I now know what it is.  Doubt it?  It’s true.  There are six key elements that need to remain as they are, and should any one of them be altered, our existence would come to an abrupt end.  There are mathematical equations that prove it.  Ever hear of cosmology?  It’s the science, or philosophy as some would call it, that studies the Universe in its totality, and also humanity’s place in it.   Ever hear of Sir Martin Rees?  He’s an astrophysicist and a leading figure in the field of cosmology, and is Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, which in my book are enough credits to warrant him the title of “pretty smart dude”.  Mr. Rees has written a book titled “Just Six Numbers”, which explains to us common folk how these six numbers govern our Universe.

Regardless of your beliefs on the origins of the Universe, there are scientific laws that govern it.  These ‘Six Numbers’, according to Rees, are the core laws:

As the start of the twenty-first century, we have identified six numbers that seem especially significant. Two of them relate to the basic forces; two fix the size and overall ‘texture’ of our Universe and determine whether it will continue for ever; and two more fix the properties of space itself:

These six numbers constitute a ‘recipe’ for a universe. Moreover, the outcome is sensitive to their values: if any one of them were to be ‘untuned’, there would be no stars and no life. Is this tuning just a brute fact, a coincidence? Or is it the providence of a benign Creator? I take the view that it is neither. An infinity of other universes may well exist where the numbers are different. Most would be stillborn or sterile. We could only have emerged (and therefore we naturally now find ourselves) in a universe with the ‘right’ combination. This realization offers a radically new perspective on our Universe, on our place in it, and on the nature of physical laws.

Pretty powerful stuff!  And anyone who is interested in where we came from should find this subject matter very appealing.  The ‘Six Numbers’ are as follows:

N = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
The cosmos is so vast because there is one crucially important huge number in nature. N measures the strength of the electrical forces that hold atoms together, divided by the force of gravity between them. If it had a few less zeros, only a short-lived and miniature universe could exist. No creatures would be larger than insects, and there would be no time for evolution to lead to intelligent life.

έ = 0.007
Another number, epsilon, defines how firmly atomic nuclei bind together and how all the atoms on Earth were made. The value of epsilon controls the power from the Sun and, more sensitively, how stars transmute hydrogen into all the atoms of the periodic table. Carbon and oxygen are common, and gold and uranium are rare, because of what happens in the stars. If epsilon were 0.006 or 0.008, we could not exist.

Ω omega 1

The cosmic number omega measures the amount of material in our Universe - galaxies, diffuse gas, and ‘dark matter’. Omega tells us the relative importance of gravity and expansion energy in the Universe. A universe within which omega was too high would have collapsed long ago; had omega been too low, no galaxies would have formed. The inflationary theory of the Big Bang says omega should be one; astronomers have yet to measure its exact value.

λ = 0.7
Measuring the sixth number, lambda, was the biggest scientific news of 1998, though its precise value is still uncertain. An unsuspected new force - a cosmic ‘antigravity’ - controls the expansion of our Universe. Fortunately for us, lambda is very small. Otherwise its effect would have stopped galaxies and stars from forming, and cosmic evolution would have been stifled before it could even begin.

Q = 1/100,000
The seeds for all cosmic structures - stars, galaxies and clusters of galaxies - were all imprinted in the Big Bang. The fabric - or texture - of our Universe depends on a number that represents the ratio of two fundamental energies. If Q were even smaller, the Universe would be inert and structureless; if Q were much larger, it would be a violent place, dominated by giant black holes.

D = 3
The first crucial number is the number of spatial dimensions: we live in a three-dimensional Universe. Life couldn’t exist if D were two or four. Time is a fourth dimension, but distinctively different from the others in that it has a built-in arrow: we ‘move’ only towards the future.

All very impressive stuff, and if you are not familiar with working with those kinds of numbers on a regular basis, also quite intimidating.  But I want you to take a close look at the 2nd point Rees makes, when he discusses epsilon.  Note the numeric value of this item.  007.  That’s right, Double-O-7!!!! How crazy is that?!

Now I always thought James Bond was cool.  I mean, how many guys do you know that drive a car that shoots missiles, and can kill 3 men simultaneously with his bare hands, and always gets the hot girl?!  But this takes cool to a whole new level.  The fate of the whole universe as we now know it lies in his hands!  This is why he continues to exist in different forms and never goes away.  If Bond goes away, we all go away.  Keep that in mind the next time you watch Goldfinger or Octopussy.  It’ll change your entire perspective on things…