A Poisonous "Star" called Wormwood
A Poisonous
"Star" called Wormwood
I would
appreciate your favourably comment on this, together with any other information
or inputs and ideas you may have. Thank you, a million Professor AI,
The author (I) uses
his combined knowledge drawn from multidisciplinary Sciences in Astronomy,
Geography, Oceanography, Toxicology, Physiology and Medicine, Mathematics in
his attempt to try to answer what this star “Wormwood” revealed in the Bible
is.
A very brief
summary on the basic info he knows from these disciplines in sciences and then
calculated out to expand on them are spelt out as follows:
- Earth has a total of 1.39 X 109 cubic
km of waters
- 96.5 % are in global oceans = 1.34 X 109 cubic
km
- 1.34 X 109 cubic km = 1.34 X 1018 cubic
metres = 1.34 X1021 litres
- Volume of water in 1/3 of all the global
oceans = 4.47 X 1020 litres
- Earth’s 263 international river basins and
major rivers covering 45.3 % (231,059,898 km2) of land surface
area has an estimated 2115 km3 of fresh river waters
(Groombridge & Jenkins, 1998)
- 2115 km3 = 2.115 X 1012 m3 = 2.115
X 1015 litres
- Volume of 1/3 of rivers = 7.05 X 1014 litres
- Radius of Earth = 6,378 km
- Volume of Earth = 1.087 X 1012 cubic
km
- Radius of Sun = 695,000 km
- Volume of Sun = 1.406 X 1018 cubic
km
- Sun / Earth Volume Ratio = 1,293,468
- 1.29 million Earth can drop into the Sun
- A small comet 0.5 km (500 metres) in diameter
- Volume of a 500-meter comet = 6.55 X 107 m3
- Density of comet = 3,000 kg / m3
- Weight of comet = 1.965 X 1011 kg
- 10 % of a 500-meter comet contains cyanide
- Amount of cyanide present in a small comet
= 1.965 X 1010 kg
= 1.965
X 1016 mg
- Dilution of cyanide in 1/3 of the rivers
= 27.9 mg / dl (litres) – the lethal
dose
- Intake of cyanide in fluid intake @ 2.5 litres a
day
= 69.75
mg. (extremely bitter and fatal)
- Volume of an average comet: 5 km (5000
metres) in diameter
- Volume of a 5000-metre comet = 6.55 X 1010 m3
- Density of average-size comet = 3,000 kg / m3
- Weight of average comet = 1.965 X 1014 kg
- At 10 % content, an average comet has: 1.965
X 1013 kg of cyanide
- = 1.963 X 1019 mg
- Dilution (concentration) of cyanide in 1/3 ocean
waters
- = 0.04 mg / dl (not lethal, but
accumulative poison).
- Intake of CN in water and all fluid intake at 2.5
litres a day = 0.1 mg (not fatal)
- Chemical compounds found in comets like Hale-Bopp
include methane, acetylene, hydrogen cyanide, methyl cyanide,
hydrogen sulphides, formic acid, ethylene, and carbonyl sulphides
- Amount of cyanide in an average comet at
estimated 10 % content = 1.965 X 1013 kg
A Biblical
Revelation:
“And the third
angel sounded, and there fell, a great star from heaven, burning as it were a
lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers and upon the fountains of waters.
And the name
of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became
wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter”
(Revelation 8: 10 -11)
A Holistic
Scientific Analysis:
A search of
the scientific literature did not yield much information about the mystery star
called “Wormwood” described in the Bible (Revelation 8:10 -11). Neither
was there useful and relevant information that could be sourced from the
Internet. This ‘star’ thus remains much of a mystery to the scientific world as
it is an event that has yet to come to pass. An analysis of
information pieced together by the author from several disciples of science and
medicine may reveal a probable explanation to this mystery.
No single
field or key of science, whether it be astronomy, Christian science, physics,
chemistry, cosmology, mathematics or even space medicine can open up this
mystery about this Wormwood Star. It requires the concerted and integrated
efforts from all fields of knowledge including geography to disseminate the
mystery. No wonder not even the massive information stored in the Internet
provides a satisfactory explanation. Hence all the statements described below
need to be referred to the compilation of analytical data set out in the above
Table to support the statements.
An analysis of
our current knowledge in astronomy tells us that the Wormwood star is probably
a typical comet yet to arrive, but it will be one that is going to crash into
Earth. We know from our knowledge in geography that three-quarter of the
Earth’s surface is covered by water – the oceans, seas, lakes and rivers. Earth
has a total of 1.39 X 109 cubic km of waters. About
96.5 % of the waters are in the oceans.
