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    Man meditating peacefully outdoors, symbolizing the power of doing nothing.
    Blog 6 min read

    The Power of Doing Nothing

    Last updated: Wednesday 15th April 2026

    Quick Summary

    This blog is about the surprising power of doing nothing. It's useful because it shares eight scientific facts that show reality is stranger than we think. For example, trees can actually talk to each other and share food underground, which is a fascinating glimpse into nature's hidden connections.

    In a hurry? TL;DR

    • 1Trees cooperate through underground fungal networks, sharing resources and warnings.
    • 2Roughly 8% of human DNA originates from ancient viral infections repurposed for essential functions.
    • 3Solid objects are mostly empty space; perceived solidity comes from electromagnetic repulsion.
    • 4Sharks are an ancient species, predating Saturn's rings and Polaris (the North Star).
    • 5Time passes slower at higher altitudes (like on a mountain) compared to sea level.
    • 6Our senses can be misleading; scientific understanding often reveals counter-intuitive realities.

    Why It Matters

    It's surprising to learn that trees can communicate and share resources through underground fungal networks.

    Reality often behaves in ways that feel entirely counter-intuitive, clashing with our sensory experience of the world. From trees that communicate through underground networks to the fact that most of your body is composed of empty space, these well-documented phenomena prove that the universe has little interest in being easy to understand.

    TL;DR: The Core Realities

    • Trees use fungal networks to share nutrients and warnings with their neighbours.
    • Human DNA is more than 8 per cent composed of ancient viral fragments.
    • At an atomic level, solid matter is 99.9999999 per cent empty space.
    • Sharks are older than the rings of Saturn and the North Star.
    • Time literally moves slower at the top of a mountain than at sea level.

    Why It Matters

    Understanding these anomalies prevents us from falling into the trap of assuming our immediate perception is the final authority on how the physical world functions.

    1. The Wood Wide Web

    We often view forests as collections of individual organisms competing for sunlight. In reality, they are deeply collaborative. Peer-reviewed research led by Suzanne Simard at the University of British Columbia revealed that trees are linked by mycelium, a fungal network that facilitates a sophisticated exchange of resources.

    Large mother trees use these connections to pump sugar and water to smaller saplings in the shade. When a tree is attacked by insects, it releases chemical signals through the fungi, prompting neighbours to bolster their immune defences. This level of cooperation contradicts the purely competitive model of evolution we often learn in school.

    2. Our Viral Heritage

    It sounds like science fiction, but you are part virus. According to genomic studies published in Nature, around 8 per cent of the human genome consists of sequences from ancient viruses known as endogenous retroviruses.

    These are remnants of infections that occurred millions of years ago in our ancestors. Rather than remaining parasites, some of these viral genes have been repurposed for vital functions. For example, a protein called syncytin, which is essential for the development of the human placenta, originally came from a virus. Our biological existence is a palimpsest of past evolutionary encounters.

    3. The Illusion of Solidity

    If you removed the empty space from the atoms of every human on Earth, the entire population would fit inside the volume of a single sugar cube. Atoms consist of a tiny nucleus surrounded by an electron cloud. The distance between them is proportionally vast.

    The reason you do not fall through your chair is not because of solid matter touching solid matter, but because of the electromagnetic repulsion between the electrons in your body and the electrons in the chair. This creates a verisimilitude of solidity that masks a hollow reality.

    4. Sharks are Evolutionary Elders

    Sharks have personal histories that make the rest of the world look like a recent addition. They have survived five mass extinction events and have existed for roughly 450 million years. To put that in perspective, Saturn’s iconic rings probably formed only 10 to 100 million years ago.

    Sharks have been patrolling the oceans since before trees existed. Their biology is so refined that it has remained largely unchanged for eons, representing an atavistic link to the deep past of our planet.

