I read somewhere that we have the best healthcare accessible to us – best that we as a species have ever had.
But we also are the most vulnerable – given the reduced immunity and dependence on the very medicines that have increased our life spans.
The rich bio-diversity has also shrunk constantly, to a point where over tine, the mitochondrial pool for humans has shrunk so much that, we are all now descended from a single mitochondrial ancestor – a woman who lived in Africa some 200,000 years ago – also referred to as Mitochondrial Eve. In a sense, a mother to us all…
I wrote about this a bit earlier as well. Makes one think!
Do you know about Mitochondrial Eve?
If you recall (or don’t) from biology class, mitochondria generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell’s biochemical reactions. Chemical energy produced by the mitochondria is stored in a small molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Now, as nature has it, All mitochondrial information is transferred from generation to generation through mothers alone. Which means, if a woman does not have a daughter, her mitochondrial lineage dies with her.
Over time, the mitochondrial pool for humans has shrunk so much that, we are all now descended from a single mitochondrial ancestor – a woman who lived in Africa some 200,000 years ago – also referred to as Mitochondrial Eve. In a sense, a mother to us all…
On one side, Nature leaves us with such wonder, and on the other, we are left wondering how mankind can continue to fight over land that technically – isn’t ours…
Anyways, what also got me thinking, and from a contrarian point of view, is the nature of warfare in today’s connected world. The West wants to sanction Russia, but has to leave a lot of caveats lest their own economies are affected. And Russia has to contend with the West activating killer switches on everything from SWIFT to social media.
Here is where China has an advantage – at least on controlling narratives. Most western social media and internet giants are blocked there, which means in effect, any kill switch on that front will have minimal damage. But US dollar and gold reserves are still held elsewhere, which is not good news for any country that antagonises the USA.
But what if the USA is the one that needs to be put in line? Will these kill switches work? I guess not, which means that neutrality is very difficult to achieve in certain situations. And the UN is no good on this front, having built in veto powers that defeat the very purpose of a global body.
Food for thought!