Is Chemistry the same everywhere?

[.Scott]

TL;DR Summary

Measurements made of quasars in certain directions across the universe seem to show variation in the fine structure constant.

A new article in Phys.org discusses a paper recently published in "Science Advances".
Although I am unable to find that article.

Professor Webb at USNW reports that there appears to be a gradient across the universe over which fine structure constant varies. (Wow!)

The electromagnetic force keeps electrons whizzing around a nucleus in every atom of the universe — without it, all matter would fly apart. Up until recently, it was believed to be an unchanging force throughout time and space. But over the last two decades, Professor Webb has noticed anomalies in the fine structure constant whereby electromagnetic force measured in one particular direction of the universe seems ever so slightly different.

 

[TeethWhitener]

Although I am unable to find that article.

https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/17/eaay9672

https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2020/04/aa36602-19/aa36602-19.html

 

[DrChinese]

https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/17/eaay9672

While not disputing any specific of this paper, this is just the kind of result that one might see in an initial study of some attribute of the early universe. Looking back that far requires a lot of assumptions, and has relatively few data points. I seriously doubt that many will look at this and be convinced that the fine structure constant itself varies as hypothesized.

 

[Vanadium 50]

The paper is here: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/17/eaay9672

• There is, as far as I know, only one group claiming this. It's based on combining a large number of measurements that other people made.
• With more data, the result has become lesss significant, rather than more.
• The significance is determined by their own method, not classical significance. The effect (this is an earlier paper with higher significance) does not look like 4.2 sigma to me.

And even if this were true, the size of the effect (~1`0 ppm or a few 10's of ppm) would not make substantial changes to chemistry. (Of order 1% the difference between H and D)