Our Awesome Universe—A Product of Chance?

SOME people say: ‘Yes, our universe is all a matter of chance.’ Others, especially those who are religious, disagree. Still others are just not sure. What do you believe?

Whatever your view, you will no doubt agree that our universe is a marvel. Consider the galaxies. It has been estimated that there are about 100 billion of them in the observable universe. Each is a grouping of from fewer than a billion to more than a trillion stars.

Most galaxies are grouped in clusters of from a few dozen galaxies to thousands of them. For example, our neighboring galaxy Andromeda has been described as the twin of our Milky Way galaxy. These two immense star systems are bound to each other by gravity. Together with a small number of other neighboring galaxies, they form part of a cluster.

The universe is made up of an untold number of clusters of galaxies. Some clusters are bound by gravity to other clusters, forming superclusters. But from that scale onward, gravity loses its grip. Scientists find that the superclusters are moving away from one another. In other words, the universe is expanding. This amazing discovery suggests that there was a beginning when the universe was in a much smaller and denser state. The birth of the universe is often referred to as the big bang.

Some scientists seriously question whether man will ever be able to find out how the universe was born. Others speculate about ways in which our universe could have come into existence without an intelligent cause. The journal Scientific American, in its January 1999 issue, discussed the subject “How Did the Universe Begin?” Some of the scientists’ theories have already been found wanting. “Unfortunately,” the magazine says, “it may be very difficult . . . for astronomers to test any of these ideas.”

The idea that the universe is a product of chance requires belief in what scientists describe as many “lucky accidents” or “coincidences.” For example, the universe is made up of an abundance of the simplest atoms—hydrogen and helium. Life, however, requires not only hydrogen but also an abundance of more complex atoms, especially carbon and oxygen. Scientists used to wonder where such precious atoms come from.

Is it just a coincidence that the complex atoms necessary to sustain life are manufactured inside certain giant stars? And is it just by chance that some of these giant stars explode as supernovas, spewing out their treasure chest of rare atoms? Sir Fred Hoyle, who was involved in the making of these discoveries, said: “I do not believe that any scientist who examined the evidence would fail to draw the inference that the laws of nuclear physics have been deliberately designed.”

Let us, then, take a closer look at the matter out of which our universe is made.

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THE INFLATION THEORY

Some scientists believe that certain characteristics of the early universe, such as its precise rate of expansion, can be explained without the need of an intelligent cause. They appeal to a theory or theories called inflation. However, the inflationary universe theory does not address the question of origins. It requires belief in something preexisting out of which our universe was accidentally born.

According to inflation theory, the universe grew from a size smaller than an atom to a size greater than our galaxy in less than a second. It is said that from that point on, the universe continued expanding at a slower, normal rate. Today, the visible part of our universe is considered to be a small fraction of a bigger universe. Inflation theorists claim that although the visible universe has the same orderly appearance in all directions, the greater unseen part may be different, even chaotic. “There can never be an observational test of inflation,” states astrophysicist Geoffrey Burbidge. In fact, inflation theory conflicts with new lines of observational evidence. It is now seen that if the theory were true, it would require a speculative new force of antigravity. One scientist, Howard Georgi of Harvard University, described inflation as “a wonderful sort of scientific myth, which is at least as good as any other creation myth I’ve ever heard.”

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Almost every object in this Hubble Space Telescope image is a galaxy

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Pages 3 and 4 (blurred): Robert Williams and the Hubble Deep Field Team (STScI) and NASA

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“The laws of nuclear physics have been deliberately designed.”—Sir Fred Hoyle, shown with supernova 1987A

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Dr. Christopher Burrows, ESA/STScI and NASA

Photo courtesy of N. C. Wickramasinghe

Did the Elements Come About by Chance?

“EVERY object in the Universe, even the most distant star, is made of atoms,” explains The Encyclopedia of Stars & Atoms. Individual atoms are too small to see, but packed together they make up familiar chemical elements. Some of these elements are solids that we can see; others are invisible gases. Can the existence of all such chemical elements be explained by chance?

Elements 1 to 92

Though hydrogen is the simplest of all atoms, it fuels stars like our sun and is vital for life. An atom of hydrogen has one proton in its nucleus and one electron moving around that nucleus. Other chemical elements, such as carbon, oxygen, gold, and mercury, are made of atoms with many electrons moving around a nucleus of many protons and neutrons.

Some 450 years ago, only 12 chemical elements were known. As more were discovered, scientists noticed a natural order to them. And when the elements were placed on a chart in rows and columns, scientists discovered that elements sharing a column had similar characteristics. But there were also gaps in the chart, representing unknown elements. This led Russian scientist Dmitry Mendeleyev to predict the existence of the element with the atomic number 32, germanium, as well as its color, weight, density, and melting point. Mendeleyev’s “prediction about other missing elements—gallium and scandium—also turned out to be very accurate,” notes the 1995 science textbook Chemistry.

In time, scientists predicted the existence of other unknown elements and some of their characteristics. Eventually all the missing elements were discovered. There are no longer any gaps on the chart. The natural order of elements is based on the number of protons in the nucleus of their atoms, starting with element number 1, hydrogen, and continuing to the last element that generally occurs naturally on earth, number 92, uranium. Is this just a coincidence?

Consider, too, the rich variety of chemical elements. Gold and mercury are elements with distinctive shining colors. One is a solid, and the other a liquid. Yet, they follow each other as elements 79 and 80. An atom of gold has 79 electrons, 79 protons, and 118 neutrons. An atom of mercury has just one more electron, one more proton, and more or less the same number of neutrons.

