The thing is, we wouldn't know what an untampered-with universe would look like, so the trick is to formulate the laws of nature without being able to see the universe "in the raw."
Therein likes the trickiness. :)
If someone is engineering the universe, it will likely involve the maniupulation of fundamental physical quantities over vast scales, so that to we uneduacted hicks on Earth, it will look like it's supposed to be that way.
to we uneduacted hicks on Earth, it will look like it's supposed to be that way.
You could be right. The intent of the research is to identify evidence or proof of other conscious beings in the Universe. I extrapolated that to control of the universe.
On a smaller scale, say a solar system in our galaxy, it would require asking different questions about the data that includes the possibility of interdiction by conscious beings.