Life Lives in Circles and Cycles
from Macro to Micro
• Macro-Scale Circles and Cycles
• Human-Scale Circles and Cycles
• Micro-Scale Circles and Cycles
| Macro-Scale Circles and Cycles |
The circle, the sphere and the cycle are everywhere in life, everywhere on earth, everywhere in the universe. The pictures below show enormous circle forms. Together they show the power of the circle form in the universe. At this astronomical scale, gravity is the force that creates these forms.
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| Mons Olympus on Mars, a volcano the size of Arizona. |
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Earthrise over the Moon |
whirling hurricane leaving Florida |
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gas giant Jupiter |
"starburst" galaxy |
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ring nebula |
Saturn and rings |
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impact crater on Moon |
Uranus with rings |
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Andromeda spiral galaxy |
Io, volcanic moon of Jupiter |
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| Human-Scale Circles and Cycles |
At our middle size, small in cosmic terms, huge in earthlife terms, circles and cycles are happening everywhere, everywhen. For thousands of years, old humans made stone circles as the best shape for worship.
The Merry Maidens Stone Circle in Cornwall, circa 3,000BC
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dandelion bud |
forest mushroom |
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sea urchin |
tall coneflower |
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turkscap lily |
fern tips uncoiling |
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honeycomb |
ram's horns |
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snapping turtle |
jelly |
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| Micro-Scale Circles and Cycles |
The circle and cycle form is a theme of the entire universe at every possible size. Electrons whirl around nuclei of every atom.
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white and red blood cells |
a red blood cell |
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model of a virus |
volvox, a colonial alga |
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embryos in gastrula stage |
a silicate diatom |
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human ovum |
spherical spores of cinnamon fern |
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foramiferan shell |
embryo beginning to divide |
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Explore Further in Cycles
