At some point, everyone will face the end of their life. This can be a scary thought, but today, let’s explore how scientific principles can help us understand and cope with this inevitable part of life.
I first grappled with the idea of dying in seventh grade. I remember being shocked and thinking, “Is this really going to end someday?” Initially, I tried to ignore this fear and focused on school and the ups and downs of growing up. It wasn’t until my high school science teachers inspired me that I began to see death from a healthier perspective.
Your body is a complex system controlled by genes that produce proteins, leading to neural impulses that constantly search for meaning in life. This was first observed in a study from the 1960s, where participants watched videos of people in discomfort and often judged them harshly. This suggested that humans have an innate drive to create meaning, even in suffering. So, you’re not alone in your quest to understand mortality.
When you look at the night sky, you see the Milky Way galaxy, which contains about 100 billion stars. And that’s just one galaxy among billions in our ever-expanding universe. It might make you wonder how we can matter in such a vast space.
Now, consider your brain. It’s about the size of your two fists put together and contains around 86 billion neurons and glial cells. That’s more cells than there are stars in the Milky Way. Your brain is an incredible machine capable of understanding the universe’s vastness.
Science shows that you are incredibly intelligent. Before you die, you have the chance to live a complex and wonderful life. Like all life on Earth, you’re made of atoms that interact and absorb energy from your environment. Your brain allows you to think, make decisions, and care for others.
Remember drawing electron diagrams of the first 20 elements in science class? These diagrams show that everything is made of protons, electrons, and neutrons. We can even explore smaller particles like quarks and neutrinos. The sun emits neutrinos, with trillions passing through you every second.
These particles are governed by forces that explain everything—from evolution to how your phone works. Your life can be described by the positions and movements of the atoms in your body, known as kinetic theory. This theory explains how plants absorb energy from the sun, which we then consume to power our lives through ATP, the energy currency of cells.
ATP is produced in the mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell. You create and use your body weight in ATP molecules daily. When your body can no longer produce ATP, you begin to decline. Interestingly, when given the choice to produce ATP indefinitely and live forever, most people choose not to; they want life to have an end. This inevitability makes life precious.
Science offers a unique perspective on life and death. Consider these ideas from Sean Carroll’s book, “The Big Picture”: 1) The universe is expanding, 2) Humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor, and 3) We should strive to live happier and longer lives. The first two are scientific facts, while the last is a personal choice. Science doesn’t dictate how to live your life.
Evolution is a remarkable process of change and adaptation over millions of years. It follows natural laws but doesn’t tell you how to live. You have the power to change your life, care for others, and embrace love and laughter.
After you pass away, you’ll live on in the memories of others for a time. Eventually, you may be forgotten as life continues. Your atoms, which are amazing, will no longer represent you but will remain on Earth. Even if humanity disappears, the universe will continue according to natural laws.
Right now, we’re all sharing this universe, the same laws of nature, and the task of creating meaning from our experiences. You have around 3 billion heartbeats in your lifetime, so make them count.
Here are some scientific reasons not to fear death: 1) Humans are meaning-making machines; we can view death as a natural part of life and live meaningfully. 2) You may feel insignificant, but you have more neural cells in your brain than stars in the universe. 3) Life’s end makes it precious. 4) Science can’t explain everything, so it’s up to you to live fully. 5) Your atoms will cease to represent you, but they’ll carry on in some form.
Science is a brilliant way to view life’s complexity and inform how you live it. If you’re reading this, congratulations—you’re alive! But remember, everyone will eventually face the end of their life.
I’m always trying to deal with my own fear of death, and a book that has helped me is “The Big Picture” by Sean Carroll. It discusses mortality, consciousness, life, and death through science. I highly recommend it. Keep exploring and learning. Peace.
Write a reflective journal entry about your personal thoughts and feelings on mortality. Consider how scientific principles discussed in the article, such as the vastness of the universe and the complexity of the human brain, influence your perspective on life and death.
