Inventory of the Universe

Inventory of the Universe – First Book from The Explanation Series

Inventory of the Universe, The Explanation series, volume 1

Get ready for the exploration of a lifetime

       Inventory of the Universe, from The Explanation series, whisks you from the original elementary particles in the confines of 14 billion years of outer space through Earth’s protective atmosphere, zips down to our lush, liveable home-base globe, plunges into the absorbing aqueous kingdom of water.

       We’ll dart onto hospitable terra firma with its exotic flora, oftentimes bizarre fauna, and you and me, probably the most extraordinary and enigmatic beings, human life, on earth with our handy multi-functional bodies, intelligent, thinking (sometimes) brains and imaginative (sometimes a little too much) minds.

Inventory of the Universe will plunk you down in atypical situations and dare to ask unanswerable questions:

• Was there anything before the Big Bang?
• How can stardust become a reasoning human being?
• How can animals walk and run off with all the Olympic medals while man beats them hands down for all the Nobel prizes?

       We’ll whiz around the universe with Galacti, our ubiquitous roving reporter, turning each of the puzzle pieces that compose our Universe right side up.

Turning the puzzle pieces
right side up

       To begin our quest to assemble the puzzle and discover how to bring peace and prosperity to Earth, we must first take inventory to learn what the bigger issues in life are … indeed, life itself.

       How can we reach a solution if we don’t know what the real issues are?

Inventory of the Universe is designed to broaden your horizons if you want an explanation for the big questions in life: who am I? Why am I here? Can I reach peace and prosperity?

       We need to focus on the fundamental issues (tree trunks and roots) instead of the day-to-day issues (budding branches and falling leaves).

       Daily news focuses on twigs … are you aware of the totality of the tree and forest? Inventory raises your eyes from your immediate environment to encompass the countryside, the nation, the world, the universe… and even beyond.

This is the first book in The Explanation Series, which is available through all your favorite vendors, and online through the links below.

Content of Inventory of the Universe

Preface

1 Expanding Finity

• • Expanding Finity (1.1)
    Point Particles (1.2)
    Composite Particles (1.3)
    Atoms – Protons, Neutrons and Electrons (1.4)
    The Four Main Forces Holding the Universe Together (1.5)
    A Chat between Galacti and the Author (1.6)
    Gluons – Universal Glue (1.7)
    Gravity (1.8)
    The Expanding Universe (1.9)
    The Theory of Everything (1.10)

2 Atmospheric Cocoon

• • Atmospheric Cocoon (2.1)
    The Big Bang’s first seconds and minutes (2.2)
    Stardom (2.3)
    The Life Cycle of a Star (2.4)
    Earth in the Making—It’s All about Location (2.5)
    Earth’s Atmosphere: Ingredients for Life (2.6)
    The Hydrogen/Helium, Nitrogen/Oxygen Mystery (2.7)
    Nitrogen Cycle (2.8)

3 Planet Water

• • Planet Water–Our Cocoon of Survival and Beauty (3.1)
    The Water Cycle (3.2)
    Different Processes in the Water Cycle (3.3)
    Vital Water (3.4)
    Salty or Fresh (3.5)
    Coastal Zones (3.6)
    Massive and Majestic (3.7)
    Heat, Oxygen, and Food (3.8)

4 Our Earth

• • Our Earth, Soil is not just Dirty Dirt (4.1)
    Land Supporting Life (4.2)
    Let’s Play with Earth–From Volcanos to Soil (4.3.1)
    Biomes, Ecological Biodiversified Playgrounds for Mankind (4.3.2)
    Let’s Work with Earth: All Professions (4.4)
    Let’s Eat from the Earth: Trace Minerals (4.5)
    Earthworms: Natural Fertilization (4.6)
    Arable Land (4.7)

5 The Flora Pivot

• • The Flora Pivot (5.1)
    Plants, Water, and Oxygen = Life on Earth (5.2)
    Plant species in a World Demonstration Garden (5.3.1)
    A World Flora Demonstration Garden (5.3.2)
    Contemplating Time and Flora (5.4)
    Pollination (5.5)
    Spring Wheat Harvest (5.6)
    Fall Harvest (5.7)
    Life Hinges on Flora (5.8)

6 Animal Ability

• • Animal Ability (6.1)
    Communicators (6.2)
    Organizers (6.3)
    Navigators (6.4)
    Climbers and Swimmers (6.5)
    Tool Makers (6.6)
    Home Builders (6.7)
    Weatherproofers (6.8)
    Galacti’s Interlude (6.9)

7 Human Life in Content of Inventory of the Universe

• • Human Life (7.1)
    Life Is Complex Simplicity (7.2)
    Elements to Molecules (7.3)
    Nucleotides and DNA (7.4)
    Amino Acids (7.5)
    Protein Transcription—A Reliable Copy (7.6)
    Translation—From Information to Construction (7.7)
    Protein Folding (7.8)
    Cells—Body Building Blocks (7.9)
    Cell Life Cycle (7.10)
    Programmed Cell Death (7.11)
    Stem Cells and Differentiation (7.12)
    Transposable Elements and Jumping Genes (7.13)
    Epigenetics (7.14)
    Gene Chart: How Many Genes, Chromosomes, and DNA Base Pairs Do Other Organisms Have (7.15)

8 Bodies Alive

• • Bodies Alive (8.1)
    Blood and Breath (8.2)
    Voices and Tongues (8.3)
    Skeleton (8.4)
    Skin, Hair, and Nails (8.5)
    Muscles: The Engine (8.6)
    Hands: Paint, Carve, Cook, and Throw (8.7)
    The Reproductive System (8.8)

9 Brain and Mind

• • Brain and Mind (9.1)
    The Cerebral Cortex and the Geography of the Brain (9.2)
    The Nervous System and the Multitasking Brain (9.3.1)
    Your Brain is Multitasking 100s and 1000s of functions all the time (9.3.2)
    The Acquiring Brain Has a Mind of Its Own (9.4)
    “Wired” Habits and Repetition (9.5)
    Think First (9.6)
    Critical Periods: When Babies and Children Learn (9.7.1)
    When a Child’s Brain Accelerates its Development (9.7.2)
    Unique Brains (9.8)
    Mind and Cognition (9.9)
    Thoughts and Activity (9.10.1)
    Thinking Precedes and Activates Brain Activity (9.10.2)

10 The Human/Animal Dilemma

• • The Human/Animal Dilemma (10.1)
    Amazing Animals and Less Amazing Humans (10.2)
    Animal Senses (10.3)
    Animal Bodies (10.4)
    Animal Movement (10.5)
    Animals’ Survival in Extreme Conditions (10.6)
    Animal Stages of Life and Sociability (10.7)
    Animal Accomplishments (10.8)
    Animal and Human Intelligence (10.9)
    What Is an Animal? What Is a Human? (10.10)
    Final Notions, Concepts, and Ideas for Thought (10.11)

Epilogue

Selected References

Image Credits

Index