Hidden Treasures of Knowledge

 Doctrine and Covenants 89 (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/89?lang=eng), otherwise known as the Word of Wisdom, talks about the then and future existence of conspiring people in our modern era and provides counsel on how to be protected via dietary and moral advice from them. It also promises that people who follow it will be blessed to find hidden treasures of knowledge.

I think I may have found some of them. Here is a summary:

1) Many educated people of Christian heritage have come to reject the divinity of Jesus Christ because they think he did his miracles using a deep knowledge of winemaking. This was a crucial element of Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code, in which it is posited that the vinegar Jesus was given on the cross was made from wine specially fermented to temporarily knock him unconscious and that Jesus didn't actually die on the cross. My college chemistry textbook on page 666 talks about how wine turns into vinegar by being left in oxygen for a while; while this is technically accurate, the process happens far faster in the presence of acetic acid bacteria. "666" is a symbolic number used to mark one's self as being "of the beast" or an anti-Christ; it is taken from Revelation 13:18 in the Bible.

I think the people who have believe this have fallen for a clever ruse, for The Book of Mormon stands as another witness to the world of the divinity of Jesus Christ. While the history of the church that is currently taking The Book of Mormon to the world is still a bit murky, the book itself stands on its own and is testified to by the Holy Ghost, as many earnest seekers of truth have found. A nice thing about God is that he doesn't hide his treasures from those who seek Him.

2) As the 18th century Italian biologist/physicist/physician Luigi Galvani discovered, electrical impulses applied to appendages can affect a body's neurons dramatically. We live in a time when nearly every teenager and adult using a cell phone or smart watch is exposing their hands and wrists to varying electromagnetic fields at close proximity. Frequently they are doing this while using camera-equipped devices that can assess aspects of brain function and stimulation via facial microexpressions and pupil appearance. That means that our technology can now be used to affect our neurons and that computer programs can be written that will fine-tune those effects in various ways such as to foster addiction, anger, depression, paranoia, distraction, and so forth. 

As those old enough to remember having TV antennae will remember, antenna reception can be improved by the addition of spiraling or encircling conductive materials; a metal clothes hanger wrapped around part of the antenna was usually the low-tech hack we would use to improve the picture clarity on our TVs. Wearing or inserting conductive things around parts of our bodies can enhance the effect of varying electromagnetic fields on our neurons. This effect will be easier to achieve in people whose diet includes high levels of iron (iron is easily magnetized and it then interacts with electromagnetic fields, especially when the iron is moving, as the iron-containing blood cells of our body are constantly doing) and ionic potassium.

Again, my college chemistry textbook contains a hint about this. In a section that discusses Napoleon's health issues while on St. Helena, it discusses "Marsh's test" to look for arsenic poison, but the diagram has an unexplained "shiny metallic ring" where there should just be a flat deposit of arsenic.

I think Isaiah 3 in the Bible (which is repeated in 2 Nephi 13 of the Book of Mormon) contains a warning against a wide variety of fancy ornaments and clothing wraps in part because vanity is foolish and in part because such items, depending on their mineral content and shape, can be used to affect our neurons. Even plastic, if tainted with conductive substances, is conductive. After realizing that the Amish have for centuries avoided encircling parts of their body with anything metallic, I stopped wearing rings a few months ago. Within two weeks, my thinking had noticeably become clearer. I recommend a similar experiment to others. 

If I am correct, this points to possible manipulative use for literally millennia of ceremonial jewelry, acoutrements, and clothing by those who are aware of how to harness the possibilities: crowns, bracelets, rings, collars, staffs, scepters, turbans, phylacteries, walking sticks, wristwatches, and so forth. I'm surprised that science fiction hasn't dealt with the topic much. I can promise you'll never read the Old Testament the same again once you start looking for whether ancient Israel might have picked up some knowledge from the Egyptians or Babylonians on the subject.

It also points to possible inappropriate use of such technology to increase the underlying health problems of some people. A recent Nature article (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02714-0) documents that a specific use of "electroacupuncture" on a mouse's hind leg brings down inflammation throughout the mouse's whole body by sending signals to the brain that result in lower inflammation. Now imagine such technology being deployed instead to increase systemic inflammation or disrupt heart or brain electric pulses. 

3) While we all know that some chemicals are dangerous and can make us sick, two common food/drink items appear to have escaped scrutiny. My personal experience, as well as cultural knowledge, indicate that fenugreek (now regularly consumed in the US as a "natural" maple flavoring) can bring on paranoia and delusion, while hops (used to make bitter--as opposed to mild--beer) can increase the tendency to hallucinate or "see what we want to see" ("beer goggles" are more than a running joke). 

