Eye on Faith: September 2020

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

One man's plastic is a microbe's meat

Plastic Pollution (Photo by Muntaka Chasant)

Humans pride themselves upon being adaptable, but bacteria seem even more so.

While people are burying themselves with plastic, bacteria are literally having a feast. One such microbe was chomping down on sandwich bags at a Japanese dump back in 2016. Upon discovering this, scientists had an aha moment. They thought to themselves, “If Nature could make this happen, why can’t we make it happen even faster?”

So get to work they did. They whipped those little critters into shape by engineering “super-enzymes” into their tiny physiques. Sure enough, their chomping increased “six times faster.” Sounds great, but why stop there? How about 60 times? 600… You get the idea.

Faster is not always better, but in this case it might be. Plastic has been leading the race to the bottom for far too long.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/environment/new-super-enzyme-eats-plastic-bottles-six-times-faster/ar-BB19vO3d

All that glitters isn't glass

One can always Hope! (Public Domain)

You know the drill. Every few years or so, it’s time to go diamond hunting. We’re not talking Africa, but we are talking Arkansas.

Multiply that by thousands of bored stay-cationers, and the odds were good that 2020 would be a lucky year for some local digger. And it was. It most certainly was.

A bank manager (naturally) from Maumelle, Arkansas was snatching handfuls of dirt at Crater of Diamonds State Park when he felt something lumpy. It wasn’t wriggling, so worms were ruled out. Plus it was hard. And shiny.

Hmmm… Must be a chunk of glass. But maybe, just maybe... So Kevin Kinard decided to have it checked out. When he brought it to officials at the park’s Diamond Discovery Center, they were astounded. Kinard’s chunk “turned out to be a 9.07-carat diamond.”

So if you’re digging yourself a hole, it can be wise to keep digging. If you don’t end up in China, you might at least end up in luck.

Resources

https://www.iheart.com/content/2020-09-26-bank-manager-finds-9-carat-diamond-in-arkansas-state-park/?mid=484205&rid=98364581&sc=email&pname=newsletter&cid=NATIONAL&keyid=National%20iHeart%20Daily%20NewsTalk&campid=headline6_readmore

Greatest Show on Earth

Astley's Amphitheatre, London c. 1808 (Public Domain)

To call last night’s debacle between Trump and Biden the greatest show on earth is not much of a stretch. Yet even circus personnel tried to distance from that comparison.

There seems to be something within human nature that can’t help but watch such a spectacle. Those who afterwards condemned it were the same folks who helped set the tone. One pre-debate group latched on to imagery from Rocky films, comparing Biden to a contender who just needs to remain standing.

Which Biden indeed did, while Trump battered away at him, at protocol, and at civility itself. If that’s what Trump means by law and order, then what would chaos entail? But his bullying seems more than okay by many - for after all, “he’s our bully.”

By that same reasoning, Putin is Russia’s bully and Kim Jong Un is North Korea’s bully, so they too must be terrific protectors. But that’s not the overwhelming feedback from their people. Which might mark the contrast between a contained bully and one that's been allowed free rein.

Resources https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-rolls-the-dice-in-a-big-debate-gamble-11601477592

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Garbage Overflowing

Space Debris (NASA photo)

It’s not enough that humans have defiled Earth’s land, water and air. They’re now mucking up space, as well.

What goes around comes around, and the International Space Station almost got zonked by a chunk of junk this week. Calling this “an unknown piece of space debris,” NASA admitted that it would have been within a mile of the ISS had nothing been done.

Fortunately (this time), NASA was able to avert a collision. Nevertheless, ISS residents were concerned enough to hunker down within an adjoining spaceship. And who wouldn’t be?

Resources

https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-unknown-orbital-debris-narrowly-missed-striking-iss-avoidance-maneuver-2020-9

Once in a Blue Halloween

(Fair Use)

Halloween is usually orange and black, but this year it just might turn blue.

Emotionally so because trick-or-treating is not advised, yet astronomically so because the proverbial blue moon is due to appear. The second full moon of October 2020 will shine upon ghosts and goblins alike. And who knows? Since the 31^st is also Houdini’s death date, perhaps the famed magician will finally contact us from beyond.

But will this moon actually be blue? Perhaps. “Smoke or dust particles in the atmosphere” can tint celestial visions, and we certainly have had our fiery share of smoke this year.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/a-rare-blue-moon-will-light-up-the-sky-on-halloween/ar-BB19eyvi?ocid=uxbndlbing

Woman on the Moon

Hawking in Zero Gravity (Public Domain)

There might not be a man in the moon, but pretty soon there’ll be a woman on it.

For the very first time since 1972, NASA is planning for astronauts to land on the moon. This time, a female will be one of them. They will help pave the way for a whole new generation of scientific and commercial explorers.

Such endeavors have the rare support of both congressional parties. It is now understood that space exploration is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. As Stephen Hawking repeatedly warned, humans might not have all that much time left on Earth. It’s vital to seek out other pastures and figure out how to make them greener.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/nasa-unveils-dollar28-billion-plan-to-land-first-woman-next-man-on-the-moon-in-2024/ar-BB19iTjY?ocid=uxbndlbing

No joke!

Jerami Grant (Photo by All-Pro Reels)

Say what you want about Nikola Jokic, but once again he and his teammates have proven that they are no joke.

In last night's game against the LA Lakers, they have also proven that a team stacked with superstars does not necessarily reign over one that is heartily developed from within. Vigorous contributions from many a Nugget collectively won that game. So-called role players didn’t just sit back and cheer on Jokic and Murray. They jumped off the bench and scored big.

So it’s not just a matter of rooting for superstars. It’s a matter of giving respect where respect is due.

Resources

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/lakers-vs-nuggets-score-takeaways-jamal-murray-saves-the-day-as-denver-brings-series-to-2-1/live/