Scientists find first evidence that many universes exist

[Analog]

(PhysOrg.com) -- By looking far out into space and observing what’s going on there, scientists have been led to theorize that it all started with a Big Bang, immediately followed by a brief period of super-accelerated expansion called inflation. Perhaps this was the beginning of everything, but lately a few scientists have been wondering if something could have come before that, setting up the initial conditions for the birth of our universe.

In the most recent study on pre-Big Bang science posted at arXiv.org, a team of researchers from the UK, Canada, and the US, Stephen M. Feeney, et al, have revealed that they have discovered four statistically unlikely circular patterns in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The researchers think that these marks could be “bruises” that our universe has incurred from being bumped four times by other universes. If they turn out to be correct, it would be the first evidence that universes other than ours do exist.


The idea that there are many other universes out there is not new, as scientists have previously suggested that we live in a “multiverse” consisting of an infinite number of universes. The multiverse concept stems from the idea of eternal inflation, in which the inflationary period that our universe went through right after the Big Bang was just one of many inflationary periods that different parts of space were and are still undergoing. When one part of space undergoes one of these dramatic growth spurts, it balloons into its own universe with its own physical properties. As its name suggests, eternal inflation occurs an infinite number of times, creating an infinite number of universes, resulting in the multiverse.


These infinite universes are sometimes called bubble universes even though they are irregular-shaped, not round. The bubble universes can move around and occasionally collide with other bubble universes.

 

[Kommander_Kink]

Okay so you are saying that other universes exist with their own different billions of galaxies?

 

[lxskllr]

If so, it's exactly as I expected. It wouldn't surprise me if this universe was part of a greater "ecosystem", where it's behavior is affected by outside forces, and it in turn affects outside forces.

 

[Exterous]

Okay so you are saying that other universes exist with their own different billions of galaxies?

Not all of the other universes may have galaxies

 

[Pocatello]

In a universe far far away...

 

[RavenSEAL]

...that is berserk. Damn...

 

[RavenSEAL]

In a universe far far away...

..Fail?

 

[Squisher]

Not all of the other universes may have galaxies

You mean there might be a universe where nothing but bacon exists?

 

[Pocatello]

You mean there might be a universe where nothing but bacon exists?

If so, that would be heaven.

 

[911paramedic]

Time to set up the Fringe Division.

 

[Gibsons]

Not all of the other universes may have galaxies

Or even matter as we understand it.

 

[mk]

Okay so you are saying that other universes exist with their own different billions of galaxies?

Galaxies aren't mentioned anywhere in the OP or in the article.

 

[Regs]

We are sooooooooooooo tiny.

 

[olds]

Let me save the scientists and you guys some trouble.
There are other universes.
There is life on other planets
We have been visited by aliens.

Now, go back to facebook and internet porn.

 

[gophins72]

a good explanation of the underlying/background is in stephen hawking's "Into the Universe" episode called "The Story about Everything"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chakKbPNI3w

a very enjoyable watch but it's 9 parts. it opens with a computer drawing of our universe using supercomputers, talks about how it was formed, the concept of multiple universes, theories of how it will end, etc.

 

[Freshgeardude]

idea sounds crazy amazing.

if they can prove it, it'll be another blow to religion!

 

[Matthiasa]

Unless you realize that something had to have formed the multiverse, and then something had to have created that, and so and and so forth back until forever...
In other words this doesn't effect religion at all.

 

[Jeff7]

Unless you realize that something had to have formed the multiverse, and then something had to have created that, and so and and so forth back until forever...
In other words this doesn't effect religion at all.

In the beginning, Gods created the Heavenses and the Earths.

 

[Fritzo]

Okay so you are saying that other universes exist with their own different billions of galaxies?

Well, not really. Here's the easy answer as to why (and also the reason my wife doesn't let me have conversations at dinner parties):

If the multi verse model is correct, we may live in a "living" universe, which is allowed because our universe is slightly defective.

