4 ms·

I always find it funny how news articles are able to take the most basic (but interesting) type of work in physics and turn into the craziest headlines. I don'

• Udo 12y ago
  I think the meaning of the word has shifted to mean "bound to our brane", so hypothetical effects that transcend branes are referred to as potentially extra-universal.
• john_b 12y ago
  There are actually multiple definitions that have arisen as our understanding of the cosmos has grown [1]. The word has always been a filler for "all the stuff there is" but as science has evolved it's become useful to make a distinction based on "all the stuff there is in <whatever>". The context of this article makes it pretty clear that a brane-constrained definition is being used. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiverse#Max_Tegmark.27s_four_levels http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiverse#Max_Tegmark.27s_four...
• lloeki 12y ago
  > defined to be all that exists "universe" may be as shortsighted as our ancestors calling our favorite space-faring rock "uniearth". Such a sibylline definition falls on its head as soon as one tries to define "existence" and finds it ultimately bound to lowly concepts of space or time. What to say of a "uni"-verse that is a constant collapse of probabilistic functions, where every possible permutation simultaneously exists until observed? Let's be humble, and cut some slack at putting words on what we're looking at, because we're really not quite so sure.
  • charlieflowers 12y ago
    Or naming the atom "atom".