• Sun is 333,000 times the mass of the earth. 150 million km far from the earth

• The Sun and the Earth are 92,955,807 miles away from each other.The Sun and the Earth are 149,597,870.700 kilometers apart.The Sun and the Earth are 8.317 light-minutes apart.

Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our own, is still 39,900,000,000,000 km away. Proxima

Centauri is 4.22 light years away.

There are 100 billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy/ 100 billion times the mass of the Sun.

Large Image: Galaxies Collide in the Antennae Galaxies (NASA, Chandra, Hubble, Spitzer, 08/05/10) [Explored]

Editor's Note: A larger version of the image I posted earlier. By request. :)A beautiful new image of two colliding galaxies has been released by NASA's Great Observatories. The Antennae galaxies, located about 62 million light years from Earth, are shown in this compositeimage from the Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue), the Hubble Space Telescope (gold), and the Spitzer Space Telescope (red). The collision, which began more than 100 million years ago and is still occurring, has triggered the formation of millions of stars in clouds of dusts and gas in the galaxies. The most massive of these young stars have already sped through their evolution in a few million years and exploded as supernovas. The X-ray image from Chandra shows huge clouds of hot, interstellar gas that have been injected with rich deposits of elements from supernova explosions. This enriched gas, which includes elements such as oxygen, iron, magnesium and silicon, will be incorporated into new generations of stars and planets. The bright, point-like sources in the image are produced bymaterial falling onto black holes and neutronstars that are remnants of the massive stars.Some of these black holes may have massesthat are almost one hundred times that of the Sun.

The Flame Nebula sits on the eastern hip of Orion the Hunter, a constellation most easily visible in the northern hemisphere during winter evenings. This view of the Flame nebula from WISE, NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, shows an expanded view over one previously released of this enormous space cloud http://wise.ssl.berkeley.edu/gallery_FlameNebula.html).

Hundreds of billions of galaxies

in the universe

radiation from the farthest reaches of the universe which had been left over from the Big Bang. This discovery of the

radioactive aftermath of the initial explosion lent much credence to the Big Bang theory/ Hubble expanding universe

Hydrogen- Helium – Lithium – Beryllium – Boron -CarbonIn June, 1995, scientists were able to detect primordial helium, such as

deuterium, in the far reaches of the universe. These findings are consistent with an important aspect of the Big Bang theory that a mixture of hydrogen and helium was created at the beginning of the universe.

In addition, the Hubble telescope, named after the father of Big Bang theory, has provided certain clues as to what elements were present following creation. Astronomers using Hubble have found the element boron in extremely ancient stars. They postulate that its presence could be either a remnant of energetic events at the birth of galaxies or it could indicate that boron is even older, dating back to the Big Bang itself. If the latter is true, scientists will be forced once again to modify their theory for the birth of the universe and events immediately afterward because, according to the present theory, such a heavy and complex atom could not have existed.

LIFE!

• Coincidence of life 10 raised to the negative 301 power (Biochemist H. Quasler)

Deoxyribonucleic acid- molecules that store information that get passed through the generations

Stromatolytes

The oldest eukaryotic fossil is approximately 1.5 billion years old. The origin of the eukaryotes must have appeared before because the fossil is of a relative complex single-celled organism.

Aerobic Respiration

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is considered by biologists to be the energy currency of life. It is the high-energy molecule that stores the energy we need to do just about everything we do. It is present in the cytoplasm and nucleoplasm of every cell, and essentially all the physiological mechanisms that require energy for operation obtain it directly from the stored ATP. (Guyton) As food in the cells is gradually oxidized, the released energy is used to re-form the ATP so that the cell always maintains a supply of this essential molecule. Karp quotes an estimate that more than 2 x 1026 molecules or >160kg of ATP is formed in the human body daily! ATP is remarkable for its ability to enter into many coupled reactions, both those to food to extract energy and with the reactions in other physiological processes to provide energy to them. In animal systems, the ATP is synthesized in the tiny energy factories called mitochondria.

Multicellular Life• One can define Life to be an ordered system that can

sustain itself against the tendency to disorder and can reproduce itself. That is, it can make similar, but independent, ordered systems. To do these things the system must convert energy in some ordered form, life food, sunlight or electric power, into disordered energy in the form of heat. In this way the system can satisfy the requirement that the total amount of disorder increases while at the same time increasing the order in itself and its offspring.

