The Anthropic Principle (AP) suggests that the universe’s parameters appear fine-tuned to support life. Critics argue that this idea is non-falsifiable since humans, as intelligent life, cannot refute it. However, a recent study offers a theoretical test that could challenge AP if certain conditions, such as cosmic expansion, axions, and dark matter, are proven. Scientists have yet to resolve these topics, making the test currently impossible. But in the future, it could provide strong evidence for—or against—this previously untestable principle. AP, first introduced by physicist Brandon Carter in 1973, explores whether the universe is inherently designed to support life. The “Weak AP” suggests that because humans observe the universe, it must have evolved to support intelligent life. In contrast, the “Hard AP” implies the universe had no choice but to develop in this way, with some interpretations even invoking a purposeful design. Many experts dismiss AP as unscientific since it cannot be tested. However, the new study, published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, proposes a way forward. It focuses on ultralight axions, or “fuzzy” dark matter, as a key component. According to authors Nemanja Kaloper (UC Davis) and Alexander Westphal (DESY, Germany), future observations of these theoretical particles could reveal discrepancies that test AP’s validity. Kaloper explained, “Our specific example is the first case where the anthropic principle might actually fail the test, as opposed to simply declaring that it does not apply.” If cosmic inflation occurred, axions exist, and dark matter is not composed of axions, AP might be falsified. Otherwise, AP would constrain the universe’s parameters to allow life by necessity. The study highlights how slight changes to universal constants, like Planck’s constant, could make life impossible. For AP to hold, scientists would need to confirm that high-scale inflation and ultralight axions are essential to dark matter. Though this test remains theoretical, it could one day reshape our understanding of the universe. As Kaloper notes, proving AP false might mean “different rules govern the initial conditions” of the cosmos, suggesting, “The real theory of cosmology might be more complicated than we thought.” The post Physicists Propose Test to See If Life’s Existence Is by Design or Chance appeared first on Anomalien.com.

On the one hand of the issue of the CEO shooting, you have reasoned vioces rightly calling the shooter a coward and indicating that violence is not the answer in the face of such disputes. On the other, you have The Artist Formerly Known as Jerry Rivers giving the shooter credit for driving the discussion on healthcare reform. Do not attempt this at home, kids. Watch as Geraldo Rivera gives it up to the shooter: "The fact is Luigi (Mangione) succeeded in- if, indeed, honestly, his goal was to direct attention to the injustices and rally support reform to the healthcare system." Gerardo Rivera notwithstanding: one does NOT, in fact, gotta give it to Luigi. pic.twitter.com/d7SV9UI5Fn — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) December 12, 2024 CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP 12/11/24 10:23 PM GERALDO RIVERA: The fact is Luigi (Mangione) succeeded in- if, indeed, honestly, his goal was to direct attention to the injustices and rally support to reform the healthcare system. There has not been this concentrated discussion of U.S. healthcare in the last 24, 48 hours. It is remarkable to me how this kid, however misguided and sick and- and sadistic or whatever else you want to call it, uh, or however warped and, you know, Ayn Rand, uh, Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged he was. The fact of the matter is- America’s having this discussion.  If we could just reiterate that one does not have to give it to the accused shooter. Never. Likewise, the shooter is not a successful driver of debate. Murder is not persuasive, and does not trigger systemic change. Rivera, who is old enough to know better, should know that this type of lone-wolf violence does not drive the debate on any given issue. Domestic terrorism seldom does.  And yet here’s Rivera, giving credit to a domestic terrorist.  The only thing that the shooter succeeded at was in committing a heinous crime and leaving a family without its father. Perhaps we should also consider that the shooter succeeded in getting the media to cheerlead for him, and idolize him and put him on magazine covers.  

