ladder are the AGCT code components with “ G” and “C” always paired. And, “ C” and “T” are always paired. The four DNA components are:
----------------- A = adenine
----------------- G = guanine
----------------- C = cytosine
----------------- T = thymine
- Guanine is always paired with cytosine, GC
- Thymine is always paired with adenine , TA
- The order in which “ GC” and “AT” appear in the rings of the ladder is the human genome code. When the DNA wants to reproduce the ladder rings part down the middle, they unzip like a zipper on a jacket, with each half separating to form a new partnership. Each separated strand serves as a template for forming a new matching strand. As they pair together “G” always goes with “C” and “A” always connects with “T”. This all happens in the cell in a matter of seconds. A DNA replicate itself. That is the secret of life, but, the DNA itself is not alive.
- Most of the time the DNA replication is perfect.
- However, once in a million cases there is a chance occurrence that allows the letters to get in the wrong place. This mis-letter might make the person more susceptible to some disease. Or, it might predispose the person to some advantage, say red blood cells that are more adaptable to high elevations. The whole Darwinian theory is that the good adaptations survive and the bad adaptations die.
- If mutations make a person too different he becomes a new species. In order to stay the same species our DNA must be 99.9 % the same. But, on the other hand it is the 0.1% difference that makes all of us different individuals.
- From the evolutionary point of view sex is just a reward mechanism to encourage us to pass on our genetic material. The DNA in our genetic material simply wants to reproduce itself.
- As mentioned earlier we humans have 46 chromosomes. More complex organisms do not just have more chromosomes. In fact there are ferns that have 500 chromosomes. The common newt has more than 200 chromosomes. With our 46 chromosomes it is estimated that we have about 35,000 genes. In a very few cases a disease or some disorder is caused by a single dysfunctional gene. But, things are not that simple because in most disorders it is not a single gene but some mysterious alliance between many genes that create the disorder. Obviously, this is making medical research much more challenging.
- We understand the human genome as the “parts list” for the human body, but, that does not begin to tell us how it works. It has taken life over 3,800,000,000 years to work out this system we are using, so, it not surprising that it make take us a few years to figure it out. We are convinced it all started from a single source. Even people and bananas share the same chemical reactions to live. Somehow our chemical processes got more complicated, but they remain basically the same. And, people and bananas are able to pass on their secrets to the next generation. If you look at the common AGCT codes for each species there is not much difference in percentages:
--------------------------- ---------- “A” ---------- “ G” ------ “ C” -------- “T”
---------------- Human ----------- 30.4 ------------ 19.6 ------- 19.9 ----------- 30.1
---------------- Sea Urchin ------ 32.8 ------------ 17.7 ------- 17.3 ---------- 32.1
---------------- Wheat ------------ 28.1 ------------ 21.8 -------- 22.7 ----------- 27.4
---------------- E Coli Bacteria -- 24.7 ------------ 26.0---------- 25.7 ----------- 23.6
- In 1977 science first broke the ACGT code.
- The first genome sequenced was the 5,375 pairs in a bacterial virus. Viruses are parasites and not considered living organisms.
- In 1995 the first living bacteria was sequenced with 1,830,138 pairs ( 1,743 genes)
- In 1998 the first animal sequenced was the round worm
- In 2000 the first plant sequenced was the mustard.
- In 2001 the human genome was sequenced at 2,910,000,000 pairs with 35,000 genes.
That is what we pass on to our children. They should be 99.9% exactly like us, but, that 0.1 % makes them individuals. I can look at my 3 kids and say they are all alike, and, at the same time, they are all different. Nanotechnology will soon be taking us to the next level of atomic biology. An announcement will be made shortly, stay tuned. We have a lot to learn how all this stuff works.
---------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RSVP, please reply with a number to rate this review: #1- learned something new. #2 - Didn’t read it. #3- very interesting. #4- Send another review #___ from the index. #5- Keep em coming. #6- I forwarded copies to some friends. #7- Don‘t send me these anymore! #8- I am forwarding you some questions? Index is available with email and with requested reviews at http://jdetrick.blogspot.com Please send feedback, corrections, or recommended improvements to: jamesdetrick@comcast.net.
or, use: www.facebook.com, or , www.twitter.com.
