petrushka.googol

We start life as a zygote with finite mass but no energy exchange with our environment, then we progress to a state that we increase in mass and also our energy exchange with our environment increases together with our kinetic ability. To end it all, we lose our energy exchange with our environment and aggregate as residual mass. (probably of combustion). viz. death. There is a pattern to it all - first mass / then mass-energy / and lastly mass. Is energy exchange the physical basis of life? In biology protoplasm is the physical basis of life. But in Physics? What is your viewpoint? Thanks in advance.

It seems that we can piece together different "slices" of a human to arrive at a composite based on knowledge of a few variables. For instance a thick neck would be correlated with a stocky well-built individual and conversely a thin neck with a slender asthenic body structure. This is no coincidence. Even height, posture, gait etc seems to be correlated. Is this true? And if so, why? Gene expression of a set of genes seems to be correlated to the overall phenotype. Please advise. Thanks in advance.

Please refer to the following extract : Voiceprint Identification, method used in biometrics by which a person purportedly can be identified from a spectrographic picture of his or her voice pattern when speaking words. In the same way that identification by fingerprinting assumes that no two persons have identical ridges on their fingertips, voiceprint identification assumes that certain physical characteristics of the vocal organs, which influence the quality of the sound in speech, will not be exactly the same in any two persons. Those characteristics are the size of the vocal cavities (the throat, nose, and mouth) and use patterns for the muscles of articulation in the tongue, jaws, lips, and soft palate. Fingerprint ids are not foolproof. They can be spoofed to produce "fake fingers". My method is much more secure in theory.

By using a sufficiently small sampling frequency we can eliminate local "noise". Also, by considering the deviation from the mean produced by a sore throat, suitable correction can be applied to the waveform to arrive at a resultant waveform which can be reverse engineered to get the encryption key. This could be achieved by using an oscilloscope plugged into a laptop. Hardware could be inexpensive and portable. May be this is feasible?

I was wondering if a 3D wire-frame of a person could be used to create a unique ID that could be detected by a holographic scanner and used as a valid proof of identity. This 3D scan could be encrypted with a voice print key (that uses the frequencies most commonly occurring in any individuals speech) to produce a foolproof marker for an individual. The voice print serves as the decryption key. The holographic scanner will re-construct the 3D map of an individual and the concerned person will be asked to speak into a microphone that will sample the individuals speech on the algorithm discussed earlier. This overcomes the possibility of phony ID's and is a "as-is-where-is" type of system. (very good at airports etc). How feasible is this? Please advise. Thanks in advance.

Actually instead of integration all sub-spaces into the whole you could look at it as the differentiation of the Universal "super-space" into the smallest possible sub-space. That the laws of the Universe observe the second law of thermodynamics is an attested fact, if we progressively scale down to a scale that is practical (not infinitely small i.e. much larger than the Planck length by a very large scale) then the postulate that I have stated holds good. At an infinitesimal level may be there may be some degree of incongruity, but this could not be treated ideally as am independently existing self-sustaining subsystem. For example, if you consider a human being exchanging energy with the environment, we all know that this is a self-sustaining subsystem that integrates with the whole, and which obeys the second law of thermodynamics. (which is why we need energy input i.e. food, also this is why we age. due to cellular entropy etc). If we peek into the detail (e.g. at the cellular level) then we may be prompted to conclude otherwise. This is much like Newton's Laws fail at relativistic velocities. But they are adequate for all commonly occurring scenarios and hold good. This is my viewpoint on the subject.

May I also add... This means that as the time or system size increases (since is extensive), the probability of observing an entropy production opposite to that dictated by the second law of thermodynamics decreases exponentially. (reference - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluctuation_theorem). I am looking for stability of systems and sub-systems over an appreciably large finite time (not spontaneous) and this seems to be in agreement with my argument.

Some years back I had seen a presentation titled "Power of 10" where slides detailing the realm of the very small (gluons etc) to the very large (galactic clusters etc.) were listed. I was wondering whether it is possible in theory for a subsystem to have an opposing set of laws to the macro environment. For example, could we have a subsystem where entropy increases as a subset of a larger system where the entropy increases? My answer is no for the concept of local cannot be dissociated from the whole and to enable seamless integration and conformity practical reasoning avers that the subset cannot exist independent of the whole. For example, we might be tempted to opine that there could be "Atlantis" style micro-universes in the known Universe that supposedly defy the laws of the parent. Considering the argument above, it seems unlikely. Your thoughts...

Just an additional query...consider Pavlov's experiment with dogs...a metronome could cause the dogs to salivate...a proxy for food. Applying that here...if instead of reading the word, how about hearing it spoken (uses phonetics). Would the analogy then hold? Also reading could be considered to be a subtle form of auditory input as we read each syllable mentally (inaudibly) and then interpret it. This should (ideally) produce the conditioned response illustrated earlier.

I think I am on the right track...For blind people reading involves use of braille and using sense of touch as the primary input, which, i guess translates correctly into a "visual" pattern in the brain that can be interpreted (and which triggers a response). For the blind replace reading with the above scenario.

