Is this proof we're living in a ‘simulated universe'? Scientist's theory points to possible clue
In the 1999 science-fiction film, Neo discovers that the universe is a simulation — but one scientist believes that the idea isn't all fiction.
Dr. Melvin Vopson, an associate professor in physics at the University of Portsmouth in the UK, believes that gravity is a sign that we are living in a virtual simulation and the universe is the 'ultimate computer,' he alleged in a new paper.
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4 Dr. Melvin Vopson believes that the concept in 'The Matrix' isn't all fiction.
Warner Bros/Village Roadshow Pictures/Kobal / Shutterstock
In the research, published in AIP Advances, Vopson proposes the idea that gravity isn't just a 'pull' — it's actually something that occurs when the universe is trying to keep its data organized.
Forcing objects with mass to be pulled toward the Earth's core is similar to how computers compress code, Vopson claimed.
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4 Keanu Reeves in 'The Matrix.'
Everett Collection
He added in the paper that gravitational pull is an 'example of data compression and computational optimization in our universe, which supports the possibility of a simulated or computational universe.'
'The universe evolves in a way that the information content in it is compressed, optimized and organized – just as computers and computer code do,' he told the Daily Mail. 'Hence, gravity appears to be another process of data compression in a possibly simulated universe.'
The gravitational attraction helps reduce 'information entropy,' which essentially means how much information there is in an object in any given space, the study alleges.
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4 In the 1999 science-fiction film, Neo discovers that the universe is a simulation.
Warner Bros/Village Roadshow Pictures/Kobal / Shutterstock
Gravity plays many roles in space, including the building of galaxies, putting planets into orbit around stars and influencing the motion of nearby objects. So, in Vopson's theory, these objects may be pulled together because the universe is simply trying to keep everything clean and compressed.
'To put it simply, it is easier to compute all the properties and characteristics of a single object in space, rather than multiple objects,' he told the Daily Mail. 'That is why objects in space are pulled together.'
4 The typical evolution of matter in the universe under gravitational attraction.
AIP Advances
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His belief stems from the concept of entropy in information theory, which he has argued in a previous paper.
'A super complex universe like ours, if it were a simulation, would require a built-in data optimization and compression in order to reduce the computational power and the data storage requirements to run the simulation,' he explained in a piece for The Conversation in 2023.
'This is exactly what we are observing all around us, including in digital data, biological systems, mathematical symmetries and the entire universe.'
This time, rather, Vopson focused on gravity rather than biological systems.
'My findings in this study fit with the thought that the universe might work like a giant computer, or our reality is a simulated construct,' Vopson explained in a statement.
'Just like computers try to save space and run more efficiently, the universe might be doing the same. It's a new way to think about gravity – not just as a pull, but as something that happens when the universe is trying to stay organized.'
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