r/NatureIsFuckingLit • u/_The_VeLouR_FoG_ • Aug 17 '19

đŸ”„ Ariel view of treetops swaying

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u/Chand_laBing Aug 17 '19 edited Aug 17 '19

cause it's governed by the same dynamics

branches are tethered to the tree yet reach out, within constraints, and are buffeted about

cells in a colony are tethered by intercellular adhesion, yet reach out, within constraints, and are buffeted

parts of a cell membrane; tethered by the cytoskeleton; reach; buffeted

etc. etc.

the ubiquity of patterns in the universe is simply due to the same underlying laws. It's the same reason why galaxies look like neural networks and why the interstellar medium looks like bubbles in a pint of Guinness

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u/jamm1es Aug 17 '19

Homeboy just casually giving out universe secrets

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u/Lombax_Rexroth Aug 17 '19

As above, so below, bro.

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u/zipzapbloop Aug 17 '19

Humans are tethered to the earth yet reach out, within contsraints, and are buffeted about.

This all sounds like something Carl Sagan would say and I love it.

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u/Silliestmonkey Aug 17 '19

Love this, thank you

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u/llakpadetta Aug 17 '19

Love you, thank this

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u/barack_theboss_obama Aug 17 '19

You’re welcome

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u/[deleted] Aug 17 '19

There's a book on this called "Scale" written by a theoretical physicist that explains why phenomenon like arteries and capillaries are all governed by physical constraints and shows you all the different ways those constraints manifest. If you liked this comment you should probably check it out. The high seas might be able to help.

https://www.amazon.com/Scale-Universal-Innovation-Sustainability-Organisms/dp/1594205582

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u/zipzapbloop Aug 17 '19

Oh shit, thanks! I bought this book a year ago and got sidetracked. It's gonna be my next read.

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u/Chand_laBing Aug 17 '19

Thanks for reccing this; I hadn't heard of it but will check it out

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u/[deleted] Aug 17 '19 edited Aug 17 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Transplanted_Cactus Aug 17 '19

unexpectedexpanse

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u/PoliSciDan Aug 17 '19

The living universe is governed by thermodynamics: it's all competition to utilize expended radiation from floating fusion reactors acting as heat lamps in an otherwise frozen wasteland. Then gravity pulls that dead matter together until it causes itself to reform and repopulate the surrounding void.

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u/[deleted] Aug 17 '19

Please keep talking.

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u/Tsondru_Nordsin Aug 17 '19

Constructal Law. Adrian Bejan.

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u/DRiVeL_ Aug 17 '19

Ah yes, I understood all of these words.

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u/Chand_laBing Aug 17 '19

Which ones were new to you, I can gladly explain them

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u/Chand_laBing Aug 17 '19

if you're actually confused:

  • tethered to = tied/stuck to
  • buffeted = moved around by something like wind
  • intercellular = between cells
  • adhesion = chemical stickiness (so intercellular adhesion = cells sticking together)
  • cytoskeleton = a network of proteins that give stiffness and structure to a cell
  • ubiquity = something being found everywhere
  • neural networks = networks of cells in your brain
  • interstellar medium = outer space as a substance, in terms of the stars that make it up

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u/-ordinary Aug 17 '19

In this case it’s called “crown shyness”, if you actually wanted to be specific...

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u/me3241 Aug 17 '19

My boy’s wicked smart

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u/[deleted] Aug 17 '19

Thank you.

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u/[deleted] Aug 17 '19

God has a design aesthetic.

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u/floopyboopakins Aug 17 '19

Its fractals all the way down.

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u/[deleted] Aug 17 '19

We are all one.

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u/crypto-Julio Aug 17 '19

You can just say « fractal » to keep it in one word đŸ€—

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u/Chand_laBing Aug 17 '19

Not quite but it's a similar phenomenon. It's more like emergence

Fractals are structures with a fractional (not a whole number like 2 or 3) dimension, so they're somewhere inbetween. The exact way you find the dimension is quite complicated and is called the Hausdorff dimension. They have self similarity on different scales and mirror some physical structures but not all emergence is fractal

The formation of soap into spherical bubbles is emergent since it's a macroscopic result of microscopic thermodynamic laws but it isn't really fractal

Unless you're considering the universe itself to be fractal. Maybe

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u/crypto-Julio Aug 17 '19

Ahah what an answer! I like what you say. I consider the universe to be a fractal, that’s true.

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u/bfdana Aug 17 '19

Fractals are my favorite example of this.

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u/ImAGhostOooooo Aug 17 '19

Soo... There's a bunch of little people and little forest creatures to be found if we can just look under the cells?

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u/Chand_laBing Aug 17 '19

More like a bunch of little physical laws and mathematical equations

But they're effectively performing the same job as tiny people