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The Design in Fire



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 27th 08, 01:37 PM posted to sci.anthropology.paleo,sci.astro,alt.astronomy,sci.astro.amateur,sci.geo.mineralogy
Hamady
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 42
Default The Design in Fire

The fundamental reaction that releases the energy necessary for the
survival of oxygen-breathing organisms is the oxidation of
hydrocarbons. But this simple fact raises a troubling question: If our
bodies are made up essentially of hydrocarbons, why aren't they also
oxidized? Putting it another way, why don't we just go up in flame,
like a match that's been struck?

Our bodies are constantly in contact with the oxygen of the air and
yet they don't oxidize: they don't catch fire. Why not?

The reason for this seeming paradox is that, under normal conditions
of temperature and pressure, the molecular (O2) form of oxygen has a
substantial degree of inertness or "nobility". (In the sense that
chemists use the term, "nobility" is the reluctance (or inability) of
a substance to enter into chemical reactions with other substances.)
But this raises other questions: If molecular oxygen is so "noble" as
to avoid incinerating us, how is this same molecule made to enter into
chemical reactions inside our bodies?

The answer to this question, which perplexed chemists as early as the
mid 19th century, did not become known until the second half of the
20th century, when biochemical researchers discovered the existence of
enzymes in the human body whose only function was to force the O2 in
the atmosphere to enter into chemical reactions. As a result of a
series of extremely complex steps, these enzymes utilize atoms of iron
and copper in our bodies as catalysts. A catalyst is a substance that
initiates a chemical reaction and allows it to proceed under different
conditions (such as lower temperature etc) than would otherwise be
possible.

In other words, there is a very interesting situation he Oxygen is
what supports oxidation and combustion and normally one would expect
it to burn us up too. To prevent this, the molecular O2 form of oxygen
that exists in the atmosphere has been given a strong element of
chemical nobility. That is, it doesn't enter into reactions easily.
But, on the other hand, our bodies depend upon the oxidizing property
of oxygen for their energy and for that reason, our cells have been
fitted out with an extremely complex enzyme system that makes this
noble gas extremely reactive.

While we're on the subject we should also point out that this enzyme
system is a marvelous example of design that no evolutionary theory
holding that life developed as a result of chance events can ever hope
to explain.

There is yet another precaution that has been taken to keep our bodies
from burning up: what the British chemist Nevil Sidgwick calls the
"characteristic inertness of carbon". What this means is that carbon
is not too much in a hurry either to enter into a reaction with oxygen
under normal pressures and temperatures. Expressed in the language of
chemistry this may all seem rather arcane, but in fact what is being
said here is something that anyone who's ever had to light a fireplace
full of huge logs or a coal-burning stove in winter or start a
stubborn barbecue in summer already knows. In order to get the fire
going, you have to take care of a lot of preliminaries (kindling,
starter, etc) or else suddenly raise the temperature of the fuel to a
very high degree (as with a blowtorch). But once the fuel starts
burning, the carbon in it enters into the reaction with oxygen quite
rapidly and a great amount of energy is released. This is why it's so
hard to get a fire going without another source of heat. But after
combustion begins, a great deal of heat is produced and this can cause
other carbon compounds nearby to catch fire as well and so the fire
spreads.

When we look into this matter more carefully, we can see that fire
itself is a most interesting example of design. The chemical
properties of oxygen and carbon have been so arranged that these two
elements enter into a reaction with one another (combustion) only when
a great amount of heat is already present. It's a good thing, too
because if this weren't the case, life on this planet would be very
unpleasant if not downright impossible. If oxygen and carbon were even
slightly more willing to react with one another, the spontaneous
combustion–self-ignition–of people, trees, and animals would become a
commonplace event whenever the weather got a little too warm. Someone
walking through a desert for example might suddenly burst into flame
at noon when the heat was at its most intense; plants and animals
would be exposed to the same risk. Even if life were possible in such
a world, it certainly wouldn't be much fun.

On the other hand, if carbon and oxygen were slightly more noble (that
is, slightly less reactive) than they are, it would be much more
difficult to light a fire in this world than it already is: indeed, it
might even be impossible. And without fire, we not only would have
been unable to keep ourselves warm: it's quite likely that there would
never have been any technological progress on our planet because that
progress depends upon the ability to work materials such as metal and
without the heat provided by fire, purifying and working metal is all
but impossible.

