The Lantern of Science - A short poem

Very weird is the world to live we have find

The species of intellectual might

opened its eyes among monsters of demise.

Very weird is the world to live we have find

Breastfeeding with the inevitable fight

against our own number of seconds to live before we die.

Very weird is the world to live we have find

with ignorant darkness roaring under the sky

leaving us no clue on how to win this fight.

Very weird is the world to live we have find

Looks as if a mother with a cannibal inside

Fooled to call it “nature” and thinking it is divine.

Very weird is the world to live we have find

Where our own mental feats gave us few more days to survive

or being eaten up by our mother, is what destined otherwise.

Very weird is the world to live we have find

where nobody understands the severity of this fight

while cherishing each day lived, as if next is to die.

Very weird is the world to live we have find

where our key to eternity in this darkness somewhere lies

requires an effort from everyone under this dark sky.

But very beautiful is the world to live we have find

where this species of intellect must keep in mind

that the victory is its sure destiny if held the lantern of “Science”.

~ Jonathan John (Inspired by the man whom I give my deepest respect – Ray Kurzweil)

The Scientific Method to defeat Superman

‘Kryptonite’ is the famous word when people think of Batman taking down Superman. However, the DC writers never actually gave any explanation as to what Kryptonite actually radiates out and how it damages Superman instantly. Secondly, when it comes to Batman defeating Superman, things must be considered under the limitations of scientific realism. Something which is unrealistic or not even being close to any scientific plausibility must not be considered; as Batman relies solely on scientific laws and patterns of reality to stand among gods of Justice League. In this post, I will discuss a very effective way of taking Superman down which does not involve that piece of scientifically unrealistic rock.

Defeating Superman with kryptonite is very childish act because even a kid holding a kryptonite can easily bash the man of steel. Obviously, this method does not suit the genius personality of the Dark Knight for which he is counted among superheroes. So from Batman’s scientific perspective, we will analyze the man of steel as to find a way to take him down.

To keep things “scientific”, we will not consider anything which does not have any value of scientific plausibility. And because Superman in comic books exists within the realm of reality, he must confine to the laws of universe. Therefore we will first try to define Superman in scientific terms.

Superman is any person with following traits:

1.       Super Strength: The foremost identity of Superman is his super strength. The value of force which Superman can apply by his bare hands in assumption must exceed significantly from any human being. This will surely make Superman break strong pieces of metal and push super heavy objects. For proper designation of his post as a “Super Hero”, we consider that Superman’s physical strength exceeds the strength of any man found to be strongest in the whole world. What we don’t consider is that while punching, he can move his hand nearly up to speed of light. That requires an infinite amount of energy. Anywhere close to that limit is also not permitted because still the amount of energy required to reach that level is immensely high and considering the situations of Superman, there is no way he can gather such energy.

2.       Super Speed: Again excluding all the vicinity of speed of light limit, we consider that Superman can move/run at a speed significantly greater than any fastest runner on earth.

3.             Super Durability and Tolerance: This includes pressure tolerance capacity and high heat resistivity. We consider that the pressure tolerating capacity of Superman is not higher than that of any hardest substance known to man. For example lifting and tolerating the weight of a complete airplane filled with passengers as shown in the movie is not permitted because a 6 feet tall person purely made out of Graphene (the strongest material known to man) might be able to do it. After all Superman isn’t made up of Graphene at all. However, his body can still tolerate a pressure significantly greater than any human’s body can do. He can also tolerate high temperatures but for the limitations realism, we assume he cannot withstand temperatures higher than 3500^o C – The melting point of Carbon. Because he is a living being, presumably there must be a lot of carbon content in his body, so that is the limit.

4.       Flight: Now, weightlessness as proposed by DC is scientifically not a good explanation for Superman’s ability to fly. Modern jet planes use thrusters to get both an upward lift and forward push. In his natural body, there is no mechanism for Superman to get these two forces so as to fly. So we assume Superman cannot fly. However, taking into consideration his super strength, we assume that he can make extremely long and high jumps which could be counted as minor flights. In fact, the early versions of Superman comics showed him taking long leaps.

5.       Heat Vision: DC Comics does not give any mechanism of Superman’s eyes. We consider that because laser guns capable of burning the target and raising the temperature of target to a very high degree are already present, there is a technological plausibility that someone’s eyes can have laser guns installed in it, given that those are highly advanced with mechanism of working existing with a dimension of few nanometers.

