To Infinity and Beyond

(For July 18^th)

            The origins of the human race have long been a mystery. Before science advanced, the world had contributed all of the creation of life to the work of deity’s, acting outside of the influence of anyone. Later on, it was discovered that life evolved over vast periods of time, adapting to the surrounding world as species instinctively saw fit. As time goes on, humans continue to discover additional clues as to how they came to be. In a recent article/interview in the times, those discoveries are outlines, ranging from the Big Bang up to the recent “hobbit” discovery.

            As a young aspiring engineer/scientist, I have always been interested in the advancement of technology and formulation of new ideas. I’ve learned to never discard impossible ideas, for most times the most farfetched ideas become the most accepted in time. Think about it: the idea that out planet revolved around the sun years ago was ridiculous. The concept of a round world was preposterous; the world was flat in the eyes of humanity for thousands of years. In the past, human and animal origins were unknown for years. In a fairly short time frame (relative to the rest of the universe) the direct answers to these questions were discovered.

            In the past, humans were believed to have come from Homo sapiens strictly. However, as the article/interview states, humans are more than 2.5% Neanderthal as well. The evidence comes along with the discovery of a peculiar race of small, slightly deformed beings known as “hobbits”. Their discovery and DNA testing has led scientists to strongly believe that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals have bred with one another.

            One of the most surprising aspects of this article is the fact that this information is relatively new to readers. Yet, at the same time, the information presented in the article/interview is said to be at least a few weeks old. This is infuriating, to say the least. How can media print the sheer moronic shenanigans of celebrities and overlook the concept of evolutionary discoveries that can shake the foundation of society as we know it? This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. The news had printed an article some time back about how “fragments” of the universe back when it first originated were discovered. These fragments had little recognition in the eyes of the public though. In my time spent looking for articles on the topic, I managed to find 3 on them (in the New York Times, on Yahoo.com, and on Nasa.gov). Of course, we can look back at another recent discovery: the god particle. At the very second that it was observed (to some extent), the god particle made newspaper headlines. The majority of people that had never read up on the concept were fascinated by its discovery.

            It truly is sad to see that “Katy Perry’s recent boyfriend” or drunken celebrities take preference over actual news in the world today. The majority of society is so fascinated with gossip and drama that they’re completely ignorant of some of the most groundbreaking finds of this century. For once, I’d like to see a science article stay in the news for as long as some of this mindless dribble. I tend to look at this as an idea of acceptance. As said in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, the meaning of life is 42. Try to look at this in a different light: the meaning of life is 42, but only if you accept it as such. That’s the beauty of discovery: there’s no telling what you’ll learn if you open your mind to possibilities.