The anthropic principle states that the fundamental parameters of the Universe such as the strength of the fundamental forces, have been finely tuned to support life. Whether this is true or not or whether it is even worthy of scientific investigation has been hotly debated. A new paper proposes some ways that this may now be tested and perhaps brings the topic under scientific scrutiny for the first time. The idea of the anthropic principle was first suggested by physicist Brandon Carter in 1973. The proposal by Carter was tabled at a conference to mark the 500th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus. The principle attempts to rationalise the apparent ‘fine tuning’ of various universal parameters that support a cosmos where observers like humans can exist. If the parameters are slightly different, life may not have evolved. Nicolaus Copernicus portrait from Town Hall in Torun (Thorn), 1580. Credit: frombork.art.pl There are two versions; the Weak Anthropic Principle which postulates we observe the universe as being compatible with our very existence because, the argument goes, we wouldn’t be here to observe it if not! Then there is the Strong Anthropic Principle which goes much further stating simply that the universe must have parameters that make life possible.  Science of philosophy? Either way, for a theory to be of any use, it must be possible to test it. Until now it’s been thought the anthropic principle was beyond the possibility of being tested. The paper, published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics was authored by Nemanja Kaloper from the University of California and Alexander Westphal from the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron. They propose for the first time, a way that the principle can be experimentally tested. The AP proposes that if the universe is to develop as a place that our carbon based life can evolve, it must have begun with a very specific set of parameters. The gravitational constant, Planck’s constant and the electron charge are such parameters that, if they had been different at the beginning of time, the universe would have been very different, very different indeed.  Kaloper and Westphal identify the initial parameters implied by the anthropic principle and are able to model how the universe would have evolved. It would then be possible to compare the result to the cosmos observed today. Any variance between the model and the observed universe would provide a measure of the validity of the principle.  A computer model of the large-scale structure of the universe using the Illustris simulator. This image depicts the dark matter and gas involved in forming galaxies and galaxy clusters, as well as the filaments connecting them. Image Credit: Illustris TNG There are a number of predictions the team say can be used as a measure including the cosmic inflation and the nature of dark matter. Perhaps frustratingly close now to proving, in some way, the validity of the principle yet we are still a few more years away from being able to acquire all the necessary evidence. Until then, the anthropic principle remains a very interesting curiosity and one that, since the publication of this latest paper, does at least deserve our attention.  Source : Falsifying anthropics The post Has the Universe Been Designed to Support Life? Now We Have a Way to Test it! appeared first on Universe Today.

A 20th century catastrophe.

OHIO — Sixteen children in Ohio have been reported missing and are still missing this week. The missing person reports are from the dates of 12/1 to today, 12/7. The missing children and their information have been posted on the... The post Sixteen children reported missing in Ohio this week first appeared on Ohio Statewide .

Vendula Wendy Rose, an Ohio mother who went missing on Sept. 24, was identified by human remains found in the Talladega National Forest by the Alabama Department of Forensic Science on Wednesday, Dec. 4, Cleburne County Coroner’s Office said in a statement on Facebook.

Every had someone tell you "turn that frown upside down!" Obnoxious advice? Maybe. But they might just be onto something. By now, most of us have heard of forced smiling — or the act of turning your mouth up at the ends into something like a smile — and how it can potentially turn your mood around by tricking your body into, essentially, think it's happy.Research has shown that smiling more, even when you have to fake it, can boost your mood, lower stress, bring your heart rate down, and give your immune system a boost. But did you know some people say the same is actually true of laughing?Reseachers wanted to test the positive effects of laughter, so they found some of the most stressed out people they could manage: Students.Researchers from Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa chose nursing students who exhibited high levels of stress due to their coursework and put them through a rigorous laughing protocol. Nursing is notoriously one of the most stressful college majors.First, students were surveyed on measures like their self-reported stress levels, the academic self-efficacy or confidence, and overall well-being.For the test group, a group of the students took a 40-minute laughter yoga courses once per week, for five weeks.Laughter yoga is a unique sort of yoga class that has four components, according to the study. First, a playful clapping warm-up. Next, deep breathing. Third, silly games, and fourth, laughter exercises. The idea is to force yourself to laugh — even literally saying the words ha-ha over and over — until eventually you start genuinely laughing and smiling. Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash Compared to the control group, the intervention group saw significant improvements in overall well-being and perceived stress levels after five weeks of laughing yoga.The findings from the new study line up with previous research about laughing yoga and forced laughter. Previous studies have shown laughing yoga, specifically, to be beneficial for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy as well as the elderly. This aligns with common sense, too. You can only say hahaha so many times before you start genuinely cracking up, and you're bound to feel fantastic afterwards.So far, the science says that regular forced laughter is a fun, cost-effective, and non-medicinal way of lowering stress and increasing well-being. Plus, if you try out laughing yoga, you get to tell people that you're going to yoga class when you're really just goofing around! Win-win.Are there potential downsides to forced laughter or smiling? Photo by Freddy Mishiki on Unsplash Forced laughter, especially in social settings, is a heavily studied phenomenon. Did you know there are four types of forced laughter, depending on the reason and motivation behind each one? Studies show that forcing a laugh can be a mixed bag. Intimacy maintenance laughter, or "a forced laugh used to brighten the atmosphere in a situation or to maintain or improve one’s level of intimacy with another," unsurprisingly has positive ramifications on our mental health. But expression control laughter, where we fake a laugh to hide a negative emotion, can have the opposite effect.It definitely begs the question — could forcing ourself to laugh or smile when we're stressed actually be harmful? So far, there's not much data to suggest a downside to something as gentle and fun as laughing yoga, but there is research that shows when sad people try to smile more it makes them feel worse in certain circumstances.And some people, whether it's supported by data or not, just can't get on board with trying to "trick" our minds and bodies into feeling a certain way. It's definitely not a concept that would sit well with truly dedicated yogis.Finally, when it comes to the stories we've all heard about forced smiling, it turns out the positive effects are probably a lot smaller than we've been led to believe anyway. Even the recent study on laughing yoga for stressed out nursing students, while definitely demonstrating an improvement in well-being, fell short of the massive effect you might expect.The takeaway? Forcing a laugh or a smile can be a good pick me up, and a solid everyday habit, like meditating. But it's best viewed as a short term solution and probably isn't going to cure your stress and anxiety all on its own.The ideal would be if you can find a way to genuinely smile and laugh every day. Talk to a friend, watch a funny movie, joke around with the kids.But if you have to start with a forced smile or laugh, it's better than nothing. Stress levels have been rising in America for years, so at this point, we'll take anything we can get!