Monday, October 15, 2007

The Cosmic Cycle Of Life

Excited astronomers who haven't had dates in years have discovered what they are calling a "second Earth" being formed around a star some 424 light years away. It currently consists of nothing more than a belt of dust, but the dust appears to be clumping together. If true, this matches existing scientific theories about how the Earth was formed. On the other hand, it does NOT match the Bible's explanation of how the Earth was formed, in which case those scientists can expect to be smote for being blasphemers.

If present trends hold, the planet should be completely formed in several hundred million years. A constant bombardment by watery comets will then seed the new planet with water. At some point within the following two billion years, primitive microbes will form. They will eventually give rise to multi-celled organisms. Those, in turn, will evolve into still higher lifeforms. After another couple of billion years or so an intelligent species will come to dominate the planet.

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, some members of this species will come to believe that their world is only 6,000 years old. They will argue that their species is somehow special, and that their ancestors were created by a supernatural, omnipotent being who was really, really bored one day and had nothing better to do.

Then one night four billion years from now they will gaze into the sky above and see an unusually bright star. Their astronomers will identify the supernova as that of a relatively insignificant yellow sun some 424 light years away.

Some will wonder if that distant, now extinct star ever gave life to a planet with beings such as themselves.

0 thoughtful ramblings: