What is Dust?
Dust is formed when matter begins to understand itself. It is widely considered to be the source of consciousness in the multiple universes that co-incide. It is thought that when a conscious being comes of age – for instance, the onset of puberty – they are saturated with Dust and can begin the process of cognitive thought. Dust, as named in Lyra\’s world, is identical to the Shadow Particles in Will and Mary Malone\’s world, and identical to the “sraf” in the world of the Mulefa. According to the second novel, The Subtle Knife, Dust is what our science would recognise as Dark Matter. The particles are undetectable through typical means. In Northern Lights, Lord Asriel states that his successful images of Dust are only possible through a special filter. In The Subtle Knife, Mary Malone detects and communicates with Dust via a supercomputer nicknamed “The Cave”.
Dust consists of tiny solid particles carried by air currents. These articles are formed by a disintegration or fracture process, such as grinding, crushing, or impact. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) defines dust as finely divided solids that may become airborne from the original state without any chemical or physical change other than fracture. A wide range of particle size is produced during a dust generating process. Particles that are too large to remain airborne settle while others remain in the air indefinitely. Dust is generally measured in micrometers (commonly known as microns). Some common objects and their size in microns are listed below.
The study of dust is in vogue, judging from the number of nonfiction books and articles written on dust during the past decade, e.g., ” The Impact of Desert Dust Across the Mediterranean” by Stefano Guerzoni and R. Chester (1997); “The Secret Life of Dust: From the Cosmos to the Kitchen Counter, the Big Consequences of Little Things” by Hannah Holmes (2003); “The North Tower’s Dust Cloud: Analysis of Energy Requirements for the Expansion of the Dust Cloud Following the Collapse of 1 World Trade Center” by Jim Hoffman (2003) (1); and Martian dust (see photo below). But Alfred Russel [sic] Wallace (1823-1913) , the great nineteenth-century British writer and naturalist, who some say Charles Darwin plagiarized (1), was already writing about the importance of dust in his 1898 book: “The Wonderful Century” (Dodd, Mead and Company, New York). Saharan dust over the Atlantic. Source: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=7288. Alfred R. Wallace Source: Frontisp
