Western Science Blogs

Alchemy is a medieval chemical science that was interested in transforming base metals into gold and other precious metals.  Is it science, magic or art? I think it’s all three. Isaac Newton wrote over a million words of alchemical notes over his lifetime  during his study of gravity and laws of motion.  In terms of art, both alchemists and artists are fascinated by the mystery of transformation using different modalities and mediums.  Alchemy has also been a science that has been shrouded in magic and secrecy based on its pursuit of transformation.  Alchemists regarded their dreams and visions tor guidance in perfecting their art and recorded their information using mysterious symbols instead of words.  These symbols were then used as powerful tools for changing states of consciousness. The idea of non-action is explained in the Tao Te Ching.  It is through a genuine path of effortless doing or action without action that we can achi...

Albert Einstein discovered that subatomic particles are actually vibrational waves that are the fundamental building blocks of matter.  If we are made up of these waves of energy, can we distinguish between good or bad vibrations?  We have all had the experience of being in a physical space where we felt a negative vibe about the place.  What about being at a concert and feeling a sense of euphoria when listening to the music?  There is certainly a distinction we can feel between something that has a good energy compared to the heaviness of something with a bad energy. Consider a time when you were feeling sick.  There is a quality of very low energy within the body.  Even your mind seems to be working slowly as it feels depressed and stuck like quick sand.  Other times when you were feeling joyous about a happy event in your life, the energy level in your body seemed to be overflowing and plentiful.  Your body felt light and buoyant!  ...

There have been many improvements in our understanding of cancer.  However, we still have not figured out the exact causes of cancer.  Although we understand the basic mechanism in which the disease operates, there are many pieces of the puzzle that need to be solved.  Some scientists think that cancer may be caused by a specific cocktail of environmental factors, genetics and cell mutations in combination with an individual's unique makeup. The increase in sophisticated treatments includes immunotherapy which focuses on harnessing the immune system from within to fight the disease.  Chemoimmunotherapy attaches chemotherapy drugs to antibodies that are specific for cancer cells.  The antibody then delivers the drug directly to cancer cells without harming the normal cells, reducing the toxicity of chemotherapy.  As the survival rate for cancer patients continues to grow in the next decade, we are still clutching on to the hope for a miracle cure. ...

Living systems are composed of things that exhibit characteristics of life such as growth, movement, reproduction and response to stimuli.  Energy is required by living systems to grow and maintain homeostasis.  Examples of living systems include animals, plants and humans.  Non living systems do not have the capacity to adapt to their environment and are made of non living materials.   The key criteria that make up a living system are pattern of organization, structure and life process.  All three criteria are interdependent and inseparable parts of the phenomenon of life.  Furthermore, to find out whether a particular system Is alive, all we need to do is find out whether it’s pattern of organization is that of an autopoetic network.

Organized chaos can be described as the process of gaining desirable outcomes through a state of disorder.  This might reveal a hidden natural order that governs all living things, even when the environment seems chaotic.  If we think of the principles of yin and yang, we see that there is always an element of both within each other.  Therefore, chaos resides in order and order resides within chaos.  Organized chaos provides an environment for unpredictability and ultimately, creativity.  The lack of a system of rigid order results in numerous creative possibilities and outcomes.  Chaos can be seen as an environment of freedom that provides a breeding ground for systems of natural order to arise A fractal system is a complex, non-linear interactive system which has the ability to adapt to a changing environment.  Such systems are characterized by the potential for self organization, existing in a non-equilibrium environment.  Chan...

Avogadro's mole is simply a unit of measurement.  The concept of a mole as an amount of material allows you to relate the weight of the material to the number of molecules in that weight.  The mole also allows the equal combination of molecules belonging to two compounds.  The use of the mole in chemistry is usually in reference to a large number of things such as atoms and allows scientists to measure and observe these amounts in a quantitative way.

