Understanding

I finished antibiotics and thankfully the fever has not returned.  The wound is getting smaller and draining less although it still has a long way to go.  I am scheduled to start the sixth cycle of chemo this coming Wed.  It is a balancing act between the chemo effectiveness and my white cell counts.  If the dosage were too small, the tumors would grow.  If the dosage were too high, my white cell counts would be too low to fight off  possible wound infection.  I just pray that the wound will heal ASAP so that it won’t be a hindrance to chemo and a threat to my health anymore.  I have lost a couple of pounds due to the infections.

Fine-tuning of the constants of physics:

Romans 1: 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

When one looks at the universe, it is almost impossible not to be awed by its wonder, beauty, elegance and mystery.  As we learn more about it, it is natural to ask the following question:  How can the universe possibly have obtained the unique set of physical properties it has, so exquisitely fine-tuned for life as they are, except by a purposeful design—design with life and perhaps humanity in mind (Swinburne 1998, Ellis 1993, Ross 1995)?

Last time, we looked at examples of fine-tuning of physical laws.  Today, we will look at examples of fine-tuning of the constants of physics.

The current universe is defined by approximately 26 dimensionless fundamental physical constants.  Any small change in them or in ratios between some of them would make the universe radically different and not likely conducive to the establishment and development of matter, astronomical structures, or life as it is presently known. (Note that the situation is not only that all the constants have to simultaneously fall within some narrow ranges but also some of them have to bear certain precise relations among themselves.)  In other words, the universe is exquisitely fine-tuned and delicate balanced for the production of life.   For example:

It is estimated if the nuclear strong force were 2% weaker, hydrogen would be the only stable element in the universe.  If the strong force were 1% stronger, hydrogen would rapidly fuse into helium and hence no fuel for stars.

If the weak force that controls e.g., the decay of a neutron into a proton were slightly larger, most neutrons would have decayed, leaving few around to form heavier elements later (i.e., leaving few around to be stored in deuterium for later use in the nuclear synthesis in stars.)  On the other hand, if the weak force were slightly smaller, few neutrons would have decayed to protons, which would make hydrogen-containing molecules less abundant, and hence little fuel for the nuclear processes in stars (hydrogen requires a proton in its nucleus).

The cosmological constant (Albert Einstein modification of his original theory of general relativity to achieve a stationary universe which is of course not true) must be fine-tuned to within one part in 10 to the power of 50 (1 followed by 50 zeros) for the Universe not to enter a runaway expansion phase too soon to prevent the formations of stars and galaxies.

If the gravitational force had not been 10 to the power of 39 smaller than the strength of electric repulsion between two electrons, stars would have burned too hot and burned up too quickly long before life could evolve. If it were smaller, stars never would become hot enough to ignite nuclear fusion.

The ratio of electron to proton mass partially determines the characteristics of the orbits of electrons about nuclei. A proton is approximately 1836 times more massive than an electron. If the electron to proton mass ratio were different, atoms and molecules would be significantly different. Additionally, Stephen Hawking said that the neutron mass minus the proton mass must be roughly twice the mass of the electron, in order to ensure the approximate stability of both particles.

The synthesis of carbon, the vital element of all organic molecules, on a significant scale involves what scientists view as an “astonishing” coincidence in the ratio of the strong force to electromagnetism. This ratio makes it possible for a resonance involving helium-4, beryllium-8, and carbon-12 — allowing the necessary binding of the first two to form the third to take place during a tiny window of opportunity 10 to the power of -17 seconds long. Fred Hoyle (1954) used standard nuclear theory to predict that the carbon nucleus must have a previously unknown resonant excited state at 7.7 MeV to account for its abundance in the universe and a subsequent experiment confirmed that it does have an excited state of exactly 7.65 MeV at the temperature typical of the center of stars.  (When confronted with this statistically highly unlikely coincidence and therefore the possibility of a “super-calculating intellect”, Hoyle, an atheist, said that this suggestion of guiding hand led him to be “greatly shaken.”)

May this find you and your loved ones in good spirit and health.