THE LIQUID OF LIFE

  

WATER is an enigma. It is both simple and complex. Each molecule comprises just three atoms—two of hydrogen and one of oxygen. Yet, scientists still do not fully understand how water molecules work. What we all know, though, is that water is essential to life, making up about 80 percent by weight of all living things. Consider just five attributes of this amazing substance.

1. Water can store a lot of heat without a substantial rise in temperature, thus helping to moderate climate.

2. Water expands when it freezes, causing ice to float and form an insulating layer. If, like other substances, water became more dense as it froze, the lakes, the rivers, and the seas would solidify from the bottom up, entombing everything in ice!

3. Water is highly transparent, enabling light-dependent organisms to survive at considerable depths.

4. Water molecules produce surface tension, creating an elastic “skin.” This tension enables insects to scamper about on a pond, causes water to form into droplets, and contributes to the capillary effect, which helps water to hydrate the tallest plants.

5. Water is the most efficient solvent known. It is able to carry in solution oxygen, carbon dioxide, salts, minerals, and many other vital substances.

Essential to Earth’s “Air Conditioner”

Oceans cover about 70 percent of the earth, giving them a major role in climate control. Indeed, oceans and atmosphere are practically one, constantly exchanging heat, water, gases, and momentum in the form of wind and waves. They also work together carrying solar heat away from the Tropics toward the poles, thus moderating global temperatures. In fact, for most organisms to survive, temperatures must stay within the range that allows water to remain a liquid. “It appears that Earth got it just right,” says the book Rare Earth—Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe.

Of course, the earth is an effect, not a cause. But was the cause chance, or was the cause a wise and loving Creator? The Bible says the latter. (Acts 14:15-17)

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HOW TO SEE THE BEAUTY AROUND US

 

“In all languages, one of our earliest expressions is ‘let me see!’”—William White, Jr.

THE little child who stares at the fluttering butterfly, the elderly couple who gaze at a glorious sunset, the housewife who admires her display of roses—all are momentarily focusing their attention on beauty.

Since the beauty of God’s creation is everywhere, it isn’t necessary to travel hundreds of miles to behold it. Awe-inspiring scenery may be distant, but impressive art can be found in your neighborhood if you look for it and—more important—if you know how to look for it.

It has often been noted that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” However, although the beauty is there, not everyone will spot it. It may take a painting or a photograph to make us sit up and take notice. In fact, many artists believe that their success depends more on their ability to see than to draw. The book The Painter’s Eye, by Maurice Grosser, explains that “the painter draws with his eyes, not with his hands. Whatever he sees, if he sees it clear, he can put down. . . . Seeing clear is the important thing.”

Whether we are artists or not, we can learn to see more clearly, to notice the beauty around us. In other words, we need to go out and look at things in a new light.

In this regard John Barrett, a writer on natural history, emphasizes the value of personal involvement. “Nothing replaces seeing for oneself, touching, smelling and listening to living animals and plants with all the forces of nature acting upon them,” he says. “Let the beauty sink in . . . Wherever one may be, first look, enjoy and look again.”

But what should we look for? We could start by learning to notice the four basic elements of beauty. These elements can be discerned in almost every facet of Jehovah’s creation. The more often we pause to observe them, the more we will enjoy his art.

Isolating the Elements of Beauty

Forms and Patterns. We live in a world of multiple forms. Some are linear like the columns of a clump of bamboo or geometric like a spider’s web, whereas others are shapeless like a cloud that changes constantly. Many forms are attractive, whether they be an exotic orchid, the spirals of a seashell, or even the branches of a tree that has shed its leaves.

When the same form is repeated, it creates a pattern that may also be visually appealing. For example, imagine a stand of tree trunks in a forest. Their forms—each one different, yet similar—create a pleasing pattern. But to discern the forms and the pattern they create, there must be light.

