The Circle Of Life And Soul

Before embarking on this arcane topic, let us talk about death first. Clinically, death is said to occur when the heart and the lungs stop working (cardio-respiratory failure). However, with the advent of modern life support systems (such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, artificial ventilation), quite a few such 'dead' persons have been brought back to life. Legally, death is now defined as when the activities in the brain stop: brain death. The EEG signals may cease completely or fall to undetectably low levels. Body organs may be taken from the 'dead' person and transplanted onto a 'living' recipient. Certainly, death does not mean that all the body tissues and organs die at once. However, death is considered an 'all or none' process and is irreversible. That some tissues remain alive in a dead person, it may be assumed that some as yet unexplained binding energy that keeps track of the living system, is amiss.

If you worked with computers, you may have noticed that there's a 'registry' which keeps note of the hardwares, softwares and other machine configurations vital to the computer's health. These informations are kept in the form of a 'tree' and are referred to as 'hive keys' (e.g. HKLM, HKCU etc). Should anything go wrong in the registry, the computer won't work; its dead. The hard disk is OK, the RAM is fine, even the CPU is intact; but the computer is dead. A similar analogy may be drawn with the BIOS (basic input output system) flash memories of the computer.

Do we have anything like this in our bodies that coordinate functions among various tissues (separated at a distance)? Could it be something like covalent or electrostatic interaction or some form of quantum entanglement between the tissues that works in an analogous way the system registry in computers does? Perhaps, interactions like the one observed among microtubular assembly (interactions at 'hydrophobic pockets') might be involved in a broader scale.

Looking from a different perspective, living systems may be thought of as a combination of different compounds and elements. They can be broken down into molecules, which may again be divided into atoms--> the so called 'elementary particles' like electrons, protons and neutrons. These can again be broken down into quarks and gluons and finally into the 'vibrating strings' of string theory.

Thus the whole gamut of living and non-living things may be construed in terms of a vast network of vibrating strings. This reminds of 'cosmic consciousness' of Carl Jung. Living beings may 'tap' onto this 'server' network by some form of electromagnetic resonance or quantum phenomena (disregarding decoherence for the moment). Life stops when we are 'off resonance', as if we get a DNS server error 769 or destination unreachable. May be there is some self sustaining oscillation that runs amok and cause a kind of 'thermal runaway' and entropy rises unmanageably.

Honestly, any endeavor to delve deeper into the topic will be futile at this point. First, we are bound by our senses and interpret things in the light of our past experiences. Second, we are prone to introduce Heisenberg's uncertainty errors, the closer we get to it. The more accurately we determine the location of 'soul' (if there's any) the further off we are to notice its properties. Thirdly, you can't really judge the velocity (not speed!) of a moving bus from inside (and blindfolded). You need to look from the outside.

Persons with 'near death experiences' (out of body experiences) and those who have undergone dissociative anesthesia (using ketamine) have reportedly 'seen' their bodies from a different dimension. Finally, intuition and not intellect, should be invoked to address this delicate issue as the former's approach is holistic, while the latter breaks an event down into its component parts (in the light of present knowledge) and analyzes them (and thus inherently error prone).

May be the souls is indestructible; it just relocates into another 'braneworld' having a few more dimensions and hence hidden from our views. As long as we can not definitively answer what life is, we certainly can not hope to speculate on what 'spirit' or soul is. A few more interesting points to ponder upon: Does a pregnant woman have 2 souls? Do individual cells and molecules have their own soul equivalents?

Disclaimer: While the facts described are true (hyperlinks given), this article is mostly a speculative 'synthesis' of sorts and largely reflects my own view.
Related: Is Science Killing the Soul? by Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker

Last modified: never
Reference: hyper-links, unless specifically mentioned

Smooth Muscles: Slow and Steady

Unlike sprinters, marathoners need to be slow and steady to win a race. Likewise, in our body, there are muscles that work almost untiringly. These muscles, called smooth muscles, lack striations, so characteristic of skeletal muscles (the muscles that we see on our and Arnold Schwarzenegger's body). Smooth muscles are involuntary in nature and are found surrounding blood vessels, viscera (hollow organs like stomach, intestine, uterus, ureters etc); in the muscles of the iris and many other places. They may be of two types: single unit or unitary (also known as visceral smooth muscle) and multiunit smooth muscle. In the former variety, the cells are arranged in sheets, juxtaposed to each other. Moreover, there are many canal like connections between the cells. These connections called gap junctions, allow cytosols of adjacent cells to be in direct communication with each other, via ion channels. Thus an impulse occurring in one cell, excites its immediate neighbors, allowing the impulse to propagate. Hence, visceral smooth muscles may be construed as a functional syncitium (continuous).

