HEADSCRATCHERS

Launching on November 17, The Rest Is Science podcast explores the forces, patterns and questions that define the world around us. From cutting-edge discoveries to age-old mysteries, it invites us to think deeper – to notice what we've overlooked, and to see the familiar through fresh eyes.

- Michael Stevens

How do we know the universe isn't a simulation?

We don't. We could all be characters walking around in a giant video game designed by aliens who are much more technologically advanced than us. As cool as that would be, how could we ever find out? Unfortunately, we haven't found any convincing evidence that we live in a simulation. It seems unlikely that a computer could exist that was powerful enough (and big enough) to simulate the motions and behaviours of every single atom in our universe.

If, however, we someday found an irrational number (an infinitely long number, such as Pi) that “ended”, that would be weird. It could be evidence that the “memory” the universe runs on is limited after all, and it might simply be running on some alien's computer.

Do fish have drinks? Keira G