Light. The distribution of light gives a special quality to the forms we find attractive. Details are highlighted, the texture is colored, and a mood is created. Light varies according to the time of day, the season of the year, the weather, and even the place where we live. A cloudy day with its diffused light is ideal for appreciating the subtle tones of wildflowers or autumn leaves, whereas the crags and peaks of a mountain range show off their dramatic forms when sculptured by the rising or setting sun. The soft, wintry sunlight of the Northern Hemisphere lends romance to a pastoral landscape. On the other hand, the bright sun of the Tropics converts the shallow sea into a transparent wonderland for snorkelers.

But there is still an important element missing.

Color. It gives life to the different objects we see around us. While their form may distinguish them, their color highlights their uniqueness. Furthermore, the distribution of color in harmonious patterns creates its own beauty. It may be a vibrant color like red or orange that cries out for our attention, or a relaxing color like blue or green.

Imagine a patch of yellow flowers in a glade. The light catches the yellow blossoms, which seem to glow in the morning air, while dark tree trunks fringed by the morning sun form a perfect backdrop. Now we have a picture. All we need to do is “frame” it, which is where composition comes in.

Composition. The way in which the three basic elements—form, light, and color—combine determines the composition. And here we, as observers, have a crucial role to play. Just by moving slightly forward, backward, to one side, higher, or lower, we can adjust the elements or the lighting in our picture. We can thus crop the picture to include only the elements that we desire.

Often, we automatically compose a picture when we come across a magnificent view that is framed by nearby trees or vegetation. But many exquisite pictures, on a smaller scale, may be underneath our feet.

Noticing the Small and the Great

In God’s handiwork both big and small are beautiful, and our pleasure will be multiplied if we learn to see the details, which also combine pleasingly. They form miniature paintings that are scattered across nature’s large canvas. To appreciate them, all we need to do is stoop down and take a closer look.

These pictures within a picture are described by photographer John Shaw in his book Closeups in Nature: “It never ceases to amaze me that a close view of a natural detail always invites an even closer view. . . . First we see the great vista, then a patch of color in one corner of the frame. A closer look reveals flowers and, on one flower, a butterfly. Its wings reveal a distinct pattern, the pattern is produced by a precise arrangement of wing scales, and each scale is perfect in and of itself. If we could truly understand the perfection that makes up that one butterfly wing scale, we could conceivably start to understand the perfection of the scheme that is nature.”

Apart from the aesthetic pleasure it gives us, nature’s art—both large and small—can draw us closer to our Creator. “Raise your eyes high up and see,” exhorted Jehovah. By stopping to see, to gaze, and to wonder, whether we fix our sights on the starry heavens or any other of God’s creations, we are reminded of the One “who has created these things.”—Isaiah 40:26.

Men Who Learned to See

In Bible times servants of God took a special interest in creation. According to 1 Kings 4:30, 33, “Solomon’s wisdom was vaster than the wisdom of all the Orientals . . . He would speak about the trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that is coming forth on the wall; and he would speak about the beasts and about the flying creatures and about the moving things and about the fishes.”

Perhaps Solomon’s interest in the glories of creation was partly due to his father’s example. David, who spent many of his formative years as a shepherd, often meditated on God’s handiwork. The beauty of the heavens particularly impressed him. At Psalm 19:1, he wrote: “The heavens are declaring the glory of God; and of the work of his hands the expanse is telling.” (Compare Psalm 139:14.) Evidently, his contact with creation drew him closer to his God. It can do the same for us.

As these godly men knew, recognizing and appreciating God’s handiwork uplifts the spirit and enriches our lives. In our modern world plagued with prepacked entertainment that is often debasing, taking note of Jehovah’s creation can provide a wholesome activity for ourselves and our families. For those who yearn for God’s promised new world, it is a pastime with a future.—Isaiah 35:1, 2.

When we not only see the art around us but also discern the qualities of the Master Artist who made it all, we will doubtless be moved to echo David’s words: “There is none like you . . . , O Jehovah, neither are there any works like yours.”—Psalm 86:8.

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WITHOUT SPEECH or WORDS or VOICE, THEY SPEAK!

