Sunday 21 January 2007

Thought for Today


Chance, necessity, and opportunity shape our universe—a world of chemicals so fertile it made the emergence of life inevitable.
The random encounters of atoms, the birth and death of stars, and the formation of galaxies establish the scientific underpinnings of our ultimate origins.
Understanding this foundation, one that dates back billions of years, can yield new insights into the complexity of nature while enriching our faith in creation.

by George V. Coyne, S.J.



Each year, ninety-eight percent of the atoms in my body are replaced.

Every time I breathe, I inhale billions and billions of atoms, recycled during the past few weeks by the rest of the world’s breathing organisms.

Living things are constantly exchanging the fundamental building blocks of life, giving to and taking from the total reservoir; all is refreshed, regenerated from the available energy and matter in the universe.

My skin is renewed each month, my liver every six weeks.
All of the elements needed to make everything from human hair to toe nails ultimately come from the stars!

2 comments:

Richie said...

When you look at the night sky, it is truly miraculous to think that we are made of star stuff. Excellent thought!

Scruffyhippo said...

Also on a smaller scale we are in contant flux as is the world around us (http://psychicvisionsuk.blogspot.com/2007/01/and-earth-moves-on.html)
I was told about a programme a few days ago where once we were amazed by atoms, and since then scientists have found that atoms contain smaller molecules and those in turn even contain molecules, they ended up conceding that this could continue for ever as they develop stronger electron microscopes