Chemistry is NOT like... people!

By Tom Husband2015-11-01T16:15:00

Source: iStock

While analogies are useful for explaining chemical processes, they should be used carefully, says Tom Husband

One of the great wonders of life, the universe and everything is that atoms, which do not have desires, come together to make humans that do. Atoms have no goals, they just ping-pong around, bouncing off each other and periodically making and breaking bonds. We, however, have many goals. We want desserts, friends, romantic partners, to see movies, to do well in life. There is a relationship between our wants and the behaviour of atoms, but that is for a different story. This story is about the dangers of treating atoms like people.

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