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00:00Have you ever questioned if there's another you living in a parallel universe?
00:05One where history went a different route, or physics behaved in a different way?
00:09The possibility of that other you's existence is one of science's most fascinating topics.
00:14In the past, traversing the multiverse was a concept limited exclusively to science fiction.
00:19Now in the modern era, researchers are closer than ever to unveiling these alternate realities.
00:25So once that happens, will humanity actually be able to colonize universes beyond our own?
00:31This is Unveiled, and today we're answering the extraordinary question, will future humans
00:36live in parallel worlds?
00:38Do you need the big questions answered?
00:40Are you constantly curious?
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00:48From the multiverse theories of quantum mechanics, to string theory's cosmic landscapes, parallel
00:54universes come in various forms.
00:56These ideas on their own are incredible, but become even more fascinating when discussing
01:01alternate realities.
01:03The concept has been debated throughout history, since at least the time of the ancient Greeks.
01:08For the most part, however, testing the idea has been completely impossible.
01:12The theories are not fully developed, and more importantly, technology just has never
01:16been advanced enough to experimentally verify them.
01:19Regardless of these challenges, though, great strides are being made within the field, and
01:24in the modern day, there are a variety of possible scenarios for these alternate worlds
01:28to work.
01:29They're all still in their infancy, and they all need more time to fully develop,
01:33but some believe we are on the cusp of something truly life-changing.
01:36Some offshoots of quantum mechanics, specifically the many-worlds interpretation, suggest the
01:42existence of parallel universes.
01:44In short, it's thought that every single outcome to every single quantum event will
01:49and does happen, just in different realities.
01:53This leads to the notion of infinite alternate worlds, where every possible outcome is actualized.
01:58Unfortunately, due to its nature, we can't test the theory itself, at least not currently.
02:04After splitting, the branched realities are unable to interfere with one another, which
02:08is one reason why we're never even slightly aware of the other worlds that might exist
02:13all around us.
02:14It means that we also can't ever expect to verify all of these other potential realities,
02:19making it unlikely that the many-worlds interpretation will ever be confirmed, no matter how tantalizingly
02:24logical it may seem.
02:26There are some ideas to suggest that breakthroughs will come when we properly develop quantum
02:30computing, but at this stage, no one's exactly sure how.
02:34Until such time as a eureka moment does emerge, we'll need to look elsewhere, if we ever
02:39hope to move through the multiverse as a species.
02:42Certain other cosmological models do also propose parallel universes, so these might
02:46instead be the way forward.
02:48Parallel Universe Theory, also known as Eternal Inflation, is perhaps the most prominent.
02:53Broadly, it suggests that all universes are contained within independent fundamental bubbles.
02:59Eternal Inflation attributes the expansion of the universe to inflation, a generally
03:04accepted period of rapid expansion directly following the Big Bang.
03:08Proponents believe, though, that while these are circumstances that can continue indefinitely,
03:14inflation can and does stop locally.
03:16Then, in the regions where inflation does stop, we see the formation of pockets, or
03:22bubble universes.
03:24Each one of these is a standalone structure of reality.
03:27Each is its own universe, with its own unique properties and laws of physics.
03:31It means that our observable reality is actually, ultimately, contained within such a bubble.
03:37Zoom further out, though, and our bubble is one of many, perhaps an infinite number, all
03:42separate from one another and existing within the larger framework of the multiverse.
03:48In this model, it's unclear exactly how vast the separation between the bubbles is…
03:53but due to the eternal part of Eternal Inflation, the space between them is constantly expanding.
03:59The bubbles, if they do exist, are moving further and further away from each other…
04:04and this, in itself, may well represent an impenetrable barrier… the insurmountable
04:09space.
04:10Here, to consider living in another bubble universe, we would need highly advanced technology…
04:15an incredible, inexplicably, maybe impossibly complicated mode by which to move from here
04:21to there.
04:22We would likely need to be capable of manipulating space-time itself, which would likely require
04:27immense amounts of energy.
04:29Then, and as well as all of that, it's entirely unclear how the laws of physics would operate
04:34outside of our bubble.
04:36To us, outside of our bubble is effectively outside of the universe… so, for all we
04:40know, humans, even life itself, might be inescapably unable to survive in the space between…
04:47or indeed, within any other bubble, once we theoretically arrive there.
04:51Clearly, then, to move between parallel worlds inside an Eternal Inflation, bubble universe
04:56kind of structure would be no mean feat… but it's still seemingly just slightly more
05:01conceivable than it would be to tame a quantum, many-worlds-style multiverse.
05:06Theoretically, moving between bubbles could be a way for humans to live in parallel worlds
05:11in the future.
05:12So, where do we go from here?
05:14Is this all completely speculative?
05:16Or could we ever hope to have any kind of evidence to guide our future thinking?
05:20Naturally, it's impossible to tell without being able to see the future… but as-yet-unknown
05:24cosmological advancements could conceivably reveal indirect evidence for bubble worlds.
05:30For example, clues could come in the form of gravitational waves, or any other huge-scale
05:35signature to hint at inter-bubble interaction.
05:38There are already some suggestions, based on perceived irregularities in our best maps
05:43of the universe, that we may already have signs that something is impacting the universe
05:47as if from outside.
05:50Some claim that that something could be another bubble world.