We can directly associate visual imagery with motor responses. For example, if we see something repugnant like filth on the pavement, we squirm. However, if we are reading a book and encounter the word "Squalor", we experience a similar response. (assuming of course that we know the meaning of the word). In my opinion, phonetics translate into visual imagery which translates into motor response. Visual imagery is an essential component in the neurological pathway in my opinion, even if it requires that we "interpret" the source and the input is not discrete. (like reading). Is this true? Please express your ideas. Thanks in advance.

Children are generally prohibited from watching horror flicks. Is this prudent in the light of current scientific analysis? Please refer : http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/oct/23/headquarters-delight-fright As an illustrative excerpt from this article : The frontal lobes of the brain that deal with the rationalization of scary situations are also less developed in very young children. This means they may struggle to make sense of their automatic fear responses. Cortisol released during flight-or-fight responses reinforces memories of the event and, without appropriate frontal lobe controls, this can result in the feeling of fear recurring long afterwards. This might explain why children will often have recurring nightmares after watching a scary movie. Please advise. Thanks in advance.

I was reflecting on how evolution has adapted our species to our native planet. From poorly adapted Neanderthals (for instance) we have progressed to a species that can reflect on its own purpose intelligently. How will this continue if say, we colonize Mars? Evolution has more or less stopped, as we know it, and the only immediate evolutionary progression (or regression) seems to be an atrophy of some organs (like arms), when we cease to use them as much, or the making of a more "android" oriented human with some bio-implants (for instance). We could have some new implants in our skin for instance that could be used for bio-ids (making our current system of id's redundant). We visualize colonization of extra-terrestrial planets as an attempt to change the macro environment on that planet. Whether this is feasible is debatable but here we are trying to induce change rather than becoming a part of it. On earth we have synergized with our environment and our productivity has increased. How will we evolve on new extra-terrestrial domains? Please advise. Thanks in advance.

My analogy relates to terrestrial species. (not acquatic animals). Homo Sapiens also is adapted to a terrestrial habitat. Otherwise life would have originated on Atlantis....

The giraffe presents an evolutionary conundrum. It's long neck is both an advantage and a disadvantage. It enables it to eat leaves at a height but makes eating from shrubs impossible. Also it's legs are rather "rickety" and it can't run very fast since it's heart cannot pump blood to the top of it's head under these conditions. Where does it fit into the evolutionary jigsaw? And why do we not have another variant of this animal in the wild? (unless you consider animals like the alpaca etc.)? Please advise.

I think you miss the point here slightly...the HIggs Boson was verified only recently..hmm..

In entropic terms the preferred state (as it still is) is for entropy to increase. This seems a natural agent of universal expansion (and precludes implosion).

My own rather myopic view (given my modest knowledge of the subject) is : 1) At least 4 dimensions are relevant in any physical measurement. 2) Altough dimensionally (in classical physics) time is measured independantly I prefer to consider it a translation of an object, maintaining its state over finite time. (for inertial objects) : (x0y0z0T0) -> (x0y0z0T1​). This describes a history in the space time continuum. 3) For a non inertial object there is displacement across all 4 dimensions : (x0y0z0T0) -> (x1y1z1T1​). This is adequate as per relativistic measurements. However as per string theory there are at least 11 dimensions of space (where dimensions > 4 are curled up very densely and not relevant for all practical observations.) So in a nutshell my standpoint is that actually time is just one facet of a multi-faceted tetrahedron that we look at (erroneously?) in isolation.

What are the metabolic changes that occur when we are disgusted? When we are happy or elated (euphoria) then endorphins are released. When we are angry adrenaline is released. These emotions have been mapped to specific "bio-chemical markers" that define these conditions? What about disgust? I read in a study (of recent vintage) that shriveling our nose is a universal response to disgust. Then what are the corresponding metabolic changes that take place when we are disgusted? Please advise. Thanks in advance.

May be you are alluding to the matter-wave theory.

As far as I know a narcissist is not an agent of change. He / She is self-obsessed to the point of apotheosis. The leads to the situation in Greek myth. May be anorexia and bulimia are subtle manifestations of this condition. (narcissus ultimately died of grief).

Why are there such specializations in the genus Felis in terms of differences in size, vocal output, feeding habits, speed of locomotion etc. inspite of being so closely related in their gene pool? Please advise.

Using microbes like acetobacter xylinium it is possible to engineer polymers like paper from cellulose. Can the reverse be achieved? Imagine if we could break the polymer bonds and get back the raw material. It would create a natural factory with no toxic by-product and benefit to both the producer and consumer. Can this be achieved by using natural agents like biocatalysts? Please advise. Thanks in advance.

An aphorism to illustrate subtle humor... A wise man said "To sum it all up...I am the difference".

A revelation : The Internet IS a conscious mind... If you remember George Orwell's book 1984 we know that eavesdropping has become so sophisticated that our private lives are now in the public domain... I need not discuss further. Spyware, Malware, Trojans, Worms etc regularly enter our systems through the omnipresent network of networks...the Internet. It is a close approximation to an intrusive mind if you could visualize that...