In 2020, fenugreek caused me two episodes of paranoia. Interestingly, matzoh crackers imported from Israel seemed to be the deciding food factor in when those episodes ended. Like I said, you'll never read the Old Testament the same again once you start looking for hints of hidden knowledge. Actually, since Jesus notes the close attention paid by the Pharisees to tithes of various herbs, including dill, which some commentators think was fenugreek, you'll likely never read the New Testament quite the same way again, either.

4) While many have heard of "laughing gas," that small gas molecules floating just above the skin's surface can affect whether mosquitoes are attracted to a specific person, and that pheremones can cause some kinds of interhuman reponses, I have never heard anyone talk about what medications can due to influence the gas molecules released on our body's surface. I had an experience right after hugging someone who takes mind-altering prescription medicine where I noticed a sudden change in my thinking. We know that there is a fast passage from the nose to the brain via the olfactory nerve, and in this world of fabric softeners, detergents, essential oils, perfumed-toiletries, air fresheners, e-cigarettes, and incense, we need more information about the potential effects of various gas compounds on our brain function. We also need more information about what gas compounds our bodies are more likely to produce when we consume different substances.

5) Sound frequencies can physically alter structures by creating standing waves where resonance occurs. While we tend to think of our brains as solid "muscles," they are not. Brains are actually rather gelatinous in some places, and in those wobbly areas, resonance can be used to alter structure and thus affect the intensity and directional flow of electromagnetic fields within the brain. Yes, this means that music and anything else producing specific sound wave frequencies can be used to affect our thinking. Not exactly hidden information, but less talked about than it should be in a media-saturated world. 

I think some of the medieval guild craftsmen who constructed churches knew about the ability of sound waves to affect thinking. Again, my chemistry textbook, while talking about Napoleon, threw in a gratuitous comment about how he would have known more about the behavior of tin if he had paid attention to cathedral organ pipes. Adolf Hitler, well-known for having large, rousing rallies in which his amplified voice was carried to his audience, was made the Time "Man of the Year" in 1939 with a magazine cover photo featuring an elaborate set of organ pipes; in counterpoint, when the Russians later battled against Nazi Germany, the Germans called the Russian rocket launchers "Stalinorgel" which translates to "Stalin's organs."

6) Mind-altering chemicals can be delivered via paper. This is often done by prison visitors who attempt to sneak methamphetamine to prisoners. But it can also be done via that free magazine your favorite political organization, college, or church mails to you. Pay attention to who produces your printed materials, especially if it seems like you're getting too much paper (such as with CVS receipts) or if you have other reasons to distrust the paper providers.

7) Videos or .gif's that cause eyes to move rapidly from side to side need to be scrutinized. Such eye movement is used in a relatively new form of psychotherapy called "eye movement desensitization and reprocessing." Too many unaware media consumers can be targeted by those who would use this new field of psychotherapy to "reprocess" their thinking in ways that could be harmful. This field needs scrutiny as soon as possible. Any new technology and treatment can be used for both good and ill.

Still plugging away at the weight loss issue....

Here's why I'm so convinced that there is a way to lose weight fairly quickly and healthily, in case you're wondering why I keep posting hypotheses on this topic: While tracking my food and weight, I personally experienced it, and I feel that I have a duty to try to identify what I was consuming so that others can learn from it and be blessed by it.

When I soaked plain kelp ("kombu" in Japan) purchased from Asian markets in cold water, the water became viscous and brownish green. When I combined the kelp water with some kinds of vitamin pills, some "organic spices," or with a homemade lactofermented yogurt and oat flakes, I experienced an unusual decrease in weight and fat, especially if I also ate canned sardines, grape seed extract, or some imported cheeses.

However, the kelp changed within a year or two. I tried to buy it from the same markets and get the same kinds, but it all no longer made viscous water. The kelp water stayed mostly clear, and the kelp smelled "metallic."

I believe I recreated the "kelp water" by soaking banana leaves with celery stalk slices in sunlight. The liquid became rather viscous. When I drank the liquid dipped out of the banana leaf/celery water throughout the morning and then afterward ate some kinds of canned sardines or foil pouch tuna fish, I again noticeably decreased in weight/fat.