This means
there are 1.34 X 1018 cubic metres or 1.34 X 1021 litres
of water in all the oceans of the world. .The Bible tells us that the star will
fall into a third of the waters. That implies that a third of the global oceans
will contain 4.47 X 1020 litres of water.
The Bible also
describes ‘a great star from heaven’ that fell down (to Earth). Can this be
possible? We know from our knowledge in astronomy that this is not possible,
given the fact that an average star in heaven is about the same size as our own
Sun. The radius of Earth is 6,378 km, and its volume is 1.087 X 1012 cubic
km. The Sun, technically a star, has a radius of 695,000 km, and hence a volume
of 1.406 X 1018 cubic km.
The Sun /
Earth volume ratio is thus 1,293,468. In other words, 1.3 million Earths can
drop into the Sun to be equivalent to its size. Hence there is no
possibility for the Sun or any star to drop into Earth. The reverse is true.
This far, for ‘mathematical geography’ of the story to link up. So, we need to
look for another explanation.
Let’s now turn
to astronomy. In ancient times anything that ‘burns like a lamp’ in the sky are
all called stars. That includes a comet. The presence of a comet since ancient
times has also been a suspect of a disaster. It is to the ancient civilization
the presence of a comet in the sky is a harbinger of bad omen. They bring
disease and death to Earth. So how does a comet make the waters
bitter, and cause death to many men.
Let us assume
it is an average size comet. An average size comet is some 5 km (500 metres) in
diameter. Its volume is thus 6.55 X 1010 cubic metres. The
density of an average-size comet is 3,000 kg / m3. Hence its average weight is
1.965 X 1014 kg. Now a number of studies on the chemical
composition of a comet have already been done. One such study is Hale-Bopp
Comet. It was found to contain chemical compounds that include methane,
acetylene, hydrogen cyanide, methyl cyanide, hydrogen sulphides, formic acid,
ethylene, and carbonyl sulphides.
It was estimated that about 10 % of the chemical compounds in a typical comet
could be hydrogen cyanide or cyanide compounds. If that is true, the amount of
cyanides in a typical comet at 10 % would have a weight of 1.965 X 1013 kg
or 1.965 X 1019 mg.
Let's see what
happens if an average-size comet were to drop into our oceans. We
already calculated that 1/3 of the oceans contain 4.47 X 1020 litres
of water. That means that if an average comet 5 km (5,000 metres) wide were to
fall into one of the 3 major oceans – Pacific, Atlantic or Indian oceans, it
will contaminate its waters at a dilution of 0.04 mg / decilitre.
Let us now
examine the consequences from the viewpoint of physiology and toxicology. In
physiology we know that the fluid intake of an average human adult is about 2.5
litres a day to replace a minimum obligatory urine output and loss of about 800
ml a day. Hence the amount of cyanide ingested through water intake at 2.5
litres a day is a mere 0.1 mg. This, in toxicology, is not immediately fatal,
although it could act as an accumulative poison. So, a human drinking from that
water will not die instantly. What’s more, no humans drink the salt water from
the oceans. So, this explanation doesn’t seem very satisfactory.
Let’s look at
Revelation once again and read carefully what it says there. In Revelation
Chapter 8, verses 10 – 11 it did not speak about the oceans. It says: “a
great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third
part of the rivers and upon the fountains of waters”
So, it is the
rivers, and not the ocean that the ‘star’ fell into. But how could a 5 km
diameter comet fall into a river? I do not think there is a river wide enough
to accommodate an average comet. We know from our current knowledge that comets
are of different sizes, and weight. They can be small, as small as only a tenth
the size of an average one.
If we assume
just a small comet, as small as only 500 metres (0.5 km) in diameter drops into
one of the rivers (fountain of all waters), what will the scenario be like? To
answer that, let us return to geography once again. It has been documented that
Earth has 263 international river basins and major rivers, covering 45.3 % or
231.059,898 km2 of the land surface area (not the ocean
area).
There is an
estimated 2115 cubic km of fresh river waters in all the rivers of the world
(Groombridge & Jenkins, 1998). There are 3 major rivers with the highest
volume of water discharge a year. These are: the Amazon (6.92 cubic
km of water per year), Ganges (1.38 km3 /year), and the
Congo (1.30 km3 /year). Other rivers are merely very long,
like the Yangtze, Nile, and Mississippi, but they do not mean they
have the highest volume of water discharge. The total volume of all
the rivers is 2.115 X 1012 cubic metres or 2.115 X 1015 litres.
