In most of my writing, I like to explore the edges of reality. There is so much that we don’t see, and what we do perceive is not always what actually exists.
In conducting research for my upcoming book, The Presidential Pretender, I studied a number of leading-edge scientific areas. One of those areas was energy. This is an area of great confrontation in the world, woven deeply into the fabric of our nation.
We are a world that is dependent upon fossil fuels ─ oil, gas and coal. Without them, the engine of world commerce would grind to a rapid halt. However, these fuels are causing damage to the planet. Just how much is up for debate, but there is no doubt that fossil fuel emissions are a growing problem, perhaps one that could lead to the demise of mankind.
We could eliminate much of this problem with nuclear power. But there are safety issues, both real and imagined that have kept the nuclear industry in the starting blocks for the past two decades.
Solar, wind and geothermal provide potential solutions to our energy needs. But we are hampered by an enormous loss of efficiency as we try to convert this energy to a form we can use.
Why is it that a simple plant or bacteria can convert sunlight to energy so much more efficiently than we can?
Enter quantum physics.
The reality that we experience occurs as we perceive it. Every object has a location. Time proceeds in a linear manner, from past to present to future.
The quantum world is different, at least in theory. As in my writing, the quantum world exists in possibilities. And it is becoming more and more apparent that this reality is as real, or even more real, than the one we perceive.
In the quantum world, any given particle (such as an electron) has a chance of being in a whole range of locations at any given time. In essence, this means that the particle can occupy many locations at the same time. An electron of one molecule could actually hop to another molecule and back, something that doesn’t occur in classical scientific law. These particles may actually do so at a speed that is greater than the speed of light. (Do we see Star Trek here?)
Scientists are finding more and more empirical evidence that this type of behavior occurs with most, if not all matter. And it goes a long way in explaining how photosynthesis in plants or bacteria can retain more than 95% of sunlight’s energy, while man can only harness a small fraction of that. How can a single cell organism convert light to energy far more efficiently than any machine we can construct? We are only dealing with the reality that we see, not the one that actually exists. There is far more to life than we can even imagine.
These same hidden forces are at work in our physical makeup, particularly in the brain. How is it that we can experience things so “real” in our imagination? It is only a “quantum leap,” one small step for the brain, one giant step for mankind.
As scientists begin to unravel the mysteries of science, we will be hearing more and more about the real world, not just the one we see or perceive.
In The Alchemist Conspiracy, Trance stumbles upon the Philosopher’s Stone, the Elixir of Life. Who’s to say that we aren’t far from actually discovering the actual formula? Think of this. We know that Resveratrol can turn on the longevity gene, allowing the body to halt, or even reverse, some of the aging process. If we add something that helps our stem cells to replicate, we might actually have a formula that would allow us to become virtually immortal.
Just as we cannot come close to duplicating the efficiency that nature provides transformation of light to energy, the same may hold true with turning lead to gold. A hundred years from now, this may be as natural as turning coal to electricity.
The stuff of science fiction becomes the reality of tomorrow. In the future, we must all be prepared to experience a reality that many see as impossible today.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
The Next World War?
You may be wondering why Mr. Obama is allocating peacekeepers and money to Afghanistan/Pakistan. Here is why:
First, if Bin Laden is alive, this is where he is. For a politician who is keenly focused on public opinion and legacy, the capture of this terrorist is like finding the Grail.
Second, this is where the serious terrorist training camps are located. The Madras schools are teaching hatred of America to millions, Afghanistan and Pakistan is where they go to train. This is where they learn the killing skills.
In all probability, this area, where Afghanistan, China, India and Pakistan all converge will be the epicenter of World War III. If we don't work to prevent this now, we may not be able to avoid it ten or fifteen years from now.
I hate to say this, but while mankind has advanced at light speed during the past two thousand years, our emotional development remains in the Stone Age. So do many societies in this region of the world.
If we don't do something about nuclear proliferation and development, as the president does in my upcoming book, The Presidential Pretender, this area will remain a nuclear tinderbox. This is the kind of situation where Jack Trance would be called to do his thing.
There are patriotic men and women who actually do this sort of thing, risking their lives in the shadows, without fanfare or public recognition. They face high odds of death and do it with pride, just so we can be safe.
The next time you go to sleep without worrying that a bomb or bullet is going to kill you in the night, give thanks to these silent peacekeepers that toil and die for us every day.
www.lumbert.com
www.shaksperbooks.com
www.jaylumbert.com
First, if Bin Laden is alive, this is where he is. For a politician who is keenly focused on public opinion and legacy, the capture of this terrorist is like finding the Grail.
Second, this is where the serious terrorist training camps are located. The Madras schools are teaching hatred of America to millions, Afghanistan and Pakistan is where they go to train. This is where they learn the killing skills.
In all probability, this area, where Afghanistan, China, India and Pakistan all converge will be the epicenter of World War III. If we don't work to prevent this now, we may not be able to avoid it ten or fifteen years from now.