• Stephen Hawking

Multicellular Organisms reproduce by means of sexual reproduction. Multicellular Organisms have a complex anatomy because of the various cell organelles that control the functions of the organism. Since there are more than one cell in their body, they are classified into germ cells that are the reproductive cells and somatic cells that help in body growth by cell division. Multicellular organisms have a very well coordinated cell division process in order to prevent abnormal cell division and growth.The different cells in a multicellular organism may be the Nerve Cells, Skin cells, Cardiac cells, Epithelial cells, Connective Tissue Cells,Blood Cells,Bone Cells, Muscle Cells etc.Each of these cells have their own specific functions which helps in the overall functioning of the body.

Summary of Evolution of Life

Formationof the

earth’searly

crust andatmosphere

Small organic

moleculesform inthe seas

Large organic

molecules(biopolymers)

form inthe seas

First protocells

form inthe seas

Single-cellprokaryotes

form inthe seas

Single-celleukaryotes

form inthe seas

Variety ofmulticellular

organismsform, firstin the seas and lateron land

Chemical Evolution(1 billion years)

Biological Evolution(3.7 billion years)

Primates- from genus homo; homo sapiens as a distinct species of hominids or great apes.

Fossil Record

• Most of what we know of the history of life on earth comes from fossils (SJ Gould)

• Give us physical evidence of organisms– Show us internal structure

• Uneven and incomplete record of species– We have fossils for 1% of species believed to have lived

on earth– Some organisms left no fossils, others decomposed,

others have yet to be found. • Other info from ancient rocks, ice core, DNA

Bipedalism: Ardipithecus and Austrolopithecus 2.5 million years ago

Homo Habilis: Tool Making (opposable thumb) 1.5-2.5 million years ago

Simple Pebble stone tools eventually developed in into Flint, knives, hand axes, blades, choppers, spearpoints, skinners out of stone and bone. (story of the mutant)

Homo Erectus: doubling of the size of the brain (encephalization); discovery of fire; use of spoken

language! 250,000-1.6 million years ago (java man and peking man)

Neanderthal Man 100,000 to 40,000 years ago (sub species homo neanderthalensis)

• Sweat glands• Developed rituals to bury dead, success-ful hunts, (religion) • Balance• Resistance to Viruses and Parasites• Genocide fromthe hands of Homo sapiens

Homo sapiens: thinking

Early homo sapiens sapiens: Cro magnon man

Great Leap Forward:•Burying dead•Use of animal hides for clothing.•Technology of trapping pits, driving animals off cliffs, fish hooks, buttons, bone needles•Art: jewelry, cave paintings, sculptures of birds and animals, Mother Goddess Religion•Music: flute•More dependent on technology than brute force.•(extra corporeal equipment)

Altamira, SpainCave Paintings

Lascaux, France cave paintings

Manungul Burial Jar

. The Manunggul burial jar was unique in all respects. Dating back to the late Neolithic Period (around 710 B.C.), Robert Fox described the jar in his landmark work on the Tabon Caves:

The burial jar with a cover featuring a ship-of-the-dead is perhaps unrivalled in Southeast Asia; the work of an artist and master potter. This vessel provides a clear example of a cultural link between the archaeological past and the ethnographic present. The boatman is steering rather than

padding the "ship." The mast of the boat was not recovered. Both figures appear to be wearing a band tied over the crown of The head and under the jaw; a pattern still encountered in burial practices among the indigenous peoples in Southern Philippines.

Farming and herding in the New Stone Age (Catal Huyuk) farming, herding, settlements, weaving, pottery, work with metals, barter,

private property; specialization of labor

Homo sapiens sapiens as a species being; transgenetic coding

• DNA in human beings contains about three billion nucleic acids. The total amount of useful information in our genes is probably something like a hundred million bits

• By contrast, a paperback novel might contain two million bits of information. So a human is equivalent to 50 Mills and Boon romances.

• The University Library contains about five million books or about ten trillion bits. So the amount of information handed down in books is a hundred thousand times as much as in DNA.

• Even more important is the fact that the information in books can be changed and updated much more rapidly. It has taken us several million years to evolve from the apes.

• During that time the useful information in our DNA has probably changed by only a few million bits. So the rate of biological evolution in humans is about a bit a year.

• By contrast, there are about 50,000 new books published in the English language each year containing of the order of a hundred billion bits of information.

