December 02, 2009

As in Science, so in religion

My confidence in venturing into science lies in my basic belief that as in science so in Buddhism, understanding the nature of reality is pursued by means of critical investigation: if scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims. 


         ~The Dalai Lama

November 30, 2009

Far more numerous than insects are nematodes...A handful of soil will contain thousands of microscopic worms...ranging in size up to 8 meters...

Nematodes are the most numerous multicellular animals on earth. A handful of soil will contain thousands of the microscopic worms, many of them parasites of insects, plants or animals. Free-living species are abundant, including nematodes that feed on bacteria, fungi, and other nematodes, yet the vast majority of species encountered are poorly understood biologically. There are nearly 20,000 described species classified in the phylum Nemata .  
  
  
 

Nematodes are structurally simple organisms. Adult nematodes are comprised of approximately 1,000 somatic cells, and potentially hundreds of cells associated with the reproductive system . Nematodes have been characterized as atube within a tube ; referring to the alimentary canal which extends from the mouth on the anterior end, to the anus located near the tail. Nematodes possess digestive, nervous, excretory, and reproductive systems, but lack a discrete circulatory or respiratory system. In size they range from 0.3 mm to over 8 meters


There are 1.6 billion insects for every human on the planet...Do they worry? So why do you...?

This is not just a Disney tale:

The Entomological Society of America claims insects are "1.6 billion" times as numerous as humans. With just over 6 billion humans, that works out to about 10^19 insects. 

That may sound like a lot, but there are many small life-forms that could be more numerous. For example, in soil the insects and mites (a type of arachnid, not an insect) all feed either directly or indirectly off various types of nematodes (a tiny worm, which also is not an insect). Nematodes are animals, and "often outnumber other animals" in many environments so they may be the most numerous animal. 



For nothing is impossible with God

For nothing is impossible with God.   Luke 1:37