Is there any scientific basis for the Christmas rituals that we perform every year at this time? or on the contrary, it is merely intended to love fairy tales.
The ratio indicates that it is the latter, but in the book ' The Physics of Christmas - From the Aerodynamics of Reindeer to the thermodynamics turkey ', which has become a bestseller, Roger Highfield - a science editor of the Daily Telegraph-rush with obstinate rigor and generous dose of humor, the task of scientifically explaining each of the components of this tradition, seeking the views of historians, mathematicians, biogenetic, chemical, sociologists and psychologists.
In fact, rather than to strip Christmas of its mystery, which Highfield aims is to demonstrate that even the most bizarre and esoteric concepts can translate into scientific terms. Here's how ....
sound speed
few years ago, British scientist Richard Dawkins concluded in his book 'Unweaving rainbow 'That the myth of Santa Claus was fake. This statement was based on a logical explanation: simply ... to visit all the children of the world in one night, his sleigh would have to travel at a speed several times higher than that of sound, which in turn would generate a tremendous sonic wave and a huge explosion.
Based on this premise .... ' Since we did not hear the explosion, then ... Santa Claus does not exist, "he concluded Dawkins, who admitted to using this argument to convince a child of six years.
But Highfield defends the tradition with other evidence. According to Unicef, the world contains more than 2,100 million people under 18. It could be considered an average of 2.5 children per household, so Santa Claus should stop 842 million in one day to deliver gifts. 'Fortunately, Santa Claus has more than 24 hours to perform this task ... so that if his sleigh travels in the opposite direction to the rotation of the Earth, will have another 24 hours extra to complete their work without exceeding the midnight of 24 December '. And since it must cover an area estimated at 335.6 million kilometers, then, his sleigh must travel at a speed of 2,058 kilometers per second .
... And what of the spectacular explosion? Well ... to justify his absence, Highfield uses quantum physics and several scientific research showing how the famous sled is naturally equipped to generate Soundproofed devices, also offering a detailed explanation of the mechanisms that would enable the reindeer fly.
Raiders of the perfect tree
Undoubtedly, the proverbial symbol of this holiday is the tree, which dates back, according to Highfield, the century XV. The first decorated trees appeared in Strasbourg in 1605, the first illustration dating from 1796. However, this tradition, as it we know it today, came from England in 1840, when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were painted in Windsor Castle posing by a magnificent pine decor.
However, in this context, as is clear from reading the aforementioned book, science is not only doomed to experiment with cloning animals and possibly humans, but is also oriented search perfect Christmas tree. Or what is the same, a copy described as generic as ' a straight trunk that easily attaches to a support, good color, wide-toothed, strong enough to support ornaments, arms bent upward at an angle 45 degrees and uniform taper' . For these cases, the most common method of cloning, as Highfield, is the micro, which is to take shoots of a tree model and produce offspring .
... And it is quite possible that the lovers of perfection Christmas constitute a sizeable market, since a group researchers from the University of Michigan and are working on cloning and Douglas fir Scotch pine. What's more, agronomists from Texas, have wasted no time to be sold p perfect inos obtained using test tube.
The star of Bethlehem
Magi at the manger gold deposited by more or less obvious reasons, we all know, but ... why also what frankincense and myrrh? Both are fragrant resins, Highfield writes, but also medicinal plants. Incense was used in ancient 'in religious rites and to treat wounds' and myrrh was shown as an effective remedy 'to treat infections of the mouth, teeth and eyes as well as to cure coughs and snake bites' . So, the Magi not only sought to honor the child with a precious metal, but also protect against infection and disease .
And what explains the appearance of the star that led them from the East to Bethlehem? There are many guesses about what could be a comet, however, some astronomers suggest that, rather, could be the trail left by the planet Jupiter to move toward the West. If so, infers Highfield, then the birth would have taken place seven years earlier than we think and therefore, Christmas should be celebrated, not in December but in September.
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