  What an awesome reflection of the Creator it is that comes from a star-packed night sky that fills viewers with reverence! At Psalm 8:3, 4, David expressed the awe he felt: “When I see your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have prepared, what is mortal man that you keep him in mind, and the son of earthling man that you take care of him?” To those who have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to feel, these starry heavens speak, as they did to David: “The heavens are declaring the glory of God.”—Psalm 19:1-4.

  The more we know about stars, the louder they speak to us. At Isaiah 40:26, we are invited to note their tremendous energy: “Raise your eyes high up and see. Who has created these things? It is the One who is bringing forth the army of them even by number, all of whom he calls even by name. Due to the abundance of dynamic energy, he also being vigorous in power, not one of them is missing.” The force of gravity and the dynamic energy of one of them, our sun, hold the earth in place in its orbit, make plants grow, keep us warm, and make all life possible here on the earth. The apostle Paul under inspiration said: “Star differs from star in glory.” (1 Corinthians 15:41) Science knows of yellow stars like our sun, also blue stars, red giants, white dwarfs, neutron stars, and exploding supernovas that unleash incomprehensible power.

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EARTH'S PERFECT "ADDRESS"

OUR address often includes our country, city, and street. By way of comparison, let’s call the Milky Way galaxy earth’s “country,” the solar system—that is, the sun and its planets—earth’s “city,” and earth’s orbit within the solar system earth’s “street.” Thanks to advances in astronomy and physics, scientists have gained deep insights into the merits of our tiny spot in the universe.

To begin with, our “city,” our solar system, is in a part of the Milky Way that many scientists call the galactic habitable zone. This zone is about 28,000 light years from the center of the galaxy and contains just the right concentrations of the chemical elements needed to support life. Farther out, those elements are too scarce; farther in, the neighborhood is too dangerous because of the greater abundance of potentially lethal radiation and other factors. “We live in prime real estate,” says Scientific American magazine.

The Ideal “Street”

No less “prime” is earth’s “street,” or orbit within our solar system “city.” About 93 million miles from the sun, this orbit is in what scientists call the circumstellar habitable zone, where life neither freezes nor fries. Moreover, earth’s path is almost circular, keeping us roughly the same distance from the sun year-round.

The sun, meanwhile, is the perfect “powerhouse.” It is stable, it is the ideal size, and it emits just the right amount of energy. For good reason, it has been called “a very special star.”

The Perfect Neighbor

If you had to choose a “next-door neighbor” for the earth, you could not improve on the moon. Its diameter measures just over a quarter of the earth’s. Thus, when compared with other moons in our solar system, our moon is unusually large in relation to its host planet. This, however, is no coincidence.

For one thing, the moon is the principal cause of ocean tides, which play a vital role in the planet’s ecology. The moon also contributes to earth’s stable spin axis. Without its tailor-made moon, our planet would wobble like a spinning top, perhaps even tipping right over and turning on its side, as it were! The resulting climatic, tidal, and other changes would be catastrophic.

Earth’s Perfect Tilt and Spin

Earth’s tilt of 23.5 degrees causes the annual cycle of seasons, moderates temperatures, and enables a wide range of climate zones. “Our planet’s tilt axis seems to be ‘just right,’” says the book Rare Earth—Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe.

Also just right is the length of day and night, a result of earth’s spin. If the rotation period were substantially longer, the side of the earth facing the sun would bake while the other froze. Conversely, if days were shorter, perhaps just a few hours long, earth’s rapid spin would cause relentless gale-force winds and other harmful effects.

Yes, everything about our planet—from its “address” to its rate of spin to its lunar neighbor—gives evidence of thoughtful design by a wise Creator. Says physicist and evolutionist Paul Davies: “Even atheistic scientists will wax lyrical about the scale, the majesty, the harmony, the elegance, the sheer ingenuity of the universe.”

Could such ingenuity be a product of chance, or does it reflect purposeful design?  

ARE YOU GOING FASTER THAN A BULLET?

