Much ado about "nothing" (video)

Really interesting lecture from Lawrence Krauss at the Vancouver Institute about the physics behind what makes up the universe and the empty space which isn't in fact so empty. Deals with the classic question, why is there something rather than nothing and How can something arise from nothing.

He goes on to say everything we can see, touch and measure is just a tiny fraction of what actually exists in the universe. 70% of the energy in the universe comes from "nothing".

Lawrence Krauss - Life, the Universe, and Nothing: A Cosmic Mystery Story

Krauss ultimately tackles the age-old assumption that something cannot arise from nothing by arguing that not only can something arise from nothing, but something will always arise from nothing.

For the zero point energy enthusiasts this might be inspiring. As something can indeed arise from "nothing". Nothing may not contain particles but it contains space, gravity is a theory of space. In the Quantum theory gravity, space will fluctuate and virtual universes will spontaneously appear from "nothing". I'm barely getting my head around this but its pretty mind blowing.

He states that "negative gravitational energy allows for real matter to appear from nothing. There is no contradiction, no magic and most important no need for an outside power to intervene".

en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by MrSpiderMonkey


Geesh,the mind boggles. It seems everywhich way science turns for an answer to life, it gets weirder. I guess that's why religion is so full of holes; it is too simple an explanation. Though it served its purpose in more simpler times, we're ready to jump down the rabbit hole now.

So, which current theory of life meets Ocam's Razor? We got the holographic universe, parrallel universes, big bang, big crunch, string theory, multiple dimensions, simulation argument etc etc. Seems none are simple

Lawrence Krauss explains that his meaning of 'nothing' is different from the classical meaning, and yet I think his continued use of it furthers confusion. In my opinion, the word matrix or field is better. In this way, when you refer to it you are better able to understand the concept that it permeates all things, including empty space, or 'nothing' (For Star Wars fans it's a bit like the force - Luke). The Higgs Boson itself corresponds to some all pervading field which all matter arises from. Some say, like in the holographic universe theory, that the closer you inspect things the fuzzier they become, such as in quatum science. Almost like zooming into a digital picture and seeing pixilation. This, they say, shows that we are indeed in an illusionary world. Which ties in with Eastern Mysticism's ancient beliefs of such things.

So, maybe we should start looking more into consciousness for answers, because that's where the real answers to our condition reside.

Anyway, great post. Here's a video to expand upon...



and one for fun...

Originally posted by MrSpiderMonkey
For the zero point energy enthusiasts this might be inspiring.

Not really. The energy density of vacuum energy is apparently so low as to be useless on the scale of the Earth. It only adds up to something significant on a cosmic scale, and this is a reminder of how insignificant the Earth is on that scale. So if vacuum energy enthusiasts looking to lower their electric bill get a grip on this, they will no longer be very enthusiastic.

However it's still a fascinating topic from a cosmology perspective, as the fate of the universe depends on how this vacuum energy affects it.