Since the atoms that make up me are billions of years old, and given the wild cycle of matter in nature, what is the probability that, for example, I contain at least a small percentage of atoms that were once in someone’s penis? And if that’s the case, is it possible that at some point all people and all matter on Earth will be 100% made up of atoms that have been penises at least once?

  • JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social
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    1 day ago

    We’re all just borrowing recycled particles for a little while, before making them available for others, in future. Just that man started messing with that traditional equation when he came up with burials, and later coffins.

    Not just that, but our living bodies are composed of something like ~50% bacteria and other organisms, and with mites living in our pores, eyelashes, etc. Fun stuff to think about, eh? :D

    • KoboldCoterie@pawb.social
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      1 day ago

      Not just that, but our living bodies are composed of something like ~50% bacteria and other organisms, and with mites living in our pores, eyelashes, etc.

      Wish I could just tap out and pass control over to them for a while, sometimes. “Here, you guys have fun, I’ll see you in 8 hours.”

  • solrize@lemmy.ml
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    1 day ago

    It’s close to certain. We actually did a calculation in HS physics class, “how many atoms of Cleopatra are in each of us?”. This is similar but multiply by many thousands.

    • CultLeader4Hire@lemmy.world
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      6 hours ago

      But at this point you’re basically dealing with homeopathy, at one time I feel like this or the dick atoms was a lot more likely but 60%+ of humans who have ever existed exist right now. So the amount of dick atoms ever in relation to atoms in humans total is actually very skewed away from having dick atoms.

  • Bazell@lemmy.zip
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    1 day ago

    People that can actually approximately calculate it probably won’t do it. But, as far as I know, then the smaller amount of atoms we take in a sample group of your body, the higher possibility that they were a part of someone’s else body. Thus saying, 1 or 2 random atoms of your body certainly were someone’s organ before. And if we will consider absolutely any creature that could have had a specified organ, then the probability rises even more.

  • CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social
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    1 day ago

    In regards to the second part, I’d point out that earth isnt a closed system, and small amounts of new matter are constantly ending up on earth. Think things like meteors (if i remember correctly, a few dozen tons of them fall on earth daily) the very thin traces of gas in space (it’s not a actually a perfect vacuum) and certain types of cosmic radiation that happen to consist of atoms. As such, I’d imagine it’s unlikely we’d ever get every atom on earth having once been part of one.