Age

How, exactly, do we age? Why is it that our bodies begin to grow old and die? Why can't our body cells just keep reproducing and keep us young and healthy? Well, after talking with Dad, I came to find out that we have, on a certain chromosome, a set of genes that gets smaller every time the cells split, and as these bits of gene get smaller and smaller, we get older. So, is there a way to either lengthen this gene so that the aging process takes longer? Or could we perhaps come up with a way to keep those genes from splitting during cell reproduction? Either way, it's like searching for the fountain of youth. It's pretty impossible. We know for a fact that when we clone, those little aging genes inside the clone subject cell have already aged, so when the cell is cloned, the subject ages rapidly because of the already aged cell. So, if we are to clone someone, do we use a cell from a fetus? That way the clones are identical? Or do we want to clone EVEN EARLIER? Could we perhaps make 7 different, yet physically identical people? But then again, what mother would want septuplets? Another question is how do our exercise habits affect our aging? Why is it that really obese and unfit people end up dying when they are 50? Could it be that the body is having a hard time maintaining itself, or are their actions making their body cut off more and more of that gene every time the cells split? I'm probably not going to find out any time soon, seeing as I'm not a geneticist. But oh well. We'll find out eventually.

Dark Matter

Dark matter is pretty much THE most complex and difficult to understand thing that I have learned recently. Dark matter, to put it blankly, is not normal matter. There are no protons, neutrons, or electrons. It is an inferred idea because of strange gravitational pulls that have manifested themselves, but not their sources. It was hypothesized to make up for the discrepancies between measurements of the mass of galaxies, cluster galaxies, and the entire universe made through dynamical and general relativistic means, and measurements based on the mass of visible "luminous" matter that these objects contain. According to Friedmann equations,72% of the universe is dark energy, 23% of the mass-energy density of the observable universe is dark matter, and 4.6% makes up the ordinary matter. Thus, 80% of the entire observable universe is dark matter, and only 20% is normal matter. The idea of dark matter was created when a man by the name of Fritz Zwicky observed "missing mass" in the orbital velocities of galaxies in clusters. The difference of dark matter and normal matter is the fact that dark matter is not made up of atoms and such, but rather is made up of neutrinos, axions, and supersymmetrical particles. Scientists have used gravitational lensing to see that light has been bent at places where there wasn't any grouping of visible matter.  There are three kinds of dark matter. Cold, warm, and hot dark matter. Cold dark matter is particles moving at classical velocities. Warm matter is particles moving at relativistic speeds. And hot matter is particles moving at ultrarelativistic speeds. Fritz then went on to try and observe this dark matter at work. He applied the virial theorem to the Coma cluster of galaxies and obtained evidence of unseen mass. Fritz estimated the cluster's total mass based on the motions of galaxies near its edge and compared that to one based on the number of galaxies and total brightness of the cluster. He found that there was about 400 times more estimated mass than was actually visible. And this is where I'm stumped so far, because I'm still trying to figure out the equation of the shape of galaxies which is quite difficult to understand at the moment. So if you want to add anything that I left out besides the fact that dark matter is invisible because it doesn't reflect light, then go ahead and post.

The Facts of Energy

Energy, as we know it, is present in many forms. The most obvious of these forms is lightning, electricity, and static electricity, because these can be felt physically. Other forms are light, radiation, and matter. Matter is the least known of all sources of energy, because frankly, how does it have energy? Well, it's like compacting a lot of oxygen into a block of solid air. Matter is compacted energy, and when fission occurs, the energy is released in exponential forms of explosions, nuclear reactors, and other such technologies. According to E=mc2, energy and matter are interchangeable, and thus, we can use matter as a source of energy. Now, a question that we have been struggling to answer, is this. What happens to matter when it reaches the speed of light? It gains infinitesmal mass, and thus is impossible to attain. But, if we had a source of energy that was made of matter on the ship, when once we reached infinitesmal mass, we could use the infinite mass of the fuel to propell us infinitely. But we would have to burn massive ammounts of fuel just to get up to the speed of light. So if we can't do this, the what can we do with matter and energy? We could create a weapon that fires molecules at people fast enough that it punctures their body, yet only damages what's inside. Or we can use it to map out certain objects in every day life. What if we were able to discover the string theory somehow? The string theory states that there are tiny ammounts of energy vibrating inside every proton, neutron, and electron, and if these vibrating bits of energy existed, then alternate realities DO exist. But since we can't even get a clear photo of an atom, I doubt we'll be getting anything out of that for QUITE some time. But think, that would mean that wormholes could be portals between dimensions, and that black holes are just ways to go from one place to another instantly. But we wouldn't know, because we've never been able to encounter a black hole up close.

