News Astronomy

Universes with no weak force might still have stars and life

An alternate cosmos could do without one of the fundamental forces, physicists say

illustration of alternate universes

MANY WORLDS  Alternate universes with different laws of physics could still host galaxies, stars and planets, a new study suggests.  

Juergen Faelchle/Shutterstock

By Lisa Grossman

- More than 2 years ago

Not all fundamental forces are created equal. An alternate universe that lacks the weak nuclear force — one of the four fundamental forces that govern all matter in our universe — could still form galaxies, stars, planets and perhaps life, according to calculations published online January 18 at arXiv.org.