707-536-3272, Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Interesting facts about the human cell:
--------- #1299 - You Are As Young As You Feel?
- None of us have bodies that are over 9 years old. And, the entire surface area of our bodies are already dead. Here are some interesting things to know about the cells in your body.
- Attachment - none
- Hard to believe, I know, but, every molecule in your body has been replaced at least 9 years ago. None of your parts at the molecular level are more than 9 years old. The cells in your body are constantly replacing themselves.
- All the cells on the surface area of your skin are already dead. You have probably 5 pounds of dead skin that your are carrying around. But, don’t try to shed it just to loose weight. It sheds itself in the form of that gray dust you see on your coffee table. That dust is largely old skin. The same as that gray stuff on the inside of your vacuum cleaner.
- Most living cells in our body live an average of one month. Liver cells survive for years although the parts inside the cells are renewed every few days. You get 100,000,000,000 brain cells at birth. And, that is all you get. And, you are loosing 500 brain cells an hour your whole life. I better hurry up and finish this review. I do not have many brain cells left. 70*365*24*500 = 306,600,000 brain cells are already gone.
- The cell membrane, in effect the skin of the cell, is really only a fatty material called a lipid. It is about the consistency of a light grade motor oil. Remember ,we are talking about the nanometer scale and things are different with things are this small. Liquid water becomes a heavy-duty gel. Lipids are like an iron shell.
- If you could blow up a human cell so that atoms were the size of peas the entire cell would be a half mile across. Inside the cell would be like meteor storm with basketball-size and car-size objects flying around constantly in all directions. ( See note 1). Each strand of your cell’s DNA gets damaged every 8.4 seconds, on average. That works out to be 10,000 times per day that your cell’s DNA has to repair itself, or it dies. Remember, the cell, or the parts of the cell, only live for about a month on average. Some protein molecules only live for 30 minutes before they die. Other protein molecules will live for several weeks.
- What powers all this activity in a living cell? Every cell is full of electricity, about 0.1 volts across a nanometer. A human cell is 10^-5 meters across, that is 10,000 nanometers across. 0.1 volts is not much electricity. You certainly do not feel it. But, if you scaled it up to a meter it would be equivalent to a thunderstorm lightning bolt of 20,000,000 volts per meter. The cell’s battery packs that carry this electricity will be explained later:
- Inside the human cell is a dynamic activity that is happening at speeds you can not imagine. It is all controlled by communications between different types of molecules: Inside each cell there are millions of these objects:
------------------- lysosmes
------------------- endosomes
------------------ ribosomes
----------------- ligands
----------------- peroxsomes
---------------- proteins, 20,000 different types
--------------- each protein with 50,000 molecules.
- To stay alive each cell in your body must receive its own blood supply Small blood capillaries reach every living cell. To get the blood through this vast network of vessels the heart must pump 75 gallons of blood every hour. That is 1,800 gallons of blood moving inside your body every day. That is the size of a small swimming pool. And, this activity only applies when you are resting. Start vigorous exercise and all this increases up to 6 fold.
- Each cell collects oxygen from the blood using mitochondria. The origin of mitochondria is likely captured bacteria that have learned to live inside a cell. The cell gets the benefit because the mitochondria convert oxygen energy into adenosine triphosphate which are the battery packs that power the cell.
- Every 2 minutes the adenosine triphosphate battery packs dump all their electricity and go dead. They are replace by 1,000,000,000 of them coming on line and this happens every 2 minutes. If you skin feels warm that is adenosine triphosphate your cells are producing that is equal to half your body weight.
- Every day 1,000,000,000’s of cells die and the other cells clean up the mess. If a cell does not die when it is supposed to, but, instead, starts to grow and divide, that is cancer.
- Hormones are the communication carriers that tell cells what to do. Hormones include:
------------------- insulin
------------------ adrenaline
----------------- estrogen
------------------ testosterone
- Brain cells communicate through the nerve cells. Cells also have the capability to communicate with each other. Neighbors cooperate to work on a coordinated effort. Somehow all this results in a walking, talking, thinking you. Atomic engineering at its finest. The common ingredient appears to be a focused quest for survival.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) An atom is 10^-10 meters across. A pea is 10^-2 meters across. So, everything is magnified by 10^8 times, or 100,000,000 larger on this scale.