    5. Time is Not a Constant

    General Relativity suggests that time is not a universal metronome. It is affected by gravity and velocity. Atomic clocks placed at different altitudes have proven that time moves faster the further you are from a gravitational source.

    While the difference is measured in nanoseconds, it is a physical reality. A person living on the top floor of a skyscraper is technically ageing slightly faster than someone on the ground floor. This phenomenon, known as gravitational time dilation, is a nascent field of study for those designing GPS systems, which must account for these time slips to remain accurate.

    6. The Eternal Longevity of Honey

    Archaeologists excavating ancient Egyptian tombs frequently find pots of honey that are thousands of years old and still edible. Honey is a freak of nature. Its low moisture content and acidic pH make it an inhospitable environment for bacteria and microorganisms.

    Bees also add an enzyme called glucose oxidase, which creates hydrogen peroxide as a byproduct. This chemical barrier prevents the honey from becoming moribund or decaying, making it a rare example of a food that truly never expires.

    7. The Weight of Clouds

    Even a languorous summer cloud is far heavier than it looks. A typical cumulus cloud has a density of about 0.5 grams per cubic metre. While that sounds small, a cloud that is one kilometre long, wide, and tall contains a massive volume of water.

    Researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research calculated that a medium-sized cloud weighs approximately 500,000 kilograms, or about 1.1 million pounds. It stays afloat only because the air beneath it is even denser and more buoyant.

    8. The Biological Logic of Death

    Evolutionary biologists argue that death is not a mistake, but a programmed necessity. Without the removal of older generations, resources would be depleted, and new genetic variations would have no room to grow.

    This suggests that our mortality is a built-in feature of the system, necessary for the species to adapt to the zeitgeist of different eras. It ensures that life as a whole continues, even if the individual parts do not.

    Comparative Data of Scientific Anomalies

    Phenomenon Source Stat/Detail Explore
    Ancient Genomes Nature Portfolio 8% Viral DNA Our ancient history →
    Atomic Vacuum CERN Researchers 99% Empty Space The illusion of truth →
    Evolutionary Age Paleontology Records 450 Million Years Old world survivors →
    Cloud Mass NCAR Data 1.1 Million Lbs Hidden heavyweights →
    Time Dilation NIST Atomic Clocks Gravity effects time The start of time →
    Wood Wide Web University of BC Mycelium Networks How systems grow →
    Food Stability Archaeologists 3,000 Year Shelf Life Avoiding decay →
    Social Spirits Historians Shared Cultural Mood Cultural patterns →

    Key Takeaways

    • Complexity is often hidden: Modern science reveals that simple things like trees or honey are biologically sophisticated.
    • Scale matters: What we see as solid is actually mostly empty space at the microscopic level.
    • Time is relative: Gravity influences the speed of time, making it a flexible dimension rather than a fixed one.
    • Adaptation is king: Sharks have outlasted stars because of their perfect evolutionary design.
    • Palimpsest: Reading the layers of history
    • Atavistic: Why we hold onto the deep past
    • Zeitgeist: Capturing the spirit of the age

    Frequently Asked Questions

    The "Wood Wide Web" refers to the complex underground network of fungal mycelium that connects trees. This network allows trees to share nutrients, water, and even communicate warnings about insect attacks to neighboring trees.

    Approximately 8 percent of the human genome consists of genetic material from ancient viruses, known as endogenous retroviruses. Some of these viral genes have been repurposed and are now essential for vital functions like placenta development during pregnancy.

    No, at an atomic level, matter is overwhelmingly empty space. The solid feeling of objects is due to electromagnetic repulsion between the electrons of atoms, rather than physical contact between solid particles.

    Sharks are incredibly ancient, having existed for about 450 million years. This means they are older than Saturn's rings and even the North Star. They have survived numerous mass extinction events.

    Yes, time literally moves slower at higher altitudes compared to sea level. This phenomenon is a consequence of Einstein's theory of relativity, specifically the effect of gravity on the passage of time.

    Sources & References