The Lawn Tennis Association, Britain's governing body for tennis, has barred "transgender women" from playing in the top women's tournaments.The new policy still allows for men who identify as women to play against females at the local level, in tournaments that are for "fun" or "social."The LTA's new policy described tennis as a "gender-affected" sport and admitted that the "average man" has an advantage when playing against the "average woman."This includes "longer levers" (a term referring to the shoulder and arm) and "increased cardio-vascular capacity."The association wrote, "The current broad consensus, including the conclusion of the review carried out by the Sports Councils Equality Group, is that this advantage is likely to be retained to a significant degree in trans women, making competition potentially unfair."The tennis association also decided it would allow men to compete against women in some competitions, essentially at the recreational level. As such, it created the categories "Specified and Non-Specified."Specified refers to competitions between different clubs or counties and includes the National Championship right down through county and district leagues. Non-Specified includes competitions within one venue, with the primary purpose to "provide fun, social competition to enable people to feel part of their local tennis community.""These will range from weekend social tournaments through to Club Championships, these will be able to be fully inclusive, and the choice will be for local venues to make," the LTA added.This effective ban restricts "transgender women and nonbinary individuals assigned male at birth" from playing in top-tier and competitive women's tournaments.The same day as its policy announcement, the LTA posted photos of one of Britain's top-ranked women's tennis players, Emma Raducanu.Raducanu is ranked 57th in the world, ahead of No. 85 British player, Sonay Kartal, and behind Katie Boulter, Britain's top-ranked female tennis player and world-ranked No. 24. Britain's top-ranked women's tennis player Katie BoulterPhoto by Angel Martinez/Getty Images for ITF'This is a good start and I am hoping the USTA and others will follow suit.'The British tennis body ended its press release by encouraging local venues to be "as inclusive as possible for trans and nonbinary" people and to make sure they provide opportunities for them to compete; presumably against women.Tennis legend and noted liberal Martina Navratilova congratulated the organization, saying she hoped the U.S. Tennis Association would soon adopt the same rules."Congrats to [LTA], this is a good start and I am hoping the USTA and others will follow suit."The LTA is the second major women's sports organization to implement the new rules in recent days; the Ladies Professional Golf Association changed their gender eligibility rules in a similar fashion last week.The LPGA also used careful language, saying only athletes who are "assigned female at birth" are eligible for women's competitions, including the LPGA Tour, Epson Tour, Ladies European Tour, and all other "elite LPGA competitions."More specifically, the LPGA said players who were "assigned male at birth and who have gone through male puberty" are not eligible to compete in the women's events.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

President-elect Donald Trump was expected to ring the New York Stock Exchange opening bell on Thursday morning to celebrate the unveiling of the cover of Time magazine's Person of the Year edition.Three sources familiar with the plans reportedly told Politico that Trump would be named Time's 2024 Person of the Year. He previously secured the title in 2016 following his first presidential election victory against Hillary Clinton. 'The individual who, for better or for worse, did the most to shape the world and the headlines over the past 12 months.'Despite being a native New Yorker, Trump has never participated in the tradition of ringing the opening bell to commence trading, a practice dating back to the 1800s.Melania Trump had that honor in September 2019 during her "Be Best" White House initiative on children's well-being.In 1985, Ronald Reagan became the first sitting president to ring the bell.Last year, Time CEO Jessica Sibley performed the ceremony following Taylor Swift's selection as Person of the Year.Thirteen other presidents, including President Joe Biden, have also been designated with Time's recognition.On Thursday morning, Trump was greeted by chants of "USA!" as he waited to ring the New York Stock Exchange bell. He was joined by Vice President-elect JD Vance, his wife, Melania, and daughters, Ivanka and Tiffany.On Monday, NBC's "The Today Show" revealed Time's shortlist for Person of the Year, which included Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris, Kate Middleton, Elon Musk, and Benjamin Netanyahu.However, a Time article on this year's selection of Trump noted that it was not a difficult choice."Since he began running for President in 2015, perhaps no single individual has played a larger role in changing the course of politics and history than Trump," Time wrote.Time explained the reason