Is it just chance that a slight change in the arrangement of atomic particles yields such a rich variety of elements? And what about the forces that hold the atomic particles together? “From its smallest particle to its largest galaxy, everything in the Universe follows rules that are described by the laws of physics,” explains The Encyclopedia of Stars & Atoms. Imagine what would happen if one of those rules were to change. For instance, what if an adjustment were made to the force that keeps electrons moving around the nucleus of an atom?

Finely Tuned Physical Forces

Consider the consequences if the electromagnetic force were weakened. “Electrons would no longer be bound to atoms,” observes Dr. David Block in his book Star Watch. Just what would that mean? “We would have a universe where no chemical reactions were possible!” he adds. How thankful we can be for the fixed laws that make chemical reactions possible! For example, two atoms of hydrogen combine with one atom of oxygen to form a molecule of precious water.

The electromagnetic force is about 100 times weaker than the strong nuclear force that holds together the nucleus of atoms. What would happen if this ratio were changed? “If the relative strengths of the nuclear and electromagnetic forces were to be slightly different then carbon atoms could not exist,” explain scientists John Barrow and Frank Tipler. Without carbon, there would be no life. Carbon atoms represent 20 percent of the weight of all living organisms.

Also crucial is the strength of the electromagnetic force compared with the force of gravity. “The most minute change in the relative strengths of gravitational and electromagnetic forces,” explains New Scientist magazine, “would turn stars like the Sun into blue giants [far too hot for life] or red dwarfs [not hot enough to sustain life].”

Another force, the weak nuclear force, controls the speed of nuclear reactions in the sun. “It is just weak enough so that the hydrogen in the sun burns at a slow and steady rate,” explains physicist Freeman Dyson. Many other examples could be given to show how our life depends on the delicately balanced laws and conditions found in the universe. Science writer Professor Paul Davies compared these universal laws and conditions to a set of knobs and stated: “It seems as if the different knobs have to be fine-tuned to enormous precision if the universe is to be such that life will flourish.”

Long before Sir Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravity, the Bible referred to such fixed rules or laws. The man Job was asked: “Did you proclaim the rules that govern the heavens, or determine the laws of nature on earth?” (Job 38:33, The New English Bible) Other humbling questions were, “Where did you happen to be when I founded the earth?” and, “Who set its measurements, in case you know?”—Job 38:4, 5.

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VITAL ELEMENTS

The chemical elements hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon make up about 98 percent of the atoms in your body. Then comes nitrogen, which makes up a further 1.4 percent. Other elements occur in very small amounts but are nonetheless vital for life.

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As of the time of publication, scientists have produced elements 93 and larger, up to and including element 118. Predictably, these elements still fit the pattern of the periodic table.

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Source: Los Alamos National Laboratory

Name of element Symbol Atomic number (number of protons)

hydrogen H 1

helium He 2

lithium Li 3

beryllium Be 4

boron B 5

carbon C 6

nitrogen N 7

oxygen O 8

fluorine F 9

neon Ne 10

sodium Na 11

magnesium Mg 12

aluminum Al 13

silicon Si 14

phosphorus P 15

sulfur S 16

chlorine Cl 17

argon Ar 18

potassium K 19

calcium Ca 20

scandium Sc 21

titanium Ti 22

vanadium V 23

chromium Cr 24

manganese Mn 25

iron Fe 26

cobalt Co 27

nickel Ni 28

copper Cu 29

zinc Zn 30

gallium Ga 31

germanium Ge 32

arsenic As 33

selenium Se 34

bromine Br 35

krypton Kr 36

rubidium Rb 37

strontium Sr 38

yttrium Y 39

zirconium Zr 40

niobium Nb 41

molybdenum Mo 42

technetium Tc 43

ruthenium Ru 44

rhodium Rh 45

palladium Pd 46

silver Ag 47

cadmium Cd 48

indium In 49

tin Sn 50

antimony Sb 51

tellurium Te 52

iodine I 53

xenon Xe 54

cesium Cs 55

barium Ba 56

lanthanum La 57

cerium Ce 58

praseodymium Pr 59

neodymium Nd 60

promethium Pm 61

samarium Sm 62

europium Eu 63

gadolinium Gd 64

terbium Tb 65

dysprosium Dy 66

holmium Ho 67

erbium Er 68

thulium Tm 69

ytterbium Yb 70

lutetium Lu 71

hafnium Hf 72

tantalum Ta 73

tungsten W 74

rhenium Re 75

osmium Os 76

iridium Ir 77

platinum Pt 78

gold Au 79

mercury Hg 80

thallium Tl 81

lead Pb 82

bismuth Bi 83

polonium Po 84

astatine At 85

radon Rn 86

francium Fr 87

radium Ra 88

actinium Ac 89

thorium Th 90

protactinium Pa 91

uranium U 92

neptunium Np 93

plutonium Pu 94

americium Am 95

curium Cm 96

berkelium Bk 97

californium Cf 98

einsteinium Es 99

fermium Fm 100

mendelevium Md 101

nobelium No 102

lawrencium Lr 103

rutherfordium Rf 104

dubnium Db 105

seaborgium Sg 106

bohrium Bh 107

hassium Hs 108

meitnerium Mt 109

110

111

112

114

116

118

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Do the order and harmony of elements in the periodic table reflect mere chance or intelligent design?

Helium atom

Electron

Proton

Neutron

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What accounts for the fine-tuning of the four physical forces?

ELECTROMAGNETISM

STRONG NUCLEAR FORCE

GRAVITY

WEAK NUCLEAR FORCE

Water molecule

Atom nucleus

Blue giant

Red dwarf

Sun