Blake Snow

writer-for-hire, content guy, bestselling author
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Tagged human

10 big questions humanity still can’t answer

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As I’ve written before, humans are incredibly intelligent and mind-numbingly ignorant when it comes to understanding our universe. As Bill Bryson so eloquently put it, human knowledge is “a mountain of theory built on a molehill of evidence.”

Again, humans are incredibly smart. But it’s amazing what we still don’t know. And there are no greater scientific mysteries than these.

  1. What is consciousness? We experience thoughts, feelings, awareness, but we don’t know why. No scientific theory fully explains how brain activity produces subjective experience. That’s crazy!
  2. What happened before the Big Bang? Our entire universe has a timeline, but the first moment — or what “before” even means — is conceptually murky. After all, how can time have a beginning or end and how could it possibly exist without one or the other?
  3. How did life begin? We know how life evolves, but not how it starts. What turned chemistry into biology? Did it begin in deep sea vents? Lightning-charged pools? Comets? First cause? Multiple origins? What?
  4. Are we alone in the universe? With billions of planets, the odds of other life seem high. But in our observable universe of millions, we’ve seen and heard nothing. So if aliens exist, why haven’t we seen them? And is intelligence really that rare?
  5. What is dark matter made of? Dark matter makes up 85% of the universe’s matter, but we can’t see or touch it. We’ve built detectors for decades and found nothing. Either it’s something entirely new or our physics are wrong.
  6. Why do the laws of physics work so perfectly to support life on Earth? Why are the constants of nature — gravity, electromagnetism, floating ice — just right for life and complexity? Is it sheer luck, intelligent design, necessity, what!!??
  7. How does the brain actually store memories and thoughts? Despite brain scans and mapping, we have no idea. Zero. Zilch. Nada! So are memories like files? Are they holographically distributed? Is forgetting a bug or a feature? We still don’t know.
  8. What is the full blueprint of human genetics? We’ve sequenced the genome. But we don’t know what 98% of it (specifically the “non-coding” DNA) really does. It could be junk — or it could control higher-level processes, behavior, and evolution.
  9. How do placebo effects work? We’ve scientifically measured that around 30% of people who unknowingly take fake sugar pills labeled as medicine will actually overcome disease, infection, and illness to amazingly cure themselves. How the hell does that work?
  10. Is there life after death? No empirical evidence exists, yet the majority of personal and mystical experiences across cultures suggest continuity of self (or the soul) beyond the body and mortality. Near-death experiences hint at something beyond life but remain inconclusive.

Honorable mentions:

  • Why can’t science “disprove” miracles or verify supernatural causation?
  • Do prayers work by divine intervention, placebo effect, or psychosomatic pathways?
  • What happened during the 25 “hidden” years of Jesus’ life?
  • Why is abbreviated such a long word?

How men and women differ

Women have strengths that amaze men. They carry children, they carry hardships, they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy. They smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry. They cry when they are happy, and laugh when they are nervous. Women wait by the phone for a “safe at home call” from a friend, after a snowy drive home. They are child care workers, executives, attorneys, stay-at-home moms, biker babes, and your neighbors. They wear suits, jeans, and they wear uniforms. They fight for what they believe in. They stand up against injustice. They go to the doctor with a frightened friend. Women are honest, loyal, and forgiving. They are smart-they know that knowledge is power. But they still know how to use their softer side to make a point. Women want to be the best for their family, their friends, and themselves. Their hearts break when a friend dies. They have sorrow at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left. A woman can make a romantic evening unforgettable. Women come in all sizes, in all colors and shapes. They live in houses, apartments and cabins. They drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you. The heart of a woman is what makes the world spin. Women do more than just give birth. They bring joy and hope. They give compassion and ideals. They give moral support to their family and friends. And all they want in return is a hug, a smile, and for you to do the same for people you come in contact with.

Men are good at lifting heavy things and killing spiders.

I found the above on my hard drive. Don’t remember where I found it.