Sometimes when you read science fact, you feel like you’re reading science fiction.
The other day I read that one of the building blocks of life is something called the ribosome, which is so tiny that 400 million of them can fit onto the period that we put at the end of a sentence. Yeah, you heard that right: 400 million ribosomes.
Then I learned that the earth formed when a mammoth asteroid hit the planet and sent part of it flying upward to form the moon. This was 4,560 billion years ago. You can write down this number. Just write 4, 5, 6, and zero—then add eleven zeroes after that. I don’t suggest you try this at home.
It’s humbling to think that these astonishingly tiny things, and astonishingly big things, were necessary before you and I could exist to do such noble things as listen to George Jones or get the latest on Buzz Feed. In fact, compared to teensy-weensy ribosomes and gigantic asteroids, we might seem pretty boring and trivial.
That’s why it just doesn’t do to think about our origins—and the extent to which we’re going to be forgotten over the next 4,560 billion years. Human vanity must be preserved. I don’t know about you, but I’m rather fascinating.
Well, that’s enough about me! Let’s talk about you. How many ribosomes can you get on a period? I bet I can beat you!
I’m Tom McBride, and that’s my Perspective.
