One of the greatest existential mysteries, and the most difficult to answer, is whether Earth is all alone in this universe, holding the only candle of intelligent life in the darkness. Based on what we observe, we see that we are unique. But as well as a number of possible reasons why we might not be able to detect the light of an alien civilization elsewhere in the Milky Way, there are also a number of factors that could influence whether it appears or not. A little more than half a century ago these variables were compiled into a tool known as the Drake Equation, which allowed scientists to examine and speculate.

But one variable was missing from the Drake equation, which a group led by physicist Daniele Sorini of Durham University in Great Britain included in the new calculation: the effect of dark energy on the rate of star formation in the universe.

“Understanding dark energy and its effects on our universe is one of the biggest challenges in cosmology and fundamental physics,” Sorini explains. “The parameters that govern our universe, including the density of dark energy, may explain our own existence.”

Dark energy is an unknown force that accelerates the expansion of the universe. Even though we don’t know, What occurs, we can say how much: Approximately 71.4 percent of the matter and energy in the universe is dark energy.

The other 24 percent is dark matter; only the remaining 4.6 percent is ordinary baryonic matter, which makes up all stars, planets, black holes, dust, people, and everything else we can theoretically see and touch. One of our assumptions about life is that it needs a star. This may not be the case, but the likelihood of life arising in a body located far from a burning energy source is so remote that it cannot be of any use in the case of the Drake equation.

So, assuming a star is necessary for life, knowing the rate of star formation in a universe like ours can tell us something about the chances of finding life in that universe.

Stars consist of clouds of dust and gas that coalesce into dense clusters, and these clouds accumulate so much mass that the density and heat in their cores trigger nuclear fusion. The outward flow of dark energy plays a role in the rate of occurrence. It counteracts the inward pull of gravity that would otherwise see all the matter in the universe condensed into clusters too dense to form stars.

The researchers calculated this matter turnover rate for different dark energy densities in a model universe to determine the most efficient rate at which stars could form. And they found that the most efficient rate is when 27 percent of the matter in the universe turns into stars.

What makes this interesting is that this is not the universe we live in. The conversion rate of our universe is 23 percent. This isn’t the first evidence we’ve found that humanity did not emerge in optimal conditions for life; This potentially raises the possibility that intelligent life may have arisen elsewhere in the universe.

“Surprisingly,” says Sorini, “we found that even a much higher density of dark energy could still be compatible with life, suggesting that we may not be living in the most likely universes.”

There are many other factors that could affect the chances of intelligent life emerging. There is only one rate of star formation. Others include the number of stars that have planets; and the number of planets with habitable conditions. There are also variables we don’t know, such as how the building blocks of life are provided and assembled into an evolving system.

But each study provides information that will one day enable us to see a bigger picture than what we see now. This will help us narrow down how and where to look for other civilizations that may be scattered throughout our galaxy.

“It will be exciting to use this model to investigate the origin of life in different universes and see whether we need to rethink some of the fundamental questions we ask ourselves,” says theoretical physicist Lucas Lombreiser of the University of Geneva in Switzerland. our own universe.” The study was published on: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.