"THUS, THE TASK IS NOT SO MUCH TO SEE WHAT NO ONE YET HAS SEEN, BUT TO THINK WHAT NOBODY YET HAS THOUGHT ABOUT THAT WHICH EVERYBODY SEES" ~Schopenhauer
The idea: that Earth is an organic living being, is more popular today. In the past, our egocentrism compelled us to explain Life on the surface of this planet as an anomaly, a miracle, or by evolutionary processes distinct from the Earth herself. A more plausible explanation of Life on the surface would be: that Life is just a small part, playing a vital role, in a much bigger picture. The real story lies in WHAT KIND OF BEING IS THE PLANET EARTH? Understanding Earth's true biological essence will shed light on humans' existence and other LIFE on the surface.
We are living on the surface of a giant sphere which is floating in space. This round rotating object, when viewed from space, bears a striking resemblance to a human egg floating inside a fallopian tube. ( see Nilsson 62,63) Metaphorically, the Earth has been compared to an egg many times. Why then, have we not pursued this idea as a literal explanation of the biological nature of our planet? Twentieth century technology allows us (through photography) to compare the microcosm (the human egg and sperm) with the macrocosm (planets and comets) for the first time!
The idea of the Earth being an egg is more plausible than the accepted theory that the Earth was formed randomly out of scattering debris from an exploding solar system. The "egg hypothesis" supports growing evidence that the Earth is a living, breathing, evolving entity. This hypothesis could create a new paradigm in which to view the cosmos.
Numerous observations of our planet's evolution and present day characteristics fit in with the "egg hypothesis". One of the most obvious similarities is the structure of the inside of an egg and our conjecture as to the structure of the inside of the Earth. The inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust of the Earth can be equated with the yolk, albumen, and shell of an egg. The core and yolk being more solid than the surrounding semi-liquid material (mantle and albumen), and the crust and shell both being more solid. It is interesting that a bird's egg shell is porous, allowing oxygen and moisture to enter the egg and carbon dioxide and other wastes to pass out. (McClung 8) The outer crust of the Earth is also porous allowing rain to filter through and possibly an exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide to take place.
The Earth has a protective envelope of air surrounding it, made up of mostly oxygen (21%) and nitrogen (78%). The human ovum is also surrounded by a transparent wall called the Zona Pellucida. The atmosphere of the Earth looks thin when it's thickness is compared to the size of the planet. "If Earth were the same size as a peach, it's atmosphere would be as thick as the fuzz on the peach's skin." (Vogt 8)
One of the most fascinating aspects of the Earth is that (according to some scientists), the surface temperature has remained constant despite increase in the sun's output.(Klyce 2 of 5). A constant surface temperature is extremely important for the incubation of an egg. Warm blooded animals like birds keep their eggs warm by sitting on them; while eggs of cold blooded reptiles use the heat of the sun or decaying vegetation. LIFE on the surface of our planet consumes, reproduces, and dies. But the overall result is of "providing a layer of decomposing material" that may both nourish the Earth and help maintain a constant surface temperature. <The Earth, at the present time, resembles a human ovum (in the Blastocyst stage). This stage usually occurs several days after fertilization by a sperm. The life of an ovum begins when it is ejected from the ovary and gets sucked into the opening of the fallopian tube. Fertilization generally occurs soon after, in the wide part of the tube. After fusion of the male and female nucleii, the ovum begins to divide into two identical cells. The process of cleavage can be observed in the fertilized eggs of many animals, including sea urchins and mice. For three or four days the ovum floats down the tube, dividing again and again. (Nilsson 38,39) The sphere remains the same size but the individual cells become smaller as they multiply. Finally, a sphere called a Morula can be seen, made up of 60 to 100 cells. It looks like a mulberry enclosed in a transparent envelope, called the Zona Pelucida. Fluid has accumulated among the Morula cells and a central cavity is evident. By the time the Morula has entered the uterus it has altered slightly and is now called a