Introduction

Singularity. (sĭng'gyə-lār'ĭ-tē) Noun. A point in space-time at which gravitational forces cause matter to have infinite density and infinitesimal volume, and space and time to become infinitely distorted. Really, it's a beautiful word for a “black hole.” If I had known this word personally when I was a senior in high school, I most likely would have chosen it for my college application essay: “What is your favorite word and why?”

It is such an elegant word with a fascinating definition to match it. A point at which time and space are infinitely distorted. This word makes me start thinking about life from a different perspective. It can be utterly dizzying taking a step back and looking at the universe. It is both breathtaking and frightening. All along the spectrum from microscopic to macroscopic, the complexity and delicate power of nature never ceases to thrill me.

Our DNA, so small that it is to our bodies what earth is to the milky way, contains information that equals about 200, that is two hundred, Encyclopedia volumes. Our lives can be completely disrupted by nature: a tornado or a hurricane can strip away our homes and lives in minutes. We think that nuclear weapons are impressively dangerous; according to unasked.com, the Mt. St. Helens volcano had the “energy equivalent to 27,000 Hiroshima-sized nuclear weapons” when it erupted. In space, supernovae, exploding stars, can expand to the size of our solar system and give off cosmic rays.

Everything in the universe has its unique individuality and beauty. To study and explore nature and the stars, dandelions and singularities; I can think of nothing more interesting. I have found that there is such poetry in something as seemingly mundane as solving a mathematical equation.

This blog isn't going to be a list of scientific case studies, but I can't help loving science and math, and it will necessarily be kind of sciency from time to time. I love the idea from Madeleine L'Engle in her book, “Troubling a Star” that the actions of a butterfly somehow have an effect on the most distant star across the universe. Really, I'm going to talk about life, with both the ordinary and extraordinary playing their parts.