How life exists

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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260508022653.htm

Scientists make stunning discovery that could change our understanding 
of the Universe

Date: May 8, 2026
Source: Queen Mary University of London
Summary:
Scientists may have uncovered a surprising secret behind why life exists 
at all. A new study suggests that the Universe’s fundamental constants — 
the deep physical rules that govern everything from atoms to stars — 
appear to sit within an incredibly narrow “sweet spot” that allows 
liquids to flow properly inside living cells. Even tiny shifts in these 
constants could make blood too thick, water too sticky, or cellular 
motion impossible, potentially wiping out life as we know it.
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FULL STORY
Physics Discovery Could Change Everything
A new physics study suggests life may depend on an astonishingly 
delicate balance hidden in the laws of the Universe. Credit: 
AI/ScienceDaily.com

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have proposed a striking 
idea that links the deepest laws of physics to the existence of life 
itself. Their work suggests that the Universe's fundamental constants 
sit within an extremely narrow range that allows liquids to flow in ways 
living cells depend on. If those constants were even slightly different, 
water, blood, and other life-supporting fluids could behave so 
differently that complex organisms might never have emerged at all.

The study, published in Science Advances in 2023, builds on earlier work 
by physicist Kostya Trachenko and colleagues showing that liquid 
viscosity is tied directly to fundamental physical constants. That 
finding established a lower limit for how "runny" liquids can be. The 
newer research extended the idea into biology, asking whether the same 
physical rules that shape the cosmos may also quietly determine whether 
cells can function.

Why Liquid Flow Matters for Life

Life depends on movement at microscopic scales. Nutrients must travel 
through cells, proteins need to fold correctly, and molecules constantly 
diffuse through watery environments. All of this relies on viscosity, 
the property that determines how easily a liquid flows.

According to the researchers, the Universe appears to operate within a 
surprisingly narrow "bio-friendly" window where viscosity and diffusion 
remain suitable for life. If the constants governing physics shifted by 
only a few percent, liquids essential to biology could become 
dramatically thicker or thinner.

"Understanding how water flows in a cup turns out to be closely related 
to the grand challenge to figure out fundamental constants. Life 
processes in and between living cells require motion and it is viscosity 
that sets the properties of this motion. If fundamental constants 
change, viscosity would change too impacting life as we know it. For 
example, if water was as viscous as tar life would not exist in its 
current form or not exist at all. This applies beyond water, so all life 
forms using the liquid state to function would be affected."

The team says the consequences would extend far beyond drinking water or 
oceans. Human blood, cellular fluids, and the chemistry that powers life 
all rely on carefully balanced flow properties.

"Any change in fundamental constants including an increase or decrease 
would be equally bad news for flow and for liquid-based life. We expect 
the window to be quite narrow: for example, viscosity of our blood would 
become too thick or too thin for body functioning with only a few per 
cent change of some fundamental constants such as the Planck constant or 
electron charge." Professor of Physics Kostya Trachenko said.




A New Twist on Cosmic Fine-Tuning

Physicists have long debated why the Universe's constants appear finely 
tuned. Tiny differences in values such as the electron charge or the 
strength of fundamental forces could prevent stars from forming heavy 
elements needed for planets and life.

What makes this research unusual is that it shifts the discussion from 
stars and galaxies down to the level of living cells. Previous 
fine-tuning arguments often focused on nuclear reactions inside stars. 
This work argues that even if stars and heavy elements still formed, 
life might remain impossible if liquids could not flow properly inside 
organisms.

That introduces a second layer of fine-tuning. The constants not only 
appear compatible with a universe full of matter, but also with 
biological systems that depend on delicate liquid dynamics.

The researchers even suggest that multiple stages of tuning may have 
occurred. In the paper, Trachenko compares the possibility to biological 
evolution, where traits emerge independently over time. The idea remains 
speculative, but it raises the possibility that nature may favor stable 
physical structures in ways scientists do not yet fully understand.

Later Research Expanded the Idea

Since the original publication, scientists have continued exploring how 
viscosity, diffusion, and fluid behavior connect to fundamental physics. 
Follow-up theoretical work reviewed how liquid motion inside cells may 
place additional limits on the values of physical constants, especially 
in systems involving biochemical "machines" such as molecular motors.



Other researchers have also examined how viscosity itself may arise from 
deeper physical laws. A 2023 analysis highlighted growing evidence that 
liquid viscosity may be linked to universal physical limits rather than 
simply being a property measured in laboratories.

Together, these studies are helping reshape an old scientific mystery. 
Instead of viewing the constants of nature only through the lens of 
cosmology and particle physics, scientists are increasingly asking 
whether the conditions needed for flowing liquids and functioning cells 
should also be part of the equation.

Could Physics and Biology Be More Connected Than We Thought?

The idea remains highly theoretical, and many physicists would caution 
that there is still no accepted explanation for why the constants of 
nature have their observed values. But the research opens an unexpected 
path for thinking about one of science's biggest questions.

For decades, the mystery of fundamental constants was mostly explored 
through black holes, stars, and subatomic particles. This work suggests 
the answer may also involve something much closer to everyday life: the 
simple ability of liquids to flow through living cells.



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Story Source:

Materials provided by Queen Mary University of London. Note: Content may 
be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Kostya Trachenko. Constraints on fundamental physical constants from 
bio-friendly viscosity and diffusion. Science Advances, 2023; 9 (34) 
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh9024
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Queen Mary University of London. "Scientists make stunning discovery 
that could change our understanding of the Universe." ScienceDaily. 
ScienceDaily, 8 May 2026. 
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260508022653.htm>.

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