Though sensationalized in movies like Donnie Darko, the multiverse is a hypothetical concept debated by many scientists, and two new studies up the ante on the fantastic idea of a multiverse: Perhaps, if our universe is just one among many alternative universes, life could be scattered across those universes, too.
The research of Bower and others was published in two related papers on Sunday in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Researchers in these new studies found more questions than answers about dark energy and the multiverse. By adding dark energy to models of the early universe, researchers tried to find a threshold for life. How much dark energy was too much to impact star formation? Too little?
Apparently, the threshold was much higher than researchers anticipated.
While the teams don’t suggest the multiverse idea “solves” the mystery of life in our universe (or others), this research serves as a stepping stone for future physics investigations. The teams propose a new law of physics might need to be created in order to help explain the small amount of dark energy on the universe.
Bower, the physicist at Durham University, says our universe might be something for its limited about of a dark energy, enabling life.
He continues: “Our work shows that this explanation doesn’t work! Our universe is far more special than this theory can explain. Our work suggests that a new theory of dark energy is needed,” making the weird plot of Donnie Darko only slightly less weird.