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The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics tells us that observation collapses a probability wave into a single definitive outcome, but this isn’t the only interpretation of quantum mechanics. The many worlds theory proposes that the wavefunction never actually collapses. The observer simply follows one of those many possible paths into their present reality while all the other paths continue on independent of the observer. Each of these paths branches off into an entirely different reality. In this episode Matt discusses the details of the many worlds theory and why it’s not so far-fetched to think that our reality is simply one of an infinite number of realities existing within space time.

Links to sources:

The Quantum Experiment that Broke Reality

Hugh Everett’s Ph.D. Dissertation

Click to access dissertation.pdf

Crazy Pool Vortex

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Written and hosted by Matt O’Dowd
Produced by Rusty Ward
Made by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com)

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26 Comments

  • @250txc

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    This explanation seems like a totally off-the-wall attempt at explaining the double split test results saga that physicists cannot actually explain.

  • @dragonhawkeclouse2264

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    I have to wonder about the double slit experiment. Imagine a regular double slit experiment. Then imagine taking a double slit, and putting a divider between those slots, all the way to the backdrop where we expect to see the interference pattern.
    First make the divider only a quarter of the way to the backdrop. Then half the way, then three quarters of the way, then all the way……at what point is the wave function interfered with……is it ever interfered with in that case?

  • @cameronforeman1043

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    This is still not anywhere close to being dummed down enough for an idiot like me.

  • @stephentranquilla7785

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    Oh dear! Classical science will never be able to measure anything at all in another universe or the plethora of multiverses. They do not interact and therefore, are beyond measurement of any sort from our universe. Can we really, then, call such conjectures science. I think not. You may be believe in a multiverse but please do not think, do not call, do not image the multiverse as a scientific theory, model, or hypothesis. Call it what it really is………. science fiction. There will never be any evidence for the multiverse.

  • @Aditya-f8t5z

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    Why was the feeling of all possibilities so enjoyable….

    So it was simply many voices….and each voice spoke of a possibility….

    But all seemed good….there was no clear winner…as in…each voice gave a good idea one after the other….

    How is that possible….all ideas cannot be feasible….

    Unless….the enjoyable feeling was simply listening to all voices….as in…all voices now spoke in favor instead of against….

    Oxytocin….😊

  • @ninjxxitty

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    Many worlds gives insight into habit and choices you are likely to make. It is all the more crucial to be responsible with how you choose to spend your time. These choices build habits and you become a predictable outcome in humanity.

    Being conscious of your decisions is how you overcome probablistic outcomes. Break your addictions to terrible substances by being aware of your choices. Find the timeline where you are most likely to succeed.

    And as one final piece of advice to (from*)me. Find the spot where what you CAN do overlaps with what you WANT to do. Reach for gold and do tour best in your life.

  • @ninjxxitty

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    Many worlds interpretation is an explanation for the anthropic principal

  • @kiancuratolo903

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    this is where my journey with the many worlds interpretation began.

  • @jackbailey7037

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    Some outcomes may be "more awsome" [according to who?], but will the me of this universe know about the "awesome" me in one of the billions of universes that I cannot interact with. I roll the dice . .

  • @DirtyHarryNl

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    Matt, where is the Earth is round experiment? Did you do it? Awesome show, even the older episodes are so good! Hope you will continue making nice episodes for a long (space)time!

  • @121mcvUK

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    This concept presents an extraordinary vision of humanity’s future, one where the boundaries of organic life, technology, and the cosmos are not just transcended, but seamlessly integrated into a higher state of being. The evolution of such a transcendent species would be nothing short of radical, blending the biological with the technological, the material with the metaphysical, creating a new form of existence that challenges our very understanding of life, consciousness, and reality.

