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July 20, 2015

Why is the Universe So Damn Big?

The universe is big on human scales, but that doesn’t mean very much.
It’s not surprising that humans are small compared to the universe, but big compared to atoms. That feature does have an obvious anthropic explanation — complex structures can only form on in-between scales, not at the very largest or very smallest sizes. Given that living organisms are going to be complex, it’s no surprise that we find ourselves at an in-between size compared to the universe and compared to elementary particles. What is arguably more interesting is that the universe is so big compared to particle-physics scales. | Sean Carroll

Posted by gerardvanderleun at July 20, 2015 3:02 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

Your Say

A panel of international experts recently convened in Boise to study such a question. The unanimous response was: Too much air.

Too much air between atoms, between molecules, between planets; between moons and stars and all the other matter that's floating around out there.

Get rid of all that air — it's just taking up room.

Posted by: chasmatic [TypeKey Profile Page] at July 21, 2015 12:10 AM

"complex structures can only form on in-between scales". Who says? Is this a theory? Where does this statement come from?

Posted by: Larry Geiger [TypeKey Profile Page] at July 21, 2015 10:40 AM

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