---------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RSVP, please reply with a number to rate this review: #1- learned something new. #2 - Didn’t read it. #3- very interesting. #4- Send another review #___ from the index. #5- Keep em coming. #6- I forwarded copies to some friends. #7- Don‘t send me these anymore! #8- I am forwarding you some questions? Index is available with email and with requested reviews at http://jdetrick.blogspot.com Please send feedback, corrections, or recommended improvements to: jamesdetrick@comcast.net.
or, use: www.facebook.com, or , www.twitter.com.
707-536-3272, Sunday, September 11, 2011
- None of us have bodies that are over 9 years old. And, the entire surface area of our bodies are already dead. Here are some interesting things to know about the cells in your body.
- Attachment - none
- Hard to believe, I know, but, every molecule in your body has been replaced at least 9 years ago. None of your parts at the molecular level are more than 9 years old. The cells in your body are constantly replacing themselves.
- All the cells on the surface area of your skin are already dead. You have probably 5 pounds of dead skin that your are carrying around. But, don’t try to shed it just to loose weight. It sheds itself in the form of that gray dust you see on your coffee table. That dust is largely old skin. The same as that gray stuff on the inside of your vacuum cleaner.
- Most living cells in our body live an average of one month. Liver cells survive for years although the parts inside the cells are renewed every few days. You get 100,000,000,000 brain cells at birth. And, that is all you get. And, you are loosing 500 brain cells an hour your whole life. I better hurry up and finish this review. I do not have many brain cells left. 70*365*24*500 = 306,600,000 brain cells are already gone.
- The cell membrane, in effect the skin of the cell, is really only a fatty material called a lipid. It is about the consistency of a light grade motor oil. Remember ,we are talking about the nanometer scale and things are different with things are this small. Liquid water becomes a heavy-duty gel. Lipids are like an iron shell.
- If you could blow up a human cell so that atoms were the size of peas the entire cell would be a half mile across. Inside the cell would be like meteor storm with basketball-size and car-size objects flying around constantly in all directions. ( See note 1). Each strand of your cell’s DNA gets damaged every 8.4 seconds, on average. That works out to be 10,000 times per day that your cell’s DNA has to repair itself, or it dies. Remember, the cell, or the parts of the cell, only live for about a month on average. Some protein molecules only live for 30 minutes before they die. Other protein molecules will live for several weeks.
- What powers all this activity in a living cell? Every cell is full of electricity, about 0.1 volts across a nanometer. A human cell is 10^-5 meters across, that is 10,000 nanometers across. 0.1 volts is not much electricity. You certainly do not feel it. But, if you scaled it up to a meter it would be equivalent to a thunderstorm lightning bolt of 20,000,000 volts per meter. The cell’s battery packs that carry this electricity will be explained later:
- Inside the human cell is a dynamic activity that is happening at speeds you can not imagine. It is all controlled by communications between different types of molecules: Inside each cell there are millions of these objects:
------------------- lysosmes
------------------- endosomes
------------------ ribosomes
----------------- ligands
----------------- peroxsomes
---------------- proteins, 20,000 different types
--------------- each protein with 50,000 molecules.
- To stay alive each cell in your body must receive its own blood supply Small blood capillaries reach every living cell. To get the blood through this vast network of vessels the heart must pump 75 gallons of blood every hour. That is 1,800 gallons of blood moving inside your body every day. That is the size of a small swimming pool. And, this activity only applies when you are resting. Start vigorous exercise and all this increases up to 6 fold.
- Each cell collects oxygen from the blood using mitochondria. The origin of mitochondria is likely captured bacteria that have learned to live inside a cell. The cell gets the benefit because the mitochondria convert oxygen energy into adenosine triphosphate which are the battery packs that power the cell.
