Physicist Says He's Identified a Clue That We're Living in a Computer Simulation
In a new paper published in the journal AIP Advances, University of Portsmouth physicist Melvin Vopson offered a new interpretation of gravity, arguing that it could be the result of the universe trying to make itself less cluttered, thereby behaving much like a computer algorithm.
"This is another example of data compression and computational optimization in our universe, which supports the possibility of a simulated or computational universe," he wrote.
Vopson's article is part of a greater movement of scientists trying to explain the forces of nature by arguing that they're the result of an all-encompassing simulation. In the early 2000s, philosopher Nick Bostrom proposed that our reality is a computer simulation dreamed up by a highly advanced civilization, echoing the plot of the 1999 blockbuster "The Matrix."
But proving the theory is a thorny issue, especially considering if we really were trapped in a simulation, its creators would likely have taken measures to ensure we're unable to peek behind the curtain.
Vopson built on his own "second law of information dynamics" proposition, which holds that the "entropy of any system remains constant or increases over time," to argue that gravity is pulling together matter and objects in space to keep entropy at a minimum, much like a computer tidying and compressing data.
"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," said Vopson 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," he added, "not just as a pull, but as something that happens when the universe is trying to stay organised."
In his article, Vopson argued that information stored in elementary cells, defined as the smallest possible volume in space in quantum mechanics, informs the coordinates of matter inside the simulation, a kind of pixelation of ones and zeroes.
"The process is identical to how a digital computer game, virtual reality application, or other advanced simulation would be designed," he said in the statement.
Each cell can fit more than one particle, much like a computational system minimizing information content.
"Put simply, it is far more computationally effective to track and compute the location and momentum of a single object in space, than numerous objects," Vopson argued. "Therefore, it appears that the gravitational attraction is just another optimising mechanism in a computational process that has the role to compress information."
Vopson has long been a proponent of the simulation theory, arguing in 2022 that genomes of the COVID-19 virus exhibited a decreasing entropy over time, supporting evidence of his second law of information dynamics.
In another eyebrow-raising paper, he posited that information could be a "fifth form of matter," again allegedly demonstrating that we live in a simulation.
But whether his research will ever gain mainstream acceptance and approval outside of the fringes of the scientific community remains to be seen.
After all, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence — especially when you're trying to turn reality itself on its head.
More on simulation theory: Mathematician: Here's why the simulation theory is stupid
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