>>> milky way and even beyond other distant galaxy, past the end of the observable universe , we'll find that there's more.
>> that's a clip from our next guest's nova special which tosses everything you think youy in about our universe out the window, including our current notion of how it all began. we've heard about the big bang theory , but what if there wasn't just one massive explosion but multiple big bangs creating duplicate parallel realities even as we speak , and they are not only duplicates of our universe but of us, too. it's at the heart of a hotly debated new field of science called the multi-verse. with us is physicist brian green and host of nova's, the fabric of the cosmos series on pbs. the theme of which he describes is how could we be so wrong? the final episode , universe or multi-verse, previews tonight. welcome, brian .
>> thank you.
>> so, you know, i just didn't -- i didn't get physics. somehow i was screwing around, and i was very glad to have a chance to talk to you and preview what the end of the series is, and before we get to the multi-verse, tell us in a couple of big strokes, what are some of the big things that you've been doing in this series that we don't understand and you get wrong?
>> well, many people have a conception of time that we think is not right. the past is gone and the future is yet to be, and in one of our programs we described how einstein's work showed us how in the past, present and future they are all equally real. they all exist. very strange idea. we've already gone into quantum physics and described how the processes that happened in the microworld are very different than things you see in the everyday life . an object over here can affect the object over there without anything seemingly passing between theme. strange ideas and experimentally proving and we need to rethink our understanding of the world to grasp the way nature actually works.
>> say more about the time thing for a second. i know it's hard to do justice to all of this in the time that we have. how -- how do you wrap your mind around the idea, what does that mean, that things in the past are actually still simultaneously existing and that there's a future that all of us have that's out there that's having a destiny or what?
>> that's right, and very much as we're comfortable with the idea that all of space is out there, we really should think that as we describe in the program that all of time is out there, too. so every moment in some sense is frozen in place in a grand cosmic loaf that has all of space and all of time.
>> well, we're going to have to parse that some more, but tell me more first about your idea of the multi-verse. what is that and what are its implications?
>> well, we long thought that the word universe means absolutely everything, all that exists, but there is work suggesting that our universe may be a small part of a much grander cosmos. one way of thinking about it is what you describe. the big bang may have been how our universe began, but it might not have been a unique event. there may be many big bangs , each giving rise to its own realm giving rise to its own universe , and that is just one expanding bubble and a big cosmic bubble bath that has other universes. other bubbles, other universes.
>> now, how is that different from just there being multiple solar systems or multiple galaxi galaxies? if it's a multiple universe , does that mean that we exist in another time and space somehow?
>> sure. well, there's really two parts to it. other solar systems , other galaxies are part of our universe , and in principle we could go in a spaceship and travel to these places. the other realms that we're talking about are separated from us by rapidly expanding space that we could never cross, realms that are inaccessible to us. realms called universes of their own, and if you follow the mathematics of these ideas, they do suggest that there would be duplicates of us in some of those other universes. we'd be having this conversation. maybe i'm interviewing new this other universe . these are the small differences of details that can happen in the other rell sglms this reminds me -- i was a big fan of the original " star trek " series and there was one, if you ever saw it, a good james kirk , a good spock and a bad spock. does that mean " star trek ," was a visionary?
>> there are a lot of ideas that you find in science that do find a place in our current understanding of science . not all of them. it is impressive how certain science fiction has advances in science . this is hugely speculative. we do not know that this is right, but as we describe in the program tonight, the reasons for taking it seriously, and we describe them and it's a very exciting prospect that hopefully we'll know whether it's right or wrong.
>> and how does -- you know, who is doing what to develop the theory that there is this multi-verse? is this you or colleagues who are -- in your office burning the oil late at night doing mathematical equations what have the universe ought to be if it obeys logical rules ? help people understand how the thinking evolves here.
>> that's a good description. there are physicists around the country, around the world, that are following mathematical equations to see what we can learn about this possibility of other universes. there are other physicists who think this is a completely wrong way to go. so this is a very contentious subject, and one of the things that we do in the program tonight is allow both sides to air their vurpts, very exciting to see science in the moment of discovery where there are different per spent i was that are fighting it out, and that's what's happening at the moment.
>> how does a question like this ever get settled definitively or at least for this generation of sciences?
>> we may not have a definitive answer, but it's possible that we might because in these theories it's possible for some of these universes to collide with one another as they expand, and if our universe got hit by another universe , we'd see evidence of that through ripples. in short, there are some long shot possible observations that might show whether this idea is right or wrong.
>> now, this is i know what's premiering tonight is the last of what's been the four-part series. just about a minute left. what are a couple, three big things that you think has been the big takeaways that would surprise or shock people as they try and reorient their kind of common sense intuition about how the world is based on the latest from the frontiers of science ?
>> sure. we described how empty space is not ever empty. there's always unavoidable activity happening in any realm that you might think devoid of matter or energy. we describe how the universe is --
>> that means, brian , even inside rick perry 's head is something going on.
>> i won't go near that. i won't go near that.
>> go ahead.
>> also described how there's energy in space, driving the universe to expand. the universe is undergoing accelerated expansion and the whole quantum idea that the universe evolved according to the rules and the possibility tonight other colliding universe . it's a different way of thinking about space, time, and the cosmos.
>> glad you're working on these small questions. what's your next project and on your to-do list for 2012 ?
>> we have something called the world science festival where we try to bring science to general audiences to events in new york city , so if anyone is in new york end of may, come to the world science festival . great series of events for kids, adults. really shows the wonders of science .
>> brian greene , not just a great physicist but a wonderful promoter of these projects as well and a popularizer of the science that we all need to better understand. good luck. that's the final installment of the fab rib of the cosmos that premiers tonight on pbs. thanks for taking the time, brian .
>> my pleasure.
Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/dylan-ratigan-show/45421586/
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