時空也是螺旋狀？黃金分割影響宇宙

A cosmic constant known as the ‘golden ratio’ is said to be found in the shape of hurricanes, elephant tusks and even in galaxies.

據悉，在颶風的漩渦形狀、大象的長牙甚至星系中都可以發現那個被稱爲“黃金分割率”的宇宙常數。

Now researchers say this ratio is also seen in the topology of space-time, affecting the entire universe as a whole.

現在，研究人員表示，這一比率也可在時空的拓撲結構中發現，影響着整個宇宙。

And they say this number can be used to link everything in the universe together, from space-time to chemistry to biology.

他們同時談到，這個比率可用於將宇宙中的一切事物聯繫到一起，從時空到化學，再到生物。

The research was carried out by Dr Jan Boeyens at the University of Pretoria and Dr Francis Thackeray of the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

該研究是由南非比勒陀利亞大學的揚·布因思博士和威特沃特斯蘭德大學的弗朗西斯·薩克裏博士共同完成的。

They say the golden ratio - 1.618 - can be seen ‘related not only to aspects of mathematics but also to physics, chemistry, biology and the topology of space-time.’

他們說，可以看出黃金分割率——1.618“不僅與數學方面有關，還與物理、化學、生物和時空的拓撲結構有關”。

And it may dictate how certain things in the universe take shape.

而且這一比率可能決定了宇宙中特定事物的成形。

The golden ratio, represented by the Greek letter 'phi', is said to be a mathematical connection between two aspects of an object.

據稱，黃金分割率，用希臘字母Φ表示，是一個物體的兩個方面之間的數學聯繫。

It can be artificially used – for example, some 20th century artists used it for the rectangular shape of their portraits from the long side to the short side.

這一比率可被人爲地利用：比如一些20世紀的藝術家用它來決定矩形肖像畫的長邊和短邊的邊長。

They believed that the ratio created an aesthetically pleasing appearance.

他們相信，這種比率創造一個美觀的外觀。

But the ratio is not just artificially created – it is apparently found through nature in the stems of plants, skeletons of animals and so on.

但是這個比率並不僅僅是人爲創造的，很顯然，在大自然中也可以發現這一比率，包括植物的莖和動物的骨架等等。

And the shape of spirals also seem to follow the golden ratio. This suggests that geometric shapes in the universe ultimately succumb to this mathematical property.

而且，螺旋的形狀也符合黃金分割率。這表明，宇宙中的幾何形狀最終還是屈服於這個數學屬性。

‘A convincing case for assuming a cosmic character of the golden ratio can be made based on the ubiquity of logarithmic spirals,’ the researchers write.

研究人員寫到：“假定黃金分割率具有宇宙屬性，最具說服力的例子是無處不在的對數螺線。”

‘Spectacular examples include the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), ammonites, the shape of Nautilus shells, Hurricane Katrina and the distribution of planets, moons, asteroids and rings in the solar system.

’突出的例子有漩渦星系（M51）、菊石、鸚鵡螺貝殼、卡特里娜颶風以及太陽系中行星、衛星、小行星和行星環的分佈。

The researchers suggest that the reason that this ratio is so ubiquitous is that it is actually a property of space-time.

研究人員稱，黃金分割率之所以無處不在，是因爲它是一個時空特性。

‘The argument that this amazing consilience (self-similarity) arises from a common environmental constraint, which can only be an intrinsic feature of curved space-time, is compelling,’ they write.

他們寫到：“這一驚人的契合（自相似性）源自一個常見的環境限制，即這隻能是彎曲時空的固有特性。這個論點令人信服。”

‘The time has come to recognise that relativity and quantum theories can be integrated, and linked numerically to the value of a mathematical constant - whether in the context of space-time or biology’

“時代變遷，現在，我們應該認識到相對論和量子論可以相結合，並且在數值上與一個數學常量的值相聯繫，不論是在時空還是在生物學的背景下。”

Why the universe follows this rule, however, is not known.

但是，我們還不知道爲什麼宇宙遵循這個規律。

Some think that our fine-tuned universe is simply a lucky coincidence and, under the multiverse theory, there are an infinite number of other universes that were not quite so lucky.

一些人認爲我們的這個“微調過的宇宙”只是天緣巧合，根據多重宇宙論，還有無數個宇宙就沒有這麼幸運了。