Is There a Cosmic Web of Life?

Abstract

If the advance in astronomical knowledge acquired during the course of recent decades has taught us anything at all, it is surely the undeniable fact that we are an integral part of the universe. We are not isolated from the stars and the galaxies. We might even grudgingly admit that the astrologers got it a little bit right after all, though not in the manner that they would have us believe. The position of the constellations and the planets at our birth might not determine whether we will be happy and outgoing or moody and a general pain to work with, but the nature of the universe at large played a very large part in you and I being here at all. The picture that has emerged from relatively recent astronomical research is one in which the entire cosmic environment has played and continues to play a vital and indeed determining role in the existence of life here on Earth. The nature of our home planet, our home star, our location in a relatively quiescent region of our home galaxy and even the immediate cosmic environment of this galaxy itself (viz. its location in a small galaxy group rather than a large galaxy cluster where collisions between major systems tend to strip these of the interstellar material so important to maintain a healthy rate of star formation and to ensure plenty of material for the accumulation of planetary companions of new stars) all conspire to secure our home in the universe.