Simulations Back Up Theory That Universe Is a Hologram 433
ananyo writes "A team of physicists has provided some of the clearest evidence yet that our Universe could be just one big projection. In 1997, theoretical physicist Juan Maldacena proposed that an audacious model of the Universe in which gravity arises from infinitesimally thin, vibrating strings could be reinterpreted in terms of well-established physics. The mathematically intricate world of strings, which exist in nine dimensions of space plus one of time, would be merely a hologram: the real action would play out in a simpler, flatter cosmos where there is no gravity. Maldacena's idea thrilled physicists because it offered a way to put the popular but still unproven theory of strings on solid footing — and because it solved apparent inconsistencies between quantum physics and Einstein's theory of gravity. It provided physicists with a mathematical Rosetta stone, a 'duality', that allowed them to translate back and forth between the two languages, and solve problems in one model that seemed intractable in the other and vice versa. But although the validity of Maldacena's ideas has pretty much been taken for granted ever since, a rigorous proof has been elusive. In two papers posted on the arXiv repository, Yoshifumi Hyakutake of Ibaraki University in Japan and his colleagues now provide, if not an actual proof, at least compelling evidence that Maldacena's conjecture is true."
bah (Score:0, Funny)
this would make boobs boring. don't believe it.
No idea what that means (Score:5, Funny)
Pan-dimensional beings (Score:4, Funny)
who appear to us as mice
Worse news is sure to follow. (Score:5, Funny)
Then they will tell you it is recursive too.
But it happened long time ago and in a galaxy far away.
Re:No idea what that means (Score:2, Funny)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_in_a_Bottle_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation) [wikipedia.org]
Re:wow (Score:5, Funny)
Re:No idea what that means (Score:3, Funny)
It means that, when the Oracle told Neo, "there is no spoon," she was more correct than neither she nor the Jackson brothers could have possibly imagined.
Re:Worse news is sure to follow. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:No idea what that means (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Recursive (Score:4, Funny)
Re: No idea what that means (Score:5, Funny)
I think they beam it back into his balls.
Re:bah (Score:5, Funny)
nonsense, it makes boobs awesome holographic porn, projected from a surface.
Re:No idea what that means (Score:4, Funny)
Re:so does this mean.... (Score:5, Funny)
...2) I thought the standard models had eleven dimensions and not ten ...
Look, the standard model has these eleven- *CRASH* - Oy! I mean ten - TEN dimensions!
Re:No idea what that means (Score:4, Funny)
Re:No idea what that means (Score:4, Funny)
except it's that bald kid who tells Neo that, not the Oracle
Damn, my knowledge of decade-old, super cheesy sci-fi is flawed!
I shall hang my head in shame.
Re:bah (Score:5, Funny)
nonsense, it makes boobs awesome holographic porn, projected from a surface.
RT or Pro?
Re:No idea what that means (Score:5, Funny)
Ok, so when Riker was mackin' on the smokin' hot biddy in the red dress, lets say the two started knocking boots and he climaxed inside her. What happens to his seed when the program ends? Does the Holodeck recycle it for foodstuffs later, or does it just fall to the floor?
It does fall to the floor. The holodeck Janitor cleans it up: http://www.somethingawful.com/news/blue-stripe-life-4/ [somethingawful.com]
Re:No idea what that means (Score:3, Funny)
"Computer: end program."
Tea: Earl Grey, Hot.
Didn't work, but there's still no way I'm wearing a red jumpsuit out of the house....
Re:so does this mean.... (Score:5, Funny)
Why do you automatically assume that the game is someone else's? They've made some huge advances in context-suppression in the latest generation holosims - you almost totally believe that the simulation is the whole of your existence and can, among other things, truly experience the wonder and horror of being a corporeal human in the early 21st century (one of the most popular scenarios, just look at the in-game population!)
Oh, wait, I'm not supposed to discuss such things on the in-game forums. Forget I said anything.
Re:so does this mean.... (Score:5, Funny)
reminds me of a humorist Dave Barry on College: (Score:4, Funny)
"So you should major in subjects like English, philosophy, psychology, and sociology -- subjects in which nobody really understands what anybody else is talking about, and which involve virtually no actual facts. I attended classes in all these subjects, so I'll give you a quick overview of each:"
"PHILOSOPHY: Basically, this involves sitting in a room and deciding there is no such thing as reality and then going to lunch. You should major in philosophy if you plan to take a lot of drugs...."
http://users.soe.ucsc.edu/~martine/light/barrycollege.html [ucsc.edu]
Unfortunately, some aspects of physics are starting to sound like Dave Barry's take on Philosophy..