- Every 2 minutes the adenosine triphosphate battery packs dump all their electricity and go dead. They are replace by 1,000,000,000 of them coming on line and this happens every 2 minutes. If you skin feels warm that is adenosine triphosphate your cells are producing that is equal to half your body weight.
- Every day 1,000,000,000’s of cells die and the other cells clean up the mess. If a cell does not die when it is supposed to, but, instead, starts to grow and divide, that is cancer.
- Hormones are the communication carriers that tell cells what to do. Hormones include:
------------------- insulin
------------------ adrenaline
----------------- estrogen
------------------ testosterone
- Brain cells communicate through the nerve cells. Cells also have the capability to communicate with each other. Neighbors cooperate to work on a coordinated effort. Somehow all this results in a walking, talking, thinking you. Atomic engineering at its finest. The common ingredient appears to be a focused quest for survival.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) An atom is 10^-10 meters across. A pea is 10^-2 meters across. So, everything is magnified by 10^8 times, or 100,000,000 larger on this scale.
---------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RSVP, please reply with a number to rate this review: #1- learned something new. #2 - Didn’t read it. #3- very interesting. #4- Send another review #___ from the index. #5- Keep em coming. #6- I forwarded copies to some friends. #7- Don‘t send me these anymore! #8- I am forwarding you some questions? Index is available with email and with requested reviews at http://jdetrick.blogspot.com Please send feedback, corrections, or recommended improvements to: jamesdetrick@comcast.net.
or, use: www.facebook.com, or , www.twitter.com.
707-536-3272, Sunday, September 11, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The Bacteria among us?
--------- #1298 - Dominate Life, Is it Them or Us?
- Of all the life on Earth only plants, animals and fungi can be seen with the human eye. There are some 20 other varieties of life that we can not see. In fact, most of life around us is small, unicellular, and unfamiliar. Called microbial life it accounts of some 80% of all the life on Earth.
- Attachment - bacteria
- A flu virus is 4*10^-6 inches on a side and covers 16*10^-12 square inches. The human body has about 20 square feet of skin. That is 2,880 square inches of skin. The smallest virus is only 0.5*10^-12 square inches. So, if we were covered in viruses there could be 200 to 5,000 trillion viruses occupying every inch of our skin. Viruses are parasites that live on bacteria and other hosts , and , there are some 650,000 bacteria occupying every square inch of our skin that could be carrying these parasites.
- Viruses are not considered living organisms. Bacteria are living. There are at least 1,550 species of viruses and at least 5,000 species of bacteria. Compare that with:
------------------------ 26,900 species of algae
----------------------- 70,000 species of fungi
----------------------- 30,800 species of amoebas
------------------------- 5,000 species of bacteria
-------------------------- 1,550 species of viruses
------------------------- 1 species of homo sapiens
- So with a trillion bacteria grazing on our skin mostly feeding on the 10 billion of flakes of skin that we shed every day. That gray stuff that you see on the inside of your vacuum cleaner, along with the tasty oil and sweat that seep out of your pores is the food of bacteria. The waste left behind can be identified as “ body order”. There are an equal number of bacteria feeding on the insides of our bodies.
- The trillion bacteria inside our bodies live in our guts, our noses, our eyelashes, even our teeth enamel . In our guts alone there are over 400 different varieties of bacteria. Some digest sugar, some digest starches, some synthesize vitamins, some are warriors attacking other types of bacteria. The human body has some 10*10^15 cells. But, there are 100*10^15 bacterial cells. Human cells are outnumbered 10 to 1. So, who is the dominate life form here, them or us?
- How can so many bacteria exist on our bodies? For one thing it provides a constant warm, food source. For another thing bacteria can rapidly reproduce. A single bacterium can generate 280,000 billion ( 0.28 * 10^15 ) bacteria in a single day. In a single day a human cell can manage a single division. Most of the bacteria we get when we are born and pass through the birth canal.
- When bacteria are dividing with such rapid numbers several “ mutations” are occurring. A new bacterium endowed with some accidental advantage can take over. They could quickly develop a stain of bacteria that resist a particular antibiotic. All bacteria are swimming in a gene pool. Any adaptive advantage can spread through an entire colony of bacteria very quickly.