for its decision."For 97 years, the editors of Time have been picking the Person of the Year: the individual who, for better or for worse, did the most to shape the world and the headlines over the past 12 months," it read.WNBA star Caitlin Clark was selected as Time's Athlete of the Year, Elton John as Icon of the Year, and Lisa Su of Advanced Micro Devices as CEO of the Year.This year's cover was revealed on Time's website along with an article that referred to Trump as "the world's most powerful man."Despite selecting him for the honor, the article still accused him of attempting to "overturn the 2020 election results culminating in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.""Trump has proved twice now that he can surf to power on anti-incumbent sentiment, a cult of personality, and divisive rhetoric, including racist and xenophobic attacks," it read.The Associated Press reported that it is unclear whether Trump has plans to meet with New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) while he is there. However, Adams is slated to meet with Trump's incoming border czar, Tom Homan.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A black teacher at Beverly Hills High School is claiming racism after a "mob" of students — dressed in MAGA gear and carrying a flag in support of Donald Trump — shouted "f*** Kamala" on Election Day. Now a lawsuit reportedly is looming.You can view KTTV-TV's video report here about the controversy. The video's title indicates that two black teachers are suing the school over racism and discrimination, but the station didn't note the identity of the second teacher.'Beverly Hills High School, and in fact the city of Beverly Hills, have demonstrated racism again and again against its students and its teachers.'Bella Ivory — who teaches fashion design at the school, according to KABC-TV — recounted to KTTV her heightened "fears" over the pro-Trump students."There was just a mob of kids, just so many kids outside my door," Ivory said in one video segment, adding, "I'm gonna tell you how scary it was." She told KTTV the group tried to enter her classroom. Ivory's attorney Brad Gage told KABC the students terrorized a Black Student Union meeting led by Ivory."Some of the students were shouting 'f*** Kamala' as they walked down the hallway," Ivory stated in another video segment. "The profanity toward our vice president — who is part black — combined with students congregating in front of my classroom increased my fears and also the students' fears who were locked inside that room with me."Ivory added that she has reported racism on campus since 2022 and that those concerns have been ignored, KTTV noted. Ivory is now on leave for fear of her safety, KABC reported, adding that she said school administrators told her they would meet with her, but that hasn't happened.KTTV's video report shared a separate clip showing a student pointing out feces on a restroom floor, then focusing on a racist comment on the restroom wall. Another clip showed two female students saying, "Let's take a minute to appreciate how nice, beautiful, and clean our cafeteria looks right now. Now let's fast-forward to lunch." With that the clip showed black students eating in the cafeteria and then switched to the girls commenting, "This is disgusting. … I'm repulsed."Gage told KTTV in regard to the video clips, "It's clear what it signifies. They are associating the presence of black students with the cafeteria being dirty. That is the epitome of racism."KTTV said Gage has filed a formal complaint with the Beverly Hills Unified School District on Ivory's behalf, adding that he plans to escalate the case with a lawsuit, citing "discrimination, harassment, retaliation, racial comments, and physical threats.""Beverly Hills High School, and in fact the city of Beverly Hills, have demonstrated racism again and again against its students and its teachers," Gage added to KABC.KABC said it reached out to the school for comment on the lawsuit but has not heard back. According to KTTV, the school district previously stated it is investigating all claims of racism and harassment to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all students.Not the only related accusationIvory's claims against Beverly Hills High School aren't isolated. Readers of Blaze News may recall that a Beverly Hills High School substitute teacher last month said she was fired due to anti-Trump posts on Facebook.