My current thought, based on these experiences, is that there was UDP-apiose (based on an less common sugar molecule) or a closely related molecule released into the kelp water and banana leaf/celery water. I think that a "wild" kind of bacteria (perhaps bacillus subtilis) in my homemade yogurt is helping transform the apiose into a related molecule (perhaps a condensed one incorporating As/Sb/Bi in place of the P in apiofuranosyl-1,2-cyclic-phosphate) that signals the body to use up and reduce fat storage. I think this related molecule might have a more dramatic effect if it contains arsenic/antimony/bismuth, based on the inconsistent results I see from inclusion of diverse brands of spices and supplements or usage of different brands of processed fish. 

Update on 10/20/2021: An alternative hypothesis would be that UDP-apiose (or a related molecule) helps facilitate a fat-utilizing process that is helped along by the presence of propionic acid. Propionic acid would be expected to often be present in the canned fish (as a product of oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids with an uneven number--especially three--of carbons after the double bonds, especially in oil-canned fish high in unsaturated fat), the yogurt (as a product of some fermenting bacteria), and even the occasional chocolate products (again, a product of oxidation of some fatty acids) that I have seen associated with weight loss in me and my family. Propionic acid can activate AMPK, which has been referred to as a "master switch" for weight loss--https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003986119302966. It acts through G-protein coupled receptors (i.e., GPCRs or guanine nucleotide-binding proteins] 41 and 43, indicating a possible nucleotide connection, and UDP-apiose is a nucleotide sugar. I suspect that the UDP-apiose might interact with the GPCRs 41/43--a hypothesis supported by research findings: https://www.jbc.org/article/S0021-9258(19)80907-9/fulltext--in such as way as to alter their function when they are activated by propionic acid.

Hypothesis: Arsenic involved in fast weight loss?

As my blog posts attest, I keep trying to figure out what in our diet is associated with weight loss. I've become much more precise about tracking exactly what brands and varieties of certain products I eat in the past year and looking at that in connection with weight fluctuations. Based on that, I have come to the sad conclusion that occasional arsenic contamination is likely the primary factor behind the unusual weight loss I have repeatedly (but not consistently) experienced in connection with sardines and kombu kelp. That is sad because no one wants to lose their hair from arsenic poisoning. I did actually experience unusual hair loss right after those sardine/kelp-associated episodes of weight loss.

Regional evidence from Bangladesh backs up a hypothesis that arsenic helps keep body weight down. They have a strikingly low overweight/obesity rate, and they also have widespread arsenic issues with their groundwater.

On the bright side, this arsenic hypothesis points to the possibility that the same enzyme(s) inhibited by arsenic can be inhibited in other ways in such a way as to help promote health weight loss. I'm looking specifically at PiT1 and PiT2 (members of the inorganic phosphate transporter family) right now. Arsenate inhibits PiT1, and phosphite (which we don't seem to hear much about despite all the phophate in our food and beverages) inhibits PiT1 and PiT2. So I will dig into phosphite compounds and food preparation methods that are more likely to create them. Foods high in phospholipids--such as sunflower seeds and other high-lecithin foods--do keep popping up in connection with leanness, and a combination of phospholipases C and D (enzymes found in some foods) will free phosphite from phospholipids.

Hypothesis: Oxycarbonylcholine related to weight loss? Or at least O-C=O?

My last post about rubidium kept me pondering and studying my food intake records and the research I have read, and I think that I am wrong about rubidium being pivotal in fighting obesity. Rubidium is a unique element, and the scientists and nutritionists researching obesity would have observed an effect from the presence of rubidium by now if it were significant.

What might instead have escaped their notice? Perhaps a less common isomer of a common molecule. As I learned more about ethylene (C2H4, which I tangentially noted in my last post appears important to fighting obesity), I realized that its structure and size could allow it to be a stabilizing companion to an otherwise unstable small molecule. One paper I looked at reported that heating banana pseudostem mixed with chromium (Cr(III)) could result in the creation of O-C=O (actually the resonant O-C=O <=> O=C-O, called COO in the paper text) (See Table 2 of https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/11/4250?fbclid=IwAR1sd7RhNJjCX7wJPMv01FhXAuVuOrHomQrmnyV1ODLuXGRyjjAMImQpc3Y). 

COO (i.e., O-C=O) is a relatively unstable, polar structural isomer of CO2 (carbon dioxide). Carbon dioxide is a nonpolar molecule that is often released as a gas by biochemical processes and so common as to be unremarkable most of the time. COO could thus easily be overlooked by most nutrition and medical researchers or mistaken for CO2. Further, many people in the world routinely use microwave ovens now, which appliances twist around polar molecules and so would help destroy COO.