Power

What exactly is power? Power is the ability to do or act, or the capability of doing or accomplishing something. It also refers to roughly twenty other definitions ranging from political power to molecular power, but that's not the subject that I'm focusing on. Power is what enables us to do and act by our own choices. And if I may quote someone,"Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. But it's absolutely awesome." -Despair.inc. This is a true statement. Power does corrupt. When one has power GIVEN to them that is. However, when one works hard and goes through trial and error to get this power, depending on their circumstances, they may: first, be bad when they search for power and end up using it wrongly anyway. Second, they seek it with good intent, yet make bad choices to get it and thus become corrupt. Third and rarest of all, they don't seek for power, but through good choices and good example are handed the power by those who want them to have it. The third person is who all of our greatest leaders were or aspired to be. George Washington lead with example on the battlefield, executed wise and cool headed orders, and was elected into office against his wishes. Abraham Lincoln sided on the values that were deemed right and made complementary choices in order to bring those values into fruition. He then was hated by the Confederate states because of the fact that they all thought of slaves as animals that were property, yet he saw them as human beings that wanted their freedom and rights. Ronald Reagan led with the awareness of the American peoples' needs. He lowered taxes, gave wise words of advice, even if those words were taken from scripts that he had used in films that he starred in at Hollywood. These men used their heads and made the right choices, not for themselves, but for the benefit of others, and thus are known as the best leaders of our country. Others, however, have used their power irrationally and have payed for it dearly. Hitler used his power to enslave the countries of Europe using brute force to get them to surrender. He used his power and made the choice to get rid of the people that he hated by imprisoning and killing them in the most brutal of ways. Gas chambers, firing squads, torture, furnaces, etc. He was then opposed by those who desire freedom for everyone and was defeated. This is why we desire the ability to act like those in movies that have superpowers or have extreme skills that put them in extreme circumstances that make them loved and admired by those innocent bystanders that the superhero is trying to protect. But, because of the natural way of mankind, none of us would survive long with powers such as these. We would become corrupt and would seek to use them for our own purposes. That is why we must temper ourselves to become rational enough and wise enough to use any power correctly that we are given. Otherwise, we will destroy ourselves with that power if we use it incorrectly.

Modifications

I have applied a few modifications on my blog so that everyone can post again. Apparently, the template that I was using was preventing you all from doing this. Sorry for the inconvenience! And now, I will post something of philosophical nature. What is the ability to see? It is the comprehension of our environments through visual learning. But, how is it that when someone is blind, they see darkness? Why is it that when someone is deaf, they can still sense that they are hearing nothing? How is this? How is it that we have these senses, but not others? Perhaps we cannot know the full extent of our senses because we don't know the absence thereof. Even those who are born with these absences of ability are able to sense that there is something missing with their body. Is this knowledge embedded in our minds? Or is it our observances of our surroundings? These are things that only God can answer.

Deception

Human beings were born into the world, having many traits with which to ensure their own survival. Deception was infused into the human personality, for the sole purpose of protecting one's self against dejection or rejection of the village. What is this cursed thing, this thing that causes pain to all who use it, and to those that it is directed towards? By definition, deception is the same as its definition. Confusing, isn't it? It puts forth the interesting question of how do we tell deception from truth? We can usually tell by the past character observations of the person talking. If they have deceived in the past, they are probably still doing it. If a person is morally trustworthy, people expect him/her to be truthful and honest. Another way we can tell is by certain and minute details that speak of truth or lie. If something is described thoroughly, most of the time it is a truthful statement. However, if it seems rushed and blends together badly, there is most likely falsehood. But, there are those that are professionals in lying and tricking. And these are the people that we must look out for the most. But, these people are easily distinguished between themselves and honorable people. Those who are trustworthy are hardworking, long suffering, positive, and are good examples of Christ. Those who are master deceivers can be singled out because of their dirty dealings, their dark personality, the bad feeling they bring, and the uncertainty that you feel when around them. We can protect ourselves from these people with practice. But, how do we protect ourselves from ourselves? How can we distinguish what is truth and lie inside our minds when they feud with each other, yet both make reasonable arguments in your head? The deception of yourself lies within your own pretenses and can only be decided by you. But make sure you think everything through, try to notice the details that will make it a false idea, test it against your own experience, and if you don't have any experience in that field, go to someone who does. I made a grave error of judgment and thought that life had stabbed me in the back with a rusty knife. Little did I know that it was me who was doing the stabbing. Imagine my surprise when I realized this. All that despair and sadness was for naught? D'oh! And this is where I am, kicking myself and laughing at how quick I was to judge, and how that ended up being a source of great pain for myself.

Emptiness

When somebody asks, is the glass half full or half empty, you automatically think, "I'm an optimist, so it's half full." But in reality, the glass isn't half full nor half empty. It's actually full of water and air. So long as one is present, the other is present in the same amount in volume. But, when the glass is taken away, then it's just scattered water on the floor and air that has diffused into the air within the room. Thus the water and the air must exist separately because there is nothing to hold them together. Eventually, though, the water will evaporate and will diffuse into the air. However, it will never reunite with those exact air molecules, no matter what kind of environmental miracles occur. In this sense, many things need other things in order to survive properly without grief. Humans need clean water to survive without grief, because with dirty water, humans still survive, but with many diseases that are transfered among those who drank that water. Humans need shelter to survive without grief, because we could survive without shelter, but we would be subject to all of the elements. Humans also can survive without well cooked food, but it would be tedious. Love, hate, pain, comfort, sight, blindness, sleep, insomnia, fruition, and emptiness. These are but a few of the things we live with, some very pleasureable and joyful, others, painful and greivous. The impossibility of the water and air reuniting fully is guaranteed because somebody decided to take the glass away. And now, that bond will never be recreated fully. And this, my fellow people, is what has happened to me, because of me being naive, reckless, and impatient. And now, the glass has been taken from me, and I can never fully reunite with the other element that was inside the glass.