  By the time you finish reading this, you will have traveled thousands of miles—and without any bumps! Consider the following.

  The earth is 25,000 miles [40,000 km] in circumference and rotates once every 24 hours. Thus, points at or near the equator move at about 1,000 miles [1,600 km] an hour. (The poles, of course, just spin on the spot.)

  The earth itself orbits the sun at 18.5 miles [30 km] a second, while the solar system as a whole travels around the hub of the Milky Way at an astonishing 155 miles [249 km] a second. Bullets, by comparison, travel at less than a mile a second.

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THE LIVING PLANET

  

PLANET Earth hosts a prodigious amount and variety of living organisms—perhaps many millions of species. Much of this life, which thrives in the soil, the air, and the water, is too small for the naked eye to see. For example, just one gram (0.04 ounces) of soil has been found to host 10,000 species of bacteria, not to mention the total number of microbes! Some species have been found up to two miles [3 km] underground!

The atmosphere too is packed with life—and this does not mean just birds, bats, and insects. Depending on the time of year, it is also filled with pollen and other spores, as well as seeds and—in certain areas—thousands of different kinds of microbes. “This puts the diversity of microbes in the air on par with the diversity of microbes in the soil,” says Scientific American magazine.

Meanwhile, the oceans remain largely a mystery because in order to study the watery deep, scientists often have to use costly technology. Even coral reefs, which are relatively accessible and are well-surveyed, may host millions of yet unknown species.

What we do know, though, is that planet Earth hosts so much life that as a result, life actually changes chemical properties of the planet, particularly its biosphere—the part of the earth where life exists. In the oceans, for example, the calcium carbonate in shells and coral helps to stabilize the chemistry of the water “much the same as an antacid works in the stomach,” says a report by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Plants and phytoplankton—single-celled algae found near the surface of lakes and oceans—help to regulate carbon dioxide and oxygen levels in water and air. And in the soil, bacteria and fungi work as decomposers, providing inorganic nutrients for plants. Yes, earth has rightly been called the living planet.

Yet, terrestrial life could not exist were it not for some extremely fine tuning in a number of areas, some of which were not fully grasped until the 20th century. That fine-tuning includes the following:

1. Earth’s location in the Milky Way galaxy and the solar system, as well as the planet’s orbit, tilt, rotational speed, and moon

2. A magnetic field and atmosphere that serve as a dual shield

3. An abundance of water

4. Natural cycles that replenish and cleanse the biosphere

As you consider these topics in the articles that follow, ask yourself: ‘Are earth’s features a product of blind chance or of intelligent design? If the latter, what was the Creator’s purpose in forming the earth?’ The final article of this series will discuss that question.

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MEXICO'S LIQUID AMBASSADOR

 ● When the Spanish conquistadores arrived in Mexico in the early 16th century, they sampled a local drink called pulque, made from the fermented juice of the agave plant. Much like beer, pulque has a low alcohol content. It also contains vegetable proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, so it is used in many areas as a nutritional supplement.

Accustomed to having alcoholic beverages with their meals, the Spaniards soon began to distill agave juice into something stronger, called mescal. It, in turn, became the precursor of today’s tequila. Nowadays, there are dozens of tequila distillers in Mexico, and they produce over 50 million gallons a year (189 million L), 40 percent of which is exported.

Orchards of blue agave, a succulent related to the lily family, are cultivated in the arid highlands of west-central Mexico, principally in the state of Jalisco near the town of Tequila, after which the drink was named. Agave plants take up to 12 years to mature, absorbing a lot of minerals in the process. When the plant is harvested, its spiky leaves are cut away, leaving the pineapple-shaped heart called piña. On average, it weighs 110 pounds (50 kg) and contains the rich juice. About 15 pounds (7 kg) of agave piñas are needed to produce one quart (1 L) of tequila.

Many Mexicans enjoy tequila straight, accompanied by salt and a slice of lime. Foreigners are more familiar with the margarita, a cocktail of tequila mixed with lime juice and an orange-flavored liqueur, served with crushed ice in a goblet rimmed with salt. Marketed in some 90 countries, tequila has rightly been called Mexico’s ambassador abroad.

