“ It’s said that if the earth were as small as the moon its gravitation wouldn’t sustain our needs. On the other hand, if it were as large as Jupiter its extreme gravitation would make human movement almost impossible. If we were as close to the sun as Venus the heat would be unbearable; if we were as far away as Mars every region would experience snow and ice nightly. If the oceans were half their size we’d get only 25 percent of our present rainfall; if they were one-eighth larger, annual precipitation would increase 400 percent, turning the earth into a vast uninhabitable swamp. Water solidifies at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. But if the oceans were subject to that law, the amount of thawing in the polar regions wouldn’t balance out and we’d all end up encased in ice. To prevent this, God put salt in the sea to alter its freezing point. How’s that for a day’s work?
26.6.10