What all this shows is that the chemical properties of carbon and
oxygen have been arranged so as to be the most suitable for the needs
of mankind. Concerning this, Michael Denton says:

This curious unreactivity of the carbon and oxygen atoms at
ambient temperatures, combined with the enormous energies inherent in
their combination once achieved, is of great adaptive significance to
life on Earth. It is this curious combination that not only makes
available to advanced life forms the vast energies of oxidation in a
controlled and orderly manner but has also made possible the
controlled use of fire by mankind and allowed the harnessing of the
massive energies of combustion for the development of technology.

In other words, both carbon and the oxygen have been created with
properties that are the most fit for human life. The properties of
these two elements allow us to light a fire and to make use of fire in
the most convenient way possible. Furthermore, the world is full of
sources of carbon (such as the wood of trees) that are fit for
combustion. All this is an indication that fire and the materials to
start and sustain it have been specially created to be fit for human
life. In the Qur'an, God speaks to mankind with these words:

He Who produces fire for you from green trees so that you use them to
light your fires. (Qur'an, 36:80)
  #2  
Old August 27th 08, 03:41 PM posted to sci.anthropology.paleo,sci.astro,alt.astronomy,sci.astro.amateur,sci.geo.mineralogy
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 9
Default The Design in Fire

On Aug 27, 6:37*am, Hamady wrote:
The fundamental reaction that releases the energy necessary for the
survival of oxygen-breathing organisms is the oxidation of
hydrocarbons. But this simple fact raises a troubling question: If our
bodies are made up essentially of hydrocarbons, why aren't they also
oxidized? Putting it another way, why don't we just go up in flame,
like a match that's been struck?

Our bodies are constantly in contact with the oxygen of the air and
yet they don't oxidize: they don't catch fire. Why not?

The reason for this seeming paradox is that, under normal conditions
of temperature and pressure, the molecular (O2) form of oxygen has a
substantial degree of inertness or "nobility". (In the sense that
chemists use the term, "nobility" is the reluctance (or inability) of
a substance to enter into chemical reactions with other substances.)
But this raises other questions: If molecular oxygen is so "noble" as
to avoid incinerating us, how is this same molecule made to enter into
chemical reactions inside our bodies?

The answer to this question, which perplexed chemists as early as the
mid 19th century, did not become known until the second half of the
20th century, when biochemical researchers discovered the existence of
enzymes in the human body whose only function was to force the O2 in
the atmosphere to enter into chemical reactions. As a result of a
series of extremely complex steps, these enzymes utilize atoms of iron
and copper in our bodies as catalysts. A catalyst is a substance that
initiates a chemical reaction and allows it to proceed under different
conditions (such as lower temperature etc) than would otherwise be
possible.

In other words, there is a very interesting situation he Oxygen is
what supports oxidation and combustion and normally one would expect
it to burn us up too. To prevent this, the molecular O2 form of oxygen
that exists in the atmosphere has been given a strong element of
chemical nobility. That is, it doesn't enter into reactions easily.
But, on the other hand, our bodies depend upon the oxidizing property
of oxygen for their energy and for that reason, our cells have been
fitted out with an extremely complex enzyme system that makes this
noble gas extremely reactive.

While we're on the subject we should also point out that this enzyme
system is a marvelous example of design that no evolutionary theory
holding that life developed as a result of chance events can ever hope
to explain.

There is yet another precaution that has been taken to keep our bodies
from burning up: what the British chemist Nevil Sidgwick calls the
"characteristic inertness of carbon". What this means is that carbon
is not too much in a hurry either to enter into a reaction with oxygen
under normal pressures and temperatures. Expressed in the language of
chemistry this may all seem rather arcane, but in fact what is being
said here is something that anyone who's ever had to light a fireplace
full of huge logs or a coal-burning stove in winter or start a
stubborn barbecue in summer already knows. In order to get the fire
going, you have to take care of a lot of preliminaries (kindling,
starter, etc) or else suddenly raise the temperature of the fuel to a
very high degree (as with a blowtorch). But once the fuel starts
burning, the carbon in it enters into the reaction with oxygen quite
rapidly and a great amount of energy is released. This is why it's so
hard to get a fire going without another source of heat. But after
combustion begins, a great deal of heat is produced and this can cause
other carbon compounds nearby to catch fire as well and so the fire
spreads.

