![]() ![]() Others seem to have a bit more flexibility. Changing some of those laws by even a tiny amount would wreck the chances for life. It's a little hard to write down the definitive list, and part of the reason is that we don't yet know what are the truly fundamental set of physical laws. How many laws of physics have to be just right for life to be possible? If they were even slightly different, it's quite likely there would be no life, no observers, and no people like you and me having this conversation. I suppose the most striking example is that the laws of physics and the various parameters that go into those laws seem to be just right for life. It looks like it's been put together in a way that makes it work exceptionally well. Why are you so interested in the idea that the universe is just right for life?Īll my career, I've been fascinated by the fact that the universe looks not just beautiful but in some sense deeply ingenious. Clearly, you have a different perspective. They see this as a sneaky way to bring religion into scientific explanations for how the universe began. I spoke with him about some of the controversies now raging in physics, and why he's so determined to find meaning in the cosmos.Ī lot of scientists get annoyed by talk about the universe being strangely fine-tuned for life. Indeed, it's possible that's exactly what it is, and we - like Neo in "The Matrix" - might just be living in a simulated virtual world.ĭavies recently moved from Australia to set up a research institute at Arizona State University. What's more, he says the universe seems to work like a giant computer. Drawing on the bizarre principles of quantum mechanics, he suggests that human beings - through the sheer act of observation - may have helped shape the laws of physics billions of years ago. What Davies proposes is truly mind-bending. The universe, he believes, is filled with meaning and purpose. ![]() Without ever invoking God, Davies argues for a grand cosmic plan. But his new book, "The Cosmic Jackpot," will challenge even the most open-minded readers. His 1992 book "The Mind of God" has become a classic of popular science writing. Davies is an eminent physicist who's received numerous awards, including the Templeton Prize and the Faraday Prize from the Royal Society in London. Are these just happy coincidences? The late cosmologist Fred Hoyle called the universe "a put-up job." Princeton physicist Freeman Dyson has suggested that the universe, in some sense, "knew we were coming."īritish-born cosmologist Paul Davies calls this cosmic fine-tuning the "Goldilocks Enigma." Like the porridge for the three bears, he says the universe is "just right" for life. If the strong nuclear force had been slightly different, red giant stars would never produce the fusion needed to form heavier atoms like carbon, and the universe would be a vast, lifeless desert. But if gravity were a tiny bit weaker, no galaxies or stars could have formed. For instance, if gravity were just slightly stronger, the universe would have collapsed long before life evolved. ![]() But more and more physicists point to various laws of nature that have to be calibrated just right for stars and planets to form and for life to appear. And lucky for us, our bubble turned out to be life-friendly.īut if you really want to start an argument, ask a room full of physicists this question: Are the laws of physics fine-tuned to support life? Many scientists hate this idea - what's often called "the anthropic principle." They suspect it's a trick to argue for a designer God. Now, many cosmologists speculate that we live in a "multiverse," with big bangs exploding all over the cosmos, each creating its own bubble universe with its own laws of physics. Even the big bang, which for decades has been the standard explanation for how the universe started, is getting a second look. Could there be an infinite number of parallel worlds? Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Weinberg considers this a real possibility. Wish you could travel back in time? You can, according to some interpretations of quantum mechanics. If you want to hear some really crazy ideas about the universe, just listen to our leading theoretical physicists.
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