Has the Universe Been Designed to Support Life? Now We Have a Way to Test it!

The anthropic principle states that the fundamental parameters of the Universe such as the strength of the fundamental forces, have been finely tuned to support life. Whether this is true or not or whether it is even worthy of scientific investigation has been hotly debated. A new paper proposes some ways that this may now be tested and perhaps brings the topic under scientific scrutiny for the first time.

The idea of the anthropic principle was first suggested by physicist Brandon Carter in 1973. The proposal by Carter was tabled at a conference to mark the 500th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus. The principle attempts to rationalise the apparent ‘fine tuning’ of various universal parameters that support a cosmos where observers like humans can exist. If the parameters are slightly different, life may not have evolved.

Nicolaus Copernicus portrait from Town Hall in Torun (Thorn), 1580. Credit: frombork.art.pl

There are two versions; the Weak Anthropic Principle which postulates we observe the universe as being compatible with our very existence because, the argument goes, we wouldn’t be here to observe it if not! Then there is the Strong Anthropic Principle which goes much further stating simply that the universe must have parameters that make life possible. 

Science of philosophy? Either way, for a theory to be of any use, it must be possible to test it. Until now it’s been thought the anthropic principle was beyond the possibility of being tested. The paper, published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics was authored by Nemanja Kaloper from the University of California and Alexander Westphal from the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron. They propose for the first time, a way that the principle can be experimentally tested.

The AP proposes that if the universe is to develop as a place that our carbon based life can evolve, it must have begun with a very specific set of parameters. The gravitational constant, Planck’s constant and the electron charge are such parameters that, if they had been different at the beginning of time, the universe would have been very different, very different indeed. 

Kaloper and Westphal identify the initial parameters implied by the anthropic principle and are able to model how the universe would have evolved. It would then be possible to compare the result to the cosmos observed today. Any variance between the model and the observed universe would provide a measure of the validity of the principle. 

A computer model of the large-scale structure of the universe using the Illustris simulator. This image depicts the dark matter and gas involved in forming galaxies and galaxy clusters, as well as the filaments connecting them. Image Credit: Illustris TNG

There are a number of predictions the team say can be used as a measure including the cosmic inflation and the nature of dark matter. Perhaps frustratingly close now to proving, in some way, the validity of the principle yet we are still a few more years away from being able to acquire all the necessary evidence. Until then, the anthropic principle remains a very interesting curiosity and one that, since the publication of this latest paper, does at least deserve our attention. 

Source : Falsifying anthropics

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