- Bacteria not only feed on us humans. There are varieties of bacteria that eat wood, eat the glue in wall paper, eat the metals in hardened paint. Bacteria have been found living and eating in sulfuric acid. They have been thriving in the waste tanks of nuclear reactors. The live in boiling mud pots, and in volcanic fissures at the bottom of the oceans. There was bacteria living in a sealed lens of a camera that was retrieved from the Moon after 2 years.
- Now, again, which is the dominate life form? Them or us?
- Science has recently learned that microbes are living deep inside the Earth, in the rocks 2,000 feet below the surface. Some of these bacteria are alive for centuries, dividing only once per century. With this new data estimates are that there is more life below the surface of Earth than on top of it.
- Astronomers are just beginning to study the possibilities of life on other planets, and other moons in our Solar System and now in some 1,200 newly discovered solar systems. We have a lot more to discover on our home, mother Earth. Our life is so fragile. But, the diversity of life seems to be far beyond the bounds that we ever dreamed. An announcement will be made soon, stay tuned.
---------------------------------
(1) from Bill Bryson’s “ A short history of nearly everything”
------------ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RSVP, please reply with a number to rate this review: #1- learned something new. #2 - Didn’t read it. #3- very interesting. #4- Send another review #___ from the index. #5- Keep em coming. #6- I forwarded copies to some friends. #7- Don‘t send me these anymore! #8- I am forwarding you some questions? Index is available with email and with requested reviews at http://jdetrick.blogspot.com Please send feedback, corrections, or recommended improvements to: jamesdetrick@comcast.net.
or, use: www.facebook.com, or , www.twitter.com.
707-536-3272, Wednesday, September 7, 2011
- Of all the life on Earth only plants, animals and fungi can be seen with the human eye. There are some 20 other varieties of life that we can not see. In fact, most of life around us is small, unicellular, and unfamiliar. Called microbial life it accounts of some 80% of all the life on Earth.
- Attachment - bacteria
- A flu virus is 4*10^-6 inches on a side and covers 16*10^-12 square inches. The human body has about 20 square feet of skin. That is 2,880 square inches of skin. The smallest virus is only 0.5*10^-12 square inches. So, if we were covered in viruses there could be 200 to 5,000 trillion viruses occupying every inch of our skin. Viruses are parasites that live on bacteria and other hosts , and , there are some 650,000 bacteria occupying every square inch of our skin that could be carrying these parasites.
- Viruses are not considered living organisms. Bacteria are living. There are at least 1,550 species of viruses and at least 5,000 species of bacteria. Compare that with:
------------------------ 26,900 species of algae
----------------------- 70,000 species of fungi
----------------------- 30,800 species of amoebas
------------------------- 5,000 species of bacteria
-------------------------- 1,550 species of viruses
------------------------- 1 species of homo sapiens
- So with a trillion bacteria grazing on our skin mostly feeding on the 10 billion of flakes of skin that we shed every day. That gray stuff that you see on the inside of your vacuum cleaner, along with the tasty oil and sweat that seep out of your pores is the food of bacteria. The waste left behind can be identified as “ body order”. There are an equal number of bacteria feeding on the insides of our bodies.
- The trillion bacteria inside our bodies live in our guts, our noses, our eyelashes, even our teeth enamel . In our guts alone there are over 400 different varieties of bacteria. Some digest sugar, some digest starches, some synthesize vitamins, some are warriors attacking other types of bacteria. The human body has some 10*10^15 cells. But, there are 100*10^15 bacterial cells. Human cells are outnumbered 10 to 1. So, who is the dominate life form here, them or us?
- How can so many bacteria exist on our bodies? For one thing it provides a constant warm, food source. For another thing bacteria can rapidly reproduce. A single bacterium can generate 280,000 billion ( 0.28 * 10^15 ) bacteria in a single day. In a single day a human cell can manage a single division. Most of the bacteria we get when we are born and pass through the birth canal.
- When bacteria are dividing with such rapid numbers several “ mutations” are occurring. A new bacterium endowed with some accidental advantage can take over. They could quickly develop a stain of bacteria that resist a particular antibiotic. All bacteria are swimming in a gene pool. Any adaptive advantage can spread through an entire colony of bacteria very quickly.