So this was the definition of Superman. Now for any person to attain these traits, it is impossible for him to have a biological structure anywhere similar to that of humans. Plus, the main source of Superman’s power is Solar Power. Stories show that a long time without food does not bother Superman as long as Solar Power is available to him. Now for a person to depend upon Solar Energy and possess such super traits, there is no way his metabolism would match anywhere to that of a human being. However, plants work on photosynthesis in the presence of Sunlight. But to attribute Superman to be dependent on photosynthesis isn’t going to solve the problem because photosynthesis is a very slow process as well as very inefficient. The amount of energy he requires to perform all these super tasks is not enough from photosynthesis. There is no way his body will sustain itself on any photoreaction process.

There is only one known efficient way to harness good amount of energy from solar power. It is called “Photo Electricity”. Although modern solar batteries are not efficient enough but scientists do predict that with the development in Nano-technology and Nano solar cells, solar power will significantly take over the traditional fossil fuels.

So to consider Superman’s physical structure, we assume that he produces solar electricity in his little body cells. Our cells work on chemical energy in which oxidation takes place. But for Superman, his body must produce electric current using pure sunlight within the cells. These cells act as Nano solar cells which as per the prediction are really powerful compared to present day engines. This at least in theory does give a good explanation to Superman’s super traits. The electric current produced within the body cells surely has a huge power output compared to the cells of human beings.

Since Superman’s body cells act like Nano sized solar cells, it is obvious that he might also be having some storage mechanism just like our body stores energy in the form of fat. The body of Superman must have little cellular parts which act like batteries just to give a back-up during darkness.

And there comes the BATMAN.

Analyzing all these facts, he realizes that there could be two ways to destroy Superman which do not require kryptonite.

The first way is to keep Superman in darkness till his body drains out of back-up energy. This way is not that reliable because it will take a lot of time for Superman to feel low in his batteries, while in meanwhile, he can find a way out. Obviously to exhaust Superman’s batteries, time required is greater than a complete night. So this method is not worth opting for.

Batman in his Batcave notices another weakness of man of steel. He realizes that the body cells of Superman are producing electric currents. And to attack these current will actually disable Superman instantly. The only way to disrupt a continuity of electric current is by using high magnitude fluctuating magnetic field. In fact it has been shown in experiments that our brain – an organ which works by using minute electric current – can be made to dysfunction temporarily when kept under strong fluctuating magnetic field.

So keeping that in mind, Batman prepares an arena. The arena is such that it is kept completely in darkness and the floor is capable of producing high magnitude fluctuating magnetic field. He calls Superman to this arena by any relevant means. The moment Superman lands his feet on the floor, batman triggers the magnetic field. And Superman falls down instantly like he does before kryptonite. His body is not working properly as the current production has been disrupted. Superman is feeling highly intoxicated and is unable to speak. He looks at Batman standing tall near him.

And then starts the epic fight. The assault by the Dark Knight is now unbearable by Superman and he finally tries to beg Batman for his life. Now I think at this point, it becomes more epic for that famous Dark Knight Returns dialogue by Batman to Superman to be spoken:

“You're beginning to get the idea, Clark. We could have changed the world…now…look at us…I've become a political liability…and…you…you're a joke. I want you to remember, Clark…in all the years to come…in your most private moments…I want you to remember…my hand…at your throat…I want…you to remember…the one man who beat you.”

So here we go folks! Science wins again. A simple man with no superpowers possessing intellect beats the strongest man in the universe by all legit means without even using kryptonite. Although people argue that Batman’s victory is only situational. I object because look at the two opponents. One is a man transcending all human limitations and other is just another simple human being. It is impossible for Batman to defeat superman anywhere. Conditions do apply. But the best part is that Batman does it without the traditional method used by the enemies of Superman i.e. kryptonite.

