When the Big Bang took place 13.8 billion years ago, and our planet eventually formed, there was no reason to expect that life as we know it would emerge. ‘Since our planet’s formation, it has been constantly changing. Not only because of cosmic impacts, geology and physics, but also because of life itself. When life first appeared on Earth, in the form of the first cells, the climate, for example, immediately began to change. The first life produced greenhouse gases, and without those gases, the entire Earth would have been frozen. So, without those greenhouse gases, we would never have existed.’
DNA
For his book, Falcke wanted to summarise the past 13.8 billion years. How did our current world come into being? And where does life come from? To find out, Falcke had to delve into subjects he knew little about. ‘I’m still a curious child; I want to know everything. For this book, I spoke to many scientists, including the people who first discovered DNA. I was utterly impressed by those discoveries and how much we have learned in recent years.’ That was one of the reasons he wrote the book. ‘I love big topics. I hear something here, something there, but I really wanted to put together a coherent story. I’m trying to understand what’s actually happening here on Earth – why are we the way we are?’
The astrophysicist came across several surprises during his quest. ‘For example, I didn’t realise just how strongly the climate has influenced the development of life. Nevertheless, it has remained within a range in which life was possible. Temperatures fluctuated wildly, yet life still managed to survive. That fascinates me endlessly.’
The sinking of the Titanic
Falcke looks not only back in time, but also ahead. He realises that the future is not necessarily rosy. But he does have hope. ‘There is a danger that, in 500 million years’ time, the Sun will become so hot that all the water on Earth will evaporate and life will no longer be possible. So we need to do something about it. You can already see that thousands of people are dying in a single day because of the heat, yet there is still no overarching, long-term policy. It’s as if we’re sitting on the sinking Titanic and saying, ‘No, really, there’s nothing to worry about.’’
Climate survivors
Yet this doesn’t make him feel downhearted. ‘I think we’ll manage. We are climate survivors. The Earth will survive anyway, but so will we. Our food chain and our economy are going to face major problems due to climate change, and that, in turn, will lead to wars, social unrest and migration.
‘In a thousand years’ time, we might have to migrate from the Netherlands to somewhere else if sea levels are too high. You can’t keep building higher and higher dykes to constantly save the Netherlands. But that does present us with a challenge. We’re still like teenagers who don’t know what to do, but now is the time to learn how to look after this planet.’
Writing the book certainly gave Falcke a newfound respect for the universe and how everything is interconnected. ‘Every part of me was already there at the Big Bang. Isn’t that quite extraordinary? It’s given me a greater appreciation for humanity. It’s actually not logical that we’re here; it could all have ended for us so much sooner. I hope people see how beautiful the world is, how beautiful the universe is. Many people have a cynical view of the world, even in the Netherlands. The universe went to such great lengths to create us, and if you then say that we’re all terrible, that’s actually an insult to the whole process of evolution.’
Radboud Recharge is giving away a copy of Between the Big Bang and the Apocalypse. Would you like a chance to win this book? Then send your answer to the question ‘What do you find most fascinating about our universe?’ to recharge [at] ru.nl.