- Bacteria not only feed on us humans. There are varieties of bacteria that eat wood, eat the glue in wall paper, eat the metals in hardened paint. Bacteria have been found living and eating in sulfuric acid. They have been thriving in the waste tanks of nuclear reactors. The live in boiling mud pots, and in volcanic fissures at the bottom of the oceans. There was bacteria living in a sealed lens of a camera that was retrieved from the Moon after 2 years.
- Now, again, which is the dominate life form? Them or us?
- Science has recently learned that microbes are living deep inside the Earth, in the rocks 2,000 feet below the surface. Some of these bacteria are alive for centuries, dividing only once per century. With this new data estimates are that there is more life below the surface of Earth than on top of it.
- Astronomers are just beginning to study the possibilities of life on other planets, and other moons in our Solar System and now in some 1,200 newly discovered solar systems. We have a lot more to discover on our home, mother Earth. Our life is so fragile. But, the diversity of life seems to be far beyond the bounds that we ever dreamed. An announcement will be made soon, stay tuned.
---------------------------------
(1) from Bill Bryson’s “ A short history of nearly everything”
------------ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RSVP, please reply with a number to rate this review: #1- learned something new. #2 - Didn’t read it. #3- very interesting. #4- Send another review #___ from the index. #5- Keep em coming. #6- I forwarded copies to some friends. #7- Don‘t send me these anymore! #8- I am forwarding you some questions? Index is available with email and with requested reviews at http://jdetrick.blogspot.com Please send feedback, corrections, or recommended improvements to: jamesdetrick@comcast.net.
or, use: www.facebook.com, or , www.twitter.com.
707-536-3272, Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Natural Elements in the Universe?
--------- #1297 - Elements in the Universe?
- There are 92 natural elements. These are those elements listed in the Periodic Table for Chemistry. We know the heavier elements above hydrogen ( 1 proton) and helium ( 2 protons) are produced in the explosions of stars, called supernovae. Hydrogen and helium were produced in the Big Bang. The heaviest natural element is Uranium with (92 protons). 92 protons is about the most the Strong Nuclear Force can hold in the nucleus of an atom. More protons in the nucleus and the element tends to decay through radioactivity to a lighter element.
- Our human body is made up of a few dozen or so elements the top 5 of which are:
--------------------- Oxygen --------------- 61%
--------------------- Carbon --------------- 22% -------------- 83%
--------------------- Hydrogen ----------- 10% ---------------93%
--------------------- Nitrogen -------------- 2.5% --------------96%
--------------------- Calcium -------------- 1.4% -------------- 97%
- We have an unusual concentration of heavier elements thanks to the Sun’s gravity and the Angular Momentum of the orbiting accretion disk that formed our rocky planet. When we look at the Universe at large hydrogen ( 1 proton) makes up 75% of all the elements out there. ( That we know about, we will discuss Dark Matter later ). Most of the interstellar medium contains the element hydrogen. In the excited state, with its single electron in a higher energy shell, it emit’s a red glow of electromagnetic energy. This is how we identify the elements in astronomy. Each element has unique energy states for its electron structure. As electrons move between energy states they must add or subtract the exact amount of energy in electromagnetic radiation absorption or emission. When we test the Moon for hydrogen it has only a trace of this element.
The natural element abuncance in the Universe are:
----------------------- Hydrogen ( 1 proton) ---------------- 75%
----------------------- Helium ( 2 protons)------------------- 23%
----------------------- Oxygen (8 protons) ---------------------0.26%
---------------------- Carbon (6 protons) --------------------- 0.10%
---------------------- Nitrogen (7 protons) ------------------- 0.02%
- The second most abundant element is helium ( 2 protons) Helium is inert and hardly reacts with any other element. Of course, it is essential because it results from the nuclear fusion in stars. It is the next step in producing all the heavier elements.
- The third most abundant element in the Universe is oxygen ( 8 protons). This element in contrast reacts with almost all the other elements. Example: iron rust is oxidation. Carbon rust is carbon dioxide. The Moon is 50% oxygen by weight. Our bodies are over 60% oxygen by weight.
