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A UK, Canadian and Italian study has provided what researchers believe is the first observational evidence that our universe could be a vast and complex hologram.
Theoretical physicists and astrophysicists, investigating irregularities in the cosmic microwave background (the 'afterglow' of the Big Bang), have found there is substantial evidence supporting a holographic explanation of the universe -- in fact, as much as there is for the traditional explanation of these irregularities using the theory of cosmic inflation.
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A holographic universe, an idea first suggested in the 1990s, is one where all the information, which makes up our 3D 'reality' (plus time) is contained in a 2D surface on its boundaries.Professor Kostas Skenderis of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Southampton explains: "Imagine that everything you see, feel and hear in three dimensions (and your perception of time) in fact emanates from a flat two-dimensional field. The idea is similar to that of ordinary holograms where a three-dimensional image is encoded in a two-dimensional surface, such as in the hologram on a credit card. However, this time, the entire universe is encoded!"
So there is a reason you feel like you're living in the Matrix.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 31 2017, @10:51AM
and..this is why I don't usually bother.
Not all evidence is equal.
Not all evidence can be used to prove something.
The above is the beginnings of a hint of evidence and is only noteworthy because the field is bereft of almost ANY evidence - and in the cast of holo-theory (or is that hollow?) it is the first of its kind.
Doesn't mean its not right, just means anyone saying it is anything more than vague (albeit interesting) speculation is a bloody moron.
That is why. It was implied. I am going back to being a hermit now.
Thanks.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday January 31 2017, @01:02PM
and..this is why I don't usually bother.
Pretty obnoxious for someone who isn't even wrong.
Not all evidence is equal.
Irrelevant. Evidence doesn't have to be equal to anything in order to be evidence or to confirm a theory.
Not all evidence can be used to prove something.
By definition, evidence proves something relevant. If data couldn't be used to support or falsify a theory, then it's not evidence.
Doesn't mean its not right, just means anyone saying it is anything more than vague (albeit interesting) speculation is a bloody moron.
Nonsense. We aren't discussing this in the near complete vacuum of "vague speculation". We have, for example, centers of galaxies where we observe stars hurtling towards us at a significant fraction of the speed of light while nearby stars are hurtling the opposite at a similar fraction of the speed of light. That's evidence of the necessary mass concentration that a black hole would have. Similarly, we have a variety of pretty solid confirmations of general relativity away from the quantum scale. So that's a combination of evidence that general relative works well enough and black holes exist. Sure, there's plenty wrong with science in general and cosmology in particular, but scientific nihilism doesn't contribute.
We have enough evidence that we can do more than "vague speculation" and the current theory of black holes is a good theory with good evidence supporting it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 02 2017, @07:40AM
Pretty obnoxious for someone who isn't even wrong.
Not Even Wrong. As IN: so far off that there is no evidence at all to support a claim? Oooh, Pot, khallow, kettle, black, wrong, not even. As Carl Sagan said, borrowing from the Ancients, Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
Sure, there's plenty wrong with science in general and cosmology in particular, but scientific nihilism doesn't contribute.
If khallow actually knew anything about science, he would be ashamed and embarrassed to say this. Since he did say this, we can infer that he knows nothing. Scientific Nihilism is what science is. It also goes by the name of "falsificationism", coined by Sir Karl Popper. Just because you haven't proven something yet, that does not mean it is so.
We have enough evidence that we can do more than "vague speculation"
NO, we do not, and khallow is not helping by being such an ass. In the meanwhile, I have Russell's teapot. Do you know that there is a teapot in orbit around the sun, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter? Do you doubt it? Well, then, prove that there isn't one, you poufter!
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday February 02 2017, @10:49AM
Not Even Wrong. As IN: so far off that there is no evidence at all to support a claim? Oooh, Pot, khallow, kettle, black, wrong, not even. As Carl Sagan said, borrowing from the Ancients, Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
Fortunately, I provided such evidence. We have, for example, observations of galaxy centers, that's pretty extraordinary right there. We also have numerous tests of General Relativity - more extraordinary evidence. Funny how all I had to do was repeat what I said earlier in order to refute your argument. That's an obvious rebuttal.
Sure, there's plenty wrong with science in general and cosmology in particular, but scientific nihilism doesn't contribute.
If khallow actually knew anything about science, he would be ashamed and embarrassed to say this. Since he did say this, we can infer that he knows nothing. Scientific Nihilism is what science is. It also goes by the name of "falsificationism", coined by Sir Karl Popper. Just because you haven't proven something yet, that does not mean it is so.
Ignoring evidence is not falsification. And words mean things.
We have enough evidence that we can do more than "vague speculation"
NO, we do not, and khallow is not helping by being such an ass. In the meanwhile, I have Russell's teapot. Do you know that there is a teapot in orbit around the sun, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter? Do you doubt it? Well, then, prove that there isn't one, you poufter!
I can do even better. I don't care.