Scientists make stunning discovery that could help explain why life exists
Scientists have discovered that the universe's fundamental physical constants may be finely balanced to make life possible. Even tiny changes to these constants could make liquids too thick or too thin for essential biological processes, potentially preventing life as we know it. Surprisingly, these life-friendly conditions existed billions of years before living cells appeared. The findings raise intriguing…
Key points
- Physicist Kostya Trachenko found that fundamental constants must allow liquids to flow in ways that support life.
- Small changes to constants like the Planck constant or electron charge could make blood too thick or thin.
- The research suggests the window of constants compatible with cellular life may be narrow.
A new theoretical analysis by physicist Kostya Trachenko at Queen Mary University of London suggests that the fundamental constants of physics must permit liquids to flow in ways that support life. The study, published in Science Advances, identifies an additional constraint on these constants: they must allow liquids to move within and between cells.
The work builds on a 2020 finding that fundamental constants place a lower limit on liquid viscosity. Trachenko's 2023 study extends this to biology, noting that every living cell depends on molecular movement and diffusion in a liquid environment.
Impact on biological processes
If viscosity changed too much, essential processes like nutrient transport and waste removal could be disrupted. Trachenko said, "If fundamental constants change, viscosity would change too impacting life as we know it." He added that if water were as viscous as tar, life would not exist in its current form.
The constraints apply beyond water to any liquid-based life. Trachenko suggested the range of constants compatible with cellular life is narrow, with even a few percent change in constants like the Planck constant or electron charge making blood too thick or thin.
If fundamental constants change, viscosity would change too impacting life as we know it.
— Kostya Trachenko
Follow-up study on blood
A January 2025 follow-up in The European Physical Journal E examined blood, a complex fluid. The researchers found that blood's viscosity remains surprisingly close to a theoretical value derived from basic physical constants, despite the complexity of red blood cells.
The analysis emphasized that estimating life-compatible constants requires accounting for both intrinsic liquid properties and interactions among cells. Trachenko raised the speculative possibility that multiple forms of fine-tuning may be involved, though this remains a conjecture.
