this post was submitted on 23 Oct 2024
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[–] transientpunk@sh.itjust.works 74 points 1 month ago (28 children)

There is a possibility that the Higgs field isn't at it's lowest energy state, and that a random quantum tunneling event could drag the Higgs field to that lower state. In this unsettling scenario, a bubble pops into existence somewhere in the universe. Inside the bubble, the laws of physics are wildly different than they are outside the bubble. The bubble expands at the speed of light, eventually taking over the entire universe. Galaxies drift apart, atoms can’t hold themselves together, and the ways that particles interact are fundamentally changed. Whatever form the universe takes after this event certainly wouldn’t be hospitable for humans.

[–] LodeMike -1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Just FYI this hasn't happened for at least several billion years so it's not likely to happen in the next 100.

Edit: Why the downvotes lol

[–] el_abuelo@programming.dev 2 points 1 month ago

Has it not? Are you sure the bubble isn't just 1 light second away? Anything travelling towards you at the speed of light is not perceptible until it hits you. This is why the ability to accelerate something to FTL speeds would be an unstoppable super weapon and most likely lead to interstellar species destroying one another until only 1 remains. Or at least that's my take.

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