Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist, “We are all genetically related... Any two humans on Earth have a common ancestor”
The astrophysicist has kept the spirit of his mentor Carl Sagan alive not only by remaking the historic TV series Cosmos, but also the idea we are stardust.
It is a relatively common perception that based on a person’s family ancestry they will excel in certain areas more than others. However, this is an extremely narrow view according to the celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Like his mentor Carl Sagan, he says that we are part of something much bigger, the universe.
The late Cornell University professor said that “the cosmos is within us. We are made of star stuff.” On a smaller scale, but currently to the tune of 8.3 billion, Tyson says that “we are all connected; to each other, biologically.”
The arbitrary circle
Life began on Earth not long after the planet formed 4.5 billion years ago. Many scientists believe that all life on this blue dot we call home developed from a singular, universal common ancestor, LUCA. So too as a species, all humans can trace their lineage back to a singular, common ancestor.
“We are all genetically related. Every human being on Earth, any two humans on Earth have a common ancestor, if you go back far enough in the family tree,” said Tyson during an interview.
“So, the fact that you draw a circle that’s this big around families and that’s my family and outside the circle that’s not. That’s an arbitrary circle, that’s biologically arbitrary,” he continued. “You’ve decided for yourself that inside the circle is my family and outside is not. But we have genetic links among all human beings.”
He says he uses this knowledge as a reference to set his sights higher for what is possible to accomplish as a human being. This insight can serve us all well to inspire us as well as humble us. For just as humans have been capable of incredible things, so too have we shown that we can be terribly idiotic and disastrous.
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