How universal are the laws of nature?
The fundamental rules of physics only apply exactly under idealized conditions - which practically never exist. Is it still possible to get a satisfactory understanding of what is happening?
Thomson Reuters GFMS estimates that all people own around 190,000 tons of gold. Taken together, this would make a sphere 26 meters in diameter. You should know that before we get into the question of whether there is a gold ball in the universe one kilometer in diameter. Philosophers have been happily quoting this question for decades because it allows them to make clear what science is striving for. So there's a lot at stake; please stay on the ball.
There would certainly be enough gold in the cosmos. The collision of the two neutron stars alone, whose gravitational waves were detected on Earth on August 17, 2017, produced so much of the element that it would have been enough for dozens or even hundreds of Earth-sized planets. But the metal was scattered in space in a massive explosion. Therefore, unless extraterrestrial intelligence sets about collecting and fusing it, there should not be a kilometer-diameter gold sphere in the universe.
And now comes the second crucial question of philosophers: Is there a sphere of the same size that consists entirely of enriched uranium? …