Blastocyst. It is described as a single- layered, hollow sphere around a fluid-filled cavity. "Such a stage is characteristic of the development of most animals, and in man it lasts until the sphere is implanted in the wall of the uterus." (Rugh 23, 24) This is the stage of the ovum that closely resembles the planet Earth!The theory of Earth plate tectonics (or the movement of continental plates over time) coincides with cell divisions in a developing ovum. Scientists now believe that Earth's continents were joined as one supercontinent more than 200 million years ago. (Vogt 16) The separating of this original land mass into two land masses, and subsequent smaller masses, parallels nicely the "ovum duplicating itself into first two identical cells and then multiple cells of smaller size." Klyce describes plate tectonics as "this very slow turning of Earth's crust..." (4 of 5) This process can be compared to the microscopic changes observed on the surface of a developing ovum. The fact that Earth's surface is now approximately 70% water and 30% land reinforces the analogy with an ovum in the Blastocyst stage; when the rudimentary embryo only takes up 1/4 of the sphere, and the future placenta the rest!If the "egg hypothesis" is used as a paradigm, many cosmic phenomenon will be interpreted differently. New questions, about such things as volcanoes, earthquakes, lightening, mountains, etc...,may be asked. The moon is an interesting astronomical body, and can be explained using the "egg hypothesis". An immature ovum (or oocyte), just prior to ovulation, undergoes a meiotic division disgarding a small cell with nucleus (called a polar body) which floats freely in the space around the ovum. In some mammals this polar body quickly degenerates, but in others it remains for some time, even through the first cleavage stages. (Austin 34) It was once believed that the moon derived from the Earth. One of the current theories of the moon's origin says that the Earth may have split into two very early in it's life. (Davis 13) The moon appears to be about the same age as the Earth, with no atmosphere and no large dense core. It is possible that the moon is a polar body that was ejected from the Earth a long time ago and is slowly disintegrating.If we accept the possibility of the planet Earth being an egg of some kind, the next question would be: Has the Earth been fertilized? And if so, by What?The closest analogous object to a sperm in the heavens, would be a comet. And coincidentally, the sperm and comet bear more than just superficial similarities. The most obvious similarity is the shape. And scientists use identical terms to describe the parts: a nucleus, head, and tail. Where once scientists believed that comets were nothing more than dirty icy snowballs, new evidence suggests they may be carrying organic material. (Sagan 154) We still do not know where or how comets originate, but a cloud or belt of them (Kuiper's Belt) has been detected recently at the fringe of our solar system. (Cochran) There are supposedly billions of comets in space floating around. A man can produce billions of new sperm while a woman develops only one ovum a month capable of fertilization. If we accept the possibility of the Earth being an egg, it is reasonable to imagine that comets are celestial sperm, looking for eggs (planets) to fertilize. The sheer numbers of comets to planets coincide with the ratio of sperm to eggs.More specific developmental and behavioral characteristics of sperm correlate with data collected on comets. Sperm are produced in long convoluted passageways in the testes. They start out as primitive sperm (or spermatogonia) in the outermost layers. It takes two months for them to mature, and during this time each one divides twice, giving rise to four spermatids. (Nilsson 26) Scientists have also observed comets splitting. The Great September Comet (1882 II), before rounding the sun, was seen to have a single nucleus. Afterward, it appeared to have split into four separate nucleii, as it headed out past the planets. Comet West (1976 VI) (approximately 30 mil.kil. to the sun) also split into four pieces. Eighty percent of comets that split do so when they are at a great distance from the sun. Carl Sagan says, "thus the gravitational tides of the Sun or unequal heating cannot be the sole causes of the splitting of comets. We still do not know why comets split." (Sagan 244-47)Part of the maturation process of the spermatids into spermatozoa involves a loss of cytoplasm and growth of a long, lashing tail (permitting them to swim long distances). (Rugh 13,14) The icy