[The Kneumatic Pnight]

1. Fluids, like air, move from areas of higher density to areas of lower density. These density differentials can be caused by many things but are primarily caused by uneven heat distribution throughout the atmosphere. Other sources of atmospheric movement that may impact on a larger or smaller scale include the Coriolis force and centrifugal force -- which is to say, conservation of angular momentum.
2. Nicotine, the primary chemical of note for the addictiveness of tobacco, is a stimulant and an inhibitor of certain autonomic neurotransmitters related to stress response. It also interacts with enzymes that would normally break down dopamine, norepenephrine, and serotonin. It can also alter the development of the dopamine regulation system if used often early enough, leading to leading to chronic under-production of dopamine. Lastly, it produces severe withdrawal effects during disuse.
3. The atmosphere in general acts as a disperser of light, similar to a prism. The shorter wavelength of blue light makes it more susceptible to scattering downwards, towards the earth. Other wavelengths of light are scattered, but tend to move in a straighter line. This light, now less its lower-frequency wavelengths, appears redder and creates the sunrise/sunset band and strikes the moon during lunar eclipses.
4. Just because people are aware of the suffering of others, doesn't mean they care. Or, more accurately, doesn't mean the dis-utility associated with their level of interest is greater than the dis-utility of the forms of making a difference. The other psychological forces at work include learned helplessness and the bystander effect.
5. This is a complex question with thousands of complex answers and very few people completely at ease with our current answers (or even definition of religious behavior in the strict terms of mechanisms of appearance) but generally the idea is that humans seek to explain the unexplained through the location and extrapolation of patterns, and humans tend to be tuned to see human-like tendencies before other tendencies in objects and events, leading to pareidolia and anthropomorphism.
6. Tools and social structures.
7. There seem to be numerous reasons, including closeness of body and the sensitivity of the human lips. From a strictly evolutionary perspective it possibly relates to social grooming behavior or intentional exposure as a sign of social intimacy. There is even a theory cataglottism or tongue-kissing in protective environments can help align immune systems. It is also not confined to humans, most primates, and many non primate mammals kiss. Many types of birds also engage behaviors ranging from active, reciprocal cataglottism to simple billing.
8. Perseverance and pattern acquisition are important survival traits. To that end, most animals feel pleasurable sensations when they succeed despite adversity, or when they succeed in identifying patterns in seemingly random outcomes. Gambling utilizes both of these mechanisms to promote prolonged engagement.