Chapter 1-2

Question 0

Dragons of Eden, Carl Sagan, 13

Answer 0

Yet we are able to date events in the remote past. Geological stratification and radioactive dating provide informations about archeological,paleontological and geological events

Question 1

Dragons of Eden, Carl Sagan, 7

Answer 1

Biology is more like history than it is like physics; the accidents and errors and lucky happenstances of the past powerfully prefigured the present

Question 2

Dragons of Eden, Carl Sagan, Chapter 1

Answer 2

Cosmic Calendar 
15 billion year Universe lifetime(BB)
               compressed into a year
Every billion year in Earth history 
               equates 24 days 
One Second equates 475 real
      revolutions of the Earth around Sun

Question 3

Dragons of Eden, Carl Sagan, Chapter 2

Answer 3

Human DNA molecule(from chromosome)  
5 billion nucleotides pairs (4 kinds*5bill)
20 billion bits 
3 billion letters
500 million words (6 letter words)
2 million pages (300 word pages)
4000 books (500 page books)

Question 4

Dragons of Eden, Carl Sagan, 27

Answer 4

The raw materials of evolution are mutations….mutations are caused by 1)radioactivity in the environment 2)Cosmic rays from the sun 3)randomly-by spontaneous rearrangements of the nucleotides which statistically must occur every now and then.

Question 5

Dragons of Eden, Carl Sagan, 27-28

Answer 5

Mutations that count are in the gametes the eggs and sperm cells

Question 6

Dragons of Eden, Carl Sagan, 29

Answer 6

Large organisms such as humans average 1 mutation per 10 gametes–that is, there is a 10% chance that any given sperm or egg cell produced will have a new inheritable change in the genetic instruction(nucleotide sequence)that determine the makeup(DNA MOLECULE) of the next generation

Question 7

Dragons of Eden, Carl Sagan, Chapter 2

Answer 7

Brain Density (1 gram per cc)*
Average: 1375 cubic centimeters*
Lord Bryon: 2200 cc
Anatole France: 1100 cc
Microcephalics: 450-900 cc
Normal newborn: 350 cc
One year old: 500 cc
Mature Sperm Whale: 9000cc

• 1 pound = 453.59 grams
• 3 pounds roughly

Question 8

Dragons of Eden, Carl Sagan, Chapter 2

Answer 8

Number of Neurons

Human Brain w/o cerebellum:10 billion Cerebellum: 10 billion

Question 9

Dragons of Eden, Carl Sagan, 42

Answer 9

neuron are considered to be the active elements in brain function, although there is evidence that some specific memories and other cognitive functions may be contained in particular molecules in the brain such as RNA or small proteins*

Question 10

Dragons of Eden, Carl Sagan, Chapter 2

Answer 10

Average Human Neuron has between 1,000-10,000 synapses or links with other adjacent neurons

If each synapse responds by yes or no, the maximum number of yes/ no answers or bits of info:

• 10 trillion Bits-1000 synapses per neuron
• The Brain’s neurons contain 25 watts of power

Question 11

Dragons of Eden, Carl Sagan, 48

Answer 11

Information Density
CPU (‘77): 1 million(10^6) bits per cc
Human: 10 billion(10^10) bits per cc
Brain is 10,000x more packed than a CPU (1977)

Question 12

Dragons of Eden, Carl Sagan, 48

Answer 12

Data Processing Rate
CPU(‘77): 10^16 bits per second
Human: 100 bits per second