nuclei found in Kuiper's Belt do not have the characteristic shell (coma) and tail that are a comet's trademarks. (Cochran 2) Tail formation in comets usually begins between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars as a comet nears the Sun. (Sagan 102) The Nasa release on "Kuiper's Belt" says "detecting these bodies in their "deep-freeze" state, at the dim horizon of the solar system...bolsters proof for a primordial comet reservoir just beyond Neptune." (1,2) Perhaps the comets in Kuiper's Belt are like primitive spermatogonia in the process of maturation.During the entire two month period when the sperm are maturing, they are also migrating towards the central open duct. When fully mature, the spermatozoa are transported to the epididymis for storage. The temperature of the scrotum is slightly lower (about 95 deg.F) than in the rest of the body- an essential requirement if the sperm is to be capable of fertilization. (Nilsson 26) Comets coincidentally, (as astronomer Fred Whipple figured out), are made mostly of ice. The idea that comets may carry complex organic matter inbedded in their icy matrix is gaining a foothold in scientific circles. (Sagan 117, 153-55)The behavior of sperm is very similar to the behavior of comets. During ejaculation, approximately 500 million sperm are released. They will encounter many obstacles on their journey through the vagina, uterus, and finally the fallopian tube where hopefully an egg is waiting. Sperm can survive from several hours to days, sometimes swimming back and forth waiting in the broad portion of the tube. Only a thousand or so, out of millions, make it to the ripe ovum. (Nilsson 43,44) Similarities between sperm and comets are most evident at this time. When a sperm nears the surface of the ovum, chemicals are released from it's cap (acrosome). It is believed these enzymes are responsible for clearing and dissolving the surface of an egg for penetration. (Nilsson 50) Comets have also been observed, (when nearing the surface of the sun), to eject gases from the head (which includes the coma and the nucleus). (Moore 22) Sperm use their tail to rotate like a drill when trying to penetrate the outer covering of an egg. (Nilsson 46) Scientists believe that the nucleus of a comet rotates also, and when in close proximity to the sun, the tails have been seen with kinks and twists in them, and rapid movement photographed. (Moore 22,30,70) Once the sperm enters the egg, the head often separates from the tail, leaving the tail to float off. It is therefore believed the head contains the genetic material and the tail becomes useless after penetration. (Nilsson 54) Rare photographs have been taken of comets disappearing into the sun and comets' tails have been observed separating from their heads. (Moore 30) A video camera attached to a satellite caught a time lapse motion picture of a comet on an impact trajectory with the sun. The head never appeared on the other side of the sun. "But the tail of this now decapitated comet continued intact for at least a day, before being dissipated and blown back from the Sun." (Sagan 248-249) Whenever comets are observed near the Sun, their tails are always pointing away from the Sun (Moore 28); suggesting they may be trying to enter head first. The fact that so many comets viewed are orbiting the Sun needs an explanation. "The Sun certainly attracts comets the way a burning flame attracts moths." (Moskin 57) Could the Sun also be an egg? But one which has not yet been fertilized? An interesting note is that a picture of a ripe unfertilized ovum does resemble the sun, and similar terms are again used to describe the outer layer of both (the corona radiata).Comets vary greatly in size and shape, sometimes producing bizarre configurations. (Moskin 56) In any sample of sperm one may find bizarre shapes or sperm which are probably useless in fertilization. (Rugh 9) Most comets also have a second type of tail other than the dust tail, called a plasma tail. The plasma tail is longer and narrower. Plasma tails, like the coma, emit light by fluorescence, not by scattering sunlight. (Moore 28) The acrosomes of the sperm are also illuminated by means of fluorescence. (Nilsson 28) Different structures have been seen in comet tails including a spiral helix structure. (Moore 30) In rodents sperm, in the middle piece, fibers are surrounded by a sheath arranged as a double helix. (Austin 71)A tremendous variety of cometary phenomena have been observed, but comets are still notorious for their erratic and unpredictable behavior. A small percentage of a comet's mass is lost