Universe's Fundamental Constants May Explain Why Life Exists
Researchers discovered that the universe's fundamental constants appear to sit within an extremely narrow range that allows life-supporting fluids to function. If these constants were even slightly different, water and other essential fluids might behave so differently that complex life could never have emerged.
Breakthrough Connection Between Physics and Biology
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have proposed a striking idea that links the deepest laws of physics to the existence of life itself. Their work suggests that the Universe's fundamental constants sit within an extremely narrow range that allows liquids to flow in ways living cells depend on. If those constants were even slightly different, water, blood, and other life-supporting fluids could behave so differently that complex organisms might never have emerged at all.
Scientific Foundation
The study, published in Science Advances in 2023, builds on earlier work by physicist Kostya Trachenko and colleagues showing that liquid viscosity is tied directly to fundamental physical constants. That finding established a lower limit for how "runny" liquids can be.
Broader Implications
Instead of viewing the constants of nature only through the lens of cosmology and particle physics, scientists are increasingly asking whether the conditions needed for flowing liquids and functioning cells should also be part of the equation.