While it sounds like a joke, it could be true. See, our universe leaks gravity. We're not sure where it's all leaking into , but it is. Because there's a gravity leak, it's affect on matter is weaker than any of the other forces. How much weaker? Look at the incredible energy needed to rip an atom apart--the strong and weak interaction forces really stick all those subatomic particles together for keeps.

Gravity on the other hand? Try jumping up into the air. Easy, wasn't it? You just resisted the gravitational pull of the entire Earth with your legs. While gravity has the farthest reaching effects of any of the forces, it is the least powerful.

And that's a good thing...if it were as strong as the other forces, matter would never have formed, and we all would not be here. The universe would be a tiny blob of plasma floating around in the void. Most universes may actually be like this---or maybe one of the other forces is "leaking", which would prevent particles from making strong bonds. Our universe has the EXACT balance of forces needed to allow matter to form, and this is so unlikely that many consider it to be very rare.

Why gravity is so weak is something that the greatest minds in physics are trying to discover. It is the key to knowing why we are here and where we are going. We've made many advancements in this field in the last decade, and have included the discovery of dark matter and dark energy- with dark matter seeming to increase gravity's effect, and dark energy seeming to weaken it's effect. Gravity's weakness could be attributed to the stretching of space...perhaps due to dark energy, which in effect dilutes the force. Gravity may also be getting blown into another dimension, filling it like invisible tanks and causing spatial expansion. There's a lot of crazy theories out there, and they're all valid at this point...we just need the funding to make the tools to find the answers.

Great time to me a physicist right now

 

[destrekor]

Unless you realize that something had to have formed the multiverse, and then something had to have created that, and so and and so forth back until forever...
In other words this doesn't effect religion at all.

True. One might say we are the sandbox of some childish entity that lives in another universe.
But ultimately, one way or the other, the multiverse came first. No being could create the place where it resides. So regardless of the reasons for our universe existing, somewhere down the line, one universe was first, or... the multiverse came into existence first. Nothing existed at one point, and then, well... it did. Any deity-like creatures could only come into play once the stage was set. So while individual universes may be the playground for the little shits of the multiverse, where they do all their graffiti and smoke and all sorts of devilish things when not under the watchful eye of their parents, not a single entity could create everything out there.

So, ultimately somewhere down the line, either for our universe or the multiverse, a big-bang type of event created everything first. Any gods that come into existence could only come forth after their existence was made possible.

 

[ussfletcher]

I think the idea of infinite universes is neat, that means that somewhere there really was a computer that could run Crysis at max settings when it was released.

 

[CycloWizard]

True. One might say we are the sandbox of some childish entity that lives in another universe.
But ultimately, one way or the other, the multiverse came first. No being could create the place where it resides. So regardless of the reasons for our universe existing, somewhere down the line, one universe was first, or... the multiverse came into existence first. Nothing existed at one point, and then, well... it did. Any deity-like creatures could only come into play once the stage was set. So while individual universes may be the playground for the little shits of the multiverse, where they do all their graffiti and smoke and all sorts of devilish things when not under the watchful eye of their parents, not a single entity could create everything out there.

So, ultimately somewhere down the line, either for our universe or the multiverse, a big-bang type of event created everything first. Any gods that come into existence could only come forth after their existence was made possible.

No, I don't think that's what it means.

 

[BeauJangles]

I think the idea of infinite universes is neat, that means that somewhere there really was a computer that could run Crysis at max settings when it was released.

Post of the thread thus far.


On a more serious note, how freaking cool is science? Even if these guys are wrong, just the idea that in 200 years we've gone from discovering electricity to finding evidence that might be proof of other universes.

 

[Perknose]

So there is no one true pasta, the FSM, to be worshiped, drenched in sauce and then reverentially eaten, but a multitude of heavenly dishes.

I, for one, welcome our new smorgas-lords!

 

[Kirby]