• The rate at which useful information can be added is millions, if not billions, times higher than with DNA.

• This has meant that we have entered a new phase of evolution.

Cluster of organisational levels of physical and physiochemical

systems.

Cluster of organi- sational levels of

biological systems

Cluster of organisa-tional levels of socio-cultural

systems

Where the realm of matter is favorable, the realm of life will emerge

Where the realm of life is favorable, the realm of society will emerge.

Source: Ervin Laszlo, Evolution: The Grand Synthesis.

Homo sapiens sapiens as a species being; transgenetic coding

Biological Evolution

Fossils present but rare

Evolution and expansion of life

Fossils become abundant

Plants invade the land

Age of reptiles

Age of mammals

Insects and amphibians invade the land

Modern humans (Homo sapiens) appear about 2 seconds before midnight

Recorded human history begins 1/4 second before midnight

Origin of life (3.6–3.8 billion years ago)

I am formed of the matter of the universe and am linked to it through the remotest stars in time and space. My body has passed through the stages of evolution through which matter has passed over millions of years. I have been present when matter was first formed into atoms and molecules when the living cell appeared. I have passed through every stage from protoplasm to fish and animal and man. If I could know myself, I would know matter and life, animal and man, since all are contained within me.

Bede Griffiths . Return to the Centre.

• The human being became a gift but also a menace. For its powers of creativity were unique in their potential for destruction or for healing. How would humans use these gifts? Which direction would they choose? The earth is still waiting. Trembling…to see if humanity is a gift or a curse.

Matthew Fox. Creation Spirituality.

Web of Life Exercise

Divide group by 3/ Choose a different leader• Straw• 10 pieces of coupon bond• Crayons• Mirror 1.5 feet by 1.5 feet

I am a Philippine Science High School scholar, committed to the pursuit of excellence, foremost in my academic life and later, in my service to the Filipino people, to whom I owe the gift of my education and to whose uplift I must dedicate my God-given talents and acquired expertise in science and technology.

I envision myself as creative, inventive and innovative, taking the lead in initiating positive changes that will enrich my school, my community and the Philippine society.

As a scholar, I embody the scientific spirit: inquisitive, logical, analytical and critical but also equally imbued with the humanist values of justice, compassion, prudence, integrity and humility.

I am committed to the perpetuation of the human race and the preservation of the universe that is its home.

I finally envision myself as actively professing and operationalizing love of God, country, others and self in all my goals, activities and achievements.

• The prefrontal cortex (P.F.C.) is the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain, lying in front of the motor and premotor areas.

• This brain region has been implicated in planning complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision making and moderating social behavior.[1] The basic activity of this brain region is considered to be orchestration of thoughts and actions in accordance with internal goals.[2]

• The most typical psychological term for functions carried out by the prefrontal cortex area is executive function. Executive function relates to abilities to differentiate among conflicting thoughts, determine good and bad, better and best, same and different, future consequences of current activities, working toward a defined goal, prediction of outcomes, expectation based on actions, and social "control" (the ability to suppress urges that, if not suppressed, could lead to socially unacceptable outcomes).

• Many authors have indicated an integral link between a person's personality and the functions of the prefrontal cortex.[3]

• Maturation of the Prefrontal Cortex• The prefrontal cortex, the part of the frontal lobes lying just behind the forehead, is often referred to as the

“CEO of the brain.” This brain region is responsible for cognitive analysis and abstract thought, and the moderation of “correct” behavior in social situations. The prefrontal cortex takes in information from all of the senses and orchestrates thoughts and actions to achieve specific goals.1,2

• The prefrontal cortex is one of the last regions of the brain to reach maturation. This delay may help to explain why some adolescents act the way they do. The so-called “executive functions” of the human prefrontal cortex include:

• •Focusing attention• •Organizing thoughts and problem solving• •Foreseeing and weighing possible consequences of behavior• •Considering the future and making predictions• •Forming strategies and planning• •Ability to balance short-term rewards with long term goals• •Shifting/adjusting behavior when situations change• •Impulse control and delaying gratification• •Modulation of intense emotions• •Inhibiting inappropriate behavior and initiating appropriate behavior• •Simultaneously considering multiple streams of information when faced with complex and challenging

information• This brain region gives an individual the capacity to exercise “good judgment” when presented with difficult life

situations. Brain research indicating that brain development is not complete until near the age of 25, refers specifically to the development of the prefrontal cortex.3