万物简史 第19期:如何营造一个宇宙(11)

Martin Rees, Britain's astronomer royal, believesthat there are many universes, possibly an infinitenumber, each with different attributes, in differentcombinations, and that we simply live in one thatcombines things in the way that allows us to exist.He makes an analogy with a very large clothingstore: "If there is a large stock of clothing, you'renot surprised to find a suit that fits. If there aremany universes, each governed by a differing set ofnumbers, there will be one where there is aparticular set of numbers suitable to life. We are inthat one.

英国皇家天文学家马丁·里斯认为，有许多个宇宙，很可能是无数个，每个都有不同的特性，不同的组合，我们只是生活在一个其组合的方式恰好适于我们存在的宇宙里。他以一家大服装店作为例子来进行类比："要是服装品种很多，你就不难挑到一件合身的衣服。要是有许多宇宙，而每个宇宙都由一套不同的数据控制，那么就会有一个宇宙，它的一套特定的数据适合于生命。我们恰好在这样的一个宇宙里。"

Rees maintains that six numbers in particular govern our universe, and that if any of thesevalues were changed even very slightly things could not be as they are. For example, for theuniverse to exist as it does requires that hydrogen be converted to helium in a precise butcomparatively stately manner—specifically, in a way that converts seven one-thousandths ofits mass to energy.

里斯认为，我们的宇宙受到6个数据的支配，要是哪个值发生哪怕是非常细微的变化，事物就不可能是现在的这个模样。比如，现在的宇宙若要存在，就要求氢以准确而较为稳定的方式--说得具体一点，要以将千分之七的质量转化为能量的方式--转化为氦。

Lower that value very slightly—from 0.007 percent to 0.006 percent, say—and notransformation could take place: the universe would consist of hydrogen and nothing else.Raise the value very slightly—to 0.008 percent—and bonding would be so wildly prolific thatthe hydrogen would long since have been exhausted. In either case, with the slightesttweaking of the numbers the universe as we know and need it would not be here.

要是那个值稍稍低一点--比如从千分之七降至千分之六--那么就不可能发生转化：宇宙只会由氢组成。要是那个值稍稍高一点--高到千分之八--结合就会不间断地发生，氢早已消耗殆尽。无论是哪种情况，只要这个数据稍有变动，我们所知的而又需要的宇宙就不会存在。