The Unlikely Buddha

Imagine standing on Earth one moment, and in the next, the entire planet transforms into a sphere of fresh, uncompressed blueberries. What would happen to you as the planet undergoes its transformation? Anders Sandberg ’s thought experiment, "Blueberry Earth," explores this bizarre scenario in scientific detail, and when viewed from a human perspective, it becomes a harrowing tale of survival against the forces of gravity, thermodynamics, and planetary collapse. Here’s the story of Blueberry Earth as it unfolds. The Beginning: A Strange New World One moment you're standing on solid ground, and the next, Earth has become a giant sphere of blueberries. The surface beneath your feet is soft and squishy, made entirely of fresh blueberries packed together but not compressed. You notice several immediate changes: 1. Gravity Feels Different :    - Earth's gravitational pull has dropped dramatically. The blueberries are far less dense than Earth's...

The question "Is water wet?" is deceptively simple but opens up a fascinating discussion about the nature of wetness and how we perceive it. Let’s break it down from a physics and chemistry perspective. What Is Wetness? Wetness is generally understood as the sensation or condition of being covered or saturated with a liquid, typically water. In more scientific terms, wetness arises from the interaction between a liquid (like water) and a solid surface (like your skin, clothes, or any object). The perception of wetness depends on: 1. Adhesion : The ability of water molecules to stick to a surface. 2. Cohesion : The attraction between water molecules themselves. 3. Surface Tension: The cohesive forces that make water form droplets rather than spreading out infinitely thin. For something to be "wet," there must be a solid surface for the liquid to adhere to. Wetness is essentially the result of how liquids interact with solids. Is Water Itself We...