During the course of a day it is not the
Sun but the Earth beneath our feet that actually moves - a very strange and
counterintuitive phenomenon, isn't it?
The seemingly huge full Moon (or Sun) when seen near the horizon is in fact no larger than
when it is directly overhead.
Holding a ruler at arm's length and measuring the diameter in both cases will prove that
this is just an illusion,
where, once again, our brain is easily fooled.
Monstrously deep and winding canyons slicing through solid rock are the products of the
gentle action of water.
A simple and persistent process creating astounding wonders over millions of years.
The predictions of General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics at first defy common sense
(eg. twins ageing at different rates, the act of observation causing events to actually
take place, etc), yet these theories are mathematically well-defined
and in complete agreement with observations.
And so it is with biological evolution - just another
counterintuitive phenomenon, and
one that we still have great difficulty in accepting.
The secret to biological evolution is vast amounts of time - time for a simple and
persistent 'intelligent' process to produce results that often seem miraculous to an organism with a
life span of only 70 years.
For example, look at the amazing intricacy of cellular
functions visualised
here
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