Intuition has led to the widespread belief in a Supreme Being that is both the source and guiding force of all that exists. Yet if our Lord God is truly this all-pervasive creative entity then there must be physical evidence to substantiate our belief. Witness testimony alone is not enough to convince the skeptics among us. Therefore we seek to expose unmistakable traces of divinity for all to see. But what marks can we use to identify the Almighty? What do the Creator's fingerprints look like? Just as the appearance of certain patterns on our skin may be used to uniquely identify each one of us, we should expect to find a specific imprint upon the space around and within us that reveals God's holy presence. Indeed, observations across a range of length scales and scientific disciplines indicate that from the simplest atom to our own DNA, natural structures attain critical stability in multiples of 22. Before we demonstrate how this particular pattern implies the existence of God, let's take a brief look at each structure beginning with the smallest:
- The average length of space (Bohr radius) separating the interior mass (proton) from the exterior mass (electron) in the simplest atom (hydrogen) is about 22 times greater than the electron's Compton wavelength, which limits the particle's basic size.
- With 22 protons per atomic nucleus, titanium forms a solid that requires more energy per unit mass to separate its parts than any other solid element, and thus has the highest elemental strength-to-weight ratio.
- Carbon dioxide is a molecule of gas containing 22 protons (and, typically, 22 neutrons and electrons) that is absorbed by all plants and produced by all animals on Earth, and also constitutes about 95% of the atmospheres of the two nearest planets (Venus and Mars).
- Both the surface of Earth and its living organisms are mostly liquid water, which is about 22 times less dense (mass per unit volume) than osmium, the densest solid element.
- There are 22 standard amino acids that form the protein of Earth's living organisms.
- Mammalian mitochondrial DNA generates 22 varieties of transfer RNA necessary for protein production.
- The nuclear DNA of the most intelligent marine animals (cetaceans including dolphins and whales) consists of 22 pairs of chromosomes in each somatic cell while people have 22 pairs of autosomes (plus a pair of sex chromosomes) in each somatic cell.
- The Earth circles the Sun about 22 times each solar magnetic cycle.
These structures all conform to a pattern that is utterly unique and unlike any other known to exist. This set of observations suggests that stability is not an accident of nature but dependent upon an underlying harmonic order. Thus, if we identify true divinity with a subtle omnipresent harmony, then we will have obtained significant physical evidence in favor of the existence of God. Let's now examine in greater detail these stable forms and their exceptional proportionality with multiples of 22.
Hydrogen
Leaving aside dark matter for the moment, hydrogen accounts for about 74% of the mass in the universe. The most stable configuration consists of a heavy interior mass (proton) and a lighter exterior mass (electron) separated by a length of space known as the Bohr radius. This distance is about 22 times larger than the Compton wavelength of the electron, which refers to the wavelength of light with energy equivalent to the rest-mass energy of the electron. What this means is that of all the possible distances that the electron might gravitate towards in the formation of an atom, it evidently favors a distance about 22 times its own basic size away from the proton. Devoid of context this observation is meaningless, but when we find the same multiple of 22 reappear in ever larger natural structures then it becomes clear that stability in nature arises not by chance but from a universal harmonic order.
Titanium
The properties of an atom depend primarily on the number of protons it contains. With 22 protons inside each atomic nucleus, solid titanium requires more energy per unit mass to separate its parts than any other elemental solid. Although it's possible to create composite materials with a greater strength-to-weight ratio than titanium, no pure element is superior in this attribute. Thus the unique mass-energy of titanium fits the pattern of unusual stability involving multiples of 22 and provides strong support to our notion of a ubiquitous harmony.
Carbon Dioxide
It is not an accident that the crisis of climate change centers around the unrestricted production of carbon dioxide (CO2), a molecule of gas containing a total of 22 protons and, typically, 22 neutrons and electrons. While the atmospheres of the two nearest planets, Venus and Mars, are approximately 95% CO2, 99% of Earth's atmosphere consists of two gases: nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2). Of course, the relatively low amount of CO2 on Earth is a consequence of our planet's special capacity to sustain life. For the past 3.5 billion years, photosynthetic organisms on Earth have been converting molecules of CO2 and water (H2O) into O2 and simple organic compounds such as glucose. Animals and other heterotrophs then consume this organic matter and return it to its primitive form by respiration. Thus, as CO2 gas leaks out of every cell in our body, our constituent electrons, protons, and neutrons are ever dissolving into the environment in multiples of 22. On average, Earth's living organisms absorbed more CO2 than they produced until industrial advancements enabled us to drastically increase the rate of production. Although it presently makes up only about 0.04% of the atmosphere, each molecule of CO2 is heavier than the other active atmospheric gases and thus has a greater capacity for retaining heat. As a result, CO2 contributes significantly to global warming – a profound ecological problem confronted by every sufficiently industrious civilization. So the unparalleled stability of protons gathered in multiples of 22 is not merely an abstract pattern but has real consequences for life on this planet.
