RE: Scientists Claim Laws Of Physics Change Throughout The Universe
September 14, 2010 at 8:27 am
(This post was last modified: September 14, 2010 at 8:39 am by ib.me.ub.)
@Pippy: It would make sense to assume that all matter in the Universe is the same!
So I thought id better read the article. Very interesting.
“After measuring alpha in around 300 distant galaxies, a consistency emerged: this magic number, which tells us the strength of electromagnetism, is not the same everywhere as it is here on Earth, and seems to vary continuously along a preferred axis through the universe,” Webb said. “The implications for our current understanding of science are profound. If the laws of physics turn out to be merely ‘local by-laws’, it might be that whilst our observable part of the universe favours the existence of life and human beings, other far more distant regions may exist where different laws preclude the formation of life, at least as we know it.”
The apparent fluctuation from galaxy to galaxy is minuscule – about one part in 100,000 – but apparently that’s enough. Webb theorises that if his theory is correct we will need entirely new physical theories to replace the current ones. Theoretically.
So I thought id better read the article. Very interesting.
“After measuring alpha in around 300 distant galaxies, a consistency emerged: this magic number, which tells us the strength of electromagnetism, is not the same everywhere as it is here on Earth, and seems to vary continuously along a preferred axis through the universe,” Webb said. “The implications for our current understanding of science are profound. If the laws of physics turn out to be merely ‘local by-laws’, it might be that whilst our observable part of the universe favours the existence of life and human beings, other far more distant regions may exist where different laws preclude the formation of life, at least as we know it.”
The apparent fluctuation from galaxy to galaxy is minuscule – about one part in 100,000 – but apparently that’s enough. Webb theorises that if his theory is correct we will need entirely new physical theories to replace the current ones. Theoretically.
