Blog #245--Interesting Tidbits Not Included in Book, Part 23
This is part of a continuing series of selected short subjects that expand upon or help explain various conclusions reached in my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass it On: a Toolbox For Life.”
Tidbit #1: The Earth is surrounded by an electromagnetic field that protects us from cosmic radiation and solar winds. It can be measured and visualized using specialized technology. It is basically equivalent to the human aura.
It has been known for some time that the magnetic North Pole has been shifting the past twenty years, moving eastward toward Asia. Perhaps that is why residents of Britain and others in northern Europe have recently experienced more difficult winters than they normally expect. Regardless, since everything is connected, any change affects everything else. The Earth has experienced a complete pole reversal every 100,000 years or so.
There have been corresponding changes in the strength of the electromagnetic field in different areas. For example, the magnetic field has weakened over North America by approximately 3.5% in the past 18 years, while Asia has experienced a 2% strengthening of the field. Scientists believe they may have finally found a correlation between shifts in the Earth’s field and the massive amount of molten, swirling iron in the Earth’s core.
Without this dynamo effect, no life would exist. What causes the iron to move is beyond our present awareness, but it has likely been a constant phenomenon since the Earth was born and will continue until it dies. It is part of a force that is far beyond man’s ability to control. Everything that occurs is secondary to it. Research is needed to learn more about the subject, but at least scientists are demonstrating the important connections between all things.
Tidbit #2: In my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass It On: a Toolbox For Life,” I try to define consciousness, a topic with which scientists are still grappling. I explain that we are not limited to our brains but have open access to the entire universe, once we let go of our fears and pretense of separateness. Few people are willing to expand their thinking enough to recognize this reality, but a few scientists have begun to study this phenomenon.
In the 12/24/16 edition of qz.com, Olivia Goldhill discusses this subject in an article entitled “Scientists say your ‘mind’ isn’t confined to your brain, or even your body.” She points to a book authored recently by scientist Dan Siegel, who has been aware of this truism for the past 20 years or so. He realized we cannot define anything, including ourselves, as separate from everything else since we do not live in a vacuum. Everything we do and witness requires an interaction with people, things and other life forms. There can be no precise limit to how far our mind stretches out to encompass other aspects of life.
Siegel draws an important conclusion:
“In our modern society we have this belief that mind is brain activity and this means the self, which comes from the mind, is separate and we don’t really belong. But we’re all part of each others’ lives. The mind is not just brain activity. When we realize it’s this relational process, there’s this huge shift in this sense of belonging.”
This is an important step for scientists. Breaking free from the constraints of egoistic separateness to recognize “it takes two to tango,” as it were, opens up their minds to still other possibilities. Eventually they too will realize we have no limits regarding our connectedness with the universe itself. Of course, the general public doesn’t need to wait that long. If we replace fear with curiosity and selfishness with love and peace, we can connect to something eternal and beautiful.
Tidbit #3: Video of a jaguar hunting a capuchin monkey brings up an interesting consideration. In the video, seen on NatGeoWild, the monkey is drawing attention to itself by making noise while slamming a large rock onto a hard-shelled seed pod to crack it open. Despite its preoccupation with the process, it was able to sense the stealthy approach of the jaguar in time to climb a steep rock face and avoid capture. It then began uprooting and pushing large rocks down onto the jaguar’s position below to either hurt or scare it.
This shows a definite intelligence that helps counter the instincts of a predatory animal. It is claimed capuchin monkeys have 20,000 more brain neurons than the jaguar. How the monkey developed a more complex brain is misunderstood by the general public. Genetic mutations are successful secondary to a major need. In other words, offspring of every species are born with a range of genes that allow them variability in their bodies and behavior.
If they can survive through multiple generations without need for change, like crocodiles or great white sharks, those with alternative genes don’t gain a foothold. But when the combination of genes found in the vast majority of a species begins to struggle with survival, one or more of the offspring with major changes in their make-up may then be favored. If two individuals with this new combination of genes mate and produce offspring, those offspring are likely to have the new set of genes as well. Over time, this new variety changes places with its ancestors.
More than likely, monkeys like the capuchin developed the extra neurons in response to their need to survive against predators like the jaguar. It was secondary to a survival need. After all, there is no need for genetic changes if there is no survival threat. More than likely, humans developed a complex brain to improve their survival chances. We would never survive in this world without intelligence. That is likely why earlier humanoid life forms no longer exist.
Tidbit: The elephant nose fish is native to West and Central Africa. The head and elongated snout-like mouth look somewhat like an anteater, although this fish sucks up worms, insect larvae and other tiny organisms and has no tongue. What makes it especially interesting is its use of a weak electrical signal to help it “see” what it is doing.
It takes a lot of brain neurons to process all the information available to it. Thus, it has the largest brain in proportion to its body of any known fish. If this fish was as large as humans, its brain would be approximately the same size. Comparisons of intelligence require us to consider alternative ways various species have of sensing and responding to the world around them. Perhaps we are not so special after all, just differently capable.
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