Will Future Humans Live In Parallel Worlds?

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Will Future Humans Live In Parallel Worlds?</h4>

Have you ever questioned if there’s another you, living in a parallel universe? One where history went a different route, or physics behaved in a different way? The possibility of that other you’s existence is one of science’s most fascinating topics. In the past, traversing the multiverse was a concept limited exclusively to science fiction. Now, in the modern era, researchers are closer than ever to unveiling these alternate realities. So, once that happens, will humanity actually be able to colonize universes beyond our own? 

This is Unveiled, and today we’re answering the extraordinary question; Will Future Humans Live In Parallel Worlds? 

From the multiverse theories of quantum mechanics, to string theory’s cosmic landscapes, parallel universes come in various forms. These ideas on their own are incredible, but become even more fascinating when discussing alternate realities. The concept has been debated throughout history, since at least the time of the Ancient Greeks. For the most part, however, testing the idea has been completely impossible. The theories are not fully developed and, more importantly, technology just has never been advanced enough to experimentally verify them. Regardless of these challenges, though, great strides are being made within the field. And, in the modern day, there are a variety of possible scenarios for these alternate worlds to work. They’re all still in their infancy, and they all need more time to fully develop… but some believe we’re on the cusp of something truly life-changing.

Some offshoots of quantum mechanics, specifically the Many-Worlds Interpretation, suggest the existence of parallel universes. In short, it’s thought that every single outcome to every single quantum event will (and does) happen, just in different realities. This leads to the notion of infinite alternate worlds, where every possible outcome is actualized. Unfortunately, due to its nature, we can’t test the theory itself. At least, not currently. After splitting, the branched realities are unable to interfere with one another… which is one reason why we’re never even slightly aware of the other worlds that might exist all around us. It means that we also can’t ever expect to verify all these other potential realities, making it unlikely that the Many Worlds Interpretation will ever be confirmed - no matter how tantalizingly logical it may seem. There are some ideas to suggest that breakthroughs will come when we properly develop quantum computing… but, at this stage, no one’s exactly sure how. Until such time as a eureka moment does emerge, we’ll need to look elsewhere if we ever hope to move through the multiverse, as a species.

Certain other cosmological models do also propose parallel universes, so these might instead be the way forward. Bubble universe theory, also known as ‘eternal inflation’, is perhaps the most prominent. Broadly, it suggests that all universes are contained within independent, fundamental bubbles. Eternal inflation attributes the expansion of the universe to inflation, a generally accepted period of rapid expansion directly following the Big Bang. Proponents believe, though, that while these are circumstances that can continue indefinitely, inflation can (and does) stop locally. Then, in the regions where inflation does stop, we see the formation of pockets or bubble universes. Each one of these is a standalone structure of reality. Each is its own universe, with its own unique properties and laws of physics. It means that our observable reality is actually, ultimately contained within such a bubble. Zoom further out, though, and our bubble is one of many, perhaps an infinite number, all separate from one another and existing within the larger framework of the multiverse. 

In this model, it’s unclear exactly how vast the separation between the bubbles is. But, due to the eternal part of eternal inflation, the space between them is constantly expanding. The bubbles, if they do exist, are moving further and further away from each other. And this, in itself, may well represent an impenetrable barrier; the insurmountable scale of space. Here, to consider living in another bubble universe, we would need highly advanced technology. An incredibly, inexplicably, maybe impossibly complicated mode by which to move from here to there. We would likely need to be capable of manipulating space-time itself, which would likely require immense amounts of energy. Then, and as well as all of that, it’s entirely unclear how the laws of physics would operate outside of our bubble. To us, ‘outside of our bubble’ is effectively outside of the universe… so, for all we know, humans (even life itself) might be inescapably unable to survive in the space between. Or, indeed, within any other bubble, once we theoretically arrived there.

Clearly, then, to move between parallel worlds inside an eternal inflation, bubble universe kind of structure would be no mean feat. But it’s still seemingly just slightly more conceivable than it would be to tame a quantum, Many Worlds-style multiverse. Theoretically, moving between bubbles could be a way for humans to live in parallel worlds, in the future. So, where do we go from here? Is this all completely speculative, or could we ever hope to have any kind of evidence to guide our future thinking?

Naturally, it’s impossible to tell without being able to see the future. But, as-yet unknown cosmological advancements could conceivably reveal indirect evidence for bubble worlds. For example, clues could come in the form of gravitational waves, or any other huge-scale signature to hint at inter-bubble interaction. There are already some suggestions, based on perceived irregularities in our best maps of the universe, that we may already have signs that something is impacting the universe as if from outside. Some claim that that something could be another bubble world.

