The laws of physics are mirror symmetric. Any molecule, for example, that is not mirror symmetric may potentially exist in two different forms - left- and right-handed
Symmetry is not just a word; it is a concept like harmony. It not only attracts our visual sense; it also plays a major role in our sense of beauty. It holds a paradox, too. Perfect symmetry, for instance, is often repetitive and predictable, although our minds favour surprises. This explains why we often consider imperfect symmetry to be more beautiful than perfect mathematical symmetry.
Most striking patterns in our natural world are symmetric. Yet, nature isn't comfortable when it comes to a question of pure symmetry. The reason - nearly all symmetric patterns in nature are less symmetric than they appear to be. The physicist Pierre Curie placed the paradox in perspective, "Effects are as symmetric as their causes." Our world is full of such effects; they are called 'spontaneous symmetry breaking.'
Symmetry is mathematical; also, a visual pattern. It has more to it than what meets the eye. The human body, for example, is bilaterally symmetric. Its left half is almost the same as its right half. In other words, it is approximate. Yet, our body's overall form is close to perfect symmetry.
When we conjure up a vision of the left being a reversal of the right, we tend to use words like 'image.' In so doing, we propagate the idea of one shape corresponding to the other. The irony is direct. Our 'image' idiom is unlike reflection, a mathematical concept. Yet, reflections capture symmetries - from the human body and the petals in a flower to bees' honeycomb, which is replete with its hexagonal tiles. This brings us to one big question. Where do symmetries of natural patterns come from? Toss a pebble in a pond, and you will know. The ripples in the pond are examples of broken symmetry.
The laws of physics are mirror symmetric. Any molecule, for example, that is not mirror symmetric may potentially exist in two different forms - left- and right-handed. This brings us to our second nature - creating harmony through symmetry. The ancient Chinese art of feng shui, for example, has in it the means to create balance and harmony in our personal environment. Feng shui simply means wind and water. Wind provides the movement, or flow, of universal energy, or 'chi,' which affects everything. Water provides the container, or receiver, of 'chi.' Feng shui is a time-honoured system of rules, concepts and principles. It explains how our lives are spiritually linked to our environment.
Science, as we all know, recognises four fundamental forces in nature - gravity, electromagnetism, strong and weak nuclear interactions. Weak forces, for instance, violate mirror symmetry - in other words, they act differently in left- or right-handed variations of the same physical anomaly. Yet, the fact remains that all four forces became unified and symmetrically-related when extremely high energy levels prevailed in our early universe. Well, if such a thing had not happened, our universe would have been different. It could have also been like any of the other universes, which emerged by breaking symmetry in a divergent pattern. It didn't. Why? "The Lord," as the physicist Wolfgang Pauli observed, "is a weak-left-hander."
Yeongseo Ko's succinct article, "Secrets Behind the Science of Symmetry: Evolution and Symmetry," published in "The Synapse," explains the whole idea purposefully - "Symmetry and science, how are these two related to each other? When you hear the word symmetry, you might think of a simple geometric shape like a square, or a triangle, or the complex pattern on the wings of a butterfly. If you are artistically inclined, consider the subtle nuances of a Mozart concerto, or the effortless poise of a prima ballerina. In everyday language, the term symmetry connotes hazy notions of beauty, harmony, and balance, which can be shown through Mozart's and the ballerina's work. But, perhaps unsurprisingly, symmetry and science are deeply related to each other.
When you look around, you may be able to observe various living and non-living things formed with symmetry - the symmetrical chair you are sitting on, the body plan of the flying bird shaped in delicate symmetry, etc. Starting from the beginning of life, evolution and symmetry have closely followed one another, seeming nearly inseparable. Furthermore, eukaryotes' symmetrical phenotype implies their lifestyles. Symmetry has a different, specific meaning in maths and science. Symmetry is a property of an object in a technical sense. From tangible beings like butterflies to abstract entities like geometric shapes, symmetry can be found in almost any type of object. Symmetry is defined as a transformation that leaves an object unchanged. Symmetries are not only important to artists and painters, but also to mathematicians and scientists."
A team at Oxford University, as elucidated in an article in "Big Think," explored symmetry in their different disciplines. This made them realise just how multifaceted it is. One is aware of symmetry in musical compositions as assonance and dissonance, or you might catch sight of it in biology as a transformation that leaves an object unchanged. Most often, it is elegantly simple, whilst occasionally it can be so contradictory as to be almost incomprehensible. It is orderly and disorderly too, logical and illogical, transparent and opaque. But, the big question is: why is symmetry so symmetrical? The conclusion, as the Oxford team reported, was - "because, it conditions its own structure," whereas all the laws of nature are built upon certain symmetries, just as symmetry alone is subject to itself.
Nature exhibits symmetries in small, little things, too. Think of a developing frog embryo. The embryo begins life as a spherical cell. It loses its symmetry when it divides to become a blastula. In no time, it gets a symmetrical form. Following this, its symmetry is broken again. Before you know it, a single mirror symmetry is naturally achieved. This leads to the bilateral symmetry of the adult frog. You'd sure call it nature's 'leapfrog' to symmetry.
Nidamboor is a wellness physician, independent researcher and author