Tuesday 22 March 2011

Life and the Universe

"Just as we and all life on Earth stand on this tiny speck adrift in infinite space, so life in the universe will only exist for a fleeting, dazzling instant in infinite time, because life, just like the stars, is a temporary structure on the long road from order to disorder.

But that doesn’t make us insignificant, because life is the means by which the Universe can understand itself, if only for an instant. And this is what we’ve done in our brief moments on Planet Earth. We have sent space probes to the edge of our solar system and beyond; we have built telescopes that can glimpse the oldest and most distant stars and we have discovered and understood at least some of the natural laws that govern the cosmos. This, ultimately, is why I believe we’re important. Our true significance lies in our continuing desire to understand and explore this beautiful Universe."

~ Brian Cox. Wonders of the Universe

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