Planet Earth is a true wonder, a beautiful and rare jewel in space. The astronauts have said that, seen from space, the earth with its blue sky and its white clouds "was the most attractive object that they could see" .1
2 But the earth is not only beautiful. "The greatest of all scientific and cosmological puzzles, which escapes all our attempts to understand it, is the land" Lewis Thomas wrote on Discover. He added: "Only now do we begin to understand what is strange and wonderful, an incredible beauty, the most beautiful object you navigate around the sun, wrapped in his own atmosphere as in a blue bubble, unable to breathe and produce their own oxygen, to fix nitrogen from the air in your soil, to generate its own weather ".2
3 Another interesting fact is that, of all the planets of the solar system, Earth is the only one on which the Scientists have found life. And what a wonderful abundance of life forms: micro-organisms, insects, plants, birds, animals and humans! In addition, the land racchiude enormi risorse e tutto il necessario per sostenere ogni forma di vita. Per dirla con le parole del libro The Earth (La Terra), “la terra è la meraviglia dell’universo, un globo straordinario”.3
4 Per illustrare il carattere straordinario della terra, immaginate di trovarvi in un arido deserto, privo di qualsiasi forma di vita. All’improvviso vi imbattete in una bellissima casa, dotata di aria condizionata, riscaldamento, acqua corrente ed elettricità. Il frigorifero e la dispensa sono pieni di cibo. In cantina ci sono combustibili e altre provviste. Se chiedeste a qualcuno da dove è venuto fuori tutto ciò in un deserto inabitato, che pensereste se vi rispondesse che il tutto è comparso lì by any chance? Would you believe? You would not think that should definitely have quite a designer and manufacturer?
5 All the other planets on which scientists have sent probes are lifeless. But the land is teeming with life, supported by complicated systems that provide light, air, heat, water and food, all in perfect balance. It makes you think that has been specifically built to accommodate the living, as a magnificent home. And of course, as noted by one of the writers of the Bible, "every house is built by someone, but he that constructed all things is God." Yes, this "house" infinitely greater and more surprising - the planet Earth - presupposes the existence of a designer and builder extraordinarily intelligent, God - Hebrews 3:4. 6 More
study the planet Earth and its life forms, most scientists realize that is designed to really superb. An article in the magazine Science notes with wonder: "If we look to the universe and identify the various physical and astronomical events that have interacted for our benefit, we have the impression that the universe was somehow aware that we we were about to be born ".4 And Science News admits:" It seems unlikely that these particular conditions may have had an origin and precise random ".5
right distance from the sun
7 Among the many specific conditions necessary for life on earth is the amount of light and heat that it receives from the sun. The earth receives only a tiny fraction of solar energy. Yet it is precisely the right amount necessary to sustain life. This is because the earth is just the right distance from the sun, on average, 149.6 million km. If the earth were much closer or more distant from the sun, the temperature would be either too high or too low for life. 8
take a year to travel in its orbit around the sun, the earth is traveling at a speed of more than 107,000 km hour. This is just the right speed to overcome the gravitational pull of the sun and keep the earth at the right distance. If the velocity diminished, the earth would be attracted to the sun. Over time the land could become a desert burning like Mercury, the closest planet to the sun. The daytime temperature on Mercury exceeds 300 degrees Celsius. If the orbital velocity of the earth increases, the planet moves away from the sun and could become an expanse of ice as Pluto, the planet whose orbit touches the furthest point from the sun. The temperature of Pluto is more than 180 degrees below zero.
9 Moreover, the land regularly performs a complete revolution around its own axis every 24 hours. This leads to the alternation of regular periods of light and darkness. But what would happen, for example, if the earth rotates on its axis once a year? Throughout the year the sun would present the same face. This probably would become a desert on fire, while the hidden face to the sun would become a wasteland with temperatures below zero. In such inhospitable conditions, life forms could withstand a few, maybe none.
10 The earth spins around an axis tilted about 23 degrees and half to the perpendicular to the plane of its orbit around the sun. If the earth did not tilt it, there would be the changing of the seasons. The climate is always the same. This does not make life impossible, but make it less interesting and in many places would change drastically the current agricultural cycles. If the tilt of the Earth were much greater, we would have hot summers and winters are very strict. But the inclination of 23 ° and a half allows the pleasant change of seasons with their interesting variety. In many parts of the earth will have fresh springs with the awakening of vegetation and the blooming of beautiful flowers, hot summers that allow all sorts of outdoor activities, crisp autumn periods with the fantastic spectacle of the leaves changing color, and winters with beautiful views of Forests and snow-covered fields.