Participate in a group discussion where you explore the scientific concepts of life and death. Discuss how understanding these concepts can help reduce the fear of death and enhance the appreciation of life. Share your thoughts on the role of ATP and the significance of life’s finite nature.
Create a visual or multimedia project that illustrates the connection between the universe’s vastness and the intricacies of the human brain. Use this project to express how these scientific insights can provide comfort and meaning in the face of mortality.
Join a book club to read and discuss “The Big Picture” by Sean Carroll. Focus on how the book’s themes of mortality, consciousness, and the science of life and death can inform your understanding of the article’s main concepts. Share your insights and how they relate to your personal views on life.
Engage in a debate about the philosophical implications of scientific discoveries related to life and death. Consider questions like: Does the inevitability of death make life more meaningful? How do scientific facts influence our personal choices and beliefs about living a fulfilling life?
Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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One thing I can say about you right now is that you will eventually face the end of your life, and yes, this can be a daunting thought. That is why today, I am going to use scientific principles to help you understand and cope with the inevitable conclusion of life.
I first processed the concept of dying in seventh grade. I remember freezing in my tracks and thinking, “Wait, so this is all just going to end?” I eventually decided to suppress this fear and just go through the motions of life. I put a lot of energy into schoolwork, dealt with the ups and downs of adolescence, and realized that my interests were evolving. It wasn’t until my inspiring high school teachers made me fall in love with science that a healthier perspective on death began to emerge.
Your body is controlled by genes that code for proteins, leading to neural impulses that constantly search for meaning in life. This was first shown in a study in the 1960s, where participants watched videos of individuals experiencing discomfort. The viewers often harshly judged the individuals as deserving of their fate. Psychologists and biologists began to suggest that humans have an innate impulse to create meaning. In this case, if you had to watch someone suffer, the assumption was that they must have deserved it.
It is now understood that, according to biology, you and everyone else on the planet will be continually seeking meaning in life and in death. So, at least according to science, you know you’re not alone in your quest to understand your own mortality.
Now, let’s zoom out. When you look at the night sky, you see the Milky Way galaxy, which contains an estimated 100 billion stars. That is just one galaxy; there are billions of other galaxies in our observable universe, which is constantly expanding. How can we matter in such an expansive universe?
Well, put both of your fists together like this. That is roughly the size of your brain—an organ that has evolved over millions of years to contain around 86 billion neurons and glial cells that support them. There are more cells in your brain than stars in the Milky Way galaxy. You have an incredible biological machine in your skull that is capable of understanding the vastness of the universe.
Science essentially proves that you are exceptionally intelligent. Before you die, you have a unique opportunity to live a complex and wonderful life. Like all other forms of life on Earth, you are made of atoms, which interact and absorb energy from your environment. Unique to you, in your amazing brain, is the ability to contemplate your actions, make decisions, and care for others.
Now let’s zoom in. As a science teacher, I know you should all remember drawing the electron diagrams of the first 20 elements of the periodic table. This is part of most high school science curricula worldwide. If you don’t remember doing that, then on behalf of all science teachers everywhere, please pay attention.
These diagrams were meant to show you that everything in our known universe is made up of protons, electrons, and neutrons. We can even delve into smaller particles like quarks and neutrinos. In fact, the sun is constantly emitting neutrinos, with trillions passing through your body every second. But let’s stay on topic; we’re discussing death today.
These protons, neutrons, and electrons are governed by forces that help explain everything—how you evolved, how you move, and yes, how your phone works. You can describe your entire life based on the positions, velocities, and orientations of all the atoms in your body, which is known as kinetic theory. You can use kinetic theory to explain how plants absorb energy from the sun through photosynthesis. We consume plants or animals that have eaten plants to gain that energy. Our bodies use that energy to power ATP, which fuels every part of our lives.
ATP is synthesized in the mitochondria, making them the powerhouse of the cell. In fact, to stay alive, you typically create and use your entire body weight in ATP molecules in one day. However, this also means that, according to kinetic theory, regardless of your beliefs, dying signifies the end of life as we know it. As your body loses the ability to produce ATP, you begin to physically decline. Interestingly, one study found that when given the option to produce ATP indefinitely and live forever, most people chose not to; they wanted to eventually die. The fact that death is inevitable is what makes life so special. In many ways, death is a shared experience among all of us.
