Nik
If you simulate a universe, then simulating all the particles of it is part of that. Given the unknown technology to do that, then saying that its too complicated to, simulate the quantities required, is a nonsense.
piperTom
Yes, those anomalies do prove you are not in a simulation... which is exactly why I sprinkled a few of them in there for you. Ha, ha, ha!
toyhouse
The very concept itself answers the question. If it's a simulation, then all we know is what it presents and everything in it is a part of it. The possibilities are infinite. How would we even know if multiple simulations were running? Each one of us could be the only one here. Or in our own simulation different from everyone else - programmed to except the rules or not. Or the rules could constantly be changing as we go in a way that goes un-noticed or is excepted as normal. How would you know? Hahaha. I hope the overlords are amused. Depressing maybe, but a fascinating topic just the same.
aki009
I don't see why it would be necessary to simulate all the particles and interactions of the universe to present a reasonably coherent view to anyone caring to look.
I'd expect that one only needs to maintain reasonable state information, and present an absolute answer only when an observation is made. And why would it not be possible to modify past observations for consistency as needed, given that it is a simulation?
Perhaps the very existence of phenomena such as the Heisenberg uncertainty principle have their roots in an architectural choice the simulation designers made.
... or not.
BrianK56
We seem to be thinking in our most current technology form which could be totally obsolete in another world. 0s and 1s may be all that we can fathom, what if there is computing in another form that we have never thought of.
fb36
My interpretation of this news is, from what I read from multiple sources, this result applies only for classical computers; not for quantum computers.
And this limitation of classical computers being unable to be simulate our (quantum) reality was already known for decades.
Douglas Bennett Rogers
The Mind of God theory is kind of an old idea, only now we have a means to rationalize it. God has as much computational capacity as is necessary. Besides that, all that is needed is enough capacity to exercise an individual mind. This may be achieved within a few decades.
j wunder
We could still be living in a simulation. You don't need to simulate every low level event in the universe, just enough higher level events to to make it appear to your consciousness that the world adheres to some lower level model, like quantum mechanics. The universe would expand consistently from the top down wherever you direct you attention, rather than emerge from the bottom up. It would be much more efficient too, with the inherent ability to simulate almost any kind of universe imaginable. If true, the universe would be much smaller than it appears to be. Stars would be little more than points of light. Not sure, but consciousness may also require special status in this model, which would be consistent with the fact that we currently can't explain it.
Kristianna Thomas
Are we living in a computer driven simulation? I say the answer is yes. We are living in a computer driven simulation. Unfortunately, this is much older than the Matrix, and the history that we have experienced is a total fabrication. We are living outside the main corridor of reality and our past, present and future is all a lie. The story of the Matrix is nothing new and is a repeat of the reality that we are not part of. Is reality real? Yes. Are we living our lives in the real world? No. Can we deal with the truth? No. Will we reject this truth? Yes. Will we keep believing in the lie? Yes. Am I putting my sanity up for question? Yes. But who really gives a flying fuck? Will people laugh and make rude jokes about what I say? Yes. But do I give a hoot? No. This is truth. What we do with it does not add up to a hill of pork and beans. Maybe there are those who really give a hoot, and will try to change things for the better. Maybe there is no way of turning things around, because there is no way of knowing what is the truth and what is a lie. When you walk down a long hallway, you can't turn around and realize that what you did; actually did not happen. The universe is not a simulation; the reality we are in is a simulation. Remember. the Matrix is just a higher form of VR, it just gets plugged into your brain stem.
richard41
Not an expert on either physics, computer science or math, but doesn't this conclusion overlook the fact someone in the future might come up with a computer algorithm that solves the number crunching problem?