Lively Constants

Any other year it's fine to discuss the constancy of constants. This time it's the ratio of the mass of the proton to the electron. Astrophysical evidence suggests there might be a tiny shift. Peter Rodgers gives in the Guardian (2.5.2006) some background on the issue. "If these results hold up, physicists will have to revise some of their most basic models of the behaviour of matter and forces. But the fundamental constants should be of interest to everyone. If the value of these constants had been different in the past, then life would not have evolved on Earth, either because the molecular structures needed for life would not have been stable, or because there would have been no stars," concludes Rodgers. And, a constant check of the constancy of constants brings life into the debate.