The Universe Recreated — in a Computer!

Astronomers think they have created a computer simulation that shows how the universe has “evolved.”

Astronomers believe they know how the universe began “14 billion years ago” and how it has “evolved” ever since. However, scientists have had a hard time coming up with a computer program to simulate the history.

Now, after three months of number crunching, using 8,000 CPUs running in parallel, scientists say they have been able to model our evolving universe in a computer simulation. A single office computer would have taken 2 years to accomplish the feat. “Until now, no single simulation was able to reproduce the universe on both large and small scales simultaneously,” said Mark Vogelsberger of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the study’s lead scientist.

Previous work was of low resolution or covered only a small portion of the cosmos. This study though created a cube 350 million light-years across and features 13 billion years of simulated time, all in unprecedented resolution. The study was published in the May 8 issue of Nature magazine.

The simulation shows supernovae enriching interstellar and intergalactic space with heavier and heavier elements, thus giving us insight into the building blocks of other stars, planets and, eventually, the organic chemistry that led to life. This virtual universe strongly resembles the real one which observatories are seeing. 

The model, called Illustris, relies on equations from theories based on astronomical observations made over decades or centuries. It is like a time machine, allowing the scientists to go forward or backward in time. It also allows researchers to zoom in on areas of interest in order to focus on different mechanisms as they unfold. 

This piece of computer programming seems impressive, but there is room here for more than a little bit of skepticism. It took three months for 8,000 computers to come up with a universe than looks similar to the real one. This fact implies there may well have been considerable trial and error involved in the project. How many times did the researchers come up with a universe that didn’t look right, forcing them to start over? 

Then there are the two biggie questions which need answers. How did the universe pop up out of nothing? How did life evolve out of non-life? Our story did not provide a suggested answer for the first question, and the second question was answered with a vague comment on how the Illustris will show the organic chemistry that led to life. If things are that simple, scientists should be able to create something out of nothing or life out of non-life in a laboratory. We are still waiting for those things to happen.

Psalm 19:1 reminds us: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” It is sad that these secular scientists work so hard to try to show how the universe could have evolved without God, when they should know better? God’s handiwork in creating such a perfectly functioning cosmos is there for all to see. It’s time for these researchers to search for the real Creator of all there is and find Him in the pages of the holy Scriptures. Then by the grace of God they will learn how Jesus died for their sins and made it possible for them to obtain eternal life in heaven, as a gift, through faith in Him.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Reference: Ian O'Neill, “Mind-Blowing Computer Simulation Recreates Our Universe,” Discovery News

(Photograph of a supernova from NASA).

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QUESTION OF THE DAY

Should CFL light bulbs be recycled?

Yes, and compact fluorescent bulbs will be accepted for free by Ikea and Home Depot.

Vi-An Nguyen, “Parade Picks,” Parade (April 20, 2014)

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