A third of the total volume would be 7.05 X 1014 litres.
Since neither
the Amazon or the Mighty Yangtze River can accommodate a 5 km wide
comet if it should falls into them, a 0.5 km will easily
fit into any of the 3 major rivers. A 500 metres diameter
comet with an average density of 3,000 kg / m3 weighs about
1.965 X 1011 kg.
At 10 % content, a small comet will contain 1.965 X 1010 kg or
1.965 X 1016 mg of cyanide. In other words, if this was to fall
into a third of the ‘fountains of waters’ the cyanide levels in the fresh
drinkable waters of the rivers will be in the order of 27.9 mg / dl
(litres). This is immediately a fatal dose, and many men will die drinking that
water because it was made bitter.
Very Brief
Chemical, Physiological, Toxicological and Medical Summary of Cyanide
Poisoning:
Let me now
move you from geography, astronomy, chemistry, to the medical aspects of
cyanide poisoning. How does it work? Let us just describe it briefly: Please
bear with me as we need to shift from one branch of science to another.
- Chemistry of cyanide:
Hydrogen
cyanide / prussic acid: extremely bitter. Taste like bitter almonds, extremely
toxic and highly soluble in water
- Toxicity:
Lethal
concentration of gaseous hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in humans is between 100 – 500
ppm (parts per million) within a few minutes due to respiratory
failure. Lethal oral dose of cyanide compounds in solutions, say in
water, is between 0.5 – 3.0 mg / kg of body weight. The lethal dose for an
average 60 kg (150 lbs) reference man at 0.5 mg / kg body weight = 30 mg
in a single dose
- Mode of Action:
It binds with
a number of body enzymes. Primarily, its action is by inhibiting the cytochrome
c oxidase, mainly by binding the ferric ion of the cytochrome. This
interferes with tissue oxidative phosphorylation as it blocks the electron
transfer in the energy-rich phosphate ATP / ADP biochemistry. To make this
simple, short and sweet to understand, death is due to respiratory inhibition,
mainly oxygen deprivation to the tissues, but more importantly to the
brain.
- Fluid Loss:
Obligatory
fluid loss in urine per day in an adult human = 830 dl (830 ml.)
· Fluid
Intake:
Average fluid
(water) intake of an average man = 2,500 dl (2.5 litres), depending
on humidity, temperature, physiological needs, exercise, lungs and skin
output, gastrointestinal, kidney output, osmol (salt) load, medical conditions,
etc. About 2.5 litres a day is about right and about the average intake for a
reference man.
- Signs & Symptoms:
Cyanide acts
rapidly on the tissues, respiratory and nervous systems. In high concentration,
there is a dramatic increase in the rate and depth of respiration. This
compensatory response mechanism against tissue respiratory failure is so
powerful that it overrides the casualty’s normal ability to hold his breath.
Fierce convulsions set in within 20-30 seconds with cessation of respiration
within a minute. Cardiac failure sets in within a minute or two.
In lower
concentrations, HCN acts on the CNS (Central Nervous System) leading to serial
neurological events such as motor weakness of the lower extremities (legs),
vertigo (giddiness), nausea and headache, loss of neuro-motor coordination and
unsteady gait.
The reflexes
are altered, and there may be convulsions followed by coma. These signs and
symptoms very much depend on the concentration of the cyanide ingested, body
weight, and body constitution. In high doses above 0.5 mg / body weight, death
is the ultimate sequel.
Conclusion:
From the
chemical and medical summary above, we know that cyanide is an extremely bitter
substance. It tastes like bitter almonds.
Doesn’t this
fit the description that the star is called ‘Wormwood’ because the waters
were made bitter? Doesn’t that fit the picture of a bitter star that fell onto
Earth? When it does fall into the rivers, does all these
calculations presented here tell us exactly how much it needs to pollute the
total volumes of a third of the rivers in such an exact
dilution that “many men died of the waters,
because they were made bitter” (Revelation 8: 11).
Doesn’t our
knowledge in physiology and nutrition tell us that we cannot but are forced to
drink a minimum quantity of water to replace an obligatory loss of 800 ml of
water daily, whether or not we like it. Invariably many men are going to die
from this.
As the author
pointed out, most scientists or doctors specialize only in one field of science
or medicine. With that myopic, cross-eyed and un-holistic view they will never
see the sights that came down from heaven as in my separate story about the
SARS Virus as An Alien from Outer Space.
September 4,
2003