--------------------- 1991 - What are the odds you are able to read this?
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- Our Sun is a star, one of over 200,000,000,000 stars in our galaxy. Our star is middle-aged, 5,000,000,000 years old out of a life-span of 10 billion years. Our galaxy is one of 200 billion galaxies in our Observable Universe. Our little planet is just one of billions, and billions and billions of possibilities.
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- Our Observable Universe extends out pretty far in every direction, 2.7*10^23 miles. We observe a spherical volume having a radius of 270,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles. Here we sit at the center observing this enormous volume of space. Of course, anyone, anywhere would see themselves in the center of the Universe. They could be looking the same distance in every direction.
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- Outer space seems so enormous. But, nearly the same can be said about the space inside our own bodies. Within the space of our bodies are the reproducing bacteria that are 200 billionths of a meter in size. There are viruses that are 10 time smaller than that.
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- The average size of all the world’s animals is 40 grams, 1.5 ounces. We humans are at the upper end of this weight scale. There are comparatively few mammals larger in size than us, elephants, whales and the like.
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- Our whole existence appears to be on the very edge of the best conditions. We are at the edge of the biologically complex. The source of all our world’s energy comes from a star that just happens to be at mid-life and at its most peaceful existence.
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- Our Solar System’s planets have pleasant circular orbits and we do not expect a disruptive planetary environment to occur for another 5 billion years. We are fortunate to be on the 3rd planet from the Sun giving us a temperate climate. Our Earth’s chemistry is not too caustic nor too inert. We are living in a Goldilocks existence.
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- If you delve deep into physics you discover that certain fundamental constants in nature are “ fine tuned” to allow all this to happen. A small tweak in the strength of gravity, “g”, a slight alter of the electromagnetic force , “e”, would destroy the diversity of molecular structures that allow life and the existence of the entire friendly cosmos.
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- But, do not be deceived. Life would likely not have evolved at all in a totally calm, friendly environment. On the contrary, science believes life required a varying and dynamic alignment of parameters balancing at the interface of calm and chaos. Biology may be the most complicated physical phenomenon in the entire Universe. We hover in between order and chaos. Between life and death. What are the odds we will find life elsewhere with these same fortunate conditions?
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- How could the random collisions of atoms and molecules ever give creation a sense of perception, thinking? You can not accomplish the complexity of life merely by chance. The Observable Universe contains lots of atoms, 10^80 atoms. In is incalculable the number of ways those atoms could be arranged.
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- The same with the possibilities of how the stars could be arranged and the galaxies too. Or, how many ways the neurons can be connected in your brain. The mind’s potential possibilities lies far beyond its own compression.
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- Our bodies are a collection of elements that were formed inside exploding stars. Inside our bodies are arrangements of 60 different elements. Hydrogen is the element that formed first coming directly out of the Big Bang. That same hydrogen represents 9.5% of our body weight.
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- The rest of the elements were created in the cores of stars and upon the star’s death were spread into the interstellar medium through massive supernovae explosions.
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- Hydrogen and helium gas clouds coalesced into the first stars within 100,000,000 years after the Big Bang. These massive stars had short lives and died in titanic supernovae explosions. They hurled oxygen, carbon and magnesium elements into space.
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------------------- 65% of our body weight is oxygen
------------------- 18% of our body weight is carbon
------------------- 0.1% is magnesium
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- After 500,000,000 years the smaller stars formed into galaxies. Stars the size of our Sun live for 10 billion years. Stars 100 times bigger live for only a few million years. These larger stars created iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium sulfur and zinc The star’s death was an explosion that spread these heavier elements into the interstellar medium.
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------------------- Calcium is 1.5% of our body weight in our bones and teeth.
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------------------- Phosphorus is 1.0% . It provides energy that drives chemical reaction in the cells.
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------------------- Potassium is 0.4%. It maintains electrical signaling in the neurons.
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------------------- Sulfur is 0.3%. It is in the cartilage, the insulin, in proteins that support our immune system.
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------------------ Zinc is in trace amounts but it makes up the enzymes used in digestion.
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------------------ Chlorine is 0.2% needed for nerves and gastric juice.
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----------------- Sodium 0.2% needed for nerves and regulation of the amount of water in the body.
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------------------ Iodine in trace amounts used in the thyroid gland to regulate our metabolism
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----------------- Iron is trace amounts but part of the hemoglobin carrying oxygen in the red blood cells.
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- Somehow all this stuff came together to make you. So, what are the odds you are able to read this review? Stay tuned, there is always more to learn and you are the only one that can do it.
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----- 707-536-3272 ---------------- Sunday, December 31, 2017 -----
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