From a Drop of Oil to Humanity's Future: A Journey of Curiosity About Energy, Civilization, and Ourselves

We live in a world shaped by invisible forces. From the gasoline powering our cars, to the instant a phone screen lights up, to the distant and complex conflicts in international news, there are hidden threads connecting them all. Today, let's follow these threads like curious children, exploring several seemingly unrelated yet deeply connected "whys."

First Stop: Earth's "Kitchen" – Why is the Middle East Rich in Oil, While China is Rich in Coal?

Many know that oil and coal are the "legacy" of ancient life. But have you ever wondered why some places became "giant oil depots" and others "giant coal bins"? Behind this are two vastly different "energy feasts" cooked by Mother Earth using different "recipes" in different eras.

The Birth of Oil: A Tale of Oceanic Romance and Cruelty.

Imagine over 100 million years ago, the area we now call the Middle East was a warm, shallow sea known as the Tethys Ocean. It was a paradise for tiny plankton, bathed in sunlight and teeming with life. When these countless microorganisms died, their "remains" sank to the oxygen-depleted seabed. The anoxic environment acted like a natural preservative, preventing decay, allowing them to mix with silt and accumulate layer upon layer.

This was just the first step: Preparing the Ingredients.

Next, tectonic movements buried these organic-rich "source rocks" deep underground. At depths of several kilometers, the temperature and pressure were just right, like a precisely controlled "pressure cooker," beginning a "slow simmer" lasting millions of years on these ancient life remnants. The organic matter was gradually broken down and transformed into liquid petroleum.

This second step is called: Precise Cooking.

Finally, the most crucial step: Perfect Storage. Once formed, oil migrates upward. Coincidentally, the collision of tectonic plates compressed the Middle Eastern strata into massive, dome-like "anticline structures," like giant upside-down bowls. Above these "bowls" lay a layer of dense, impermeable rock, acting like a tightly sealed lid. Thus, the oil "brewed" deep underground was trapped in these natural giant "storage tanks" for hundreds of millions of years.

Therefore, Middle Eastern oil is the masterpiece of marine plankton. It required a fertile ancient sea, just the right burial depth, and a perfectly sealed "storage tank" – all three conditions were essential.

The Formation of Coal: An Epic and Tragic Saga of Land Plants.

Rewind to the more ancient Carboniferous period, over 300 million years ago. Earth's atmosphere had extremely high CO2 levels, the climate was warm and humid – a veritable paradise for plants. For the first time, Earth saw vast primeval forests with towering giant ferns reaching 30-40 meters, growing wildly.

But here, an evolutionary "bug" appeared: to support themselves, these plants evolved tough "lignin," while the bacteria and fungi on Earth at the time had not yet learned how to decompose this new substance!

What did this mean? When these towering trees fell en masse, they barely rotted, much like the pressure-treated wood we use today. Over tens of millions of years, layer upon layer of "timber" piled up, was buried by silt, and pressed deep underground. Under high temperature and pressure, they dehydrated and carbonized, eventually becoming the coal seams we see today.

So, coal is the remains of giant land plants. Its formation benefited from a unique historical period – plant evolution leaped ahead, while the decomposers (microorganisms) lagged behind.

Second Stop: The Mystery of Nuclear Energy – Why Does a Tiny Atomic Nucleus Hold "Primordial Power"?

Having discussed fossil fuels, let's talk about the ultimate energy source humanity has harnessed – nuclear energy. Why can a small nuclear bomb release enough energy to destroy a city?

The answer lies in Einstein's famous formula: E = mc².

This formula tells us: mass (m) and energy (E) are two forms of the same thing; they can be converted into each other. The conversion efficiency is determined by the square of the speed of light (c²), an astronomical number. This means that even the tiniest loss of mass can be converted into an immense amount of energy.

In nuclear reactions, precisely this "loss of mass" occurs.

• Atomic Bomb (Fission): An unstable heavy atomic nucleus (like Uranium-235), when struck by a neutron, splits into two lighter nuclei. Remarkably, the combined mass of these two new nuclei is slightly less than that of the original heavy nucleus. This "lost" bit of mass is instantly converted into enormous energy.
• Hydrogen Bomb (Fusion): The process is reversed. It "squeezes" two very light nuclei (like hydrogen isotopes) together under extreme heat and pressure to form a heavier nucleus. Again, the newly formed nucleus is slightly less massive than the sum of the original two. This lost mass is also converted into energy, and with even higher efficiency than fission.

This is the essence of nuclear energy: it's not a chemical reaction like burning coal, but a direct conversion of "mass" to "energy" within the atomic nucleus. Precisely because the coefficient c² is so incredibly large, nuclear energy is so terrifyingly powerful.

A Tactical Question: Why are Nuclear Bombs Detonated in the Air?

This is entirely for maximizing destructive efficiency.

Imagine if a nuclear bomb exploded on the ground. Most of the energy would be used to blast a huge crater, and the shockwave would be blocked by the ground, not traveling far. But if detonated several hundred meters in the air, the shockwave radiates downward, reflects off the ground, and combines with the following shockwave, creating a stronger "Mach wave" that sweeps across the surface like a bulldozer. Simultaneously, the fireball in the air has no obstructions, allowing light and thermal energy to travel the farthest, causing maximum fire damage.

Therefore, to level a city, an airburst is the optimal choice.

Third Stop: The Crossroads of Civilization – The Division of "East and West" and "Inhumane" Customs

Moving from the physical world, we enter the more complex realm of human society. We often hear terms like "Western civilization," "Islamic civilization," but Earth is a sphere – where is the absolute "East" or "West"?

This discourse actually stems from a Eurocentric historical perspective. During the Age of Exploration, Europeans, taking themselves as the reference point, coined terms like "the Near East" and "the Far East." Later, they came to view their own social model as "advanced" and "modern," while viewing other regions as "traditional" and "backward." Thus, a geographical concept became layered with value judgments.

This leads to a sharper question: Regarding traditions we view as "backward, ignorant, and inhumane" (like honor killings, cannibalism), should we tolerate them in the name of "respecting cultural diversity"?

This is a difficult philosophical choice. If we adhere to absolute "cultural relativism," we would be unable to condemn any atrocity, as any act could have its "rationality" within a specific cultural context. This is clearly absurd.

A more tenable stance is: Respect cultural diversity, but uphold universal human rights as a baseline.

• What diversity deserves respect? Cuisine, clothing, festivals, art... these are the vibrant garments of culture; they make the world diverse and colorful.
• What constitutes "inhumane" acts requiring intervention? Any act that causes severe, involuntary physical or psychological harm to an individual, such as human sacrifice, forced child marriage, torture, etc. These acts violate the most fundamental rights to life and dignity inherent to being "human," transcending the scope of cultural differences.

The true goal is not to "eradicate" a civilization by force, but to promote the internal evolution and demise of harmful customs through education, empowerment, and supporting internal reformist forces. After all, no civilization is static.

Journey's End: Back to Ourselves

From the formation of a drop of oil, to the principle of an atomic bomb, to the clash and fusion of civilizations, we can discern a pattern: Everything we see today is the result of the interplay of long history and complex factors.

The depletion of oil may no longer be the greatest concern, replaced by the energy transition following "peak demand." The terrifying balance of nuclear weapons constantly warns of the fragility of human reason. And understanding different civilizations tests our wisdom and empathy.

The endpoint of this journey of curiosity is, in fact, a return to ourselves. Understanding the complexity of the world can make us less arrogantly certain and more thoughtfully cautious. Because we are not merely inhabitants of this planet; we are also participants in history and shapers of the future. And all of this begins with a simple yet powerful thought – "Why?"