Man's Beautiful Curse II

Yesterday, our SCI 10 professors showed us pictures of some of the latest advancement in science -the discovery of evidences for the Big Bang model, the scientists' best bet on the origin of the universe. Here are some of the pictures she shared with us:

The universe's latest "baby picture"
red - warmer spots
blue - cooler spots
white lines - direction of the oldest light

Scientists speculated that if there was indeed a Big Bang, which was a really massive explosion that created this universe, then we would still see remnants of the explosion, in the form of light and radiation.

And they found such evidences.

Interested, I searched for more info about the Big Bang at Einstein's world, the site that our professor recommended. With the latest findings, scientists believed that the Big Bang was the earliest known event in the universe. Of course, it couldn't be THE FIRST since how could the Big Bang model explain the origin of the energy and matter necessary for such "explosion" or event, or how the event itself was triggered in the first place. But our researchers have come up with three evidences that give witness that the Big Bang event really took place a long time ago:

1. The galaxies are moving away from us
they must have been closer together before @__@

2. Presence of chemical elements in the Big Bang
proportion of helium and hydrogen in the universe is what the scientists predicted
-if the universe was hot and dense before

3. Ancient light from the Big Bang

This radiation is known as the cosmic microwave background
also known as the oldest light in the universe

The afterglow image or the infant picture of the universe was taken by NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, or WMAP (image left) after a 12-month observation of the entire sky.Thanks to these advancements in technology, space exploration and studies about the universe are made more accurate and possible, something that Galileo and those before him had never done. With the help of Einstein's Theory of Relativity, scientists are able to comprehend the Big Bang model by realizing that those empty spaces we see are not just "nothingness", -rather they are something which the scientists have yet to comprehend. In the history of science and in the study of the universe, Einstein's contribution seem to have been an extraordinary missing chunk in the puzzle that we were trying to solve for all this time.

But then my SCI 10 professor popped a question that made me...well ...think.


ohh, the picture's exaggerated but you get my point: all this time we're led to believe that we're light years closer to the answer. Scientists would be disappointed. And most of all, students would really freak out after realizing that what they've been learning all this time would be still be replaced by a better theory or model (I'm kidding but really :D). Now we have to start from scratch and look for an alternative model that will best explain the Big Bang, or yet, the origin of the universe. But hey, history of science taught us that this is actually what science is all about. It's all about revolutionizing our thinking about the universe, testing our hypothesis and theories against inconsistencies and fallacies, and changing our way of thinking if it means that this will get us closer to the answer we're seeking for. Our present view of gravity now wouldn't be possible if not for the ancient view of gravity as presented by the falling of an apple in Newton's head. But come to think of it, new discoveries are the end-results of the advances in space technology and instruments, which gives us an assurance that these discoveries are backed-up by strong evidences. BUT If Einstein will indeed be proven wrong in the future, then it just means that we have found the missing piece in Einstein's theories and we're closer than ever to solving this puzzle.

Yes, nothing's perfect. As is nobody's perfect.

It seems that everything is provided for us in our quest in discovering life and the universe. Our minds are capable of coming up with such thoughts and the universe did its part by leaving some ancient evidences which could help us in our research.

Imagination equipped with knowledge.

Is what it takes to solve this beautiful curse some divine Being has put upon us: Uncovering the mysteries of life and the universe.

But all curses have an end, just like Sleeping Beauty finally waking up after 100 years of slumber.

IF we can find the key, just like Prince Philip planting his true love's kiss on Aurora's lips.

And me? I'm positive and hopeful that someday, all of us will be enlightened with our origin.

**pictures of the universe courtesy of NASA.

Redesigning Humanity with the Fruit of Knowledge

If I were to assess this world I've been living for more than 18 years, then I guess that one of the best things that happened to mankind is technology. Webster defined technology as "the application of scientific knowledge to practical purposes in a particular field". What good are ideas and man's superior knowledge if it does no good to the society? If I were to describe it from a Communications Technology Management major, science is the conceptual development of a project while technology is the productions. We can say that science and technology are bound to co-exist, same story with adenine which is doomed to pair with thymine in a DNA strand.

It is common human knowledge that technology made our life easier through machines and technological devices that greatly improved the way we do business, household management, agriculture and communications. Technology allows us to do mass productions of food and products in order cope with our growing population. It has conquered geographical barriers by making transportation easier and possible, wherever it may be. Not only that, communications between individuals is possible, despite any geographical barriers that could separate the two. Overall, the quality of life has no doubt improved since with technology comes convenience and modern way of doing things.

