Category Archives: Biology

Q: Is it possible to create an “almanac” of human behavior that predicts everything a person will do?

The original question was: “Furthermore, you say, science will teach men (although in my opinion a superfluity) that they have not, in fact, and never have had, either will or fancy, and are no more than a sort of piano … Continue reading

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Biology, Entropy/Information, Machine Learning & A.I., Paranoia, Philosophical | 10 Comments

Q: Why are the laws of quantum mechanics so strange? Does it mean that we’re missing something?

Physicist: We’re definitely missing something, but we’re always missing something.  One of the most famous quotes about quantum physics, often used in lieu of a shrug, is due to St. Feynman: “If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don’t … Continue reading

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Evolution, Paranoia, Philosophical, Physics, Quantum Theory | 22 Comments

Q: How do we know that everyone has a common anecestor? How do we know that someone alive today will someday be a common ancestor to everyone?

The original question was: From biology and genetics we know that any group of living organisms had a mitochondrial most recent common ancestor (mitochondrial Eve): a female organism who lived in the past such that all organisms in this group … Continue reading

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Biology, Evolution, Probability | 3 Comments

Q: If you were shrunk to microscopic size would you be able to see normally? Would you be able to see microscopic things?

The original question was: In the ‘60s sci-fi classic “Fantastic Voyage,” the crew of a submarine crew are shrunk to microscopic size and injected into the body of an injured scientist.  I realize that this film is rather sloppy from … Continue reading

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Biology, Physics | 14 Comments

Q: If the Sun pulls things directly toward it, then why does everything move in circles around it?

Physicist: Newton’s laws of motion say: Where MP and AP are the mass and acceleration of a planet, MS is the mass of the Sun, R is the distance between them, and G is a universal constant.  What this rather … Continue reading

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Astronomy, Evolution, Physics | 24 Comments

Q: If the number of ancestors you have doubles with each generation going back, you quickly get to a number bigger than the population of Earth. Does that mean we’re all a little inbred?

Physicist: In a word: yes.  But it’s not a problem in large populations. The original questioner pointed out that in the age of Charlemagne (more or less when everybody’s 40-greats grandfolk were living) the world population was between 200 and … Continue reading

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Biology, Evolution, Probability | 12 Comments