[Footnotes]

Of the 136 species of agave in Mexico, several are used for pulque and other alcoholic beverages. But only the blue agave is used for tequila.

The moderate consumption of alcohol is not condemned in the Bible. (Psalm 104:15; 1 Timothy 5:23) The Bible does, however, condemn immoderate drinking and drunkenness.—1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; Titus 2:3.

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THE MOOSE----PECULIAR GIANT OF THE FOREST

 “THE moose is singularly grotesque and awkward to look at. Why should it stand so high at the shoulders? Why have so long a head?” The 19th-century writer of those words, Henry David Thoreau, was hardly alone in his appraisal of the moose. Its comical appearance and the rarity of sightings of this solitary creature in the wild have fueled speculation that the moose is clumsy and slow-witted. Is that true? Researchers in North America and Eurasia have uncovered many facts about this unusual animal.

No one denies that the moose is a giant. Although this “monarch of the forest” has long legs that make it seem ungainly, those legs can fend off an entire pack of wolves. Moose learn to swim within days of birth, and they have been observed swimming for miles and diving to a depth of nearly 20 feet (6 m) to feed on water plants!

AT A GLANCE

·         Type: Mammal

·         Diet: Woody vegetation, leaves, aquatic plants

·         Running Speed: Up to 35 miles per hour (55 km/h)

·         Height: From five to seven feet (1.5 to 2 m) at the shoulder

·         Weight: Up to 1,800 pounds (816 kg)

A moose can move its eyes and detect motion almost directly behind it without turning its head. Its nose is also an effective tool. Researchers suggest that because the moose’s nostrils are far apart, they may give it the unusual ability to pinpoint the location of objects on a three-dimensional scale. The moose’s hearing adds another ingredient to its sensory package. Its ears can pivot in all directions, and they can pick up sounds from  other moose as far as two miles (3 km) away!

Moose calves, described by one writer as “ridiculously cute,” tend to be curious and carefree. Their mothers, called cows, protect them by providing tender and loyal care. Cows will attack any who prey on their young, including wolves, bears, and even humans. Finally, when the calf is about a year old and its mother is newly pregnant, the mother aggressively drives it away so that the yearling can begin caring for itself.

SURVIVAL IN THE NORTH

Since moose feed exclusively on plants, how do they survive cold winters? Partly by gorging themselves during warmer weather. Moose eat up to 50 pounds (23 kg) of forage daily, whether this vegetation is grown ten feet (3 m) above the ground or underwater. They make the most of this food by digesting it in a four-chambered stomach, extracting needed nutrients and building up fat. The moose, however, faces other dangers in winter.

Bitter cold and deep snow test a moose’s endurance. It favors a quiet life in the winter, economizing movement and retaining heat under its well-designed fur coat. Escape from wolves in the snow is especially difficult, but often, an even greater hazard to the moose is man—especially hunters and automobile drivers.

Moose love the concentrated nutrients found in road salt, which is spread on many northern highways to melt snow. However, because moose have dark fur and tend to cross roads after sunset, drivers have difficulty spotting them in time to avoid collisions. Both humans and moose have lost their lives because of this.

A PLAYFUL BEAST

Moose have been observed playfully attacking ocean waves and blissfully bathing in hot springs. There is tenderness evident between cows and bulls during the rut, and a cow’s loyalty to her calf is truly heartwarming. Calves adopted by humans have even formed maternal bonds with their keepers. Dr. Valerius Geist observes: “This strange animal with the ungainly face can be quick witted, affectionate, and loyal to a fault.”

Moose calves tend to be curious and carefree

A word of caution, though: The moose is a very strong and powerful wild animal. If you happen to see one in the wild, be respectful and give it plenty of space. Keeping your distance is especially vital when there are young calves nearby. Be assured, however, that even from a safe distance, you will be amazed while gazing at this peculiar giant of the forest.

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