Navigating parallel universes is ‘for the comic books': Physicist
(NewsNation) — Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku supports the concept of parallel universes, but he says people shouldn't get their hopes up about meeting their doppelganger in another dimension, like Marvel superheroes sometimes do.
Kaku joined 'NewsNation Prime' to discuss various topics, including the possibility of life after death in the wake of Pope Francis' death. He said science can offer only so much insight.
'The amount of energy, the amount of sophistication to go between universes, is far beyond anything we can muster,' Kaku said. 'Marvel Comics got it partially right that, yes, we believe there are parallel universes. But going between them is for the comic books.'
Kaku works in the field of 'String Theory,' which, simply put, suggests reality is comprised of vibrating strings instead of point-like particles. It includes the idea there are more dimensions than humans can perceive, although maybe not an infinite number.
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Sound familiar? The concept of multiple realities has been a consistent theme in the Marvel cinematic universe, with characters like Spider-Man and Doctor Strange meeting their variants from other universes.
'Do we believe in parallel universes? Yes,' Kaku said. 'That's called quantum mechanics. That is the foundation of modern society, in fact. But can we go between parallel universes? Well, that's the $64,000 question.'
In theory, he said, there could be 'copies' of people acting independently of one another in different universes. Kaku sees a bright side to this.
'Just because you've messed up in this universe, that doesn't mean you've messed up in all the other universes that you can visit,' he said.
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