Our amazing atmosphere
11 Even the atmosphere around the earth is extraordinary, indeed unique. Not found in any other planet. It also lacks the moon, so that should be there to have a space suit. But the earth does not need space suits, because our atmosphere contains gases in the right proportions are indispensable to life. Some of these gases, per se, are lethal. But, in the proportions in which they are combined in the air, we can breathe safely.
12 One of these is oxygen gas, which accounts for 21 percent of the air we breathe. Without it, men and animals would die in a few minutes. But too much oxygen would jeopardize our existence. Why? Because pure oxygen, if breathed for too long, it becomes toxic. And then, the more oxygen there is, the easier it is burning. If the atmosphere contains too much oxygen, combustible materials become highly flammable. The fire that broke easily and would be difficult to tame them. Wisely, the oxygen is diluted with other gases, particularly nitrogen, which accounts for 78 percent of the atmosphere. But nitrogen is much more than a simple diluent. Every day, across the land during storms knock down millions of lightning. These electrical discharges are sì che parte dell’azoto si combini con l’ossigeno. La pioggia trasporta questi composti sulla terra, dove vengono utilizzati dalle piante come fertilizzanti.
13 L’anidride carbonica rappresenta meno dell’un per cento dell’atmosfera. A che serve una quantità così piccola? Senza di essa la vita vegetale morrebbe. Questa piccola quantità è ciò che le piante hanno bisogno di assorbire, cedendo in cambio ossigeno. Uomini e animali respirano l’ossigeno e cedono anidride carbonica. Maggiori percentuali di anidride carbonica nell’atmosfera potrebbero diventare dannose per gli uomini e gli animali. Una percentuale inferiore non potrebbe sostenere la vita vegetale. Che ciclo meraviglioso, preciso independent and is designed for plant life, animal and human!
14 The atmosphere is not only to sustain life. Also acts as a shield. At about 25 km altitude there is a thin layer of ozone that filters out harmful rays of the sun. Without this ozone layer, such radiation could destroy life on earth. The atmosphere also protects the Earth from meteor bombardment. Most of these never reach the ground, because, in contact with the atmosphere, they burn and they appear as shooting stars. If not, millions of meteors hitting every part of the world, with serious bodily injury and property. 15
addition to acting as a barrier, the atmosphere keeps the earth's heat and prevent the dispersion in the depths of space. It prevents the gravitational pull of the earth to escape to the atmosphere itself. The force of gravity is sufficient to do this, but it is not so strong as to impede our freedom of movement.
16 Not only the atmosphere is essential to life, but the sky, never dull, is one of the most beautiful things to see. Its vastness and its glory defy the imagination. Over all the earth the sky offering its ever-changing, majestic and colorful performances. To the east glows golden herald the dawn, while a occidente il cielo dà l’addio al giorno con uno spettacolo di sgargianti colori, con pennellate di rosa, arancione, rosso e viola. Bianche nuvole, vaporose e fluttuanti, annunciano una bella giornata primaverile o estiva; un manto di nubi autunnali simili a lana d’agnello preannuncia l’arrivo dell’inverno. Di sera il cielo stellato è qualcosa di stupendo, e una notte di luna ha una bellezza tutta particolare.
17 Che meraviglioso provvedimento, sotto tutti gli aspetti, è l’atmosfera terrestre! Scrivendo sul New England Journal of Medicine, qualcuno ha detto: “Tutto considerato, il cielo è qualcosa di prodigioso. È funzionale, e nell’assolvere i compiti per cui è stato progettato è infallibile come qualsiasi altra struttura naturale. Non credo che qualcuno di noi potrebbe pensare di migliorarlo, a parte forse lo spostamento occasionale di qualche nuvola da qui a là”.6 Queste parole fanno eco a ciò che millenni fa disse Giobbe, trovandosi di fronte a queste stesse cose, e cioè che sono “le meravigliose opere di Colui che è perfetto nella conoscenza”. Naturalmente si riferiva al “Creatore dei cieli”, “il Grande che li distende”. — Giobbe 37:16; Isaia 42:5.