I wrote this post just for the purpose of entertainment. And I hope DC should include this kind of stuff in their upcoming movie Superman vs. Batman so that things should make more sense and look more realistic. What do you guys think??? Please leave comments below

Ecological Succession and Us

I know there may be many of you who are not familiar with this term "Ecological Succession". So I would start with describing about this term in a very simple way. Let's say you dig out a pot hole somewhere in an open piece of land. You fill that pot hole with clean water; By clean, I mean clean and sterilized, without any trace of any life form in it. Leave that pot hole of water open and observe it after two days. You will probably find traces of bacteria and other micro-organisms in the water. Leave that pot hole for a month maybe, you will find certain insects/larvae inside it. Leave it for a year, you'll find more things inside it. And after certain point in time, that pot hole will almost be self-sufficient location to sustain a bunch of life forms inside it. Maybe a small eco-system in itself.

The point here that I want to make is that the piece of matter/habitat which was void of any life form but was kept somewhere near the well established habitats of life forms is now being occupied by sufficient amount of living organisms. And on earth, we do find very unexpected places, hard to support life, where at least some micro-organisms do rule. This is something I adore of all living organisms. And that is what Ecological Succession means. To put it in simple way, Ecological Succession is a property of life to expand itself into whatever void space nearest itself it finds appropriate opportunity and means to. Just like that life void water in a pot hole was occupied by life given the proper amount of time.

In this post, I want to show an extended picture of this Ecological Succession to deduce some fascinating conclusions. Have you heard about Mars One project? If not, then a little of the following space of texts I will use to describe what it is.

Mars One is a not-for-profit organization based in the Netherlands that has put forward conceptual plans to establish a permanent human colony on Mars by 2025,^[1] also planning on having the first humans land on Mars, and beating NASA's Orion missions by a decade.

(Copied from Wikipedia)

So in short, it is a project that tries to put man into Mars by 2025 or a bit later. And yes it is a one way ticket volunteered by people of this earth who have been selected on the base of certain medical and other standards. These people have the responsibility of going to mars and creating earth-like environment over there for future humans to arrive and find a habitable place. These people in Mars One project will take with them many plant and animal species with them and try to terraform mars to make it more earth-like.

Now let's rewind a bit to the history of humans. From the era where reasoning and Science started to get a good hold in our society. Maybe from the medieval peried when legends like Sir Isaac Newton gave the three laws of motion and Kepler gave the laws of planetary motion. At least from that time, every major human invention was geared up to put man beyond the boundaries of this planet we were born on. Say for example, the invention of light bulb, camera, radio transmission technology, Transistors, and many other I don't have much idea about used in Astronaut suits/space shuttle have been a result of every major invention done in our society throughout history. I mean, space journey has not been a result of one night effort of researchers and engineers. It is a product of overall human inventions throughout time till the day space shuttle is launched beyond orbit.

We boast over these inventions and scientific advancements. Remember what volunteers of Mars One project will be doing on Mars. Growing plants, creating oxygen, breeding animals as well as humans. If this project comes out to be a success, then more such projects will be conduted in an attempt to establish an interplanetary transport system. And it would become a matter of fact that plant species which were previously present on Earth only will now be found in Mars too. The animal and human species which were previously found on Earth will now be found on Mars too.

Mars is a place which is presently void of any life form. But hopefully it will be occupied by the life which was present in its neighbor planet - Earth. Just like that pot hole of water was occupied by life form in the surround land. And we see that pattern to be emerging in a broader scale. So what's its all about? The point which I want to make in this post is that our scientific knowledge and technological development are no co-incidence, nor any elite result of boastful intellect we assume we have unlike other species on this planet.

The existence of human beings needs to be seen by a different perspective. A perspective greater than a species of intellectual might. We have a special place in this cosmos. We inherently are designed by evolution to form a bridge to fulfill the ultimate purpose of nature known as Ecological Succession. Nature wants to expand life form beyond Earth because outer space and planets are vacuum, sterile and seek fulfilment of the purpose of succession of living matter. And we humans are a tool being used for this purpose.

I have been enlightened by this perspective and I have no idea how much more fellow humans hold the same vision. Sadly, instead of boasting over our special place in cosmos, we boast that we have built nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. Many of us fight over whose religion is the true while not realizing we are a part of a plan that transcends these puny issues of borders, religion and caste. I took time to write down this post because I think there are people out there who care and who would appreciate their existence on this planet. And maybe, I hope to inspire some of you to spend the remainder of your life in a way that may contribute somehow to this grand plan of nature for which it created all of us. The plan called "Ecological Succession".

