Life – Page 3 – Harmonia Philosophica

Remembering…

A study published in Science Advances found that certain types of materials have a “memory” of how they were processed, stored, and manipulated. Researchers were then able to use this memory to control how a material ages and to encode specific properties that allow it to perform new functions. This creative approach for designing materials was the result of a collaboration between Penn’s Andrea Liu and Sidney R. Nagel, Nidhi Pashine, and Daniel Hexner from the University of Chicago. (1)

A material which remembers its past.

But can it be another way?

A human who recollects his beginning.

But could he forget it?

A universe which is constantly guided by its first moment.

Could it follow any other path?

The sword is drawn now.

Death is here.

But the sword remembers that it was in the earth once.

And it will go back there.

Seeding life.

Spreading death…

Tractionless movement.

Understanding how cells move autonomously is a fundamental question for both biologists and physicists. Experiments on cell motility are commonly done by looking at the motion of a cell on a glass slide under a microscope.

In those conditions, cells are observed to “crawl” on the surface. Crawling is well understood: cells attach themselves to the surface and use these anchor points to push themselves forward. However, crawling is very inefficient in vivo, where cells move through complex 3D environments.

Scientists from the School of Mathematics at Bristol identified a different propulsion mechanism particularly suited for cell motion in tissues – one that doesn’t rely on force transmission through anchor points. They found that self-propulsion without traction (local force on the surrounding environment) is possible if you are made of “active” matter, as cells are.

Active matter is a special kind of matter, ubiquitous in biology, in which metabolic energy is constantly converted into mechanical energy. This ability to generate mechanical forces internally, in the bulk, is what allows the drop to move without exerting forces at its boundaries (the walls). (1)

Moving without a force.

Only if you define the force in a way it fits your story.

At the end this is what matters.

The story.

And the people who believe it.

They will fly.

And they will reach new stars.

And they will tell their stories.

That once there was a world with no humans.

That once there was a world without cells.

That once there was a world without motion.

A magical world.

Which gave birth to everything…

While dancing still…

And you will listen in awe.

And you will smile…

Mother. Child. Cosmos.

Mothers’ and babies’ brains can work together as a ‘mega-network’ by synchronising brain waves when they interact. The level of connectivity of the brain waves varies according to the mum’s emotional state: when mothers express more positive emotions their brain becomes much more strongly connected with their baby’s brain. This may help the baby to learn and its brain to develop. (1)

Can you not feel my misery?

It is the same as my happiness.

Full of desire.

Mother.

Hold me.

I am here my child.

Why do you cry?

Love will never die.

But we will.

In the face of death…

Mother.

Can you laugh?

Recycling… Identity issues…

The secret to a long life? For worms, a cellular recycling protein is key. Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have shown that worms live longer lives if they produce excess levels of a protein, p62, which recognizes toxic cell proteins that are tagged for destruction. The discovery, published in Nature Communications, could help uncover treatments for age-related conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, which are often caused by accumulation of misfolded proteins.

“Research, including our own, has shown that lifespan can be extended by enhancing autophagy – the process cells use to degrade and recycle old, broken and damaged cell components”, says Malene Hansen, Ph.D., a professor in the Development, Aging and Regeneration Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys and senior author of the study. “Prior to this work, we understood that autophagy as a process was linked to aging, but the impact of p62, a selective autophagy protein, on longevity was unknown”. (1)

There you go.

Recycle old material and you will live longer.

But will that new ship built with new material be the same as the old ship which started the sail?

Will you recognize your mother when you get back home?

Questions we do not care about.

Because unfortunately modern man has chosen not to return home…

And on that new ship we set sails.

All into the dark sea.

Storm raging. Thunders and rain.

You believe these are obstacles toward your goal.

But they are just a calling back home…

Where our old ship is waiting.

To carry us where we need to go…

Cowards… Seeking meaning in life…

Over the last three decades, meaning in life has emerged as an important question in medical research, especially in the context of an aging population. A recent study by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that the presence of and search for meaning in life are important for health and well-being, though the relationships differ in adults younger and older than age 60.

“Many think about the meaning and purpose in life from a philosophical perspective, but meaning in life is associated with better health, wellness and perhaps longevity,” said senior author Dilip V. Jeste, MD, senior associate dean for the Center of Healthy Aging and Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “Those with meaning in life are happier and healthier than those without it.” (1)

Find meaning in life.

And you will live a longer life.

But you will have missed its meaning.

For the meaning of life is not pleasure.

For the meaning of existence is pain.

And Being is full of it.

Search your soul.

Coward!

Yes, you seek life.

But only because it entails death…