do scientists actually know if another universe exists?

Question

i mean, they haven't even explored the whole of our universe yet!

Answer 1

Nova did a great show called "The Elegant Universe."

It talks about how the laws of physics when dealing with large objects like planets, falls apart at the subatomic level. Some scientists have been trying for years to figure out why and one of the theories to emerge is String Theory.

The basic idea behind String Theory, is that every thing is made from one kind of ingredient, unimaginably small vibrating strands of energy called strings. Then it gets more complicated.....

Humans can perceive 3 dimensions. They used the example of a movie. The images appear three-dimensional, but it's an optical illusion. There is no back and forth on a movie screen. In order to achieve back and fourth movement, the image would have to step out of the screen.

So dimensions all have to do with the independent directions in which you can move. They're sometimes called "degrees of freedom."

String theorists believe, through mathematical calculations, that there are no less than 11 dimensions. With all the possible directions you can move with 11 "degrees of freedom", they believe that these strings become like membranes that stretch to sizes as large as a universe.

This theory has givin rise to the idea that our entire universe is living on a membrane, inside a much larger, higher dimensional space.

They used the example of a loaf of bread....we may be only one slice of a series of other universes! And the reason why we can't detect these other universes, is because our particles, or atoms, cannot get of the membrane.

Whew........!

It's a pretty wild theory! And talk about complex!


If you want further info check out the link to the trascript of the show.

Answer 2

Not "actually", no. But experiments with protons and other sub-atomic particles suggest that there may possibly be an infinite number of realities which some people could interpret as other universes.

Lots of scientists do believe that our universe is just one out of billions - collectively known as the multiverse. But it's all theory, don't think there's any scientific evidence to support the idea as yet.

Answer 3

If you define a universe as that which is the result of a BIG BANG (sorry if I made you jump), then I suppose multiple BIG BANGS (sorry) would produce multiple universes. Whether these universes would merge with neighbouring universes is open to discussion, but entirely feasible. As far as string theory and 11 dimensional space is concerned, that is just nonsense injected to make the mathematics work.

Trying to make sense of what is happening in the subatomic domain is like trying to predict what the exact location of every molecule in the Earth's oceans will be next Tuesday; a total waste of time!

Answer 4

This is the only universe.
Theories abound about multiple universes and infinite universes.
This universe is the only one and it is a finite entity that came into being in the past and one day in the future it will go out of existence.

Answer 5

It depends what you mean by "universe".

If the universe is, by definition, the sum total of all matter and energy then, also by definition, there can be no other universe.

There are unproved theories and speculation about parallel universes. In these they are using a different definition of the word "universe".

Even with this different definition it is not "known" but only "proposed" that there could be other universes.

Answer 6

No.

The theories that speculate about other universes - like string theory - have yet to make a single testable prediction. In other words, they have never yet got anything right.

And our own universe is far too large for us ever to explore.

Answer 7

if we could interact with it, it would be in our universe and wouldn't really be another universe.

so I personally dont think you will ever move from the theoretical position "hey .. if there was another membrane into which x could be leaking away, or from which y could be leaking into this one, we'd have an elegant explanation for z".

oh .. and I do believe in other universes, becuase otherwise there would have to be something stopping them from existence which is more effort than assuming they exist in the first place.

Answer 8

Well if there were more than one we could call it a UNIverse but rather a Multiverse.

So far just a lot of unprovable theroies but remenber at one time many of Einsteins theories were unproven.....(you may now play the Twilight Zone theme music)

Answer 9

rather a tough questioning certainly. nicely, so a techniques as i'm in touch, I matter upon my 5 senses and after a radical diagnosis, with wakeful recommendations, I say, i think of, as a result i'm, and there is universe. My universe collapses as quickly as my understanding collapses.

Answer 10

There can't be another universe. Universe means everything so if there's anything else it's part of this universe. I'm a scientist and I know there isn't another one.

If there was another universe there would be three extra colours in the rainbow: skake, splandip and trast.