05:53Hypothetical technologies with the capability to manipulate space-time or quantum entanglement
05:58could change things.
06:00These would potentially be able to operate as if on a higher plane… which, loosely,
06:04is where we'll need to be working if we ever are to break into parallel realms.
06:09Of course, say we developed even a slightly possible method… then at that stage, we
06:13might get lucky.
06:14If we could work out how to essentially wave a flag into the multiverse, even if we were
06:19doing so otherwise blind, then some other advanced civilization could well notice and
06:24then could make contact.
06:26If this unknown higher group were friendly and technologically capable, then they could
06:30provide the knowledge we still need to assist us toward overcoming the barriers between
06:35our reality and theirs.
06:36Equally, if they were unfriendly and technologically capable… well, we'd just as well be killed
06:42off before we even realized what was happening.
06:45All in all, eternal inflation and the bubble universe theory is a highly intriguing framework
06:50and does perhaps offer a future route to parallel worlds.
06:53But while there are some sniffs of evidence that we may choose to follow, for the most
06:57part, there is no real reason right now to believe that any of the above is possible
07:02or even real.
07:03There's arguably a greater chance of practically scaling such a multiverse compared to what's
07:08offered by the many-worlds interpretation, but the chances are still very low right now.
07:12Finally, though, we have black holes to think about… and their theoretical sibling, wormholes.
07:18Could they be doorways to other realities?
07:20Certainly, for all the mystique that surrounds them, many researchers have mused whether
07:25mastering the secrets of black holes could ultimately take us to an alternate universe.
07:29Briefly, a black hole is an object with such overwhelming gravity that nothing can escape
07:34from it, not even light.
07:36These are the densest objects in the universe, and largely remain a mystery to science.
07:41Instead of a surface, they possess an event horizon.
07:44This is the point of no return, beyond which nothing – not light or matter or anything
07:49– can turn back.
07:50At the black hole's centre lies a singularity, which is a point of infinite density where
07:55all physical laws break down.
07:58All of which means that, currently, the fate of what's generally termed information that
08:03enters a black hole is unclear.
08:05These are veils beyond which we just have never seen, and likely never will see.
08:09It's a topic of intense debate, then, with some theories suggesting that what goes in
08:15could end up transferred to a parallel universe.
08:18Perhaps exiting in its new realm via the hypothetical opposite to a black hole – a
08:23white hole, out of which everything flows, but nothing can re-enter.
08:28Wormholes are a similar, but in some ways different, construct.
08:31A wormhole is a theoretical tunnel through spacetime, also known as an Einstein-Rosen
08:36bridge.
08:37While we've observed black holes and know they exist, we haven't observed a wormhole
08:41and can only guess that they might exist because they are physically possible.
08:45Nevertheless, if a wormhole were traversable, then it could well connect us to distant regions
08:50of the universe, or, indeed, to different regions of an even wider reality – to parallel
08:55worlds inside a multiverse.
08:58It's exciting stuff, in theory, but wormholes are notoriously tricky.
09:02To be traversable, they need, at a minimum, to remain stable for long enough, and unfortunately
09:07we're uncertain what might be needed for this.
09:10Therefore, as all predictions are that a wormhole would be highly unstable, this means
09:16that it is extremely likely to collapse before we could even locate and approach it, let
09:20alone move through it.
09:22The solution is generally termed to be mustering exotic matter or negative energy, but these
09:27are deeply theoretical concepts only, of which we have very little understanding.
09:31So, black holes and wormholes are really, today, a non-starter.
09:36With black holes, there's no way to enter to find anything out, one way or the other.
09:40With wormholes, as physically possible as they may well be, we've never actually encountered
09:45one, and could be inevitably doomed to fail if or when we do.
09:49Both provide similar pathways to alternate realities, but it will take future generations
09:54an untold number of breakthroughs to master them.
09:57So, then, somehow moving between bubble universes is seemingly our best bet for tomorrow's
10:03parallel universe travellers.
10:04There are countless massive jumps that remain between now and when eternal inflation exploration
10:09can actually happen, but we're still arguably closer than we are to nailing any of the potential
10:15applications of the many-worlds interpretation, or to theoretically using holes in space to
10:20get us where we wish to go.
10:22As there is with many a future-looking exercise, there is still room to quickly consider the
10:26simulation hypothesis, the idea that we exist inside an entirely artificial, created reality.
10:32It famously suggests that, with enough computing power, you can simulate an entire universe,
10:37conscious beings included.
10:39If those beings can then create further simulations, then they, or we, could live in an infinite
10:44number of nested realities.
10:46To some degree, each one would be a separate, parallel world with entirely different histories,
10:51environments, and stories.
10:53If this were the case, and if humanity exists within it, and if we were to become aware
10:58of it, then all of those extra simulated realities might well be infinitely easier to access
11:04than parallel worlds are in any other guise.
11:07But here, perhaps, we're truly changing the rules of the game.
11:11Will future humans live in simulated parallel worlds?
11:14That's a topic for another video.
11:16Will they live in more traditional parallel worlds?
11:19There are a number of routes that our species might take, but in every direction, the truth
11:23is that we still have so, so much more left to discover and to achieve.
11:29What do you think?
11:30Is there anything we missed?
11:31Let us know in the comments, check out these other clips from Unveiled, and make sure you
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