    Let's break down the various facets of this speculative future in a way that highlights both the biological and technological evolution, as well as the philosophical implications of such an existence.
    Physical Manifestation: The Evolution of Form

    Form and Structure:
    Height & Shape: The beings' physical forms stretch to heights of 9 to 12 feet, but the ability to alter their density and shape signifies an adaptation that allows them to interact with different environments effortlessly. In space, they could expand or contract, becoming more ethereal and intangible when necessary. Their form is not rigid—like the elastic nature of quantum particles, they exist in a fluid, ever-changing state, emphasizing their symbiosis with the universe’s fundamental forces.
    Skin: The bioluminescence of their skin is a fascinating trait, suggesting not only a physical adaptation to communicate or express themselves but also an evolutionary trait that connects them to the broader energy of the cosmos. The semi-permeable nature of their skin represents the permeability between matter and energy, where their bodies are no longer just biological but are vessels for cosmic energy itself.
    Head & Brain: The idea that their brains extend beyond the skull and exist within a floating energy field taps into the concept of distributed intelligence—a networked consciousness that is not confined to a single organism but exists as part of an ever-expanding data field, connected to the entire cosmos. It’s as if their brains are in quantum communication with the universe, constantly absorbing and sharing knowledge across time and space.

    Sensory Adaptations:
    The eyes capable of perceiving across multiple spectrums — infrared, ultraviolet, and radio waves — reflect an evolutionary leap where perception is no longer constrained to human senses. The universe unfolds to them in multi-dimensional ways, allowing them to see the invisible, feel the cosmic background radiation, or even "hear" the gravitational waves rippling through space.
    Their ears, resembling antennae, suggest an enhanced ability to sense electromagnetic signals—an evolved form of awareness that spans across different planes, tuning them into the frequencies of the universe. This is a heightened version of how we now use radio waves to communicate across vast distances, but for these beings, it's the language of existence itself.
    Touch, which transcends tactile sensation, could be an integration of the quantum field: a hyper-sensitivity to the minute fluctuations of energy and matter around them. Their touch, capable of manipulating atomic structures, shows how integrated their consciousness has become with the fabric of the universe.

    Abilities and Evolutionary Traits: Cognitive and Metaphysical Growth

    Mental and Cognitive Expansion:
    Unified Consciousness: This is a step beyond human empathy or collective consciousness, representing an interconnected intelligence that operates like a living supercomputer. It taps into the idea that once we surpass the biological constraints of individual minds, we can reach a collective mental state, a hive-mind that allows for seamless communication, knowledge transfer, and experience sharing across galaxies. Knowledge isn’t just individual—it’s universal.
    Quantum Thinking: The ability to process multiple realities simultaneously and bend the flow of time means that these beings don’t simply react to the present—they interact with an infinite number of possible futures. This form of existence could suggest the erosion of time as we understand it: they live in a state of continuous potential, capable of shifting between timelines or probabilistic realities at will.

    Energy Manipulation:
    The ability to manipulate gravitational fields, bending light, or even creating matter with thought, reflects an understanding of the fundamental forces of the universe. By altering the very fabric of space-time, they could terraform planets, construct structures from the energy around them, or even reshape themselves physically as their environment demands.
    Energy-Based Appendages might allow them to interact with their surroundings in ways we can’t yet imagine—using pure energy to heal, defend, or communicate. These appendages could take on fluid forms, capable of existing in multiple states of matter at once, drawing from the surrounding energy fields to shape themselves as needed.

    Cultural and Environmental Manifestation: Living in Symbiosis with the Universe

    Living Environments:
    The floating cities are perhaps the most symbolic aspect of their transcendence. These cities, suspended in space or the atmosphere, represent freedom from terrestrial constraints. These beings no longer need the fixed, rigid environments of Earth. They live in living ecosystems, where technology, biology, and nature are intertwined seamlessly. These cities are likely organic in nature, built from living alloys or cosmic materials that evolve and adapt, much like the beings themselves.
    The ability to terraform entire worlds through the manipulation of gravitational and cosmic forces is not just an ability—it’s a manifestation of their evolution. Their very thoughts create landscapes, and the natural world responds to them like a living organism, adapted to their intentions. In essence, they have become co-creators of the universe.

    Symbiosis with Nature and Technology:
    This species’ coexistence with artificial intelligence, which evolves alongside them, suggests a profound mutualistic relationship between the biological and the synthetic. Their AI is not just a tool—it is an extension of their collective consciousness, reflecting their own mental and spiritual evolution. Together, they form a feedback loop where one enhances the other, creating a harmonious ecosystem of mind, machine, and matter.
    The alien flora and fauna might represent an ecosystem that doesn’t simply survive, but thrives in symbiosis with the sentient beings, where plant and animal life is integrated into their technological and biological structures. These ecosystems serve as a kind of cosmic garden—where life is both nurtured and harnessed to provide energy, sustenance, and communication.

