Enter The Alternate Timeline (SEASON FINALE!)

Flash Forward

Flash Forward Presents

Science

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 5 January 2021

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today’s episode is the LAST OF THE SEASON! And we're getting weird. What if there wasn't just this one timeline, this one universe, but tons and tons of and tons of universes all around us all the time? Constantly splitting and forming? Well it turns out that there is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that says just that. And today we talk about alternate universes, many worlds, memory, and stories. Plus: what Flash Forward might be like in other timelines. Guests: Dr. Sean Carroll — professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology & host of the podcast Sean Carroll's Mindscape Dr. Charan Ranganath — professor of psychology at UC Davis Tom, Matt, and Nate — twins! Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone — co-authors of This Is How You Lose the Time War → → → Further reading & resources here! ← ← ← Flash Forward is hosted by, Rose Eveleth and produced by Julia Llinas Goodman. The intro music is by Asura and the outtro music is by Hussalonia. The episode art is by Matt Lubchansky. Get in touch: Twitter // Facebook // Reddit // [email protected] Support the show: Patreon // Donorbox Subscribe: iTunes // Soundcloud // Spotify Episode Sponsors: PNAS Science Sessions: Science Sessions are short, in-depth conversations with the world’s top scientific researchers. Listen and subscribe to Science Sessions on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Shaker & Spoon: A subscription cocktail service that helps you learn how to make hand-crafted cocktails right at home. Get $20 off your first box at shakerandspoon.com/ffwd. Tab for a Cause: A browser extension that lets you raise money for charity while doing your thing online. Whenever you open a new tab, you’ll see a beautiful photo and a small ad. Part of that ad money goes toward a charity of your choice! Join team Advice For And From The future by signing up at tabforacause.org/flashforward. Tavour: Tavour is THE app for fans of beer, craft brews, and trying new and exciting labels. You sign up in the app and can choose the beers you’re interested in (including two new ones DAILY) adding to your own personalized crate. Use code: flashforward for $10 off after your first order of $25 or more. Purple Carrot: Purple Carrot is THE plant-based subscription meal kit that makes it easy to cook irresistible meals to fuel your body. Each week, choose from an expansive and delicious menu of dinners, lunches, breakfasts, and snacks! Get $30 off your first box by going to www.purplecarrot.com and entering code FLASH at checkout today! Purple Carrot, the easiest way to eat more plants! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to the final episode of the season for flash forward and buckle up because it is a doozy. If you are new here
0:16.4	this is Flash Forward, it's a podcast about the future. I am your host Rose Eveleth every episode we consider
0:22.1	a possible future well usually but on this
0:25.6	episode we are not exactly considering possible futures as much as possible
0:31.8	presence possible timelines.
0:35.1	That's right.
0:36.1	You asked for it, a lot.
0:37.5	And today to end the season we are talking about parallel universes, alternate dimensions, other versions of this world where you
0:46.8	exist but you took a left turn at Albuquerque or married Brad or quit that job and moved to Cambodia. The only real question we still have as
0:56.4	we sit at this crossroads between two worlds is whether to go left or right.
1:03.0	Now, thankfully, I don't actually have to pick.
1:07.0	Instead, I am going to use a trick that I learned from Dr. Sean Carroll,
1:11.0	an astrophysicist that you're going to hear from in a little bit,
1:14.0	and pull up an app called Universe Splitter. This is a real thing, by the way.
1:19.0	And when I hit this button, this Split Universe button, right here, the app will send a signal to a laboratory
1:25.3	in Geneva which will send a photon down a beam and that photon will be split and the
1:30.7	app will tell us which way we should go.
1:34.0	Ready? Let's do it.
1:36.0	They say the path to happiness is being true to yourself, being inside yourself.
1:46.0	Like a small nesting doll within a doll within a doll.
1:51.0	Do all of those dolls have hair and teeth do you think? Of course. They are clones of
1:57.5	you inside you, but are any of us really inside of ourselves at all.
	...

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