every time it revolves around the sun; hence after many orbits and the sublimation process, a dead comet will result. (Moore 30) Sperm have a very small amount of protoplasm from which to derive energy; hence their life is also limited. Once inside the female tract, if a sperm has not found and fertilized an ovum withim 48 hours, it will die. (Rugh 14,15) Comets also do not follow strict gravitational laws. (Moore 22) Carl Sagan said "these erratic and unpredictable nongravitational motions of the comets recall Kepler's image of comets as fishes darting through the cosmic ocean." (102) This may suggest some of their movement is by self-propulsion; similar to the sperm.When sperm rotate vigorously, (trying to penetrate the ovum wall), they cause the egg to rotate in a counterclockwise direction. (Nillson 46) All of the planets, except for Venus, rotate in a counterclockwise direction. (Cattermole 62) Once a particular sperm penetrates an egg, the egg responds in several ways; it creates blocks to impregnation by future sperm and starts VIBRATING with embryonic changes. "If you could examine such an ovum alive under very high magnification, you might describe the activity of it's cytoplasm as relatively VIOLENT, only everything would be taking place on a drawn-out time scale, like an exaggerated slow-motion picture." (Rugh 20) It is hard to prove if and when a comet penetrated the surface of the Earth, and if the Earth's surface became impenetrable to other comets. One could describe the Earth's geological activity as VIOLENT at times, and the Earth as VIBRATING; suggesting major biological processes at work. A recent study by scientists reveals that the Earth vibrates continuosly- like a ringing bell. Gravity meters worldwide were analyzed and it was found that patterns of ongoing vibrations ripple across the entire planet every three to eight minutes. They are too small to feel but are definitely there; even during seismically inactive times. (Earth 18)A possible clue to the question of Earth's fertilization may be found in the ancient Serpent Mound located in southern Ohio. This prehistoric Earthwork is in the shape of a snake with a disconnected oval at what appears to be the head. It has been interpreted by some to be a serpent swallowing an egg, or other small animal. It could easily be interpreted as a sperm whose head has detached from it's tail; an unequivocal sign of fertilization. Who created the Serpent Mound is still a mystery. Perhaps it was built to document the event of a comet successfully penetrating the Earth at that location. It is relevant that the geological matrix around the Serpent Mound is unique and it has been suggested that it could have formed from a meteor crash.Tornadoes bear some attention; they may be more than a meteorological fluke. A twister is a rapidly rotating swirl of energy that tends to come out of the clouds towards the surface of the Earth; creating a path of destruction. Could tornadoes be SPERM/COMETS entering our atmosphere and trying to penetrate our egg's (the Earth's) surface? To no avail because the Earth has already been fertilized and created blocks to other sperm? "Long after fertilization, sperm with lashing tails may be seen trying in vain to enter the interior of the ovum. They may keep this up for days...there are sometimes a hundred or more sperm on the ovum's surface, and one can see how the tail movements make the ovum rotate counterclockwise." (Nilsson 57) Scientists still do not know why tornadoes develop; they can only describe the cloud configurations most likely to produce them. "In the United States, the winds in a tornado usually turn in a counterclockwise direction." (Fradin 25,29) A recent phenomenon called SPRITES (flashes of lights seen above thunderstorms), documented by astronomers (see Sentman ), look surprisingly similar to pictures of sperm (with colors of red and blue). These SPRITES were so named because they are elusive and seem to dance in the sky. It is interesting that tornadoes are often accompanied by hail, and comets are made of mostly ice. A few witnesses to tornadoes have noticed a gassy smell similar to sulfur when the tornado touched ground. Coincidentally, sperm have a sulfur protein located in their head. (Austin 75) Funnel clouds can be invisible until they pick up dirt and debris. (Kahl 22) A comet's tail is almost perfectly transparent. (Sagan 158) Tornadoes are erratic and unpredictable, much like comets, and sometimes there are outbreaks of hundreds of tornadoes hitting almost simultaneously. Scientists believe that sperm might work as a team in clearing