Kane - From the Big Bang to Your Cells: The Remarkable Story of Minerals

First Edition

Copyright 2015 by Kelly Ryan Kane
All Rights Reserved.
Fathom Publishing, Salt Lake City, Utah.

ISBN: 978-0578166117

Cover design by Kathleen F. Goodrun
Index by Clive Pyne Book Indexing

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles, research, reviews, or academic purposes. In such cases, proper citation should be given.

From cosmic nebula to Earth: How minerals traveled across the universe and lodged inside EarthA 10 billion year journey

In rocks and soils: How large rocks are broken down, dissolved, and the formation of soilA thousand year journey

From the soil into roots: How minerals are transported to the roots and enter into a plant cellA few days journey

From the roots upward to the leaves, photosynthesis, and downward againThe incredible long-distance journey through the plant

How minerals provide a defense against infectious organisms, the battle inside the tissues and the struggle for supremacy

Compounds and ions, the research experiment, and plants as a source of minerals

Water solubility, pH balance, free radicals, ion channels, and fifteen billion years in the makingHow all the elements were created inside a dying star

Ionic form of minerals that are found in soils and plants.

Many compound minerals are industrial chemicals.

Comparison of essential and beneficial minerals in plants and people.

It was a hot summer afternoon in 2004 when I held in my hand a large, reddish-brown apple from a local grocery store. Sitting there next to the others in the basket, there was something peculiar about this apple. It was larger, firmer, and had different patterns of color, and seemed to have its own unique shape. I paused for a moment to examine the apples closer and I noticed some similarities and irregularities between all of them. Even though this bunch of apples was of the same species and from the same orchard, this one seemed to stand out from the rest.

After purchasing the apple I began to wonder what makes an apple grow differently than another, even if they are from the same orchard. In fact, what makes a plant grow in the first place? And what makes it produce fruit? Is there something besides water and sunlight that controls the health of a plant? These thoughts had never dawned on me before and I was determined to find out what was contained inside this apple.

If I handed you a piece of food and told you that it contained aluminum, arsenic, lithium, lead, mercury, nickel, and tin, would you eat it? Most people would refuse without question. However, people dont realize that these elements are found in fruits and vegetables every day. The piece of food I am referring to is that apple.

I decided to find out what was contained in this apple, so I submitted it to a local university laboratory for a mineral analysis. Days later I received their report that listed all the minerals that it contained. As expected, minerals considered essential such as magnesium, calcium, and potassium were found, but I was astonished to learn that aluminum, nickel, tin, barium, strontium, lead, arsenic, and lithium were also found.

There had to be some kind of explanation. All my life I had heard that these minerals were harmful and should be avoided. What were they doing in a healthy looking apple? Were these minerals absorbed from the soil inadvertently? And what benefit, if any, could they possibly have in a plant?

THE BREAKTHROUGH

Just as Isaac Newtons curiosity was inspired by an apple, I also began to ask questions, but I wanted to know what was responsible for the growth of an apple tree and the color, shape, aroma, and flavor of its fruit. My determination to find answers was so intense that I acquired and studied every book about minerals that I could find, as well as various university and laboratory research on how minerals affect living organisms. Through my independent study and research I realized that every book had its own emphasis about minerals. Astronomy books discussed how the universe and Earth were created. Geology books talked about rocks, crystals, mountains, and volcanoes. Soil science books explained how rocks break down in the soil. And plant physiology books showed how plant roots seek out and absorb minerals from the soil and carry them into their tissues.

I eventually realized that there were not any books out there that explained the entire panoramic history of minerals, beginning from the creation of the universe until today, and comprising all the amazing things they perform in both plants and humans. So I challenged myself to write it.

When I sat down that summer to begin writing this book I was finally coming closer to the answers that had sparked my curiosity in the first place. The task was great, but the rewards were certain. Not only did I learn the individual characteristics of each element but I also learned that a plant cannot grow, produce a harvest, or even survive extreme weather conditions unless certain minerals are present in its tissues. But there was more to learn so I continued studying biology, chemistry, and nutrition books to see what role minerals also have in people. This is when I began to see a very interesting pattern. The same minerals that strengthen plant cells, defend them from infections, and help the plants grow and produce a healthy crop are the same minerals that perform similar functions in our bodies.

The big picture started coming together. It became clear that not only had minerals created our planets, moons, and stars, but they were also the materials used to create and sustain life. The calcium and magnesium found in our bones, the copper and iron in our blood, and the zinc and potassium in our cells were all part of the cosmic nebula that exploded and blasted material throughout the universe to eventually create all of the celestial objects in our solar system. The iron circulating in our blood today was once lodged in the center of Earth millions of years ago, and the phosphorus that strengthens our bones today originally came from one of over 22,000 meteorites that have been catalogued to have crashed into Earth. The largest bodies of matter in the universe are comprised of the same elements we find in our bodies, and I found it ironic that atoms, the smallest particles of matter, happen to be the only particles small enough to pass through cell membranes to reach the interior of a plant or animal cell. Indeed, minerals permeate every facet of our existence.

WHY THIS EXPLORATION NOW

The 20th century was a time of discovering new elements and identifying which minerals were essential to the growth and vigor of both plants and animal cells. During the first half of the century, minerals were being recognized as paramount in human nutrition. As early as 1936, a United States Senate document explained: Our physical well-being is more directly dependent upon minerals we take into our systems than upon calories or vitamins, whereupon the precise proportion of starch, protein, or carbohydrates we consume. The document continues to stress the overall importance of minerals by saying: It is bad news to learn from our leading authorities that 99 percent of the American people are deficient in these minerals, and a marked deficiency in any one of the more important minerals actually results in disease. Any upset of the balance, any considerable lack of one or another element, however microscopic the body requirement may be, and we sicken, suffer, and shorten our lives.