“I was shocked; I thought I’d get a warning,” Joanie Garratt told the Los Angeles Times. “I didn’t say anything [about Trump] in class. I know not to say anything in class. But I am disgusted with MAGA, and Beverly Hills High School has become MAGA.”Garratt wrote on Facebook in regard to her claims, “I WEAR THIS AS BADGE OF HONOR and stand with all the teachers, past & present, who will be persecuted for expressing their views in public forum. SHAME ON BHUSD.”The Times said a district spokesperson didn't immediately respond to the paper's request for comment regarding Garratt’s firing.Limiting students' ability to assembleKABC in a separate story published days after Trump's election victory last month reported that Beverly Hills High School has limited students' ability to assemble in large groups following pro-Trump students' boisterous demonstrations."While student political expression is an important tenet, it does have limits," Drew Stewart, the high school's principal, said in a statement, according to the station. "Unfortunately, over the past two days there have been multiple instances of students assembling in a manner that has created a material disruption to the operation of our school, as well as the education of our students."More from the station:Students will not be allowed to assemble, create moving mobs, or form circles for the purpose of shouting, jumping, and physically contacting others, according to the statement.This comes after a TikTok video showed dozens of students on the Beverly Hills High School campus gathered to celebrate Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election.You can view a video report about the decision here. It isn't clear whether the new policy is still in effect.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Americans who spoke out against the COVID-19 vaccines were painted as conspiracy theorists for the better part of the last four years, but they’re finally being vindicated. Dr. Peter McCullough, cardiologist and chief scientific officer of the Wellness Company, has been one of those “conspiracy theorists,” but now he has the proof. In a shocking peer-reviewed study that mainstream media outlets won’t touch, a high likelihood of correlation between the COVID-19 vaccine and death was found. “What we know the vaccines cause, in terms of, you know, their safety warnings and what was determined is that about 74% of all the deaths that have occurred after vaccination that have come to autopsy, in fact, the vaccines caused the death,” McCullough tells Jill Savage and Matthew Peterson of “Blaze News Tonight.” “The peer-reviewed literature has now about 4,000 papers on fatal and non-fatal vaccines, disabilities, and deaths. So no, it’s not a shock,” he adds. “When we look at the mRNA vaccines, where do we go from here? Do they have a future? Do you think that they get shut down at this point?” Savage asks. “There are multiple calls to shut it down, that the platform is not safe, that none of the COVID-19 vaccines are safe for human use. The World Council for Health in the U.K. was the first to call for that, now [from the] Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Doctors for COVID Ethics — there are now literally dozens of calls for the vaccines to be removed,” McCullough explains. “I expect they will be taken off the market,” he continues. “Largely, the crisis is closed at this point in time. We can treat residual cases. The vaccines never were compelling.” However, Peterson notes that studies like the one McCullough is citing are still being censored. “The censorship in the medical literature is significant. It comes at the editorial reviewers and the publisher level. What’s unprecedented are papers being fully published, contracted, copyrighted, indexed in the National Library of Medicine, and then having them be retracted for no specific reason,” McCullough explains. “I have been an editor of two major journals in the past, and I can tell you, it’s my estimate that only 1% of these papers are fully getting through and being published. Only 1%. So 4,000 papers describing all these concerning side effects, it’s just the tip of the iceberg,” he adds. Want more from 'Blaze News Tonight'?To enjoy more provocative opinions, expert analysis, and breaking stories you won’t see anywhere else, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

An election audit in Utah revealed that frustrating issues associated with universal mail-in balloting continue.The audit occurred because of a law passed in 2023 mandating that the Office of Legislative Auditor General conduct a biennial review of the state's election processes. This year's audit focused on November 2023 municipal elections, the March 2024 presidential primary, and the June 2024 state primary, though auditors also "observed" the November 2024 general election as well, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.'Is vote by mail really as secure as in-person voting?'According to the audit, some 1,400 likely deceased individuals remain on the Utah voter roles, and about 700 of them are still considered "active." Since all active voters in Utah receive a mail-in ballot, these 700 likely dead individuals "would have received a ballot," the audit report said, according to the Utah News Dispatch.Moreover, the audit indicated that two of the 700 likely dead individuals "cast ballots in the November 2023 election."In addition to the possibly dead casting ballots, the audit uncovered 300 "potential duplicate records," resulting in instances in which some voters "appeared to vote twice in past elections."Other issues noted by the audit include inconsistent practices by county clerks, "insufficient camera monitoring" in certain counties, and the Lt. Governor’s Office's failure to establish clear "signature verification training standards" that can be implemented statewide.At a committee meeting on