Prepare to have your mind blown. When Stephen Hawking passed away March 14th, his death left a gaping hole in, well, everything.
The internet mourned his passing, and the scientific community definitely has a good reason to be sad. Hawking contributed a *lot* to science, and his research included the study of black holes and relativity. Plus, he literally wrote the book about the beginning of the universe, A Brief History of Time. Now, we’ve learned Stephen Hawking submitted his final scientific paper only weeks before he died. And it might help us discover parallel universes.
Yeah, it’s like that.
According to reports, Hawking was the co-author of a mathematical paper that hopes to prove the existence of multiple universes. The multiverse theory is the idea that our universe might be one of many (think alternate or parallel universes), and there are varying ideas on how this might be possible. (And, yes, some even think that a Dr. Strange-style multiverse might exist.)
The latest revisions to Hawking’s paper, called “A Smooth Exit from Eternal Inflation,” were approved March 4th. Once the review is complete, the paper will be published in a “leading journal” by Thomas Hertog, Hawking’s co-author and a physics professor at KU Leuven University in Belgium.
Hertog told The Sunday Times that his paper with Stephen Hawking aims “to transform the idea of a multiverse into a testable scientific framework.”
Basically, Stephen Hawking and Thomas Hertog are trying to lay the foundation for a deep-space probe that could prove other universes exist. Their theory posits that evidence of the multiverse can be measured. And if they’re right, this could definitely change our understanding of the universe.
It’s all highly theoretical, of course, but it’s still crazy exciting.
Honestly, regardless of whether Hawking’s final work leads to proof that the multiverse is real, we know his legacy will be endless. Stephen Hawking has already contributed so much to our world, and he’s an inspiration to all of us.
Originally created from here.