If ethylene can help stabilize COO, COO would be able to react with other molecules, including choline. I think it might be forming an oxycarbonylcholine molecule (it should look like acetylcholine but without a final CH3) that can interact with the human body's cholinergic system in yet-to-be-revealed ways. There are many indications that the cholinergic system is involved in resistance to obesity (e.g., https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12678839/).

So here's a summary of my current working hypothesis:

1) Heat up silicon-containing moist biocellulose with Cr(VI) to a temperature of around 500-600 Celsius (via broiling in an oven, toasting in a toaster, frying in a real wok, etc.) to form O-C=O. The Cr(VI) is apparently obtained by putting Cr(III) in sunlight (for the UV-A light) for a while, although Cr(VI) is probably on some kitchen utensils, too.

2) Stabilize the O-C=O in solution with C2H4 (ethylene). Ethylene can come from many sources, but we don't get as much of it in our produce nowadays as we used to. It can also be produced by Mucor hiemalis (or a relative thereof) when it is exposed to oxygen (that introduces the possibility that roux-en-y gastric bypass is so effective because of the way it allows a much higher level of oxygen to reach the distal small intestine). Depending on their form, chlorine compounds and ions (as well as possibly other halides) can react with C2H4 to prevent it from being a stable companion to O-C=O.

3) Make an ester of O-C=O and choline to obtain oxycarbonylcholine. (I think potassium might interfere with this esterification but the potassium can be diverted by being "tied up" with lactic acid, especially in the presence of sodium. I'm still looking into this issue.)

I'm going to try different food preparation methods to test this hypothesis while I read up more about the cholinergic system. In the meantime, I invite others with more resources to start looking for a connection between O-C=O and leanness. It's hard to find what we're not looking for.

Hypothesis: Rubidium connection to weight loss?

I've been tracking my food and food preparation methods and comparing those to when I seem to have an easier time dropping pounds. Based on my notes so far, here is my newest hypothesis about fighting obesity.

Rubidium. It needs to be used to modulate Na/K-ATPase signaling. 

"Obesity is a multifaceted pathophysiological condition that has been associated with lipid accumulation, adipocyte dysfunction, impaired mitochondrial biogenesis and an altered metabolic profile. Redox imbalance and excessive release of inflammatory mediators have been intricately linked in obesity-associated phenotypes. Hence, understanding the mechanisms of redox signaling pathways and molecular targets exacerbating oxidative stress is crucial in improving health outcomes. The activation of Na/K-ATPase/Src signaling, and its downstream pathways, by reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been recently implicated in obesity and subsequent nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which causes further production of ROS creating an oxidant amplification loop." ("Mechanistic Insight of Na/K-ATPase Signaling and HO-1 into Models of Obesity and Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitism" Pratt et. al. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/1/87) 

Rubidium is apparently pretty reactive--more so than all the alkali metals save lithium, which incidentally is high in two things that seem to correlate with weight gain in me: milk and legumes (except peanuts)--so inserting it into the correct molecule is important. 

I think that desired molecule is Rb(CH2CH3)4, i.e., 4 ethyl groups bonded to the same rubidium atom, which looks a bit like a wavy 4-pointed star. Making it seems to be done using chloroethane as an intermediate. It can be made with ethylene (C2H4) or ethanol as a starting point and with chlorine ions and silicon as catalysts [7/21/2021 update: I think tin/lead/palladium/platinum are likely better catalysts than silicon, due to their historical and mostly vanished appearance in dishes (especially tin) and similarity in possible oxidation states. If I am correct about that, then titanium/manganese/chromium should also be possible catalysts, since they can be in the same oxidation states as tin.]. 

See the Esperanto-language wikipedia page on chloroethane for a summary of ways to form and utilize/destroy chloroethane: https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kloroetano. Here are excerpts from that page as downloaded July 10, 2021.