- When oxygen and hydrogen get together the two most common reacting elements in the Universe we get water, H2O. It is the water ice that makes up the rings around the planet, Saturn. Some moons and all comets are almost entirely made of water ice. Water is its densest at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. So, water is less dense when it approaches 32 degrees F. And, water expands when it freezes into ice crystals. That is why water ice floats. Life on Earth would not have made it if ice did not float.
- The 4th most abundant element in the Universe is carbon ( 6 protons). It has the highest melting point of all the elements. It reacts with oxygen and hydrogen to create the organic molecules that life is made of. We are carbon based life.
- The 5th most abundant element is nitrogen (7 protons). 78% of the air we breath is nitrogen gas. Oxygen is the other 21%. That is 99%. What is the remaining 1%? Few would guess. It is argon (18 protons). Carbon dioxide that we are more familiar with is only 1/20th of 1% of the atmosphere we breath.
- We have been talking about the 92 natural elements in the Universe. But, as amazing at it may seem, these elements make up less than 4% of the Universe. The rest of what is out there is “ Dark”. Dark Matter makes up 23% of the Universe and Dark Energy makes up 73% of the Universe in mass/energy. Remember mass and energy are the same thing it just takes 9*10^16, or 90,000,000,000,000,000 times more energy to make matter ( in units of joules and kilograms, the 9*10^16 is the speed of light squared.)
- The most dangerous elements in the world come in the form of dihydrogen oxide. It has no taste. It has no smell. It is transparent. It is incompressible under tremendous pressure. It is extremely lethal. Responsible for most all the nature caused deaths in the world. Depending on its state it can freeze you to death or scald you to death. It is heavy enough to knock over tall buildings. It combines with carbon to form carbonic acid that strips the leaves off of trees and takes the face off of statues. With the tremendous power of gravity it kills many people every year. With the tremendous power of wind and flooding it causes more deaths and economic destruction than any of the other elements. Dihydrogen oxide, is H2O, water. Despite all its destruction we owe these elements our very survival.
- We humans are 65% water. We are more liquid than solid. A tomato is 95% water. If you dehydrate a tomato there is almost nothing left. We are fortunate that our orbit around the Sun does not dehydrate us. We are just at the right distance to remain liquid. If we were just 1% farther or 5% closer to the Sun we probably could not exist. The elements are something to ponder.
---------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RSVP, please reply with a number to rate this review: #1- learned something new. #2 - Didn’t read it. #3- very interesting. #4- Send another review #___ from the index. #5- Keep em coming. #6- I forwarded copies to some friends. #7- Don‘t send me these anymore! #8- I am forwarding you some questions? Index is available with email and with requested reviews at http://jdetrick.blogspot.com Please send feedback, corrections, or recommended improvements to: jamesdetrick@comcast.net.
or, use: www.facebook.com, or , www.twitter.com.
707-536-3272, Saturday, September 3, 2011
- There are 92 natural elements. These are those elements listed in the Periodic Table for Chemistry. We know the heavier elements above hydrogen ( 1 proton) and helium ( 2 protons) are produced in the explosions of stars, called supernovae. Hydrogen and helium were produced in the Big Bang. The heaviest natural element is Uranium with (92 protons). 92 protons is about the most the Strong Nuclear Force can hold in the nucleus of an atom. More protons in the nucleus and the element tends to decay through radioactivity to a lighter element.
- Our human body is made up of a few dozen or so elements the top 5 of which are:
--------------------- Oxygen --------------- 61%
--------------------- Carbon --------------- 22% -------------- 83%
--------------------- Hydrogen ----------- 10% ---------------93%
--------------------- Nitrogen -------------- 2.5% --------------96%
--------------------- Calcium -------------- 1.4% -------------- 97%
- We have an unusual concentration of heavier elements thanks to the Sun’s gravity and the Angular Momentum of the orbiting accretion disk that formed our rocky planet. When we look at the Universe at large hydrogen ( 1 proton) makes up 75% of all the elements out there. ( That we know about, we will discuss Dark Matter later ). Most of the interstellar medium contains the element hydrogen. In the excited state, with its single electron in a higher energy shell, it emit’s a red glow of electromagnetic energy. This is how we identify the elements in astronomy. Each element has unique energy states for its electron structure. As electrons move between energy states they must add or subtract the exact amount of energy in electromagnetic radiation absorption or emission. When we test the Moon for hydrogen it has only a trace of this element.
