Jonathan Swift on Quantum Mechanics, 1733

Farkel

"So, naturalists observe a flea,

hath smaller fleas that on him prey,

and these have smaller fleas to bite 'em,

and so proceeds ad infinitum!"

Farkel

Ah! Ad Infinitum. That should get them thinking. Way back in ad infinitum, the borg came out of nothing to bite itself in the ass and it still can't get rid of those pesty fleas like you and the other greats here who keep getting under their skin just like those fleas you keep biting them ad infinitum.

Walkin

Satanus

He may have realised something. A few yrs ago, scientists had just become able see a new (to them) bug that was the smallest, so far. The arguement raged about whether they were actually living, or not. Naturally, many scientists will have concluded that there could not be bugs smaller than those, UNTIL, they find smaller ones, again.

Similarly, common thought, for a while was that the atom was THE building block of nature, the smallest one. Then, they split it, and found a bunch more particles. They continue to do so, today.

Similarly, in the computer field. They have fretted, at various times that they would run out of space in the magnetic media to store information. Then, a new way is found to store more in less. This has happened over and over, again.

All of the above is not surprising, if you consider that most of the matter that we see as solid is mostly empty, except for the containing magnetic fields. I call it inner space. Inner space resembles somewhat, outer space, in the huge amounts of space between the particles and the electromagnetic charges present. Perhaps, inner space will prove to be infinite, as outer space may be.

S

frankiespeakin

Fark,

and so proceeds ad infinitum!"

I think the process has to stop at the virus level, I don't see it any smaller than the self replicating molecular level, which a virus is.

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/virus.html

Farkel

: I don't see it any smaller than the self replicating molecular level, which a virus is.

Yeah, but maybe the virus does!

Farkel

Satanus

Viroids are smaller:

'Science Dictionary
viroid (vi'roid') Pronunciation Key
An infectious agent that consists solely of a single strand of RNA and causes disease in certain plants. Viroids lack the protein coat (known as a capsid) of viruses and are the smallest known infectious agents. Containing only about 250 to 375 base pairs, they are much smaller than the smallest genomes of viruses and have no genes for encoding proteins. After invading a host cell, viroids are thought to mimic the cell's DNA, so that the cell's RNA polymerase replicates them in the nucleus. Viroids are believed to cause disease by interfering with the host cell's gene regulation. They are destructive to many important commercial plants, including potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, coconuts, and chrysanthemums.

Prions, also.

Virii, viroids and prions prey on cells.

S

frankiespeakin

Satan,

Yeah I should have done my research a little more. But since we can only go down to the simplest self replicating Molecules it has to stop there and in no way can i imagine it going down to the Subatomic.

Farkel

:and in no way can i imagine it going down to the Subatomic

The Bible writer thought the mustard seed was the smallest of all seeds, too!

Farkel

Satanus

Virii don't actually self replicate. That is one reason why it is agrued that virii aren't alive. They hyjack a cell to do it for them. The cell is destroyed, when the newly replicated virii burst forth to start over in different cells.

S

JWoods

It might be of interest to note that Chairman Mao was a great believer in an infinite progression of ever-smaller nuclear structure down to infinity.

This is NOT a feature of any scientifically accepted modern quantum theory, however.

Jonathan Swift on Quantum Mechanics, 1733

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