Monday, state elections director Ryan Cowley indicated that the results should give cause for concern as well as cause for hope. Cowley admitted, "Given the tools that we had, we did the best that we could" with the audit, especially considering gaps in data and problems with information-sharing between the Utah Department of Technology Services and the Lt. Governor’s Office.Still, the auditors noted that they "did not find significant fraud in Utah’s election system," even as they claimed more must be done to protect the integrity of universal mail-in ballots.Utah lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed misgivings about the audit results, but for different reasons. Republicans viewed the audit as an indictment against mail-in voting in general. House Speaker Mike Schultz (R-Hooper) took particular issue with ballots cast by dead people. "If you’re dead, how do you vote?" he asked. He then wondered whether such instances of apparent voter fraud would still occur "if you had in-person voting."Auditors at the meeting acknowledged that in-person voting would make voter impersonation more difficult but insisted it would not eradicate the problem entirely.Schultz still appeared dissatisfied. "I think the question comes, is vote by mail really as secure as in-person voting?" he added, according to KSL.com. "And based off the audits we have in front of us, it's clearly not the case. And that's concerning to me moving forward."'Yes, think of all those poor deceased voters, duplicate voters, and illegal voters that we conservatives are trying to suppress.'Democrats, as might be expected, began openly worrying that the results of the audit might persuade people to question the practice of universal mail-in balloting. They then hinted that ending universal mail-in balloting might be akin to voter suppression."Vote by mail is not the problem," cried Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla (D-Salt Lake City). Escamilla likewise claimed that sufficient protective measures are already in place. "I want to make sure we’re directing to the real problem, which is execution," she said.House Minority Leader Angela Romero (D-Salt Lake City) agreed: "I just don’t want this to be ammunition to get rid of vote by mail and other ways in which we vote here in Utah.""I have concerns that people are going to use this audit to try to eliminate vote by mail," Romero continued. "I want to make sure we are encouraging people to vote and not discouraging people to vote. And I can tell you the way this conversation is going, I worry that we're going to put barriers there so people can't vote."Democrats may be right to worry about the future of universal mail-in balloting in their state. Many on social media responded to news reports about the audit by calling to end the practice."Let’s ditch universal mail-in balloting," Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah tweeted."Absolutely," Elon Musk said in reply to Lee.Trent Staggs, mayor of Riverton, Utah, went further and claimed states should implement "in-person voting, paper ballots, photo ID and Election Day, not election month."When a user then accused Staggs of calling for voter suppression, Staggs joked: "Yes, think of all those poor deceased voters, duplicate voters, and illegal voters that we conservatives are trying to suppress."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

In Episode 376 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger investigate Exeter, Rhode Island, to see the former site of the Ladd School. Built in 1908, the former Rhode Island School for the Feeble-Minded has a dark history of neglect, patient abuse, and even murder. We explore the disappearance of a nine-year-old boy in-depth. Though the buildings are all gone now, history has left behind a stain that can never be washed away. BECOME A LEGENDARY PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends CREDITS: Produced and hosted by: Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger Edited by: Ray Auger Theme Music by: John Judd SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST FOR FREE: Apple Podcasts/iTunes | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Podcasts | TuneIn | iHeartRadio JOIN OUR SUPER-SECRET: New England Legends Facebook Group

Stop-motion animation is having a small moment in videogames. There was the brilliant Scottish folklore-inspired Judero earlier this year, colorful schmup Feltopia is on the way, and now we have The Spirit of the Samurai, a stunning but brutally hard Metroidvania you can get right now. Continue reading Brutal new Metroidvania Spirit of the Samurai lets you slay demons with a cat MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best action-adventure games, Best indie games, Best platform games

It's hard for a roguelike to truly stand out these days. Many follow the footsteps of Dark Souls, Hades or Hollow Knight pretty closely. TankHead eschews these comparisons by placing you in control of a drone crossing a barren landscape, crossing War Thunder with Ghost in the Shell, and it's out now. Continue reading Cyberpunk 2077 and War Thunder combine in new roguelike that’s available now