Is our universe merely one of billions? Evidence of the existence of ‘multiverse’ revealed for the first time by cosmic map
The first ‘hard evidence’ that other universes exist has been found by scientists.
Cosmologists studying a map of the universe from data gathered by the Planck spacecraft have concluded that it shows anomalies that can only have been caused by the gravitational pull of other universes.
The map shows radiation from the Big Bang 13.8billion years ago that is still detectable in the universe – known as cosmic microwave radiation.
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Scientists had predicted that it should be evenly distributed, but the map shows a stronger concentration in the south half of the sky and a ‘cold spot’ that cannot be explained by current understanding of physics.
Laura Mersini-Houghton, theoretical physicist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Richard Holman, professor at Carnegie Mellon University, predicted that anomalies in radiation existed and were caused by the pull from other universes in 2005.
Now that she has studied the Planck data, Dr Mersini-Houghton believes her hypothesis has been proven.
Her findings imply there could be an infinite number of universes outside of our own.
She said: ‘These anomalies were caused by other universes pulling on our universe as it formed during the Big Bang.
‘They are the first hard evidence for the existence of other universes that we have seen.’
Detailed: Planck data has been used to create a map of light from when the universe was just 380,000 years old
Although some scientists remain sceptical about the theory of other universes, these findings may be a step towards changing views on physics.
The European Space Agency, which runs the £515million Planck telescope, said: ‘Because precision of Planck’s map is so high, it made it possible to reveal some peculiar unexplained features that may well require new physics to be understood.’
Cambridge professor of theoretical physics Malcolm Perry told the Sunday Times that the findings could be real evidence of the existence of other universes.
While George Efstathiou, professor of astrophysics at the university, told the newspaper: ‘Such ideas may sound wacky now, just like the Big Bang theory did three generations ago. But then we got evidence and now it has changed the whole way we think about the universe.’