L’acqua: una sostanza straordinaria
18 La terra contiene grandi quantità d’acqua, le cui proprietà sono essenziali alla life. Water is more abundant than any other substance. Among its many useful properties is the fact that presents itself as a gas (water vapor), as a liquid (water) and as a solid (ice), all within the limits of the earth's temperature. In addition, thousands of basic substances needed by humans, animals and plants must be transported in a fluid such as blood or lymph. In this respect, water is the element with the fluid is ideal because of the larger solvent power. Without water, nutrition would cease, since living organisms depend on water to assimilate the necessary nutrients.
19 Extraordinary is also the way in which water freezes. With the lowering of temperature, water in lakes and seas becomes heavier and goes to the bottom. This forces the water warmer, lighter, rising to the surface. But when the water approaches the freezing point, the process is reversed! The cold water becomes lighter and rises again. When it becomes ice, it floats. The ice acts as an insulator and prevents freezing of water below, thus protecting aquatic life. Without this unique feature, each winter, a growing amount of ice accumulates on the bottom, where the sun could not melt the following summer. In a short time most of the water in rivers, lakes and even oceans would change it in ice, solidified. The land would become an ice planet and inhospitable to life.
20 Extraordinary is also the way in which the areas away from rivers, lakes and seas receive the water necessary to life. Every second the sun's heat turns trillion gallons of water into steam. This vapor, lighter than air, rises and forms clouds in the sky. The wind and air currents push these clouds, and, under the right conditions, the condensed steam falls as rain. But the raindrops do not exceed certain dimensions. What would happen if you do not, and the drops took exceptional gigantic proportions? Could be disastrous! Instead of the usual rain drops are proportionate and gently sloping, often damaging even a blade of grass or the most delicate flower. What a brilliant and thoughtful design is evident in the water! - Psalm 104:1, 10-14, Ecclesiastes 1:7.
"The productive land"
21 One of the biblical writers describe God as "He who firmly establishes the productive land by his wisdom." (Jeremiah 10:12) And this "productive land" - the soil of the planet Earth - is truly admirable. Its composition reveals wisdom. The soil has properties essential for plant growth. The plants, in the presence of light, combining the nutrients contained in soil and water with carbon dioxide in the air and producing food substances. - Compare Ezekiel 34:26, 27.
The soil contains 22 chemical elements necessary for the sustenance of human and animal life. But the vegetation must first transform these elements into forms absorbable by. Contribute to this tiny living organisms. In a single teaspoon of soil if they can find several million! There are many types, each of which is being done to convert grass and dead leaves and other waste substances, or to break up can fall onto the ground for air and water. Some bacteria convert nitrogen into compounds necessary for plant growth. The surface soil is enriched by the work of earthworms and insects which, digging tunnels, continuously bring to the surface soil particles below.
23 It is true that abuse and other factors damaging certain areas of land. But the damage is not necessarily irreversible. The land has extraordinary resilience. This is evident in places devastated by fires or volcanic eruptions. Over time these areas become covered with dense vegetation to return. And, if we take control of pollution, it also regenerates the soil in those parts which had become extensions desolate. More importantly, as a radical solution to the problem of destruction of the land the Creator of the earth proposes to "bring to ruin those ruining the earth" and preserve it according to its original purpose as the eternal home of mankind. - Revelation (Apocalypse) 11:18, Isaiah 45:18.
It was not the case
24 Reflecting on the above, the question arises: Was it blind chance to ensure that the earth is just the right distance from the sun, its source of energy in the form of light and heat? This was the case to ensure that the Earth orbits the sun just at the right speed, turn on its axis every 24 hours, and with the right angle? It has been the case to provide a protective atmosphere to the earth can support life, its atmosphere formed by the right combination of gas? This was the case at providing the ground water and soil needed to produce food substances? This was the case to provide many delicious varieties of colorful fruit, vegetables and other foods? This was the case to give such beauty to the sky, mountains, water courses, lakes, flowers, plants, trees and many other wonderful forms of life?
25 Many came to the conclusion that all this can hardly be attributed to the blind case. See everywhere the unmistakable imprint of intelligent design, intentional and thoughtful. Recognizing this is only fair that the beneficiaries 'fear God and give glory' because he is "He who made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters." - Revelation 14:7.
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