November 20, 2024
When did your life begin? Would the world be a better place if you had been aborted?
Your life began at conception (sperm egg fertilization). Whether the world would be better or worse if you had been aborted is impossible to answer. No one knows what would have been the "butterfly effect" of your abortion or your continuation of life.
A dynamic universe: a "creatix"
A matrix is a place or platform where things are created. To create is to transform. The universe is a creative matrix, or a "creatix", continuously transforming energy into different forms. We're all part of a dynamic, non-deterministic, universe creating things (transforming energy) continuously. That continous transformation and movement is what we call time. Small events such as the conception of a human being, its abortion, or its life continuation may have compounded significant effects in the creation and transformation process over time.
The value of life: an uncertainty at best
The value of life is unknown and subjective. Everyone can have a different opinion about the subject. Regarding your particular life, the facts are clear. You were conceived, were not aborted, and experienced (and continue to experience) cell division. You began as a single cell (a zygote) formed when parental sperm fertilized maternal egg. As a zygote, you began a series of cell divisions that gradually turned you into the complex cellular network that you are now, composed of about 37 trillion cells. The approximately 100 billion cells in your central nervous system (CNS) (brain, spinal cord, and nerves) collaborate 24/7 to create your sense of self and your consciousness. It is up to you, that cellular network (about 37 trillion cells controlled by 100 billion CNS cells) to decide the value of your life, and the purpose or multiple purposes for it.
What is life? Not a problem to be solved; a journey in which to evolve.
As we see it, life is not not a problem to be solved. Life is a journey in which to evolve. If life were to be tackled as a "problem", the optimal solution would be death. Death is the ultimate solution to life when life is seen as a problem to be solved. There's no need to rush into that solution. It will get to us, sooner or later.
Death results from cellular damage.
Biological death is a result of cellular damage that is not repaired or replaced. Human technology is still primitive and not capable of repairing or replacing certain types of cellular damage. That "problem" will be eventually resolved. There will come a time when there is sufficient knowledge and technology to repair all types of cellular damage. There will be a time when your CNS can be digitize for backup into servers. There will be a time when humans or future cyborgs will achieve immortality.
Immortality will come sooner or later.
Luckily, we are not there yet. It may take centuries if not millennia to crack the nut on immortality. Once humans or the next generation of machines in charge of the world achieve immortality, more complicated problems will arise. That is part of what we call the Problem Paradox where the solution of a problem brings new problems, which are oftentimes significantly more complex that the original problem solved.
The Problem Paradox
Immortality will bring incredibly complex problems that would most likely need to be solved with artificial death or life abortion solutions. There's no practical need to worry about any of that for now. It's just food for thought, a salty snack for the mind, for anyone out there inclined to philosophize.
Life begins at conception.
Let's move now into what we know for sure. It is safe to say that over 99% of humans on Earth were conceived the traditional way (male ejaculation into a female vagina). A little less than 1% of the worldwide population was born under assisted reproduction techniques (ART) such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), which involves fertilizing an egg with sperm outside the body in a laboratory setting. Besides IVF, several other ART exist.
- Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI): A single sperm is injected directly into an egg. Often used in conjunction with IVF for severe male infertility.
- Intrauterine Insemination (IUI): Sperm is placed directly into the uterus during ovulation to increase the chances of fertilization. Less invasive than IVF.
- Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT): Eggs and sperm are placed directly into the fallopian tube for natural fertilization. Requires functional fallopian tubes.
- Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer (ZIFT): A fertilized zygote is transferred into the fallopian tube. Combines aspects of IVF and GIFT.
In addition to the above, eggs or sperm can be donated, and surrogate women can carry pregnancies for someone others, which may involve IVF or other ART. Regardless of the method of fertilization, it should be undisputed that life begins at conception (i.e. fertilization). Whether that life is independently viable or not is, of course, another question. Whether that life is a legal "person" is, of course, another matter altogether.
Fertilization can take minutes or days after sperm insemination.
The fertilization of the egg by the sperm can occur in as little as half an hour to one hour in the case of IVF or after "normal" ejaculation if the egg is in fallopian tube and sperm reaches it quickly. Since sperm can survive inside the female reproductive tract for up to 5–6 days, fertilization can happen 5 to 6 days after the sperm insemination.
The Zygote
A fertilized egg becomes a single cell called a zygote. The word comes from the Greek yoke, meaning combining two things together. This zygote contains the genetic material for the construction of the human being, 46 chromosomes in total (23 from the sperm and 23 chromosomes from the egg). The zygote is a complete organism in its earliest form, ready to begin the process of development.
The cleavage (first cellular division) kicks start the cell division process that turns the zygote into a person.
Shortly after formation, about 24 to 30 hours after, the zygote begins to undergo rapid cell division. The first cell division is called cleavage. The zygote undergoes cellular mitosis (division), that results in the formation of two identical cells known as blastomeres.