Thanks for reading my post. :)

THE INFINITE ITERATION IN THE CODE OF OUR UNIVERSE

The perception of our universe has been like a stream of river. Perceived by an individual according to individual’s own thinking and personality. There are painters, there are scientists. There are musicians and there are speakers. They all give a different version, or should I say, their own version of what universe supposedly is.

The story of evolution of life is very long. Actually, there is probably no start. Or at least, the life started at the Big Bang, talking about the limits of present human knowledge. But as far as I can perceive of the universe, the code of our universe seems to have an iteration that seemingly is programmed to run for all eternity. From the appearance of first cell on this planet to the appearance of first human, there has been a loop of code which seems to expand the entire universe in the coming eons of time. We are just a small fraction of this loop game.

The first cell that started dividing itself on this dust-like planet had only one thing in it’s code - To Survive. And it did. This gave rise to further complexities only to nourish its hunger of survival. The evolution of organs and complete organ systems in higher animals came only as consequences of this initial hunger of survival of the first cell which bore us all. And now we are humans walking on this planet boasting that we have actually conquered this planet in a way never been done before by any other species to exist in the entire history. Evolution has given us hands which are too weak to break a piece of stone, but strong enough to move mountains and destroy this planet.

In my post “Ecological Succession and us”, I discussed how the expansion of life throughout the universe is being done by the tool universe created through Evolution which walks on its hind limbs and uses it’s forelimbs to master the art of creating space shuttles and methods to broaden its horizons beyond Earth. Nothing is boastful of us at all. We are being a puppet of our universe to expand ourselves into the universe for the same reason that cell divided into two for the first time.

For the very same reasons, evolution brought our species into existence. And for the very same reasons, we are creating the machines you see all around you and those which are yet to come. The Artificial Intelligence and creation of self-independent thinking devices are purposed to give us immortality and so actually root themselves to the hunger the first evolved cell had in itself - The Hunger for Survival. Some 150 years ago, there was nothing on this planet to be known as “thinking device” but it all came into existence very recently. And since then it has been modified, developed and has been renamed over and over again to be finally what we see in our smart phones. Or should I say the first computers have been made to evolve to look like what our latest laptops and phone models do. Plus, the expectation ends nowhere. Artificial Intelligence are expected to reach human intellect level in coming 50-60 years transcending the limit as the time passes by.

If you know what ‘Law of Accelerating Returns’ is, then the fact is that apart of machines, humans too have been subjected to it. The development of language and complex thought sharing mechanisms in human society has evolved exponentially since the dawn of our civilization, just like the machines we build have developed through time. I guess one cell dividing into two and the two dividing into four is again an exponential growth. So where did it all start? I again don’t know. But one thing is clear. We all have our roots bound to that first primitive cell which managed to divide and redivide so as to bring us into existence on this very day. And the only code which drove this exponential growth of both life and intelligence is the hunger for survival.

A single cell which is unconscious strives for survival. And so do we. I can therefore clearly say that biological life and intelligence (pattern of signals in neural network) are one and the same thing. Both try to survive, both try to grow and expand. When it comes to physical realm, we are building space-shuttles to expand ourselves beyond this planet and colonize other planets. And when it comes to intellect, we are building Artificial Intelligence to expand ourselves more into non-biological world of Silicon and atoms. If the singularity prediction of 2040 comes to be a reality, then who knows those machines which hold an equivalent intellect of a human being will actually invent, build and develop machines for themselves out of logic transcending beyond atoms, just like we built them out of logic that transcended the logic of biological neurons. And so the expansion of intellect is as inevitable as the expansion of life.

I don’t believe in an omnipotent God or believe in the concept of any such thing, but if this universe was a programming of some sort, then the survival instinct (whether in living organisms or machines) is one of the loops that seems to be inhibiting in the whole coding of universe to repeat itself like a virus and seems to hold the power to change the hardware and software therein all in all. And because I am a part of this iterative code, I enjoy seeing the universe change because a single microbial portion of it happened to be programmed to survive. This universe is a chaos, but more beautiful than anything existing therein. And I don’t know why, but my fascination has always been in the things behaving according to the Chaos Theory and fractals. This is why I took some time to write this post. We are a part of a game of chaos and we should feel proud of it. Thanks for your time you gave to read my post.

~ Jonathan John