A Mathematician Calculated The Size of a Giant Meatball Made of Every Human
Planet Earth is currently home to around 8.2 billion living human bodies. Virtually every one of which, when you think about it, is basically a deconstructed meatball in some variation of Birkenstocks and a North Face jacket.
You didn't think about it? Well, four years ago, a math enthusiast on Reddit did, contributing to the majestic library of online content that helps you visualize the sweaty lump of mass traditionally referred to as the human race.
"If you blended all 7.88 billion people on Earth into a fine goo (density of a human = 985 kg/m3, average human body mass = 62 kg), you would end up with a sphere of human goo just under 1 km wide," Reddit contributor kiki2703 wrote in a post I've since bookmarked for sharing at the family barbeques I'm no longer allowed to attend.
Reasoning the density of a minced human to be 985 kilograms per cubic meter (62 pounds per cubic foot) is a fair estimate, given past efforts have judged our jiggling sack of grade-A giblets to average out in the ballpark of 1 gram per cubic centimeter, or roughly the same as water. And in mid-2021, the global population was just around 7.9 billion, give or take.
The fact this roughly 500-million-metric-ton meatball would not only sit neatly inside the city of New York but could fit within the confines of Central Park with room for a queue of tourists might come as a shock to anybody who has been forced to jostle for elbow room in Times Square at midnight on New Years Eve.
How might this compare with other items on the menu, though?
If we want a sausage made from every insect, it would weigh around a billion tons. By some estimates insects are only a little less dense than water, on average, therefore easily doubling the size of our meatball.
Want a bootleg Filet-O-Fish to go with that? Current estimates of mesopelagic fishes come out around the same, at about 1 billion tons.
Of course if you're not picky and are happy to pack the planet's mass of bacteria into a giant slurpee container, you could come away with a 70 billion ton beverage that has a density just over that of water, which would help turn Manhattan into an all-you-can-eat buffet.
The fact our biosphere could all stack inside such a compact region is the real food for thought, however. Though perhaps not something that's easily digested at your next family brunch.
Sorry Mom.
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Yahoo
19 hours ago
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A Mathematician Calculated The Size of a Giant Meatball Made of Every Human
Planet Earth is currently home to around 8.2 billion living human bodies. Virtually every one of which, when you think about it, is basically a deconstructed meatball in some variation of Birkenstocks and a North Face jacket. You didn't think about it? Well, four years ago, a math enthusiast on Reddit did, contributing to the majestic library of online content that helps you visualize the sweaty lump of mass traditionally referred to as the human race. "If you blended all 7.88 billion people on Earth into a fine goo (density of a human = 985 kg/m3, average human body mass = 62 kg), you would end up with a sphere of human goo just under 1 km wide," Reddit contributor kiki2703 wrote in a post I've since bookmarked for sharing at the family barbeques I'm no longer allowed to attend. Reasoning the density of a minced human to be 985 kilograms per cubic meter (62 pounds per cubic foot) is a fair estimate, given past efforts have judged our jiggling sack of grade-A giblets to average out in the ballpark of 1 gram per cubic centimeter, or roughly the same as water. And in mid-2021, the global population was just around 7.9 billion, give or take. The fact this roughly 500-million-metric-ton meatball would not only sit neatly inside the city of New York but could fit within the confines of Central Park with room for a queue of tourists might come as a shock to anybody who has been forced to jostle for elbow room in Times Square at midnight on New Years Eve. How might this compare with other items on the menu, though? If we want a sausage made from every insect, it would weigh around a billion tons. By some estimates insects are only a little less dense than water, on average, therefore easily doubling the size of our meatball. Want a bootleg Filet-O-Fish to go with that? Current estimates of mesopelagic fishes come out around the same, at about 1 billion tons. Of course if you're not picky and are happy to pack the planet's mass of bacteria into a giant slurpee container, you could come away with a 70 billion ton beverage that has a density just over that of water, which would help turn Manhattan into an all-you-can-eat buffet. The fact our biosphere could all stack inside such a compact region is the real food for thought, however. Though perhaps not something that's easily digested at your next family brunch. Sorry Mom. The Genetic Mystery of Why Cats Purr May Finally Be Solved There's an Invisible Line That Animals Don't Cross. Here's Why. Dehorning Rhinos Cuts Poaching by 78% – Saving Thousands of Animals' Lives
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Teflon is a brand name for a synthetic chemical called polytetrafluoroethylene that's used in many household products, from wire coatings to fabric protectors and kitchen cookware. The knock on Teflon is that it's unsafe if consumed or absorbed into the body and can increase the chances of cancer and other diseases. Studies have shown some connections (more on that below), but Teflon still exists and is used to make cookware, and the safety concerns around Teflon are mostly a thing of the past. I stress mostly. Here's why… The brand Teflon may be associated with a risk of cancer, but it's actually a chemical formerly used in the making of Teflon called PFOA that's to blame. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, perfluorooctanoic acid is a manufactured perfluorochemical developed in the 1930s and used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease and water. Thanks to a federal ban, all Teflon and nonstick cookware made after 2013 should be free of harmful PFOA. Europe enacted the same ban in 2008. All-Clad What are the negative effects of PFOA? In some studies, PFOA has been linked to cancer, immune deficiency and a host of other medical problems. It has also been shown to affect growth and development and injure the liver in laboratory animals. As recently as 2017, chemical giant Dupont settled a lawsuit for more than $670 million for its role in contaminating drinking water with PFOA (also referred to as C-8) in the mid-Ohio Valley. A previous class-action suit from 2004 in the same area led to a study that found PFOA was linked to cancer and compromised immune function, even in small doses. Teflon cookware made before 2013 may be toxic All that was enough for most manufacturers to halt the production of nonstick coatings using PFOA around 2002. Teflon using PFOA wasn't officially banned in the United States until 2014. 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