Eye on Faith

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

That Funny Feeling

Three Main Planets of the Star HR8799 (Hale Telescope image)

Every have a feeling that you’re being watched? Perhaps you are.

Physics is now theorizing that aliens on exoplanets could be quite capable of noticing life on Earth. And if their technology is far more advanced than ours, they could be zooming in on a number of details.

Those who believe in an omniscient God have been minding their manners for centuries. Those who laughed at that belief may now find other reasons to act as though their actions are being scrutinized.

It’s enough to make Lisa Kaltenegger, Director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University, ask this crucial question: “…I wonder what they [these possible aliens] would think of us?”

Resources

https://physicsworld.com/a/alien-astronomers-on-hundreds-of-nearby-exoplanets-could-have-spotted-life-on-earth/

Monday, July 5, 2021

Slimy Solution

Garden Snail (Photo by Zachi Evenor)

Do you worry that a few wrinkles here and there might forever ruin your chances of a happy life? Never fear, Damien Desrocher is hard at work with the perfect solution.

He’s been raising snails, yes snails, in order to milk their “gastropod fluid.” If that sounds slimy, rest assured that it is. But it’s that very goop which keep crow’s feet at bay. It contains “molecules of collagen and elastin,” two known anti-aging substances.

So how does one milk a snail? No need for a bucket. Simply tickle the bugger with one finger, and some mucus will appear. Keep at it until two grams are obtained. Then move on to the next wiggler. Pretty soon you’ll have enough for one bar of time-defeating soap, approximately 80 grams' worth. Then sit back and let the years fade away.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/wash-snail-slime-soap-173820059.html

Sunday, July 4, 2021

After the Launch

Aboard the ISS (NASA photo)

There’s an insightful book by Jack Kornfield called “After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path.” No matter how high you go in this life, there’s always the everyday stuff to contend with.

This holds true even for astronauts, perhaps especially so. Routine tasks become magnified within such extreme conditions. After the launch, the laundry awaits.

Ever wonder what happens next? Clothing is typically changed infrequently. Then it is tossed aside. Not into a hamper, but into a trash vessel that is bound to burn within the atmosphere.

To combat such waste, NASA is partnering with the Proctor & Gamble Company to embark upon the “galactic battle against soiled and sweaty clothes.” May this “ick factor” soon be a thing of the past.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/dirty-laundry-space-nasa-tide-145912108.html

Saturday, July 3, 2021

Slow and Steady Wins the Pace

A live one! (Photo by Bruce A. S. Henderson)

Sometimes it pays to slow down, especially if you wish to live 100 years.

Such wisdom applies even if you are a coelacanth, perhaps especially so. This “people-sized fish” that lives for a century in the ocean depths can trace its ancestry back to “dinosaur times.”

These creature of the deep are in no hurry to reach maturity (much like some teenage humans). Even pregnancy is paced accordingly, taking about five whole years for a baby “fossil fish” to emerge.

After lasting 400 million years, the species is now considered endangered. But this is just a guess. Who really knows what’s occurring in the mysterious deep?

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/weird-living-fossil-fish-lives-173300120.html

Friday, July 2, 2021

On the count of three, SCREAM!

The Scream (Painting by Edvard Munch)

When life hands you lemons, you can make lemonade or simply throw your head up to the heavens and howl.

Perhaps God will listen and try to ease the pain. At the very least, there will be an emotional release. It sure beats banging on walls.

Better yet, gather a few of your frustrated friends and yell together in perfect discord. You’ll be surprised at what a relief this could be.

In Israel, approximately 10 elders make it a point to trek through the hills while screaming to be released from the COVID-19 curse. “When we do it in a group it’s like a prayer,” one hopeful participant concluded.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/lift-lockdown-gloom-israelis-keep-104630489.html

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Even Bigger Back Then

Indricotherium (Image by Dmitry Bogdanov)

No one ever accused today’s rhinos of being small. Yet they are no match for their giant ancestors.

These huge predecessors from the region of “north-western China” are thought to perhaps be “the largest” land mammals that ever roamed. Generally called “indricotheres,” this species had members tall enough to munch leaves from the tops of trees. Move over, giraffes!

Today’s typical horn was lacking, making these distant relatives resemble modern horses more than modern rhinos.

Resources

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2281489-giant-rhino-unearthed-in-china-was-one-of-largest-mammals-ever-to-live/

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Pizza on the Run

A similar machine in Capri, Italy (Photo by Holapaco77)

There once was a saying that goes like this: “Don’t wait for your ship to come in, row out and meet it.”

It’s like that with pizza, too. Why twiddle your thumbs until a delivery arrives when you could be hoofing it down to the nearest vending machine?

You heard that right: Pizza vending machine. And of all places, on the gourmet streets of Rome, Italy. The handy-dandy device is called “Mr. Go Pizza” and offers four different types of pies.

Some wince at the very thought of such a fast-food alternative. Hunger, however, is a tasty topping for even the flimsiest of facsimiles.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/fresh-pizza-vending-machine-prompts-174240717.html