Fermionic nature of quantum gravity

[Schreiberdk]

In this new paper today http://arxiv.org/abs/1105.4184, is it considered whether quantum gravity actually has fermionic fields rather than just bosonic fields:

Abstract
It is generally assumed that the gravitational field is bosonic. Here we show
that a simple propagating torsional theory can give rise to localized geometric
structures that can consistently be quantized as fermions under exchange. To
demonstrate this, we show that the model can be formally mapped onto the
Skyrme model of baryons, and we use well-known results from Skyrme theory.
This begs the question: Is geometry bosonic or fermionic (or both)?

So what do you think? Does this change our view on quantum gravity radically?

 

[atyy]

Actually, I thought it said that gravity is still bosonic, but that one could get fermions from bosons (or rather fermions from geometry).

This reminds me of http://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0407140 .

 

[tom.stoer]

I haven't studied these papers, but it reminds me to the well-known bosonization

 

[Physics Monkey]

I know Taylor, he's a good guy. Another condensed matter person interested in quantum gravity!

This work reminds me a lot of the famous result of Sorkin and Friedman http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v44/i17/p1100_1