Name: Anonymous 2012-06-15 3:05
Consider for a momment the vast scope of time and space. That this world which contains all of us, everything we've ever been is a mere spec of dust in the vast cosmos of our galaxy. And yet our galaxy it's self is one of countless others as far out as we can see.
At the same time, consider yourself. Living on this planet in a mere fleck of time compared to it's history, yet one of the most profound changes it has ever experienced. Because of us.
And now consider yourself as you. You are composed of 70 trilion (70 000 000 000 000) or so cells in your body.
As we used to think mamals and birds stuipid but have since learned otherwise, and the same with insects. That termites build complex self cooling structures of skyscraer propportion, and that a tiny dance from a bee back at the hive wil tell everyone around the precise location of pollen for miles around. Ants live in vast collonies ruled by one or a few and war for control of land and resources the same as we do.
We tend to think of microbes as simple, but they're actually highly complex. We for example recognise six major animal orders. (mamals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, invertebrates) But in a single scoop of beach sand alone there are over a dozen entirely different orders. Microbial life isn't less complex than we are. It's more complex.
And yet you, reading this are comprised of 70 000 000 000 000 microbes. You are the collective cosiousness of you seventy trillion cells.
Well?
What do you have to say?