Chance plays a significant role in our existence. The universe flips its cosmic coin every so often, and all we can do is cross our fingers and hope it lands face up, as Tim Coulson discovered the hard way 35 years ago, after one of his work trips to Kenya. "I was bitten by a mosquito, got malaria, and was close to death. The doctors told me that if I had gone to the hospital a little later, the next attack would have been fatal," recalls the British biologist as he connects via Zoom from another corner of Africa.
The youthful anecdote of this prolific researcher and globetrotting Zoology professor at Oxford marks the zero moment of this story. Because it was then, with the memory of the fever still fresh, that he made his most important personal reflection: "I thought as a result of that, life is short, and I needed to come up with some sort of plan for mine. I visualized myself as an old man on my deathbed and decided that before that moment, I wanted to understand everything that science knows about the universe and the reason for our existence."
The tons of knowledge he accumulated subsequently have blossomed decades later in the form of a grand book, The Universal History of Us: a journey of 13.8 billion years, from the Big Bang to you (Crítica). In it, Coulson goes back to the origin of everything and reconstructs the chain of events that has brought us here without leaving any link out. Particle by particle, atom by atom, cell by cell, he has been able to reconstruct the complex mechanism of life on the planet and of the human being. A monumental puzzle where stars, earth, and moon fit; primitive cyanobacteria and coal deposits; Neanderthals and Denisovans. From that physical, chemical, geological, and evolutionary salad, seasoned with the four fundamental forces, we have emerged.
- I break into a sweat just thinking about how much it must have cost him to structure it all...
- I admit that if I had known at the beginning how much time it would take me, maybe I would have considered that it was easier to succeed in golf or something like that.
Fortunately, Coulson always remained a joker and did not give up on his fundamental endeavor. According to his plan, he could now die peacefully: he has been able to provide a sufficiently complete answer to the XXL-sized question he asked himself. Why are we here, him, you and me, the newspaper and the ink it is written with, the language and ideas, the technology of your state-of-the-art mobile phone, and the pre-cooked pizza we have in the fridge?
The summary that Coulson offers to the reader, assuming at the interviewer's request the challenge of synthesizing a period equivalent to multiplying each of the letters in this article by a million years, would be: "Part of the energy had to become quarks and electrons. They needed to form atoms, which then joined others to create molecules. These adopted the ideal structure for life to begin. And, after that, evolution came, selecting the attributes we have, including the brain and consciousness. Finally, our personality is a mix of genetics, experiences, and luck. Why do we exist? Those are all the things that had to happen. We have won the cosmic lottery, so we are very fortunate."
Chance, as we pointed out at the beginning, has played a fundamental role in every stage of the process. "Perhaps if the meteorite that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs had grazed the Earth but not crashed into its surface, humans would never have appeared, and maybe an intelligent reptile would be writing this book instead of me," Coulson quips in his essay.
The list of events that had to align is endless, and surely a few will come to the reader's mind. But perhaps one of the lesser-known factors is not above our heads but under our feet: "We would not have been able to form our civilization if coal had not formed in the Carboniferous period 300 million years ago, from dead forests that did not rot. Today, those trees would be decomposed by bacteria and fungi. But at that time, for some reason, bacteria and fungi were unable to decompose them, perhaps they had not mutated for that purpose. Civilizations like ours may be incredibly rare [in the universe] because it is also rare for coal to have formed."
Access to those deposits was crucial, explains the author in the book, to fuel humanity's technological push. He treats it as another accident triggered by luck, and as there are so many, he wants to know who is rolling the dice: "The question to ask is where that randomness comes from, where that chance comes from. And curiously, the only place we know where true randomness seems to occur in the universe is at the quantum level."
His reflection distances him from deterministic scientists and brings him closer to the profound reflections that every human being has made at some point: "Why don't we behave like planets where everything is perfectly predictable? Where does that kind of unpredictability come from, that I cannot know what you will ask me next or that you cannot know where I will walk when the interview ends? It must come from very tiny particles, and there must be a way for it to scale up so that larger things, like living organisms, can exhibit those unexpected behaviors."
If Coulson were studying now, he would like to delve into quantum biology. "It's a truly fascinating field," he emphasizes. "At the moment, they are just hypotheses, but there is increasing evidence that what happens at the very small level may be involved in decision-making, influencing how our synapses fire and even genetic mutations."
This connection between quantum mechanics and our neurons could end up explaining something as elusive as free will. So, do not be surprised if the conversation transcends into more theological questions. Coulson, always respectful of all beliefs, does not avoid the topic in the book or in the interview.
"Humans, since we evolved 250,000 years ago, have invented stories to explain our existence, often resorting to the creation of gods and spirits," he reflects. In his case, he settles the matter: "I am an atheist, I do not believe in God, and I do not think we need it, but I know I am not going to change anyone's opinion... I do not expect a Roman Catholic to open my book, reach the end, and say, 'Oh, I was wrong, and Tim was right!'. All I hope is that people read the book with an open mind."
Although he is firm in the interview, in the essay, he admits that he himself had his doubts when facing some of the questions that still have no answer: "However, rationality eventually prevailed, and I avoided falling into the trap of belief in a deity. Be that as it may, I came to the conclusion that, if there were one, it would be a scientist."
--If there were a god who knows everything, what would be the point of creating a universe, Earth, and people?" he clarifies in the interview.
He sees a god in a white coat more fitting, willing to experiment until finding "the set of rules necessary for a universe to produce beings like him or her." Essentially, what any scientist surrounded by test tubes would do, but on a cosmic scale. Let us not rule out finding ourselves now inside a huge test tube.
The gaps in knowledge are also highlighted in fluorescent in the book. Coulson also knows what he does not know and points out the most fascinating mysteries for him: "Why is there something instead of nothing? Why did the Big Bang happen? Perhaps we will never know. There are theories, but for now, we cannot test them. We also do not fully understand the exact conditions that allowed the beginning of life."
The existence of other beings in other parts of the universe is another of those uncertainties. If the ingredients for existence are out there, have they taken root somewhere else? "I suspect that simple life, like bacteria, starts quite frequently and is quite common in the universe. And intelligent life? It will be rarer because the planet has to remain in good conditions for life to develop and survive for billions of years," he responds.
However, say goodbye if you are a fan of ufology hoping to come across a flying saucer while driving on the highway: "The probability of two civilizations in different star systems existing at the same time is very low. And if there is another one, it is unlikely that we will meet face to face because the universe is vast."