There is a Regina Spektor song called Blue Lips that has a line that goes “blue the color of the planet from far, far away”.
Sometimes I think about that line as a representation of an entire category of lines. It is the representative, in my mind, because it was playing in the background while my mom and I were having a discussion about the how the internet as an equalizer affects our opinions on what the average person is like, particularly in terms of intelligence, and I pointed to it as an example.
It represents a category of common quotes that casually reference something that we, the human race, only know because of our extensive scientific research. Before 1969 we were unable to see what our planet looked like from far far away. We could have surmised from the fact that the world is mostly covered in water, but would a lyricist have just thought of that poetic phrase if the famous Blue Marble picture was not widely available to all who desire to view it?
What about the constant references to genes? Look up “gene quotes” on Google and aside from a few quotes talking about famous Genes (e.g. Simmons, Kelly, Wilder, etc) you get everything from comedians joking about funny genes to scientist talking about Down Syndrome.
It is amazing that we have access to the idea that we are made up of lines of code built by proteins, and that this is a major part of what makes up our traits. I am not saying that everyone really understands genes and DNA, just as Regina Spektor may not be able to quote the percentage of the Earth’s surface area covered in water (~70.8%), but it is sublime to live in a society where a large percentage of the population can be expected to have basic knowledge of genes, stars, planets, pi, etc. This is a great indicator of the effect of scientific research, how it has infiltrated society and changed the average person’s view of the world. Well, except for people’s opinions on math. Many still seem to hate math, not that it is the basis for any cool physics or anything.
comic courtesy xkcd.com
My name is Caroline Storm Westenhover. I am a Senior Electrical Engineering student at the University of Texas at Arlington. I am the third of seven children. I enjoy collecting ideas and theories and most enjoy when they come together to present a bigger picture as a whole. Perhaps that is why I like physics and engineering. My biggest dream is to become an astronaut.