Additionally, learning about science offers a unique opportunity to grasp what science cannot explain. Consider these three examples from Sean Carroll’s book, “The Big Picture”: 1) The universe is expanding, 2) Humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor, and 3) We should strive to live happier and longer lives. The first two statements are rooted in science, while the last is not; science does not dictate how we should live our lives.
Another way to look at this is through evolution, which is a remarkable process based on millions of years of change and adaptation. It follows the laws of nature but cannot tell you how to live your life. You have the power to change your life, to care for others, and to embrace love and laughter, which is incredible.
After you pass away, you will live on in the memories of others for a time, but eventually, you may be forgotten as life continues to change. There are countless atoms in your body, which is amazing, but these atoms will eventually cease to represent you. Even though they will no longer be you, it is comforting to know that they will remain on Earth after you are gone. Even if humanity were to vanish, the universe would continue to exist, moving along according to the laws of nature.
Right now, according to science, we are all sharing this universe, the same laws of nature, and the same task of creating meaning from our experiences. It is estimated that you will have around 3 billion heartbeats in your lifetime, so it is up to you to make them count.
Here are some scientific reasons to not fear death: 1) We humans are meaning-making machines; we can choose to view death as a natural part of life and live meaningfully. 2) You may feel insignificant, but you have more neural cells in your brain than there are stars in the universe. 3) Eventually, you will stop producing ATP, but the fact that life has an end is what makes it precious. 4) Science cannot explain everything, so it is up to you to live your life to the fullest. 5) Eventually, your atoms will cease to represent you, but they will likely carry on in some form.
Science is a brilliant way to view the complexity of your life and inform how you live it. Thankfully, if you are still watching this, congratulations—you are alive! But again, if there’s one thing I can say about you right now, it is that you will eventually face the end of your life.
I am constantly on a quest to deal with my own fear of death, and this book has helped me a lot. It’s called “The Big Picture” by Sean Carroll; it is amazing, and I highly recommend it. It discusses mortality, consciousness, life, and death through the lens of science. We will leave a link to the book below, and make sure to subscribe for more science videos. Peace.
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This version removes any inappropriate language and maintains a respectful tone throughout.
Mortality – The state of being subject to death, often used in biological contexts to discuss the death rate within a population. – The study of mortality rates in different species can provide insights into their life cycles and environmental adaptations.
Neurons – Specialized cells in the nervous system that transmit information through electrical and chemical signals. – Neurons communicate with each other through synapses, forming complex networks that underlie brain function.
Evolution – The process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth. – The theory of evolution explains how species adapt to their environments over generations through natural selection.
Atoms – The basic units of matter and the defining structure of elements, consisting of protons, neutrons, and electrons. – Understanding the behavior of atoms is fundamental to the study of chemistry and physics.
Energy – The capacity to do work or produce change, existing in various forms such as kinetic, potential, thermal, and chemical energy. – In biological systems, energy is often stored in the form of ATP, which cells use to perform various functions.
Mitochondria – Organelles found in large numbers in most cells, where biochemical processes of respiration and energy production occur. – Mitochondria are often referred to as the powerhouses of the cell because they generate most of the cell’s supply of ATP.
Science – A systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. – Science relies on empirical evidence and the scientific method to advance our understanding of the natural world.
Universe – The totality of known or supposed objects and phenomena throughout space; the cosmos; everything that exists. – The study of the universe, including its origins and structure, is a central focus of astronomy and cosmology.
Meaning – The significance or purpose of something, often explored in scientific contexts to understand phenomena or data. – Researchers strive to find the meaning behind experimental results to draw conclusions about biological processes.
Life – A characteristic that distinguishes physical entities with biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from those that do not. – The search for life on other planets involves looking for signs of biological activity and conditions that support living organisms.
