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By the Numbers
.
The John
Ankerberg Show
“By the
numbers” is a well-known modern idiom. Its use suggests doing things in a
strict, exact, formulaic way.
If we
apply the expression more literally, we have many opportunities to study our
world in terms of numbers.
Describing
quantities according to numbers is a necessary requirement in the field of
marketing.
We
purchase substances according to numbers of grams, pounds, or milliliters,
quantities of eggs (by the dozen), copy paper by the ream (500 sheets), or ears
of sweet corn for our community picnic (we’ll take 100).
In
these contexts, we are interested in number precision.
In the
world of nature we encounter many incredible, stupendously large numbers.
For
example, in relation to the number of atoms in a single body cell, we are
dealing with 100 trillion.
Scientists’
approximations of the number of molecules in a typical snowflake vary with the
calculating skills of individual estimators.
Several
have put the number at 180 billion. Others offer much larger numbers.
There
are many other mind boggling numbers related to tiny entities in our
environment.
Bacteria
are gigantic compared with atoms and molecules, but are still beneath our
ability to see without a light microscope.
Our
body is inhabited by 1000 or more bacterial species.
That
number fluctuates, depending on new research findings.
Recently
the number of human body cells has been lowered to 37.2 trillion.
Viruses
are considerably tinier than bacteria. They exist in and on the human body and
are up to 10 times more numerous than bacteria.
Bacterial
and viral communities are collectively called the microbiome,
also including fungi and protozoa.
Truly,
we live in a microbe world.
What
about the microbiome? Even if we are not interested in statistics, we cannot
help but be impressed “by the numbers.”
Upon
searching for definitions and commentaries on the microbiome, we
uncovered this Wikipedia definition: “The microorganisms in
a particular environment (including the body or a part of the body).
The Wikipedia entry
continues, “We depend on a vast army of microbes to stay alive: a microbiome that
protects us against germs, breaks down food to release energy, and produce
vitamins.”
We may
be forgiven for wondering why so many viruses and bacteria even exist,
especially in view of the deleterious effects of several hundred well known
harmful pathogenic agents.
The
creative ability of God in the production of our physical cosmos is far beyond
our ability to comprehend.
The
intricate designs of life forms is controlled and enabled by the features of
the genetic material, DNA, with its esthetic beauty.
DNA
codes for millions of diverse life forms.
Our
grasp of “the numbers” involved in describing or cataloguing the
billions of physical entities comprising our created cosmos is merely the
beginning of scientific understanding.
Another
example may illustrate the benefit of huge numbers.
Some
theological skeptics have proposed that the Creator was wasteful in producing
up to two trillion galaxies in our universe, each containing billions of stars,
especially if humans inhabiting the Solar System are unique in our vast
universe.
On its
face, this argument may seem valid. We close with an example involving
incredible numbers — the trillions of galaxies, stars, and planets in our
cosmos….
In the
past few decades cosmologists have discovered previously unknown truths about
how our universe functions with its trillions of galaxies, stars, and planets.
About a
century ago Big Bang cosmology became prominent.
Astrophysicist
Albert Einstein felt that the gravitational attraction of universal matter
might eventually result in a “Big Crunch” where the universe would collapse on
itself — a decelerating universe.
Several
decades ago, a surprising discovery was made.
Astronomers
announced that the universe was, instead, expanding due to the presence of a
mysterious dark energy.
Below
we quote from our 12-21-11 post:
“It now
appears the precision required for life sustaining expansion is even greater
than in the former decelerating universe. The term precision acquires
new meaning in this context.
“The
precision required is exponentially greater than for any physical system that
man has ever devised. Had the expansion rate been slightly greater no planets,
stars or galaxies could have formed at the right times and places.
“The
universe would contain only diffuse gas and dust. This scenario would have
resulted in too little mass density.
“On the
other hand, had the expansion rate been slightly less only life destroying
giant stars and black holes would have formed because too much mass
was present. Someone may ask, How much extra mass is too much or too little?”
The
answer: “Less than the mass of a single dime in
the entire universe.”
At a
minimum it conveys the amazing truth that even one dime’s worth of
mass is significant in the proper functioning of our entire physical system.
This
includes the mass of uncounted trillions of stars and galaxies.
Our
created universe operates under the sustaining power of God.
He is
the Creator (Genesis 1:1) and He is the sustainer (Colossians
1:17).
Every
entity exists at His command and for His purpose.
Jim
Virkler,
a retired New Jersey public school science educator, now devotes his time
investigating the harmony of scientific discoveries and Christian faith. He and
his wife, Eleanor, now reside in the mid-west near their children and
grandchildren.
A
blog dedicated to investigating the latest research on the interaction between
science and Christianity.
For
more than 40 years The John Ankerberg Show has offered Real
Answers to Real Questions and presented and defended the Christian faith. In
all areas of ministry and through a variety of media outlets, our mission is to
provide answers to tough theological questions in order to proclaim
biblical truth, encourage the believer, and challenge the skeptic.
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