The natural element abuncance in the Universe are:
----------------------- Hydrogen ( 1 proton) ---------------- 75%
----------------------- Helium ( 2 protons)------------------- 23%
----------------------- Oxygen (8 protons) ---------------------0.26%
---------------------- Carbon (6 protons) --------------------- 0.10%
---------------------- Nitrogen (7 protons) ------------------- 0.02%
- The second most abundant element is helium ( 2 protons) Helium is inert and hardly reacts with any other element. Of course, it is essential because it results from the nuclear fusion in stars. It is the next step in producing all the heavier elements.
- The third most abundant element in the Universe is oxygen ( 8 protons). This element in contrast reacts with almost all the other elements. Example: iron rust is oxidation. Carbon rust is carbon dioxide. The Moon is 50% oxygen by weight. Our bodies are over 60% oxygen by weight.
- When oxygen and hydrogen get together the two most common reacting elements in the Universe we get water, H2O. It is the water ice that makes up the rings around the planet, Saturn. Some moons and all comets are almost entirely made of water ice. Water is its densest at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. So, water is less dense when it approaches 32 degrees F. And, water expands when it freezes into ice crystals. That is why water ice floats. Life on Earth would not have made it if ice did not float.
- The 4th most abundant element in the Universe is carbon ( 6 protons). It has the highest melting point of all the elements. It reacts with oxygen and hydrogen to create the organic molecules that life is made of. We are carbon based life.
- The 5th most abundant element is nitrogen (7 protons). 78% of the air we breath is nitrogen gas. Oxygen is the other 21%. That is 99%. What is the remaining 1%? Few would guess. It is argon (18 protons). Carbon dioxide that we are more familiar with is only 1/20th of 1% of the atmosphere we breath.
- We have been talking about the 92 natural elements in the Universe. But, as amazing at it may seem, these elements make up less than 4% of the Universe. The rest of what is out there is “ Dark”. Dark Matter makes up 23% of the Universe and Dark Energy makes up 73% of the Universe in mass/energy. Remember mass and energy are the same thing it just takes 9*10^16, or 90,000,000,000,000,000 times more energy to make matter ( in units of joules and kilograms, the 9*10^16 is the speed of light squared.)
- The most dangerous elements in the world come in the form of dihydrogen oxide. It has no taste. It has no smell. It is transparent. It is incompressible under tremendous pressure. It is extremely lethal. Responsible for most all the nature caused deaths in the world. Depending on its state it can freeze you to death or scald you to death. It is heavy enough to knock over tall buildings. It combines with carbon to form carbonic acid that strips the leaves off of trees and takes the face off of statues. With the tremendous power of gravity it kills many people every year. With the tremendous power of wind and flooding it causes more deaths and economic destruction than any of the other elements. Dihydrogen oxide, is H2O, water. Despite all its destruction we owe these elements our very survival.
- We humans are 65% water. We are more liquid than solid. A tomato is 95% water. If you dehydrate a tomato there is almost nothing left. We are fortunate that our orbit around the Sun does not dehydrate us. We are just at the right distance to remain liquid. If we were just 1% farther or 5% closer to the Sun we probably could not exist. The elements are something to ponder.
---------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RSVP, please reply with a number to rate this review: #1- learned something new. #2 - Didn’t read it. #3- very interesting. #4- Send another review #___ from the index. #5- Keep em coming. #6- I forwarded copies to some friends. #7- Don‘t send me these anymore! #8- I am forwarding you some questions? Index is available with email and with requested reviews at http://jdetrick.blogspot.com Please send feedback, corrections, or recommended improvements to: jamesdetrick@comcast.net.
or, use: www.facebook.com, or , www.twitter.com.
707-536-3272, Saturday, September 3, 2011
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