Hypothetical technologies, with the capability to manipulate space-time or quantum entanglement, could change things. These would potentially be able to operate as if on a higher plane which, loosely, is where we’ll need to be working if we ever are to break into parallel realms. Of course, say we developed even a slightly possible method, then at that stage we might get lucky. If we could work out how to essentially wave a flag into the multiverse, even if we were doing so otherwise blind, then some other advanced civilization could well notice, and then could make contact. If this unknown, higher group were friendly and technologically capable, then they could provide the knowledge we still need, to assist us toward overcoming the barriers between our reality and theirs. Equally, if they were unfriendly and technologically capable… well, we’d just as well be killed off before we even realized what was happening.

All in all, eternal inflation and the bubble universe theory is a highly intriguing framework, and does perhaps offer a future route to parallel worlds. But, while there are some sniffs of evidence that we may choose to follow, for the most part there is no real reason (right now) to believe that any of the above is possible. Or even real. There’s arguably a greater chance of practically scaling such a multiverse compared to what’s offered by the Many Worlds Interpretation… but the chances are still very low, right now.

Finally, though, we have black holes to think about, and their theoretical sibling, wormholes. Could they be doorways to other realities? Certainly, for all the mystique that surrounds them, many researchers have mused whether mastering the secrets of black holes could, ultimately, take us to an alternate universe. Briefly, a black hole is an object with such overwhelming gravity, that nothing can escape from it, not even light. These are the densest objects in the universe, and largely remain a mystery to science. Instead of a surface, they possess an event horizon. This is the point of no return, beyond which nothing - not light or matter or anything - can turn back. At the black hole’s center lies a singularity, which is a point of infinite density where all physical laws break down. All of which means that, currently, the fate of what’s generally termed information that enters a black hole is unclear. These are veils beyond which we just have never seen, and likely never will see. It’s a topic of intense debate, then, with some theories suggesting that what goes in… could end up transferred to a parallel universe. Perhaps exiting in its new realm via the hypothetical opposite to a black hole - a white hole - out of which everything flows, but nothing can re-enter.

Wormholes are a similar (but in some ways different) construct. A wormhole is a theoretical tunnel through space-time, also known as an Einstein-Rosen bridge. While we’ve observed black holes and know they exist, we haven’t observed a wormhole and can only guess that they might exist because they are physically possible. Nevertheless, if a wormhole were traversable, then it could well connect us to distant regions of the universe. Or, indeed to different regions of an even wider reality; to parallel worlds inside a multiverse.

It’s exciting stuff in theory, but wormholes are notoriously tricky. To be traversable, they need (at a minimum) to remain stable for long enough. And, unfortunately, we’re uncertain what might be needed for this. Therefore, as all predictions are that a wormhole would be highly unstable, this means that it is extremely likely to collapse before we could even locate and approach it, let alone move through it. The solution is generally termed to be mustering exotic matter and negative energy. But these are deeply theoretical concepts only, of which we have very little understanding. 

So, black holes and wormholes are really, today, a non-starter. With black holes, there’s no way to enter to find anything out, one way or the other. With wormholes, as physically possible as they may well be, we’ve never actually encountered one… and could be inevitably doomed to fail if (or when) we do. Both provide similar pathways to alternate realities, but it will take future generations an untold number of breakthroughs to master them. 

Still, then, somehow moving between bubble universes is seemingly our best bet for tomorrow’s parallel universe travelers. There are countless massive jumps that remain between now and when eternal inflation exploration can actually happen, but we’re still arguably closer than we are to nailing any of the potential applications of the Many Worlds Interpretation… or to theoretically using holes in space to get us where we wish to go.

As there is with many a future-looking exercise, there is still room to quickly consider the simulation hypothesis; the idea that we exist inside an entirely artificial, created reality. It famously suggests that, with enough computing power, you can simulate an entire universe, conscious beings included. If those beings can then create further simulations, then they (or we) could live in an infinite number of nested realities. To some degree, each one would be a separate, parallel world, with entirely different histories, environments, and stories. If this were the case, and if humanity exists within it, and if we were to become aware of it… then all of those extra, simulated realities might well be infinitely easier to access than parallel worlds are in any other guise. But, here perhaps we’re truly changing the rules of the game. 

Will future humans live in simulated parallel worlds? That’s a topic for another video. Will they live in more traditional parallel worlds? There are a number of routes that our species might take… but, in every direction, the truth is that we still have so, so much more left to discover and to achieve.