"Over the past few hundred years, humans have advanced, both scientifically and technologically, in tremendous leaps and bounds. Scientifically, we've discovered the fundamental forces that govern the Universe, the full suite of particles that make up the Standard Model, and have reconstructed nearly our entire cosmic history. Technologically, we can break the bonds of gravity that have so long tethered us to Earth, can send and receive signals across vast interstellar distances,"
"One of the mightiest facts we've uncovered about the Universe is this: that no matter when we look at it, near or far, we observe and measure it playing by the same laws, rules, and being made of the same ingredients that we see here in our own backyard. It takes the Copernican principle - the notion that we, here on Earth, don't occupy a special, privileged location - to the most general form imaginable."
Observations across space and time show that the Universe follows the same physical laws and is composed of the same basic ingredients everywhere. The Copernican principle extends to the idea that Earth's location, time since the Big Bang, and position in the Local Group are not special. Scientific progress has uncovered fundamental forces, the particle content of the Standard Model, and reconstructed most cosmic history. Technological advances enable escape from Earth's gravity, long-range communication, and potential exploration or travel to other worlds. A central question is whether any intelligent extraterrestrial civilization would formulate or observe the same laws of physics as humans.
Read at Big Think
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