When we look into this matter more carefully, we can see that fire
itself is a most interesting example of design. The chemical
properties of oxygen and carbon have been so arranged that these two
elements enter into a reaction with one another (combustion) only when
a great amount of heat is already present. It's a good thing, too
because if this weren't the case, life on this planet would be very
unpleasant if not downright impossible. If oxygen and carbon were even
slightly more willing to react with one another, the spontaneous
combustion–self-ignition–of people, trees, and animals would become a
commonplace event whenever the weather got a little too warm. Someone
walking through a desert for example might suddenly burst into flame
at noon when the heat was at its most intense; plants and animals
would be exposed to the same risk. Even if life were possible in such
a world, it certainly wouldn't be much fun.

On the other hand, if carbon and oxygen were slightly more noble (that
is, slightly less reactive) than they are, it would be much more
difficult to light a fire in this world than it already is: indeed, it
might even be impossible. And without fire, we not only would have
been unable to keep ourselves warm: it's quite likely that there would
never have been any technological progress on our planet because that
progress depends upon the ability to work materials such as metal and
without the heat provided by fire, purifying and working metal is all
but impossible.

What all this shows is that the chemical properties of carbon and
oxygen have been arranged so as to be the most suitable for the needs
of mankind. Concerning this, Michael Denton says:

* * This curious unreactivity of the carbon and oxygen atoms at
ambient temperatures, combined with the enormous energies inherent in
their combination once achieved, is of great adaptive significance to
life on Earth. It is this curious combination that not only makes
available to advanced life forms the vast energies of oxidation in a
controlled and orderly manner but has also made possible the
controlled use of fire by mankind and allowed the harnessing of the
massive energies of combustion for the development of technology.

In other words, both carbon and the oxygen have been created with
properties that are the most fit for human life. The properties of
these two elements allow us to light a fire and to make use of fire in
the most convenient way possible. Furthermore, the world is full of
sources of carbon (such as the wood of trees) that are fit for
combustion. All this is an indication that fire and the materials to
start and sustain it have been specially created to be fit for human
life. In the Qur'an, God speaks to mankind with these words:

He Who produces fire for you from green trees so that you use them to
light your fires. (Qur'an, 36:80)


Because we are made of proteins and largely water. We are not made of
methane. Get a chemistry book and read.
  #3  
Old August 27th 08, 06:18 PM posted to sci.anthropology.paleo,sci.astro,alt.astronomy,sci.astro.amateur,sci.geo.mineralogy
dlzc
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,426
Default The Design in Fire

Dear Harnady:

On Aug 27, 5:37*am, Hamady wrote:
The fundamental reaction that releases the energy
necessary for the survival of oxygen-breathing
organisms is the oxidation of hydrocarbons. But
this simple fact raises a troubling question: If our
bodies are made up essentially of hydrocarbons,
why aren't they also oxidized?


They aren't made up of *only* hydrocarbons. And look up "spontaneous
human combustion". People have died and managed to light themselves
on fire with cigarettes and such, and we do burn.

Putting it another way, why don't we just go up
in flame, like a match that's been struck?


Ever heard of "antioxidants" that you are supposed to take for various
cosmetic purposes? Did you never wonder why that was?

Snip poor science/ Obvious trolling

David A. Smith
  #4  
Old August 29th 08, 05:28 AM posted to sci.anthropology.paleo,sci.astro,alt.astronomy,sci.astro.amateur,sci.geo.mineralogy
jerry warner[_26_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 243
Default The Design in Fire



Hamady wrote:

The fundamental reaction that releases the energy necessary for the
survival of oxygen-breathing organisms is the oxidation of
hydrocarbons. But this simple fact raises a troubling question: If our
bodies are made up essentially of hydrocarbons, why aren't they also
oxidized? Putting it another way, why don't we just go up in flame,
like a match that's been struck?


For the same reason that peanut butter doesn't eat light bulbs,
or does it!?





Our bodies are constantly in contact with the oxygen of the air and
yet they don't oxidize: they don't catch fire. Why not?



The reason for this seeming paradox is that, under normal conditions
of temperature and pressure, the molecular (O2) form of oxygen has a
substantial degree of inertness or "nobility". (In the sense that
chemists use the term, "nobility" is the reluctance (or inability) of
a substance to enter into chemical reactions with other substances.)
But this raises other questions: If molecular oxygen is so "noble" as
to avoid incinerating us, how is this same molecule made to enter into
chemical reactions inside our bodies?

