【The Relic Of My Sister Next Door】

Before his death on The Relic Of My Sister Next DoorMarch 14, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking was deep in thought about the possibility of universes that exist well beyond our own -- places with completely unknown galaxies, stars, and planets.

While there's no evidence yet of any such parallel universes, also known as a multiverse, Hawking had been working with fellow theorist Thomas Hertog to prove that it's possible to observe the cosmos and find evidence of these mysterious places. Hertog continues to research the deeper questions of the universe at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Leuven in Belgium.

Their paper, which Hertog says has been sent to a leading journal for formal review, is available online and was last updated by Hawking and Hertog on March 4. It builds upon Hawking's 1983 theory about the Big Bang -- the event many scientists believe prompted the beginning of our 13.8 billion-year-old universe.

SEE ALSO: Stephen Hawking hosted a party for time travelers, but no one came

But this earlier theory didn't satisfy Hawking because it was untestable, requiring an experiment that would account for an infinite number of potential universes. So Hawking sought a solution.

"'Let’s try to tame the multiverse', he told me a year ago," said Hertog, over email, about Hawking's research plans.

This paper creates a "coherent testable scientific framework," said Hertog, which will guide scientists on their quest to find evidence of other universes, something that currently only exists in the realm of science fiction. Using complex mathematics, Hawking and Hertog assert that future research missions -- whether using assets on Earth or in space -- should be able to pick up evidence of powerful gravitational waves from the Big Bang.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Observatories on Earth have detected gravitational waves from colliding black holes and stars, but not yet from the Big Bang.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

According to Hertog, finding evidence of the Big Bang would lend critical support to the idea that other such events created other universes -- a reality that would momentously alter our understanding of space, and ourselves.

"That constitutes a significant extension of our notion of physical reality," Hertog said.

Hertog acknowledged that some cosmologists will argue that a multiverse doesn't exist because it simply can't be tested. But perhaps now, it can.

"This is a very interesting idea that will no doubt stimulate further discussion among early universe researchers," said Avi Loeb, chair of the Harvard Astronomy Department and director of Harvard's Institute for Theory and Computation, in an interview.

Loeb, however, was skeptical about the research roadmap put forward in the forthcoming paper. Hawking, he said, was doing some "preliminary" thinking in his final weeks based upon theories that aren't yet widely accepted.

"It's just an approach that's questionable," said Loeb. "It's not exactly Kosher."

via GIPHY

Previously, some theorists thought the multiverse couldn't be proven false because of the notion that "anything that can happen will happen an infinite number of times," Loeb said.

Hawking and Hertog, at least, provide an argument that the multiverse can eventually be proven true or false.

"I like the Hawking and Hertog concept much more," said Loeb. "But more work is needed to flesh it out in more detail."

Stephen Hawking never won a Nobel Prize for his research. But if future research missions can capture evidence of gravitational waves from the Big Bang passing through our universe -- and potentially lend credence to the wild reality of parallel universes -- it might justify such an award being given to researchers that follow in his path. (Nobel Prizes are not given posthumously.)

---

Featured Video For You

---

---

• Tech
• Deals
• Shopping
• Games
• Digital Culture
• Entertainment
• Life
• Social Good

• Classified Zuma spacecraft may have failed after SpaceX launch
• Android 12 has a new, easier way to share Wi
• Frightened teens had to watch a giant snake slithering up the side of their moving car window
• The 'WandaVision' secret villain might have a sadly familiar endgame
• The Best Tech Deals and Discounts for Students
• Hillary Clinton calls Trump the most dangerous president in U.S. history
• Instagram is the new Tinder—whether you want it to be or not
• Bella Hadid goes sneaker shopping spree and it's one hell of a ride
• One of Android's Easter Eggs is a Flappy Bird
• How to help those getting pummeled by extreme weather in Texas

• Looking Back at 2010: The Year's Most Relevant Tech Stories
• A message from the robot who now runs Facebook's trending topics
• PewDiePie explains ISIS tweet that got him temporarily kicked off Twitter
• First Indigenous female MP sworn in amid traditional song
• College football player shares sweet lunch with middle schooler eating alone
• Calvin Harris uses someone else's birthday to remind you he works out
• Scientists find unusual donut shapes hiding behind the Great Barrier Reef
• Starbucks has a spicy new fall drink to challenge the beloved PSL
• Movie theater reserved seating just took a big step forward
• Check out the new trailer for season 2 of izo's go90 show 'Chachi's World'

• No Time for a Negative Peace
• Apple looks to rid App Store of ‘rip
• Apple might beworking on a MagSafe battery pack for the iPhone 12
• 'Pushing Daisies' deserves a resurrection
• The 10 Most Anticipated PC Games of 2017
• Finally, an entire Instagram account devoted to the removal of ingrown hairs
• LAPD requested Amazon Ring footage from Black Lives Matter protests
• A Virginia donut shop made Harry Potter Butterbeer doughnuts for all the poor muggles out there
• Quality Assured: What It's Really Like To Test Games For A Living
• YouTube adds 4K and HDR support to its Android app

• Best Samsung deal: Save $60 on 64GB Samsung Galaxy Tab A9
• Somehow this guy accidentally kept his neighbour's cat hostage for five days
• The Lincoln Project imploded, and burned liberals who backed its anti
• Donald Trump challenged Rex Tillerson to an IQ test
• The EPA axed its climate change websites, but NASA's are still intact
• 'To All the Boys': How the Coveys' costumes reflect the characters
• Perseverance mission control: What it was like to land a rover on Mars
• 'To All the Boys': How the Coveys' costumes reflect the characters
• We Test a $1,000 CPU From 2010 vs. Ryzen 3
• Everything to know about FILMPIXS