From Zygote to Morula
Subsequent divisions continue increasing the number of cells, creating 4 cells, then 8, 16, 32, and so on. In about 3 or 4 days, the unicellular zygote turns into a multicellular unit called a morula.
From Morula to Blastocyst
In about 2 or 3 more days, the morula develops into a blastocyst. The blastocyst is a multicellular sack (anywhere from 100 to 300 cells) that implants on the wall of the uterus. The outer cells of the blastocyst, called trophoblast, will form the placenta, which will support the embryo by facilitating nutrient and waste exchange between the mother and the fetus. The inner cell mass (ICM) will develop into the embryo itself, which will eventually form all the tissues and organs of the body.
Cellular Differentiation and Specialization
In the center of the blastocyst, there is a fluid-filled cavity (blastocoel) that provides space for the cells to organize and allows for growth and differentiation. Differentiation is the process by which cells in the blastocyst begin to specialize, initiating the process of forming the different parts of the embryo and supporting structures. The inner cell mass contains pluripotent cells like the "stem cells", which have the potential to differentiate into any cell type in the body (except for the placenta).
Cell differentiation and specialization are processes by which a less specialized cell (like a stem cell) becomes a more specialized cell type (such as a muscle cell, skin cell, nerve cell, or neuron). These processes are guided by a combination of genetic signals and external factors that expose (turn "on") or cover (turn "off") different parts of the gene.
The DNA "keyboard"
All cells in the body contain the entire DNA, the entire electromagnetic "keyboard" of life. However, not all genes (not all keys of the keyboard) are "pressed" or active in every cell. Specific sections and combinations (different "keys") are "played" by different cells depending on internal and external factors.
Some "keys" of the DNA "keyboard" are exposed and played (turned "on") and some are not (turned "off") in what biologists referred to as gene expression. That process determines the cell's function and output just like pressing different keys on a keyboard lead to different results.
The specific "keys" played on the DNA "keyboard" of life dictate the different output, the proteins that the cell will assemble. Differentiation (the different "keys" played on the DNA "keyboard) is a result of a combination of internal factors (e.g., inherited from parent cells) or external ones (e.g., chemical signals from nearby cells, hormones, or physical contact). Non-genetic factors such as chemical signals from hormones influence the cells. Cells also communicate with their neighboring cells via direct contact or molecular signals, which also influence their differentiation path.
Once differentiation starts, specific genes (keys on the keyboard) are used (keys pressed or "played"), leading to the production of specialized proteins necessary for a particular cell type (e.g., hemoglobin in red blood cells). As gene exposure or expression changes, cells undergo physical changes, like adopting unique shapes (e.g., long extensions in nerve cells) and producing specific proteins that lead to specific shapes and structures.
From Zygote to Adult: Lots of Cellular Division and Multiplication with Zero Magic
In this universe, there's no magic; it's all work. Understandably, whatever humans don't understand can be seen as mysterious and attributed to the catch all of all ignorance, the concept of "magic". There's no magic; it's all work whether we understand yet it or not. Cell division and cellular differentiation explain the development from zygote to adult. The number of cell divisions from a zygote to adulthood is vast and depends on the type of cells and the individual's size, but a rough estimate can be made:
You are a trillionaire. Enjoy.
A typical adult human body contains around 37.2 trillion cells. Starting with 1 cell (the zygote), successive divisions grow exponentially, producing 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, and so on. By about 47 cell divisions, you would theoretically reach the number of cells in an adult (considering some overlap due to cell turnover and varying cell lifespans). However, since many cells continue dividing continuously throughout life, with new cells replacing old or damaged cells, an individual may have experienced approximately 10,000 trillion cell divisions throughout the body, considering development, growth, and routine maintenance from zygote to adulthood.
In conclusion, from a single cell zygote you turned into a complex network of approximately 37 trillion cells after 47 initial cell divisions followed by trillions of additional cell divisions and differentiation processes. Each cell in your body contains the entire DNA "keyboard", but not all keys (genes) of the keyboard are played at once. The keys played are tightly controlled by inherited factors and by environmental factors. Hereditary and external factors help determine which keys (genes) are played by each one of the 37 trillions of cells in your body. The process is complex due to the zillions of parts involved and the zillions of processes happening every millisecond of your life. However, it's all work and zero magic. Since you were not aborted, you have a life to live. Learn to live it. Learn to enjoy it while it lasts. It will be over relatively soon.
Now you know it.
Live well. Die better. Enjoy. Remember that life is not a problem to be solved. The solution would be death. Life is an opportunity to embrace while it lasts.
Creatix, is a thought-provoking matrix. A matrix is a place or platform where things are created. Our mission is to create thought-provoking content. The mission is readers benefiting from Creatix. It it sparks your thinkin, its working. On the web at www.creatix.one
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