Ghosts in the Machinery of the Universe

In the 17th Century, Anton van Leeuwenhoek wrote a series of letters to the English Royal Society detailing his observations of the microscopic portion of the Universe.

The centuries since have brought us to an understanding that the subatomic nature of the Universe is not only very small, but exhibits a phenomenon where 'something' arises out of 'nothing-ness':

Nobel Prize winning research in quantum electrodynamics (QED) and quantum chromodynamics (QCD) mathematically quantifies the dynamics of virtual particles.

In his 2004 Nobel Prize lecture, physicist Frank Wilczek observed that Einstein's 2nd Law (m = E/c² ) has profound implications:

...Similarly, as a companion to Einstein’s famous equation E=mc² we have his second law, m = E/c².  

All  this  isn’t  quite  as  silly  as  it  may  seem,  because  different  forms  of  the  same equation can suggest very different things. 

The usual way of writing the equation, E=mc², suggests the possibility of obtaining large amounts of energy by converting small amounts of mass. 

It brings to mind the possibilities of nuclear  reactors,  or  bombs. Stated  as  m = E/c²,  Einstein’s  law  suggests  the possibility of explaining mass in terms of energy. 

That is a good thing to do, because  in  modern  physics  energy  is  a  more  basic  concept  than  mass. Actually, Einstein’s original paper does not contain the equation E=mc², but rather m = E/c².  

In  fact,  the  title  is  a  question:  “Does  the  Inertia  of  a  Body Depend Upon its Energy Content?”  From the beginning, Einstein was thinking about the origin of mass, not about making bombs. 

Modern QCD answers Einstein’s question with a resounding “Yes!” Indeed,the mass of ordinary matter derives almost entirely from energy – the energy of  massless gluons and nearly massless quarks, which are the ingredients from which protons, neutrons, and atomic nuclei are made...

Generalizing the Relationship between physics and electrical engineering, where physicist develop methods of measurement, determine various constants, propose and work out in detail mathematical theories and hypotheses, etc., engineers apply these facts and theories to the design, construction, and operation of  practical devices and aggregates.

More succinctly, engineering is the application of science to the optimum conversion of the resources of nature to the uses of humankind.

If Imhotep is considered the first engineer, the discipline has been in practice for only four millennia of Homo Sapiens' 200 millennia (2%) existence as a species and 0.0001% of the species' existence on the 4.5 million millennia old Earth.

With the age of the Universe estimated to be between 1.2 and 1.4 million millennia, it's thought provoking to consider the engineers of ancient civilizations. 

A civilization just 1% (140 millennia) older than ours in another part of the Universe may have already mastered the 'universal' dynamics of Einstein's 1st and 2nd laws.

This would allow them to 'hack' the process of converting energy to matter and matter to energy; à la the classic science fiction transporter.

And if the 'hack' was successful, is that civilization 'surfing' the Universe's quantum vacuums; achieving immortality as perpetual ghosts in the machinery of the Universe?