However, it is part of human nature to learn more and crave for new knowledge and think of ways of doing new things. By default, man is not easily satisfied and contented. I think that man's superior capacity to think is the reason for his constant desire for more knowledge and ideas. At one point in time, scientists have stumbled upon nanotechnology, which is working with things and substances at a nanoscale -that is smaller than microscale but larger than atomic scale. How small a nanometer is? According to Berkeley Laboratory, a national laboratory system supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and is composed of outstanding scientists from Nobel Prize winners to university students, a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter, smaller than a visible wavelength of light and a hundred-thousandth the width of human hair. Small, huh? But of course, nobody beats the atomic scale of things, for an atom has a diameter of 0.1 nanometer and its nucleus is about 0.00001 nm. The word small, or tiny, may be an understatement if you ask me. One major reason why scientists and scholars are fascinated with the nanoscale since unlike the atomic scale, it is their first step in assembling something in a nanoscale to create something more advanced and specialized which could hold answers to our present problems. Engineers are creating powerful microprocessors whith nano-wires while doctors are working with nanoparticles to discover future medicine applications.


Another breakthrough in science is the discovery of genetic engineering which is the science of controlling and modifying genes and genetic combinations for specific purposes. At first, this was popular with agriculture, the creation of GMOs or genetically-modified crops. Desired traits from other crops are transferred into another crops with the purpose of improving its quality -saltwater tolerance, pesticide tolerance, size, shelf life, etc. Now, scientists have discovered ways and techniques in meddling with our genetic composition that genetic engineering is now been used to combat genetic disorders and treat hereditary defects through gene transplantation and gene therapy. Aside from agriculture, genetic engineering has proven useful in the field of medicine since it provides a key to discovering new cures and treatments for diseases. Genetic testing like newborn screening are devised with the goal of identifying genetic defects at an early phase for high chances of cure. Nowadays, scientists and the community who are affected by genetic diseases are hoping that genetic engineering will be the key in unlocking the very mysteries of human life.

Ok, this is funny. I just had to post this :))

Redesigning humanity with the Fruit of Knowledge

I yearn for the day when the cure for AIDS is available, when family members need not suffer the loss of loved ones due to incurable diseases such as cancer and the like. I yearn for the day when science has successfully accomplished one of its purposes: to unlock the key to quality human life -convenient and healthy life, less chances of suffering from any hereditary defects or diseases. It would be great that no one needs to suffer genetic diseases and be differentiated from the society. With that, science can focus on other pressing matters -the origin of life and the universe -which I myself am excited to know.

One day, everything will have a cure. Human anatomy and physiology is not a mystery anymore. Human needs are more or less answered by science. What if they now turn their focus to human wants? What if the people are now willing to spend just to attain their ideal human body -from hair color, eye color down to height, figure and complexion? People are uncontented with plain cosmetic plastic surgery and they're open to the possibility of which I shall dub as cosmetic genetic engineering. Scary, but I say it can be possible. People are nowadays fond of personalizing merchandise like create-your-own Havaianas slippers or frozen yoghurts that one day I won't be surprised (though I would definitely be horrified at the idea) that scientists are now offering create-your-own pet or baby @_@. With pets, you can choose the breed, hair color and gender. For babies, you can have a say on trivial things such as her eye and hair color, and even serious ones like gender and personality. Or we can create our own clones that will serve as our "organ insurance" just like in the movie, The Island starring Scarlett Johannson and and Ewan McGregor. But really, would we go that far? I hope not. Are you ready to wake up one day (not feeling like P. Diddy) and realize that you're just a product of your parents' discretion and not of nature's? You are the projection of what your superiors or parents want for themselves -their desired traits -and not of what nature has in store for you. Then when you're old enough, you'll blame your parents for choosing the wrong eye color or personality, and the cycle goes on and you'll project your ideal trivial traits to your future offspring. What's the big deal, scientists are already tinkering with our genes to cure any defects and diseases, then why not with our traits? Well, for the simple fact that it does not make us any different with things -product of human discretion and artificial creation.


I am pro-science as long as it serves the best of interests of humanity. But to meddle with the uniqueness of an individual as though one is some sort of a Barbie doll seems way overboard. This is not only morally controversial but this could also open gates to more human problems such as reduction of genetic diversity and harmful effects of these stuff. I don't think God would approve of this -redesigning a human individual out of vanity. But who I am to say what God wants right? We haven't even proven that there's such a thing as God.

But just what John Von Nuemann said,

"There probably is a god. Many things are easier to explain if there is than if there isn't."



* info about genetic engineering and nanotechnology are taken from HowStuffWorks.com --> this is a cool site!*