E=mc2 affects me in many ways.  The equation comes into play every time I'm doing something, whether it's eating, walking, breathing or driving a car.  In other words, the effects of E=mc2 are revealed whenever energy is consumed in any kind of activity.  The thing that blows me away is that energy and mass are interchangeable in Einstein's equation. Therefore, everything can be considered energy and what we perceive as solid objects or mass is actually a false perception.  Mass is actually energy in a lower vibrational rate. “Concerning matter, we have been all wrong. What we have called matter is energy, whose vibration has been so lowered as to be perceptible to the senses. There is no matter.”                                                                          ...

Geological dating has provided evidence that the remains of a fossilized jawbone belonging to Graecopithecus predate the oldest potential hominin found in Africa.  This has led scientists to believe that hominins may have been from Europe.  Although this theory may be true, more fossils must be found in order to confirm the fact that Graecopithecus was indeed an early hominin.  Early human fossil record is so poor that there are still many holes in the timeline of the evolution of our species.  The prevailing current theory is that the early journey of man arose from the continent of Africa.  However, as time goes on, the discovery of more fossils will slowly reveal a clearer story of our early ancestors. Gaia theory has definitely caught the attention of a wide range of audience, including the scientific community.  Gaia proposes that the earth functions as a living organism that manipulates the physical and chemical environment to maintain...

Here is an investigation into the contents of my refrigerator and pantry: RED VEGETABLES/ FRUITS : Red cabbage Cherries Strawberries ORANGE VEGETABLES : Carrots Orange bell pepper  PURPLE VEGETABLES : Red cabbage GREEN VEGETABLES : Scallions Okra Parsley Napa cabbage Celery Cilantro YELLOW VEGETABLES/ FRUITS : Bananas Lemons Ginger Tumeric WHITE VEGETABLES: Onions Mushrooms Garlic Today's discussion on MSG was an interesting look into the food industry's use of synthetic additives to increase sales.  The savory flavor of MSG has been a successful key ingredient in creating the perfect addiction.  It's the kind of flavor that has the consumer going back for more.  We've all experienced how hard it is to stop eating a bag of chips that is laden with MSG.  You'd be surprised how much of this flavor additive is actually used in the food industry.  We can still find it i...

My element of the week is gold which is symbolized by Au on the periodic table.  It is one of the least reactive chemical elements and is solid under standard circumstances.  One of the celestial origin theories is that gold was produced in supernova nucleosynthesis and formed by the collision of neutron stars.  The high value of gold has been attributed to its association with perfection.  It symbolizes humankind's quest to perfect, illuminate and refine itself.  It's resistance to heat and acid has also made it a representation of immutability and perfection.   Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous substances.  The adoption of this practice has led to significant environmental improvements, innovation and a strengthened economy.  I am most impressed by the benefits of green chemistry.  Cleaner air, cleaner water, increased safety for...

syn·chro·nic·i·ty 1.  the simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection. Synchronicity is a term introduced by psychologist Carl Jung which holds that events are meaningful coincidences if they if they occur with no causal relationship yet seem to be meaningfully related.  In other words, it is a pattern that repeats in time. Synchronicity is also an important principle in the metaphysical world. It describes a coincidence that shifts the motion of your life in a meaningful way.  Some believe that the soul uses synchronicity to attract people and events into its life in order to evolve into a higher consciousness.  The magic of this "coincidence" is that it shatters the notion that modern science has discovered all there is to know about the universe.  It also gives the person a direct spiritual encounter in which a powerful level of meaning is experienced. I have...

Human and chimp genes being 99.4 %  identical in the most critical DNA sites proves that both species are more similar than humans would like to think.  We have always tried to separate ourselves apart from the rest of the  animal kingdom because we like to think of ourselves as the superior species.  We also have used religion to justify our dominance over animals through creation stories that discredit the process of evolution.  The fact that our DNA has been proven to be so similar to chimpanzees confirms the humble truth that we are indeed animals ourselves.  We are not the remarkably superior beings that adorned Botticelli paintings during the Renaissance wearing flowing golden robes and radiating beams of light.  Humans have single-handedly been the most destructive species on this planet, relentlessly over populating the world and destroying as many resources as we see fit. ...