Water Density
Liquid water covers about 70% of the Earth's surface and comprises between 50-70% of the human body. Density is determined by the amount of mass present in a given volume, which generally corresponds with the number of protons and neutrons that can be contained within a 3-dimensional space. As a liquid, water is found to be about 22 times less dense than osmium, which is the densest solid element. This may seem of trivial importance but when considered in connection with the other observations the pattern is unmistakable and, since water is essential to life, it is only natural that we should find the same pattern repeat in the basic substance of living organisms.
Standard Amino Acids
To respond effectively to a dynamic environment, living organisms must continually generate complex molecules, known as protein, from chains of simpler molecules, known as amino acids. Each contains an amine (-NH2), a carboxylic acid (-COOH), and a side chain that determines the specific biochemical properties of the amino acid. The universal genetic code enables all organisms to construct protein from 20 varieties of amino acids. There are 2 additional amino acids present in the protein synthesized by some organisms, so the standard number of proteinogenic amino acids is 22. Yet again we find this multiple as a critical limit in one of nature's vital building blocks – a group of molecules that functions as an intermediate link between relatively simple forms of matter such as CO2 and more complex organic structures such as the nucleic acids (RNA and DNA).
Mitochondrial tRNA
Cellular respiration takes place inside membrane-bound organelles known as mitochondria, which for animals can number in the thousands within a single cell. Each one contains a circular strand of DNA, similar to the primitive genomes of bacteria, that retains the genetic information needed to produce RNA, which can then make protein from amino acids. All mammals, including Earth's largest and most intelligent animals, have 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) generated by their mitochondrial genome. (This may also be true for animals in general.) Because there are 22 proteinogenic amino acids, it may not be surprising to find this correspondence with mitochondrial tRNA, which must temporarily bond together in order to synthesize protein. Nevertheless, we have yet another example of the universal harmony that guides natural structures of increasing size to stabilize in multiples of 22.
Human Autosomes
Intelligence is easier to recognize than it is to define. Cetaceans, such as whales, dolphins and porpoises, are descended from land mammals that returned to the sea millions of years ago and eventually became dominant in their respective niches. Their intelligence is demonstrated not only by their superior ability to learn but also their capacity for compassion, a trait that is wholly unknown to fish and other simple creatures. Conforming with the harmonic order, their bodies are composed of somatic cells that contain nuclear DNA as 22 pairs of chromosomes, where each strand of DNA is a winding double helix consisting of a specific sequence of nucleotides that enables the cell to reconstruct itself and thus propagate the species.
Of course, humans are the most intelligent creatures known to exist but our somatic cells contain not 22 but 23 pairs of chromosomes. What accounts for this deviation? When we consider the whole set of chromosomes then it's clear that one pair plays a unique role in determining the sex of the organism and are thus known as sex chromosomes, while the others are known as autosomes. Because sex chromosomes are subject to a greater degree of variation, they are therefore less stable than autosomes from one generation to the next. So the fact that we have 22 pairs of autosomes in each somatic cell once again shows how multiples of 22 correspond with superior stability in nature.
Solar Cycle
The production of helium from hydrogen in stars like the Sun causes periodic fluctuations in magnetic activity that appear on the surface as sunspots. This solar cycle, which has been observed in the Sun since the 18th century, evidently repeats about every 11 years, but if we take into account the alternating polarity then the average duration of the full cycle is 22 years. That means our planet, along with its multitude of watery, CO2-converting chains of amino acids, circles an electron-proton sphere about 22 times for each complete cycle of solar activity. The universe may contain a great many stars like the Sun, with planets similar to the Earth orbiting at a distance conducive to life, but how many do this in perfect rhythm with the natural order?
* * *
We have found clear evidence of a harmonic order in the simplest and most abundant form of matter (hydrogen). The same order reappears in a solid (titanium), a liquid (water), and a gas (carbon dioxide) with each having exceptional stability relative to similar substances. The pattern continues to manifest in stable molecules of increasing size as we find with amino acids, mitochondrial tRNA, and human autosomes. It even appears in our planet's circular path through its star's magnetic field. Multiples of 22 seem to confer stability to natural structures at every relevant scale of space-time. If ubiquitous harmony is the true mark of divinity then we now have substantial physical evidence to support the view that God exists. In the next section we will explore a subtler level of the universe to see if multiples of 22 have any significance in relation to the physical parameters that define the fundamental particles.
No comments:
Post a Comment