ABSTRACT
In physics and cosmology, anthropic principles and ne-tuning investigations regarding the physical laws of our universe have been established as fertile domains of inquiry over the past half-century.1-3 Spectacular discoveries of apparent ne-tunings of the physical constants and cosmological boundary conditions have stimulated new research in areas such as M-theory and inationary Big Bang cosmology. Of appeal to wider audiences, these discoveries have modernized and greatly enriched the ancient debate over purpose in human existence. Now, remarkable advances in computational molecular quantum mechanics afford the opportunity to rigorously extend classic ne-tuning inquiries into the realm of chemistry, and hence biology. By mathematical determination of the chemistry of counterfactual universes, governed by precise but alternative physical laws, the structure of our current existence would be protably illuminated. Of particular signicance, such investigations promise to reveal the realm of possibilities for the chemical fabric of biological complexity, i.e., whether life could exist if chemistry were appreciably different in various ways. More traditional scientic fruits are also likely from this broadening of perspective, because deeper theoretical frameworks and new experimental hypotheses for chemistry should be stimulated.
