Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Space

Is our universe fine-tuned for life?

By Michael Brooks

30 July 2008

Âé¶¹´«Ã½. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

DON’T take our starry skies for granted. If you were unlucky enough to be living in some other universe, you might have nothing to stare at but black holes.

At least, that’s the view of a new study that examines the nature of other universes that might support life and suggests that our cosmic habitat is nothing special after all – wondrously starry skies apart.

The idea that certain aspects of our universe make it uniquely suited to life has never been properly tested, says Fred Adams of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. “You hear people say our universe…

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