the surface of an egg for penetration. Tornadoes work in much the same way in clearing the surface of the Earth.This paper suggests the hypothesis that the planet Earth is a living organism; specifically an EGG of some kind. Presently the Earth's configuration resembles a human ovum in the BLASTOCYST stage (several days after fertilization and before implantation in the uterus). Along with the "EGG hypothesis", it is suggested that comets are CELESTIAL SPERM, and one may have penetrated the Earth in the past. This paper provides a new PARADIGM for understanding the Earth, ourselves, and our relationship to the rest of the Universe. Hopefully, it will generate new questions and interpretations for cosmic phenomenon. Like any new paradigm it opens up a world of possibilities, just waiting to be explored. The most pressing question which comes to mind is "WHAT KIND OF CREATURE WILL THE EGG/EARTH DEVELOP INTO?" And "WHO OR WHAT ARE DEPOSITING THE SPERM/COMETS INTO SPACE?" Are solar systems big nests in the sky? Are we an egg inside of some being? Are the northern lights reflecting folds of some inner tube? Is the Earth called "she" because "she" really is a female embryo? Are earthquake faultlines literally cracks in an egg's surface? The idea of the Earth being an EGG is indeed Earth shattering! Perhaps we'd better entertain it in case she does soon literally shatter."I AM CERTAIN OF NOTHING BUT OF THE HOLINESS OF THE HEART'S AFFECTIONS AND THE TRUTH OF IMAGINATION. WHAT THE IMAGINATION SEIZES AS BEAUTY MUST BE TRUTH." ~ John Keats
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GAIA (Earth): A living Organism
Copyright 1998 THE EARTH:A COSMIC EGG/COMETS:CELESTIAL SPERM by Julie Longhill BIBLIOGRAPHY Austin, C.R., and R.V. Short, eds. REPRODUCTION IN MAMMALS: Book 1 Germ Cells and Fertilization. Cambridge:University Press, l972 Cattermole, Peter. EARTH AND OTHER PLANETS: Geology and Space Research. New York: Oxford UP, l995 Davis, Don, and David Hughes. THE MOON. New York: BLA Pub. Limited, l989 Fradin, Dennis Brindell. DISASTER! TORNADOES. Chicago:Childrens Press, l982 Kahl, Jonathan D. STORM WARNING: TORNADOES AND HURRICANES. USA: Lerner Pub.Co., l993 Klyce, Brig. COSMIC ANCESTRY. On-Line http://www.panspermia.org/comets.htm (posted Oct.l996) McClung, Robert M. THE AMAZING EGG. New York: E.P. Dutton, l980 Moore, Patrick, and John Mason. THE RETURN OF HALLEY'S COMET. New York: W.W Norton and Company, 1984 Moskin, Marietta D. SKY DRAGONS AND FLAMING SWORDS: THE STORY OF ECLIPSES, COMETS, AND OTHER STRANGE HAPPENINGS IN THE SKIES. New York: Walker and Co., 1985 Nilsson, Lennart. A CHILD IS BORN. New York: Dell Pub., l990 Rugh, Roberts, and Landrum B. Shettles, M.D. FROM CONCEPTION TO BIRTH: THE DRAMA OF LIFE'S BEGINNINGS. New York:Harper and Row, l971 Sagan, Carl and Ann Druyan. COMET. New York: Random House, l985 Sentman, D. SPRITES. On-Line http://sprite.gi.alaska.edu/html/sprites.htm (1997) Cochran, Anita and Hal Levinson, Alan Stern, Martin Duncan. "HUBBLE IDENTIFIES A LONG-SOUGHT POPULATION OF COMETS BEYOND NEPTUNE." NASA Press Release. Online 14 June. l995 "SHAKES WITHOUT QUAKES". Earth mag. Aug. l998: 18 Vogt, Gregory L. EARTH. Connecticut: Millbrook Press, l996Sign My Guestbook
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: I am Julie. In 1997, while walking on the Earth, an insight came to me. The insight was "the Earth is an Egg". At first I was surprised by the idea, but it would not let me go. I decided to do some research...and was AMAZED at what I found out. I was led to a book A CHILD IS BORN (by Lennart Nilsson)which has FANTASTIC pictures of eggs and sperm inside a woman's body. One of the pictures of an ovum looked strikingly similar to pictures of our Earth. While entertaining the idea of "the Earth being an egg", I wondered what could be the Sperm in space? My friend Tim Wallace jokingly mentioned "Comets"...and I was off to the library to do more research. I was again AMAZED and EXCITED to find so many similarities between comets and sperm. I wrote the article in 1998 to share what I had found out with others. Initially, I tried to publish with Astronomy magazines, but after being rejected, decided to go straight to "the people". I welcome your feedback. I am a human being, so if you find mistakes (misquotes, inaccurate information, etc)...PLEASE let me know. Presently I make my living as an artist; visual, poetry, music, etc..I do have a Masters degree in Anthropology. I am committed to Art, to Discovery, to Self Expression, to Freedom, to Humanity, to Earth, and to the Truth!Back to HOME PAGE� 2000 [email protected]