The visceral smooth muscle are always ready for a job and they are always on their toes. This is manifested in the form of 'tone', a form of semi contracted state. Thus, they are in a position to both relax or further contract, as the situation demands. They are wicked as a naughty child and they do not have a resting membrane potential. The resting potential always vary, and averages -50 milli volts, approximately; the interior of the cell being negative. There is a kind of electrical storm (quite like solar flares), from adjoining structures, which makes it further difficult to measure their potentials. Its also hard to attribute its length. When you stretch it, a tension develops in it, which dies out after some time and the muscle remains elongated. This flexible plastic like behavior has led to the term 'plasticity', in regard to this phenomenon seen in smooth muscles. They are capable of contracting when stretched. This is essential in peristalsis (forward propulsion), seen in the intestines or ureters, as they propel food and urine respectively.

Unlike their skeletal muscle counterparts, which use mitochondria for their energy needs, they draw their energy from glycolysis, for mitochondria are relatively scanty in them. In response to a stimulus, calcium ions (Ca++) enter the smooth muscle cells, from extra cellular fluid. (This is in direct contrast to skeletal muscles, where calcium ions come from within the cell, from an organelle called sarcoplasmic reticulum, which is poorly developed in smooth muscles). Once inside, it binds to a molecule called calmodulin within the cell, to form calcium-calmodulin complex. This complex activates calmodulin dependent myosin light chain kinase. As is expected, this kinase phosphorylates myosin light chains, which results in enhanced ATPase activity. The cells contract. Strangely, undoing of this phosphorylation by phosphatases, such as myosin light chain phosphatase, does not relax the muscle immediately. This is because when these muscles contract, a gear like mechanism, called 'latch bridge' occurs that allows it to remain contracted for some time. Thus we can see the plentiful ways smooth muscles adopt in order to conserve energy.

Things are very different in smooth muscles that can not be described in simplistic terms of classical cells.

The Ubiquitous Symmetry

Ever wondered why our bodies are so symmetrical? I mean, if you cut our (and also other animals') bodies in half (don't do a Jack the Ripper though!), through a line that passes through the nose, navel, the perineum (i.e., a sagittal section); you get two halves, left and right, which exhibit a near perfect mirror image symmetry. Not only are they found in the animal kingdom; in a molecular level (e.g. in crystal lattices), and subatomic level (electron spins) too they exist.

The question naturally arises why nature exhibits this mathematical expression. A complacent and plausible explanation would be that it was an act of the evolutionary selection process (in the case of animals). A symmetrical body would give us the advantage in standing upright, against gravity. Assymetricality would mean a 'couple' (the couple/torque of physics: and not husband and wife!) working on the body, thus making it fall.

We should not nevertheless, ignore the plants' own aptitude in mathematics too. They are expert in number theories, in that, they exhibit Fibonacci sequence ( 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34......every number is the sum of the previous two numbers), fractal geometry (image to the left) and many others. Another interesting thing that amazes me about plants is the way the tree trunks so faithfully point towards the center of the earth, even on a sloping hill. In other words, the tree trunks could be considered as an extension of the earth's radius.

Lets discuss the point why and how we are symmetrical. When a sperm meets and combines an ovum, a zygote is formed. The cells in this zygote multiplies resulting in a ball kind of stuff, called the blastocyst. In this sphere like stuff, only the central portion remains, in the form of a disk, while the rest of the sphere disappears. This central disk then differentiates (=evolves into different kinds of tissues) into three layers: an outer ectoderm, an inner endoderm and an intervening mesoderm sandwiched between them. Now this three layered disk then folds in such a way so that the edges of the disks appose and merge. This merging point is the navel or umbilicus (and other midline structures), via which the fetus gets nutrition from the placenta, via the umbilical cord. The limbs like arms or legs form as an offshoot from this folded structure. No wonder then, that the growing fetus will be symmetric, since the left and the right halves including the limbs are forming almost identically from a single entity.

Dysmorphisms do occur though, despite all this. In the case of other animals too, this same kind of embryogenesis is seen (and expected too), as ontogeny repeats phylogeny.

Universe MUST Expand !

Lying idly under the starry night sky, atop the rooftop of my village home, is a rewarding experience for me. It seems to instill upon me it's vastness, the same awesome infinite which inspired many a philosophers' souls. I, like every little kids, was also spellbound at the beauty of the universe. Where did it end, I used to ask myself ( I still do now!). I reasoned that if it ended somewhere, then what/where is it's boundary and more importantly, what is that boundary wall? If it ends, then what lies beyond can NOT be a part of the universe. If there is one universe, which is more appealing (and less appalling than the multi-universe concept), then it automatically suggests that the universe is expanding, because a static universe would mean that it has an end.

Universe is thought to have been created 12-14 billion years ago from a cataclysmic event called the 'Big Bang'. NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) measures the heterogeneity (anisotropy) in the temperature of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR). WMAP has determined how fast the universe is expanding. If you were curious about the oscillating 'cepheid variable stars' so far away from us, you may visit HubbleSite and may be see some videos there.

The occurrence of Big Bang may have been paraphrased by ancient religious scholars. Hindu sages' words ' tamaso ma jyotirgamaya' meaning from darkness (nothingness) to light (something); and 'let there be light' in Genesis, The Bible, are examples in point. What religion is doing on a science site can be understood when one considers what the great science fiction writer Isaac Assimov said: ""Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived."" Now, lets navigate from spirituality to the realms of 'science' again.

