Tadgear's Articles #8: Science Shorts Finale

In the finale of this series, a variety of science topics will be discussed in bursts. Dopamine, Heat Death, and the unanswered will be discussed.

Dopamine:

Dopamine is a protein, which means it is made up of Oxygen, Hydrogen, Carbon, and Nitrogen. Not known commonly, Dopamine is actually not only for producing a sense of pleasure, but also for the regulations of many liquids in, throughout, and out of the body (National Center for Biotechnology Information). This short section is mainly going to be talking though about the substance's role in creating positive emotions. From an evolutionary standpoint, the role of dopamine is to create positive behavioral traits, such as the desires to live more prosperously or reproduce (Edwards). A lack of dopamine also encourages the avoidance mental behaviors that could slow the progress of the species. The main issue here is that since humans are self-conscious, they decide if they are allowing the species to progress. This can lead to inaccurate assumptions in their worth, also known as a lack of self-confidence, which could lead to the commonly discussed issue of depression. Thoughts and emotions are both tools that give humanity such strength, but they can also work against each other. One could say the greatest challenge for humanity is perfecting a relationship between the two.

Heat Death:

It wouldn't be a finale without an end-of-the-world scenario. Heat death is the most likely scenario that will occur, as it is the only objective outcome if no other possibilities exist. The premise is that as the universe ages, more stars will burn out. Soon, there will only be one star left, a white dwarf. Once that dies, turning into a black dwarf, the heat necessary for life to exist will no longer be available (Kurzgesagt). Past that point, life can never exist again, well, except for one option that will be discussed soon. If that point ever was to be reached though, humanity will have needed to develop into an interstellar civilization. Only then, can we inhabit planets surrounding the only stars that can live that long, red and white dwarfs. Red dwarf solar systems would be easier to colonize, as they possess many similarities with our sun. They are smaller, but also burn much slower, allowing them to survive for trillions of years (Kurzgesagt). White dwarfs are more challenging, mainly due to their density. White dwarfs are so dense that any planet that could be inhabitable around them would be locked in place, meaning no day or night cycles (Kurzgesagt). One side will be forever burning, the other for freezing; only in the middle would life be possible (Kurzgesagt). If done though, these white dwarfs can even outlive red dwarfs. Finally, there are black holes. Black holes will outlive even white dwarfs (still will die due to Hawking radiation), but they are near the pure definition of empty (Kurzgesagt). A special type of black hole though, a spinning black hole, can allow us to do something much better, create our own star. Spinning black holes have a field around them called an ergo-sphere, where time and space are affected by both the black hole's speed and gravitational pull (Kurzgesagt). By inserting electromagnetic energy into the ergo-sphere of a contained black hole, the energy will accelerate over time to the speed of the black hole, which means that much more energy will come out than what came in (Kurzgesagt). There is also the point to make that mass can be inserted into the black hole so that it continues radiating (Kurzgesagt). It may actually be possible to continue on life even after heat death. Sadly though, even mass is limited in our universe, so humanity still cannot by an infinite civilization.

The Unknown:

This is going to be more on my personal thoughts, a sort of ending monologue to this series. Even with so much known already, so much is still left to discover. So many possibilities, each one with unknown potential. There is danger, yes, but there is also progress. All problems today can be solved through knowledge that we have not yet gained. It is good to reflect on the past, but it is also good to keep your eyes on the future. It all goes toward finding the answer to one question: What is our purpose? Once that is answered, there will be no more questions, there will be nothing left to learn. Until then though, there is something to learn, something to strive for. Will that question ever be answered, especially in an age with humanity progressing faster than ever before?That is for the individual to decide. If the individual can decide that, then they will know what they want to do with the limited time they have here on Earth.

Sources:

Edwards, C. Love and the Brain. And the Brain Series. Retrieved from neuro.hms.harvard.edu/harvard-mahoney-neuroscience-institute/brain-newsletter/and-brain-series/love-and-brain.

Kurzgesagt. (22 April, 2018). The Black Hole Bomb and Black Hole Civilizations. youtube.com/watch?v=ulCdoCfw-bY.

Kurzgesagt. (31 January, 2016). The Last Star in the Universe - Red Dwarfs Explained. youtube.com/watch?v=LS-VPyLaJFM.

Kurzgesagt. (4 May, 2017). The Last Light Before Eternal Darkness: White Dwarfs & Black Dwarfs. youtube.com/watch?v=qsN1LglrX9s.

National Center for Biotechnology Information. Dopamine. Open Chemistry Database. Retrieved from pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/dopamine.

Author's Note

Sources in APA.