Models of the Universe
The Universe is special, at least to us, because it is our Universe. It may be a mistake however to speak of 'the Universe', because ours may not be the only Universe. There may be many Universes, connected possibly by the wormholes that science fiction writers use.
In these different Universes the laws of physics may be completely different. There may be different numbers numbers of dimensions – not just up, forwards and sideways. Time may flow forwards and backwards, just like left and right. Some Universes may exist for tiny fractions of a second. Some Universes may gobble other Universes in a sort of cosmic cannibalism. Some Universes may be suitable for life and some might not. It has been calculated that if the laws of physics in our Universe were so very slightly different, life could not exist. That may be a bit like saying only our sort of life is possible, but it is certainly true that life has many requirements, and there are many opportunities in all the possible ways a Universe could be for these opportunities not to be met.