Q&AEXISTENTIAL FEAR OF THE MONTH...
I’M LIVING IN A SIMULATION AND
NOTHING IS REAL
Versions of this idea have been discussed all
the way back to antiquity. The modern
interpretation was popularised by Oxford
University philosopher Nick Bostrom in 2003
and has since been expanded by many
others, including MIT professor Rizwan Virk.
The simulation argument supposes that
computer power will continue to increase to
the point where it is possible to model
enough of reality to mimic everything that
we are currently able to perceive and
measure. This needn’t be as complex as a
complete model of the Universe. The stars in
the sky could be simulated just as points of
light, with no other features until we point a
telescope at one. If we assume such
simulations are possible, then it seems
inevitable that there will be more than one;
and thus, statistically, we are more likely to
be in one of the simulations than the single
‘true’ reality.
Even if we one day manage to build such a
simulation, that doesn’t rule out the
possibility that we are nevertheless in a
simulation of our own. In fact, we could be in
a simulation within a simulation, within a
simulation that extends endlessly above us.
But all any of us will ever know is limited to
what we can directly perceive, and whether
our ‘reality’ is more or less real than some
other version we can imagine is ultimately a
fairly meaningless question.LVThe amount of time, in hours, that
188 head lice were submerged for.
All of the lice survived their dip.
About half the lice were still alive
a er 24 hours underwater – so if you
think a lengthy soak in the bath will
drown the blighters, think again!6
Food waste is a huge problem: the UK alone
is estimated to bin over 10 million tonnes of
food every year, worth around £20bn. Of
this, a substantial proportion – around 20
per cent – is the result of spoilage due to
bacterial action. A really e ective way of
reducing spoilage exists, but it’s never
caught on: exposing food to radiation.
Over 100 years ago, experiments showed
that X-rays kill o bacteria, and by the late
1950s the first commercial food irradiation
plant was operating in Germany. Today,
treatment of many forms of food using
intense gamma radiation has been approved
in over 60 countries – including the UK. Yet
despite its ability to cut both food waste and
food poisoning, the method has never gone
mainstream. That’s largely because of
consumer resistance. Despite hundreds of
scientific studies showing it does not make
food radioactive or undermine its quality,
most people just won’t touch it.RMANDREW BLACK, EALINGWHATEVER
HAPPENED TO
IRRADIATED FOOD?