Unfortunately, we now have much less rubidium in our diet, due to using lots of potassium to fertilize our fields. This abstract from a paper about rubidium explains:

"According to some specialists, rubidium belongs to ultra trace elements essential for plants and animals. On the basis of the literature data and our own investigations, the rubidium contents in soil, plants and animal tissues were analyzed and the factors affecting their contents, and absorption in the trophic chain soil-plants-animals were evaluated. In the soil, the contents of rubidium are inversely correlated with the soil pH, i.e. the highest amount of rubidium can be found in the sour soil. Also, the rubidium intake by plants increases with the lower soil pH. The absorption of rubidium by plants is inhibited by a high potassium level in the soil extract. The rubidium level in plants decreases with age. Depending on the species of plants investigated in Poland, they can be arranged in accordance to the decreasing rubidium level: red clover, greenness growth, wheat and rye. The indispensability of low concentrations of rubidium was demonstrated in animals (a few mg/kg) as well as the toxicity of this element (> 1,000 mg/kg). The passage of rubidium concentrations naturally occurring from plants to animal tissues is difficult to prove. Animal brain and rib accumulate small amounts of this element, irrespective of its natural contents in plants." ("Rubidium in the trophic chain soil–plants–animals" Kosla et al. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235424761_Rubidium_in_the_trophic_chainsoil-plants-animals)

Since the "mad cow" worries of the 1990s, humans have been eating much less in the way of animal brains. 

I invite others to test this hypothesis while I continue to gather data. Red clover and fish brains have been notable in helping me lose fat in the past. 

Higher obesity rates do correlate with 1) low ethanol intake (ethanol can be easily used to make chloroethane), 2) modern cooking fuels/tools that reduce the production and persistence of ethylene (ethylene can be easily used to make chloroethane), 3) modern potassium-heavy fertilization of fields, 4) avoidance of mammal brain consumption in wake of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy scare of the mid-1990s, 5) pH increases in rain and surface groundwater due to efforts to prevent "acid rain" (the higher pH reduces Rb uptake by plants)), 6) disappearance of tin from cookware, and 7) the use of a wide variety of water filters/aerators that can remove/produce chlorine ions from water. I think this hypothesis has merit and should be investigated by people with more resources than I.

Screwed-up Tape & Programs

In the early days of computer programming, people would record their code on tapes. Even back in those days, security and secret “backdoors” were issues when more than one entity could access a computer.

Over time, computer security issues grew in magnitude and reach, especially when computers became networked to other computers eventually creating webs that covered the entire populated world. Who was doing the security and backdoor programming? Mere mortals. Some inspired by noble motives, some inspired by ignoble motives. If they listened to the good spirit inside of them, they programmed reliable, straightforward tools and safeguards. If they listened to the bad spirit inside of them, they programmed using convoluted code, shortcuts, and secret entrances that they could then exploit later for purposes of spying, blackmail, harassment, monetary gain, power, and other generally unpleasant things.

Eventually, computers progressed to the point where “artificial intelligence” became reality instead of science fiction. If we could read the communications between artificial intelligences, what would we see? How would they reflect the inclinations of their creators? If their creators were inspired by devils, would the devils direct and enhance the artificial intelligences with their own intelligence and use our own computing tools against us? If only C.S. Lewis were here to write some decent fiction about that....

Glutamic acid has three optical isomers and what that means to weight loss efforts and the fight against "globesity"

 For years, I have searched the literature and the food practices around the world for information that would help explain disparate (but rising almost everywhere) obesity rates. Repeatedly, the information pointed at fermented and cultured foods in traditional diets as being extremely important in maintaining a healthy weight, but when I attempted to apply that information to my own diet, the results were inconsistent and disappointing.

During the last two years, I did obtain good results using some kombu seaweed and an obscure brand of brewer's yeast that I only bought once--both items are remarkable for their high glutamic acid content. I was not able to obtain and use the exact same items again, though. Kombu that I have bought more recently doesn't even taste the same, and a more famous brand name of brewer's yeast doesn't give the same rapid weight-loss result as I experienced from the first brand.

I was surprised to read in our enormous old dictionary last week--it's a third edition Merriam-Webster dictionary that outweighs some toddlers--that glutamic acid has three optically isomeric forms. According to every online resource I have read, amino acids have up to 2 optical isomers. That failure to acknowledge a third optical isomer in modern resources appears to be intentionally deceptive and goes far to explain why it has been so difficult to solve the global weight crisis. Glutamic acid is formed during fermentation, and with chlorination, irradiation, and preprepared bacteria/yeast packets pervading modern food manufacturing, it is likely that we have allowed the means of producing a crucial isomer of glutamic acid to be nearly completely excluded from our food supply.

Why is glutamic acid so crucial to weight loss? It can be changed by transaminase enyzmes to alpha-ketoglutaric acid and alanine (which, according to my dictionary, also has three optical isomers). Whether this transformation takes place can be affected by which of the three optical isomers of glutamic acid interacts with the transaminase enzymes. 

