Life on Earth, and in it, and elsewhere

A common notion among some critics of theism or religion is that, with our recent appreciation for how large the universe is and, accordingly, how small and seemingly unimportant our home planet is, the idea of a God who cares about us is simply no longer believable.

This idea can be discussed from a host of angles, but it’s important to know that the fact that Earth is very, very tiny relative to the overall size of the cosmos was known a long time ago.  Here, for example, is the British medievalist C. S. Lewis, writing originally in 1947:

The immensity of the universe is not a recent discovery.  More than seventeen hundred years ago Ptolemy taught that in relation to the distance of the fixed stars the whole Earth must be regarded as a point with no magnitude.  His astronomical system was universally accepted in the Dark and Middle Ages.  The insignificance of Earth was as much a commonplace to Boethius, King Alfred, Dante, and Chaucer as it is to Mr H.G. Wells or Professor Haldane.  Statements to the contrary in modern books are due to ignorance.[1]

[1] C. S. Lewis, Miracles: A Preliminary Study (New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001), 77-78.

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Some of you may find this encouraging:

“What is the best age to learn a language?  When it comes to learning a foreign language, we tend to think that children are the most adept. But that may not be the case – and there are added benefits to starting as an adult.”

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In additional science news:

“Scientists call for ‘mega-mission’ to find ancient life on Mars: Rocket scientists tell Nasa a new rover could finally unlock red planet’s secrets”

Once again, the human side of science is nicely illustrated:

“The Politics Behind Choosing a Mars 2020 Landing Site”

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“Meet the Endoterrestrials: They live thousands of feet below the Earth’s surface. They eat hydrogen and exhale methane. And they may shape our world more profoundly than we can imagine.”

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From below the surface to above the surface.  This sounds like an interesting book:

“‘18 Miles’ is full of interesting tales about Earth’s atmosphere: A new book explains the science behind climate and weather”

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“People in the Pacific Northwest smoked tobacco long before Europeans showed up: Unearthed pipes reveal the earliest record of nicotine use in the region”

And guess what:  Every single one of those people is dead.

I feel better, though, about this next one:

“Ancient South Americans tasted chocolate 1,500 years before anyone else: Archaeological finds are the earliest evidence for cacao use in the world”