Page 148 - The Creation Of The Universe

146 THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE

Water's low viscosity is
vitally important to us. If
water were only slightly
more viscous, it would
be impossible for blood
to be transported
through the body's capil-
lary system. For example
the complex system of
veins of our body's liver
(shown at the left) would
never have been able to
exist.

low as liquid hydrogen...If the viscosity of water was much lower, deli-
cate structures would be easily disrupted... and water would be inca-
pable of supporting any permanent intricate microscopic structures.
The delicate molecular architecture of the cell would probably not sur-
vive.
If the viscosity was higher, the controlled movement of large macro-
molecules and particularly structures such as mitochondria and small
organelles would be impossible, as would processes like cell division. All
the vital activities of the cell would be effectively frozen, and cellular
life of any sort remotely resembling that with which we are familiar
would be impossible. The development of higher organisms, which is
critically dependent on the ability of cells to move and crawl around
during embryogenesis, would certainly be impossible if the viscosity of
water was even slightly greater than it is. 82
Water's low viscosity is essential not only for cellular motion but also for
the circulatory system.
All living creatures with a body size of more than a quarter of a mil-
limeter have a centralized circulatory system. The reason is that beyond that
size, it is not possible for nutriments and oxygen to be diffused throughout
the organism. That is, they can no longer be taken directly into the cell nor