I hate to say this, but while mankind has advanced at light speed during the past two thousand years, our emotional development remains in the Stone Age. So do many societies in this region of the world.
If we don't do something about nuclear proliferation and development, as the president does in my upcoming book, The Presidential Pretender, this area will remain a nuclear tinderbox. This is the kind of situation where Jack Trance would be called to do his thing.
There are patriotic men and women who actually do this sort of thing, risking their lives in the shadows, without fanfare or public recognition. They face high odds of death and do it with pride, just so we can be safe.
The next time you go to sleep without worrying that a bomb or bullet is going to kill you in the night, give thanks to these silent peacekeepers that toil and die for us every day.
www.lumbert.com
www.shaksperbooks.com
www.jaylumbert.com
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Good News: New Medical Advances Are Extraordinary
We haven’t been seeing a lot of good news these days, so I thought I might brighten things up by focusing on some good things that are happening.
There are extraordinary advances occurring in medical technologies that will dramatically change the face of medicine.
Robot assisted surgery now allows top surgeons to operate from half a world away, with minimally invasive techniques that let heart patients return to the activities of living within days, not weeks or months.
Metamaterials are allowing us to see single cell organisms (like viruses) I high definition color, not the X-Ray type images we see with electron microscopes. This will allow researchers to actually "see" the results of new cures.
It won’t be long before nanobots will be programmed and injected to perform heart or brain surgery, or to clean up clogged arteries. We may also use them to remove the calcification of Alzheimer' patients.
Researchers are perfecting ways to grow us new hearts and lungs and kidneys from our own DNA. This is already being done, particularly with bones and joints.
We will begin to debate the ethical dilemma that will come with this, just how far we should go with playing God. I won't deal with this here. I would rather focus on the good things coming in our lives.
www.lumbert.com
www.jaylumbert.com
www.shaksperbooks.com
There are extraordinary advances occurring in medical technologies that will dramatically change the face of medicine.
Robot assisted surgery now allows top surgeons to operate from half a world away, with minimally invasive techniques that let heart patients return to the activities of living within days, not weeks or months.
Metamaterials are allowing us to see single cell organisms (like viruses) I high definition color, not the X-Ray type images we see with electron microscopes. This will allow researchers to actually "see" the results of new cures.
It won’t be long before nanobots will be programmed and injected to perform heart or brain surgery, or to clean up clogged arteries. We may also use them to remove the calcification of Alzheimer' patients.
Researchers are perfecting ways to grow us new hearts and lungs and kidneys from our own DNA. This is already being done, particularly with bones and joints.
We will begin to debate the ethical dilemma that will come with this, just how far we should go with playing God. I won't deal with this here. I would rather focus on the good things coming in our lives.
www.lumbert.com
www.jaylumbert.com
www.shaksperbooks.com
Monday, May 4, 2009
Good News for Varicose Vigilante Seniors on Alzheimer’s
Last week I read about a promising new treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease. It involves some ground-breaking work by Mark Pepsys, professor of medicine at University College in London.
For the past 30 years, Mr. Pepsys has been working on curing diseases that are caused by the abnormal buildup of amyloid protein. This protein is a key cause in the development of Alzheimer’s, as it gums up the works of the brain. In the 1990s he developed a drug called CPHPC that removes SAP, a blood protein that sticks to amyloid and prevents enzymes from dissolving it. This allows a kind of crust to form in the brain cells, (think of it as hair filling up your shower drain) that eventually stops brain function in certain areas, such as memory.
Mr. Pspsys gave CPHPC to five Alzheimer’s patients and the results were quite encouraging, to the point where this might pose as a medical breakthrough. It appears that Mr. Pspsys is getting some major pharmaceutical companies to show interest in his (hoped for) clinical trial of 80-100 patients. This trial, should it get funded, may prove to be the first real breakthrough in Alzheimer’s treatment.
www.lumbert.com
www.shaksperbooks.com
www.jaylumbert.com
For the past 30 years, Mr. Pepsys has been working on curing diseases that are caused by the abnormal buildup of amyloid protein. This protein is a key cause in the development of Alzheimer’s, as it gums up the works of the brain. In the 1990s he developed a drug called CPHPC that removes SAP, a blood protein that sticks to amyloid and prevents enzymes from dissolving it. This allows a kind of crust to form in the brain cells, (think of it as hair filling up your shower drain) that eventually stops brain function in certain areas, such as memory.
Mr. Pspsys gave CPHPC to five Alzheimer’s patients and the results were quite encouraging, to the point where this might pose as a medical breakthrough. It appears that Mr. Pspsys is getting some major pharmaceutical companies to show interest in his (hoped for) clinical trial of 80-100 patients. This trial, should it get funded, may prove to be the first real breakthrough in Alzheimer’s treatment.
www.lumbert.com
www.shaksperbooks.com
www.jaylumbert.com
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