- #1
shetland
- 17
- 0
Hey everyone,
Currently reading a new book by Bill Bryson, "A short history of nearly everything".
Well, despite the title, clearly even a short history would be a very, very big book, still the read is quite addicting, and there are many scientific areas to which I was quite unfamiliar (Geophysics, Geology for example - Yellowstone is a big volcano!).
There was one instance in the book, that gave me considerable pause - the author "states" that each one of us has up to a billion atoms that were once other humans, those who lived long ago. A specific example used was Shakespeare.
At first glance, I thought, well, yeah, a billion atoms is an infinitesimal number that actually comprise us - and I'm assuming what they are referring to is oxygen/gas that people inhaled & exhaled.
The little know about how dynamic the atmosphere is, not only with oxygen, nitrogen, but even carbon particulates, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that very quickly these become homogeneously distributed throughout the biosphere.
I mentioned this little kernel to a friend, and they asked me if I was a member of a new religion! That this was time-worn cliche, not worthy of the effort to speak it.
The little googling I did, I came up with a book by Harlow Shapley, "Beyond the Observatory", which delineates the journeys of the inert gas argon. We take in like 3x10^19 atoms in every breath, and in one week these atoms are already distributed through the country. And so on...
Anyone have a little more ammunition, er, I mean info, that I might use to supplant my argument?
Shelley
Currently reading a new book by Bill Bryson, "A short history of nearly everything".
Well, despite the title, clearly even a short history would be a very, very big book, still the read is quite addicting, and there are many scientific areas to which I was quite unfamiliar (Geophysics, Geology for example - Yellowstone is a big volcano!).
There was one instance in the book, that gave me considerable pause - the author "states" that each one of us has up to a billion atoms that were once other humans, those who lived long ago. A specific example used was Shakespeare.
At first glance, I thought, well, yeah, a billion atoms is an infinitesimal number that actually comprise us - and I'm assuming what they are referring to is oxygen/gas that people inhaled & exhaled.
The little know about how dynamic the atmosphere is, not only with oxygen, nitrogen, but even carbon particulates, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that very quickly these become homogeneously distributed throughout the biosphere.
I mentioned this little kernel to a friend, and they asked me if I was a member of a new religion! That this was time-worn cliche, not worthy of the effort to speak it.
The little googling I did, I came up with a book by Harlow Shapley, "Beyond the Observatory", which delineates the journeys of the inert gas argon. We take in like 3x10^19 atoms in every breath, and in one week these atoms are already distributed through the country. And so on...
Anyone have a little more ammunition, er, I mean info, that I might use to supplant my argument?
Shelley