The answer to this question, which perplexed chemists as early as the
mid 19th century, did not become known until the second half of the
20th century, when biochemical researchers discovered the existence of
enzymes in the human body whose only function was to force the O2 in
the atmosphere to enter into chemical reactions. As a result of a
series of extremely complex steps, these enzymes utilize atoms of iron
and copper in our bodies as catalysts. A catalyst is a substance that
initiates a chemical reaction and allows it to proceed under different
conditions (such as lower temperature etc) than would otherwise be
possible.

In other words, there is a very interesting situation he Oxygen is
what supports oxidation and combustion and normally one would expect
it to burn us up too. To prevent this, the molecular O2 form of oxygen
that exists in the atmosphere has been given a strong element of
chemical nobility. That is, it doesn't enter into reactions easily.
But, on the other hand, our bodies depend upon the oxidizing property
of oxygen for their energy and for that reason, our cells have been
fitted out with an extremely complex enzyme system that makes this
noble gas extremely reactive.

While we're on the subject we should also point out that this enzyme
system is a marvelous example of design that no evolutionary theory
holding that life developed as a result of chance events can ever hope
to explain.

There is yet another precaution that has been taken to keep our bodies
from burning up: what the British chemist Nevil Sidgwick calls the
"characteristic inertness of carbon". What this means is that carbon
is not too much in a hurry either to enter into a reaction with oxygen
under normal pressures and temperatures. Expressed in the language of
chemistry this may all seem rather arcane, but in fact what is being
said here is something that anyone who's ever had to light a fireplace
full of huge logs or a coal-burning stove in winter or start a
stubborn barbecue in summer already knows. In order to get the fire
going, you have to take care of a lot of preliminaries (kindling,
starter, etc) or else suddenly raise the temperature of the fuel to a
very high degree (as with a blowtorch). But once the fuel starts
burning, the carbon in it enters into the reaction with oxygen quite
rapidly and a great amount of energy is released. This is why it's so
hard to get a fire going without another source of heat. But after
combustion begins, a great deal of heat is produced and this can cause
other carbon compounds nearby to catch fire as well and so the fire
spreads.

When we look into this matter more carefully, we can see that fire
itself is a most interesting example of design. The chemical
properties of oxygen and carbon have been so arranged that these two
elements enter into a reaction with one another (combustion) only when
a great amount of heat is already present. It's a good thing, too
because if this weren't the case, life on this planet would be very
unpleasant if not downright impossible. If oxygen and carbon were even
slightly more willing to react with one another, the spontaneous
combustion–self-ignition–of people, trees, and animals would become a
commonplace event whenever the weather got a little too warm. Someone
walking through a desert for example might suddenly burst into flame
at noon when the heat was at its most intense; plants and animals
would be exposed to the same risk. Even if life were possible in such
a world, it certainly wouldn't be much fun.

On the other hand, if carbon and oxygen were slightly more noble (that
is, slightly less reactive) than they are, it would be much more
difficult to light a fire in this world than it already is: indeed, it
might even be impossible. And without fire, we not only would have
been unable to keep ourselves warm: it's quite likely that there would
never have been any technological progress on our planet because that
progress depends upon the ability to work materials such as metal and
without the heat provided by fire, purifying and working metal is all
but impossible.

What all this shows is that the chemical properties of carbon and
oxygen have been arranged so as to be the most suitable for the needs
of mankind. Concerning this, Michael Denton says:

This curious unreactivity of the carbon and oxygen atoms at
ambient temperatures, combined with the enormous energies inherent in
their combination once achieved, is of great adaptive significance to
life on Earth. It is this curious combination that not only makes
available to advanced life forms the vast energies of oxidation in a
controlled and orderly manner but has also made possible the
controlled use of fire by mankind and allowed the harnessing of the
massive energies of combustion for the development of technology.

In other words, both carbon and the oxygen have been created with
properties that are the most fit for human life. The properties of
these two elements allow us to light a fire and to make use of fire in
the most convenient way possible. Furthermore, the world is full of
sources of carbon (such as the wood of trees) that are fit for
combustion. All this is an indication that fire and the materials to
start and sustain it have been specially created to be fit for human
life. In the Qur'an, God speaks to mankind with these words:

He Who produces fire for you from green trees so that you use them to
light your fires. (Qur'an, 36:80)


 




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