Deep No 3 -- Parallel Universes!

     It’s that time again when I let my mind go REALLY DEEP and discuss a topic that will make you put on your thinking cap and ponder for a few moments.  So we get our topic for this blog:  Deep No 3 – Parallel Universes!

     Is our universe unique?  I like to think it is.  That no matter where you may travel because of our Creator’s design we are special among all the creation in the vast heavens.  I think the intricate design in the physical universe around us is such that there truly exists NO other place that can compare to His marvelous handy work.

    But from Sci-Fi movies and books the concept exists that wants to state otherwise.  We are merely one “bubble” that sits upon a network of untold numerous other “bubbles.”  It has been stated that within these “possible alternate” universes every conceivable action, thought, or event has happened.  As an example:  In “one” universe you may have walked down the street and TURNED RIGHT, in another you TURNED LEFT in another you WENT STRAIGHT and I another you never went down that street AT ALL!

     This concept was high-lighted in the recent “remake” of the “Star Trek” series in 2009.  The premise is that the Kirk and Spock portrayed by Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are in an “alternate time line” apart from the William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy versions of the characters.  Now the “changes” that happen in the new movie series don’t have to follow the pattern previously set by those movies already made.  But is such a thing possible?  Or is it truly just a “fringe” of science fiction that makes for “good” story, but could NEVER REALLY be possible?

     There are at least five theories why a multi-universe is possible, as a 2012 Space.com article explained:

1.       We don’t know what the shape of space-time is exactly.  One prominent theory is that it is flat and goes on forever.  This would present the possibility of many universes being out there.  But with that topic in mind, it’s possible that universes can start repeating themselves.  That’s because particles can only be put together in so many ways. 

2.      Another theory for multiple universes comes from “eternal inflation.”  Based on research from Tufts University cosmologist Alexander Vilenkin, when looking at space-time as a whole, some areas of space stop inflating like the Big Bang inflated our own universe.  Others however will keep getting larger.  So if we picture our own universe as a bubble, it is sitting in a network of bubble universes of space.  What’s interesting about this theory is that other universes could have very different laws of physics than our own since they are not linked.

3.      Or perhaps multiple universes can follow the theory of quantum mechanics (how subatomic particles behave), as part of the “daughter universe” theory.  If you follow the laws of probability, it suggests that for every outcome that could come from one of your decisions, there would be a range of universes --- each of which saw one outcome come to be.  So in one universe, you took that job to China.  In another, perhaps you were on your way and your plane landed somewhere different, and you decided to stay.  And so on (as I previously mentioned the alternate possibilities.)

4.      Another possible avenue is exploring mathematical universes, which, simply put, explains that the structure of mathematics may change depending in which universe you reside.  “A mathematical structure is something that you can describe in a way that’s completely independent of human baggage,” said theory-proposer Max Tegmark of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as quoted in the 2012 article.  “I really believe that there is this universe out there that can exist independently of me that would continue to exist even if there were no humans.”

5.      And last but not least as to the idea of parallel universes.  To go back to the idea that space-time is flat, the number of possible particle configurations in multiple universes would be limited to 10^10^122 distinct possibilities, to be exact. (I have NO idea what this number is?)  So, with an infinite number of cosmic patches, the particle arrangements within them must repeat --- infinitely many times over.  This means there are infinitely many “parallel universes” cosmic patches exactly the same as ours (containing someone exactly like you), as well as patches that differ by just one particle’s position, patches that differ by two particle’s positions, and so on down to patches that are totally different from ours.

     Still COULD IT REALLY HAPPEN?  When gazing into the heavens, scientists spotted what they refer to as a “cold” area of space.  It was observed some time ago, and explaining it proved difficult, but a 2015 study suggested it was merely an area of the universe in which the number of galaxies is dramatically lower than the rest.  Unfortunately, subsequent investigations couldn’t support that finding, and a new study by Durham University suggests the slim possibility that it’s actually evidence of parallel universes is still on the table.

     But, just because something SOUNDS possible doesn’t mean that it TRULY IS!  Perhaps we would like to believe that “SOMEWHERE” there’s a place where the “great catch” of our life DIDN’T get away.  A place where that IDEAL job REALLY became ours.  Or some other situation in our lives that we hoped would have been different --- IS!

     Who knows YOU may be sitting in another place, living another life, enjoying a wonderful time READING this SAME blog and wondering:  Is it REALLY possible?

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Bad circumstances have made some men jerks!

Others are self-made men!"