Albert Einstein proposed the cosmological constant (to his repugnance) to fit into the theory of general relativity to achieve a stationary universe. He was fiercely against an expanding universe and the general theory of relativity needed a stationary universe to operate. But he knew that all the matter would attract each other and the universe would finally collapse. To remedy this he invented an anti-gravity force called the cosmological constant or the dark energy. It is not to be confused with dark matter which is attractive. Later, it was found out that the universe did expand, going by the observation of the Hubble redshift (due to moving of celestial objects away from the observer).

The expansion of the universe and its infiniteness is hard to comprehend. Einstein suggested that the space time was curved and if one started a journey he would come back to where he started from. One of the way it may be looked upon is in the form of the Moebius strip. This strip seems apparently unending.

Now if the universe is unending, then which/what is it expanding into? Then do we have to accept the existence of multiple universes? It's too mind boggling. We can not even employ something faster than light to investigate; for Einstein won't allow us to break the speed of light. So expecting that we will live that long to receive and (analyze) billions of miles (SORRY light years) away would be even beyond our wildest imaginations.

I sincerely think that this puzzle will remain unresolved. Immortality may be achieved by the help of stem cells, cloning of organ systems and (re) transplantation thereof and various other techniques, but the nebulous universe will probably continue to give us the slip!

Modified: April 1, 2009

Can't Spam The Ovum

Do you have the courage to ask your friends to spam your email inbox? I guess not. Though I will not be talking about e-mails in this post, I'll only compare the challenges a tiny ovum throws to a spam (flock) of sperms and wins the challenge too.

During procreation, sperms from the males are ejected (ejaculated) through the external urethral meatus. They get vigor (energized, by the action of fructose, a simple carbohydrate found in the vagina; a process called capacitation) in the female genital tract. Spirited and intoxicated, as they become, they (actually, millions of them) now charge towards the lonesome ovum like a raging bull (of Spain!). But this microscopic ovum is quite fussy in choosing just one (among say those 200-300 million!) .

Whether the ovum chooses the sperm or any random sperm or the fittest sperm chooses the ovum is something I do not know. Nobody knows for certain. But the accepted theory says it is the random sperm that hits the bull's eye. As it takes two to tango, the sperm and the ovum dance a jig and they drop their "veils" (polar bodies). They kind of, have a one to one talk, before they finally unite to achieve their goal (zygote).

Meanwhile the 'other' sperms continue their ova-ward journey, but now that the ovum has activated it's own firewall, it dodges them very efficiently. This firewall called zona pellucida is active once one sperm has unloaded its DNA in the ovum.

May be we can improve our own computer's firewall if we learn the ova's dialect. We have learned a few things like AI (artificial intelligence) from our knowledge of the brain and the plasticity of its synapses.

What happens next is very interesting. The 'ball of cells' (blastocyst) metamorphoses into the animal that are us. This is what Embryogenesis is about.

Mobile Phones And The Army

Nowadays almost everyone owns a mobile phone. This little genie is truly a wonder, as it is actually a programmable gadget with multifaceted activities.

You can store phone numbers, call and receive people, record and see videos, program ringtones, calculate sums, sms (short messaging service), do multimedia or even access this blog from it; to name a few.

If you think of the hardware, its bewildering. It has a unique IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Index) number and if your phone gets stolen it may be tracked by using this number, or the phone may be disabled altogether. It has an encryption key that allows encoded communication, so that people can not eavesdrop on you; a programmable SIM and countless other features. If you swap (exchange) Jack's SIM with Jill's SIM, the cellphones will behave differently. Their identities will be switched! With so many wizardry in it, it is almost at par with a laptop computer.

The access technologies include CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), FDMA (Frequency Division, Multiple Access), GSM (Groupe Special Mobile), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) protocols. These technologies allow a process known as multiplexing, by which different data may be delivered to people (sets) at different locations at the same time. Until now, the brand leader in cellular phone handsets is not Japan or Korea, neither it is the US; but countries from the Scandinavia, particularly Finland. So strong is the presence of Scandinavia (in these technologies) that the term Bluetooth has been coined after a Danish king (Harald Blatand, who united Denmark and Norway). Bluetooth is a technology of data transfer between phones using radio waves.

I hope that now there should be little doubt that this is really a very intelligent technology indeed. There is a caveat though. It is not a high powered equipment, and it is not capable of stand alone communication with the possible exception of infrared or bluetooth. It transmits to the cell tower (base station) which in turn relays them to the MTSO (Mobile Telephone Switching Office), every service providers have. Even then it is a beast in its own right. When a data or voice communicating device so versatile like this is developed, who gets it first? The army: because people at the helm wouldn't want such a useful communicating device to be at large, in the public hands. So, the technology was possibly in the hands of the army, which then percolated to the civilians only after better alternatives were available to them or the industry lobby stepped up the pressure on the government.

It is an open secret, that we civilians get technologies from the military after several years from their invention. If you consider Moore's Law (which states that the number of transistors on a fixed area of a chip doubles every two years), we can easily deduce how advanced (in technology) they are. Awe inspiring, isn't it?