8 October 2008

Machina ex machina

There is clearly no thinking presence behind any of the actions of [the 10,000 trillion] cells [in the human body]. It all just happens, smoothly and repeatedly and so reliably that seldom are we even conscious of it; yet somehow all this produces not just order within the cell but a perfect harmony right across the organism. In ways we have barely begun to understand, trillions upon trillions of reflective chemical reactions add up to a mobile, thinking, decision-making you -- or, come to that, a rather less reflective but still incredibly organized dung beetle. Every living thing, never forget, is a wonder of atomic engineering.
-- Bill Bryson.

P.S. 10 Oct Digital zebrafish embryo created:

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