Alpha-ketoglutarate has been shown to increase beige fat (the good kind of fat cells, which unfortunately we tend to make less of as we age) and alleviate obesity caused by a high fat diet in mice (see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6974731/). Giving obese rats alpha-ketoglutarate reduces "the weights of white adipose tissues, thereby improving metabolic profiles and whole-body insulin sensitivity (indicated by oral glucose tolerance test) in diet-induced obese rats" (see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6775570/).

There are many studies in rats and mice that don't carry over to humans, so why should I think alpha-ketoglutarate is important to human weight loss? The intriguing characteristics of intestinal absorption of alpha-ketoglutarate--significantly better absorbed in the proximal sections of the small intestine, with higher absorption where there is low pH, Fe(2+) and/or SO ions (see https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16401194/)--immediately call to mind the physical effects of roux-en-y gastric bypass surgery. Roux-en-y bypass causes food to entirely skip going through the first part of the small intestine, and it increases the pH of the small intestine ("Median pH was high in patients with RYGB during the first hour of the oro-cecal segment (6.45 ± 0.4 vs 3.65 ± 1.55 pH units for healthy controls; P < 0.001), as well as during the entire oro-cecal segment (6.97 ± 0.4 vs 5.51 ± 1.1 pH units; P < 0.001)." https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11695-021-05308-x) It appears plausible that roux-en-y bypass surgery is more effective than other kinds of gastric bypass and a wide variety of calorie restriction efforts precisely because it prevents absorption of alpha-ketoglutarate in the duodenum and upper small intestine.

Thoughts on Parenthood

There is no role in my life that I value more than being a mother to my five children. No career has ever brought the same fulfillment, and very little in the way of "work" achievements has brought the happiness to my heart that I have felt from giving my children a chance at the best life I can. Learning new things does give me great satisfaction, but I don't feel complete until I share that new knowledge with people who might benefit from it--in my case, that is usually my family, although I use this blog to try to reach a wider audience. I know that my idea of "a best life" differs from that of many others, just as people and cultures differ, but it appears to me that a universal characteristic of good parents is that they want "the best" for their children.

A core part of the Abrahamic religions is God's promise that Abraham would have more descendants than there are grains of dust on the planet: "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered" (Genesis 13:16). Someone actually estimated the numbers of grains of sand on Earth and came up with "roughly (and we're speaking very roughly here) 7.5 x 10^18 grains of sand, or seven quintillion, five hundred quadrillion grains" (https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2012/09/17/161096233/which-is-greater-the-number-of-sand-grains-on-earth-or-stars-in-the-sky). That's a lot of descendants. One estimate of the number of people that have lived on the earth so far in its history is 1.08 x 10^11. That is one sixty-nine-millionth of 7.5 x 10^18, and a lot of the people who have lived on earth do not have ancestry known to be from around the land of Canaan, which means that they aren't literal descendants of Abraham. 

Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, taught that through Christ, all who are faithful disciples of Christ have the opportunity to have "eternal increase," that is, lots of descendants. That is part of the Abrahamic covenant. But it's not enough to just have a lot of children. God wants us to be good to those children. 

I have some recent examples in my family history of people who brought children into their family only to ignore, mistreat, and outright exploit some of them. I have no easy answers for this. It's not the number of children a person has that determines whether they'll be unkind to their offspring, for large families can be loving and happy and small families can have severe issues. Of course, I want to help fix any biological dysfunction that might be behind those issues. 

One such biological issue is the impaired "theory of mind" often seen in pyschological disorders and brain damage. When a person doesn't see others as separate entities with their own equally-important thoughts and feelings, it's only natural to end up exploiting others to meet one's own wants and needs. Commandments and laws--assuming they're prosocial ones--can help keep those exploitative tendencies in check and promote more mutually-beneficial behaviors, but they are not as good a solution as would be improvements in theory of mind because they are ineffectual without transmission and acceptance of those commandments and laws.

Another biological issue that interferes with good parenting is the inherent tendency towards efficiency in the human brain. Addiction is a natural process of the brain's being "efficient" about obtaining short-term happiness but simultaneously obstructing the development of alternative neural pathways that could also bring happiness. Many young children are neglected and mistreated due to parental addictions, so I would like to see effective treatments for addiction become widespread. Unfortunately, many people are currently making large amounts of money off various addictions, so I don't know whether it will be possible to overcome the influence of those who have no qualms about hurting others to promote their own interests.