Fundamental Constants Constrain Liquid-Based Life
A theoretical study finds the universe's physical constants must allow liquids to flow for life to exist, while separate research derives Einstein's equations from quantum information principles.
Two new studies probe the deep structure of physical law from different angles. One examines how the values of fundamental constants may set a narrow window for the existence of life by governing liquid flow. The other demonstrates a mathematical derivation linking Einstein's equations of gravity to the organization of quantum information.
Constants and Life's Liquid State
Physicist Kostya Trachenko at Queen Mary University of London published a theoretical analysis in Science Advances on October 11, 2026. The work suggests that small changes to fundamental physical constants, such as the Planck constant or electron charge, could alter liquid viscosity enough to prevent essential biological processes. Trachenko's study builds on his 2020 finding that these constants set a fundamental lower limit on how freely any fluid can flow.
Every living cell depends on molecular motion and diffusion within a liquid medium. The new analysis proposes that the range of constant values compatible with such motion is surprisingly narrow. A change of just a few percent could make a fluid like blood too thick or too thin for biological function. Trachenko explained the connection: "If water was as viscous as tar life would not exist in its current form or not exist at all." The constraint applies to any hypothetical life relying on a liquid state, not only water-based life on Earth.
Intriguingly, these life-friendly conditions, dictated by the constants, existed billions of years before the first cells appeared. The same constants also govern nuclear reactions in stars that produce life-essential elements like carbon and oxygen. The findings raise a profound question about why the laws of physics appear so well-suited to allowing life, though the precise tolerances for different life forms remain theoretically uncertain.
Gravity from Quantum Information
Research published on October 12, 2026, in Physical Review Letters shows that Einstein's equations of general relativity can be derived from principles of quantum information. The work, led by Leon Barkho of the University of Sharjah, reconstructs a thermodynamic derivation of gravity using sophisticated mathematical methods that connect quantum data organization to spacetime geometry.
Einstein's theory describes gravity as the curvature of spacetime caused by mass and energy. The new derivation traces this curvature back to the way information is stored in quantum fields. This approach builds on a 1995 result from physicist Ted Jacobson, who first showed Einstein's equations could emerge from thermodynamic principles, similar to how gas laws emerge from molecular motion. The latest research implements this thermodynamic derivation through a framework that explicitly links it to quantum information theory.
The study treats gravity as a phenomenon that emerges from a more fundamental quantum substrate. By showing how spacetime geometry is linked to quantum information structure, the work provides a fresh pathway toward unifying quantum theory and general relativity. Uniting these two pillars of modern physics remains one of the field's most significant open challenges.
