It's been a long time since I read about this so forgive me if I get some details incorrect here, but the point should be intact. It should also be noted that the experiment described here can and has been reproduced many times, all with the same result.

A couple of scientists setup a simple experiment: they placed a piece of thick cardboard, with two horizontal slits cut out, between a light source and a flat, blank surface. The idea was that the cardboard would allow the light to shine onto the surface in the slitted pattern that was cut out in the cardboard. The results were interesting.

The light pattern on the surface was of many horizontal slits rather than just two. The scientists were so puzzled at this that they setup a device to measure the light coming through the cardboard so they could analyze it and see what was happening. The light-measuring device in no way would affect the light, only measure it. When they performed the experiment while measuring the light they found that the multiple slits changed to a big blob of light on the surface and that the device measured the light as a big blob, not multiple slits. The scientists removed the device and again the slits appeared on the surface in place of the blob. The scientists decided to try one more thing.

They predetermined a set of trials where they would only look at the results during certain trials while during the rest they would erase the measured results before they looked at them. The result was that every time they looked at the measurement, the light would appear as a blob on the surface and be measured at a blob, but every time they erased the measurement they blob would become multiple slits. The only difference between the trials was the predetermined factor of looking at the measured results, yet the physical attributes of the light shining on the surface would actually change because of this. They brought in another scientist who's specialty was in space-time theory stuff.

His conclusion -- and the two scientists agreed with this -- was that their perception of reality was changed based on knowledge they would later have. Simply put, what you will know in the future can affect the present.

Crazy.

As a little background, the third space-time theorist already believed in an alternative theory on how space-time works: Space-time is made up of many, many universes (dimensions) that are each completely still and void of the perception of the movement of time. Our perception of realtiy is based on time moving forward, but that's really our perception moving between dimensions, each being slightly different than the one we just left, kind of like cartoon frames moving to create the illusion of movement. That theory seriously challenges the idea of time moving in a straight line as most people think it does and also provides a biased relevance to the above experiment, but it does force you to think.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.