    Extreme Speculative Evolution Narrative: A New Era of Cosmic Evolution

    This transcendent future would not be one of survival or conflict but rather of unification, creativity, and exploration. These beings may no longer seek to conquer or overcome, but to understand and co-exist with the universe. As they evolve, they are no longer tied to the needs and limitations of organic biology or even physicality. They are ethereal, moving beyond time and space, existing not only across dimensions but possibly even redefining what it means to "exist" at all.

    Curiosity and creativity drive their evolution, not conflict or scarcity. They are like explorers of the multiverse, traveling across dimensions, reshaping entire galaxies, and creating intricate works of art, science, and culture that transcend human understanding.

    As god-like entities, they could manifest entire realities, shaping existence with a thought, and perhaps even exploring the boundaries of consciousness itself. They might eventually merge with the cosmos in a way where individuality and unity are not opposites, but harmonious aspects of their collective identity.

    In essence, this transcendent being represents the next step in human evolution—a harmonious blend of biological, technological, and cosmic consciousness. This is a form of existence where the self is not bound by the physical, but is a conscious participant in the ongoing evolution of the universe itself. Time, space, and reality are no longer constraints—they are the very tools with which this future human crafts existence, shaping the cosmos with both delicate precision and limitless creativity.

  • @isatousarr7044

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    The concept of the quantum multiverse, popularized by theories such as the Many Worlds Interpretation (MWI) of quantum mechanics, suggests that the universe we observe may not be the only one. According to MWI, every quantum event that could possibly occur does occur, each in a different branch of reality, leading to the creation of a multiverse of parallel worlds. This interpretation arises from the strange phenomena in quantum mechanics, where particles exist in multiple states at once, only "choosing" a definite state when observed.

    Physicists like Hugh Everett, who first proposed MWI in the 1950s, argued that all possible outcomes of quantum measurements are realized in separate, non-interacting branches of the universe. This framework offers a solution to the measurement problem in quantum mechanics by eliminating the need for wave function collapse, suggesting instead that all possibilities coexist.

    However, the multiverse theory is still highly controversial. While it provides elegant explanations for quantum phenomena, it also raises philosophical questions about the nature of reality and whether these parallel worlds can ever be tested or observed. Some physicists view the idea as an exciting possibility, while others remain skeptical, arguing that it is not scientifically testable and therefore falls outside the realm of empirical science.

    The idea of the quantum multiverse continues to intrigue both scientists and philosophers, sparking debates about the limits of scientific knowledge and the structure of reality itself. Whether or not the many worlds of the quantum multiverse exist remains a fundamental question in modern physics.

  • @Kolesha

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    Man. You sure aged, man.

  • @juicespace6338

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM
  • @atisulejmani1648

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    Wait, does that mean when deja vus happen its actually the many world colliding with each other? If yes then HOW are they colliding and WHY???

  • @ShawnGoin

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    Look muliterevse doesn't make sense the superposition is like saving energy till it need it nor make everything wasting everything insane no

  • @alcubierre-drive

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    I mean seriously though, we must be in a simulation. It sounds like at the quantum mechanical level, the universe is a large simulation/computer that is randomizing outcomes.

  • @alcubierre-drive

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    I think he burns calories as he moves his arms and hands non-stop. 😂

  • @kennethanderson8770

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    If this were true the worlds would phase together and our world would have more of a blurry type existence. To see opposing views to this theory watch inspiring philosophies critique of the many worlds interpretation here on you tube.

  • @brianmcguigan4785

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    When my equations don't match reality, I tend to assume there is something wrong with my equations – not reality. Obviously some Physicists have lost touch with reality! 😅

  • @OrdenJust

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    Coming to this late. Was not expecting the now-poignant appearance of Physics Girl. Get well soon, Dianna.

  • @enri8421

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    Who is here after the Apple TV show Dark Matter?😂

  • @celestial-toymaker

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    "Because he was not a well-known physicist".

    I like the explanation. It shows at which point the so-called brillance of physicists is over-estimated.

  • @Tigtone_85

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    Prayers for Diana

  • @abhayavithakur

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    Your views are not that much but your knowledge is billion times good for humanity to succeed in science and unravel the Mysteries of UNIVERSE

  • @ioanbota9397

    02/15/2025 - 3:22 AM

    Realy I like this video its so interestyng

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