It’s a feeling many of us experience when Christmas ends and January arrives – after the excitement of New Year, a familiar pattern of mild depression sets in. This has long been known as “January Blues”, or in more pronounced cases, “seasonal affective disorder”, where a lack of sunlight and shorter days can cause genuine feelings of discomfort in many people.

However, it would now appear that the Universe itself is suffering from a severe case; moreover, one from which it is not likely to get better. Researchers at the Australian National University recently undertook a calculation of the “entropy of the observable Universe”. Low levels of entropy are associated with a productive state, and the ability of the Universe to create and sustain life is optimised at a lower level. However, should that level increase (which the 2nd law of thermodynamics says it must), the Universe gradually becomes less efficient.

The startling news is that the Universe’s entropy level is a factor of 30 larger than previously thought. There are a number of contributory factors, but the main one is the effect of super-massive black holes. These can rapidly increase entropy levels and cause the Universe to become more disordered and less efficient.

In a worrying footnote, the team, led by Dr Charley Lineweaver, is now focusing on assessing just how close the Universe is to a state of “maximum entropy” … at which point everything and everyone will die in “an inevitable heat death”. January Blues indeed …

The full article is in press with the Astrophysical Journal, and you can read more on this story by visiting Science Daily.

Citation:
Australian National University (2010, January 27). Universe Is 30 Times More Run Down Than Thought, Astronomers Find. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2010/01/100126104844.htm

Intute resources:
Entropy and the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics | Universe entropy