Hamlet, Scene II
Our earth is not big, we have conquered it with boats and planes and cars. We hardly need to use our feet at all. Space is huge, but as we have no means to reach it, what good is it.
While a few bold dreamers still scan the sky and search for a means to get there, most of out science today is concerned with looking inward. We study ourselves, our minds, forces, atoms, quarks, muons. We are probing not out and away from earth, but in to our small beachhead. Do not fear though, the infinite space that we are made of may be the more important pursuit.
Consider a marble, or better yet, a ball bearing. It is a small object, just under 1 cm in diameter. The sort of thing that you would expect to lose. Look deeper now, as our scientists are, as it has its own world at a scale much smaller than our own.
On the surface, likely oil from your hands would mix with any dirt it may have picked up, filling any microscopic holes or scratches, adding to the illusion of its smoothness. You may yet find life, a few discarded skin cells or a small colony of viruses. Theirs would be a turbulent world; the slightest breath or touch of yours would seem like an earthquake or hurricane. A little closer and the chaos turns to order. We can see how the cells we shed quickly grow cold and dry, without the stable oxygen from our blood that they rely on, they have no chance at survival. A little ways off we see a lone E coli; it is one of the most common of all bacteria and certain strains attack humans. With few resources, the straggled cell cannot divide and multiply to form a colony, it will be destroyed by a virus, or simply starve.
Tune in soon for the next section, in which we delve into DNA and the mysteries of the atom.
torwch
No comments:
Post a Comment