Scientists Found Evidence We're Living in a Digital Universe

**University of Portsmouth physicist Dr. Melvin Vopson** discovered something impossible: SARS-CoV-2 mutations **decrease information entropy by 13.7%** instead of increasing it, suggesting reality runs compression algorithms like computer software. However, **astrophysicist F. Vazza** calculated that simulating Earth alone would require **energy equivalent to unbinding all matter in the Milky Way**. **The question dividing science**: does entropy prove we're living in code, or do energy constraints make universal simulation impossible? ## The Compression Evidence SARS-CoV-2 virus mutations showed something **impossible according to traditional physics**. Instead of information entropy increasing over time as the **Second Law of Thermodynamics** predicts, Vopson documented entropy **decreasing across thousands of viral samples**. His **October 2023 study** in _AIP Advances_ established the **"Second Law of Infodynamics"**, a principle suggesting information systems naturally compress data to optimize storage and processing power. This discovery parallels how [Google's Willow quantum computer processes information through quantum compression algorithms](/technology/quantum-computing-2025-commercial-breakthrough). > "A super complex universe like ours, if it were a simulation, would require a built-in data optimization and compression in order to reduce the computational power and the data storage requirements to run the simulation. This is exactly what we are observing all around us, including in digital data, biological systems, mathematical symmetries and the entire universe." > > — **Dr. Melvin Vopson, University of Portsmouth Physics Department** Vopson's research between **2023-2024** found similar **compression patterns** in planetary ring formations, genetic sequences, and mathematical symmetries throughout nature. The behavior mirrors how software algorithms eliminate redundant code to run more efficiently, a pattern that extends to how [our brains optimize information processing through protective shutdown mechanisms](/psychology/cognitive-disengagement-multitasking-brain-shutdown). **This isn't just about viruses**. The same compression patterns appear throughout nature, from **Saturn's perfectly organized rings** to the mathematical symmetries in crystal formations. Even **galaxy distributions** show signs of data optimization, as if the universe itself runs on compression algorithms. ## The Energy Impossibility **F. Vazza's April 2025 study** in _Frontiers in Physics_ delivered **crushing numbers**. His team calculated that **simulating Earth alone** requires energy equivalent to unbinding all matter in the Milky Way. Each computational timestep demands roughly the same amount of energy dissipation. The mathematics are unforgiving: a universal simulation would require **more energy than exists** in the observable cosmos. Even with quantum computing advantages, no viable pathway emerges to power such a system. **Classical computers hit the wall immediately**. Quantum effects might reduce energy requirements, but Vazza's constraints suggest even quantum machines cannot bridge the gap between simulation ambition and cosmic energy budgets. This contrasts sharply with discoveries of [impossible planets like TOI-2431 b that defy known physics](/space/toi-2431-b-impossible-planet-defies-physics-nasa-discovery) yet somehow exist. **The scale of the problem is staggering**. Vazza's team calculated that simulating just our planet would require **10¹⁰⁹ more energy** than exists in the entire observable universe. To put this in perspective: your brain uses **20 watts**, our entire planet consumes **2.8 × 10¹³ watts**, and the Sun outputs **3.8 × 10²⁶ watts**. An Earth simulation would need **3.8 × 10⁴⁹ watts**, more power than **trillions of suns combined**. The computational requirements are equally impossible. Each atom needs **quantum-level tracking**, with calculations every **10⁻⁴³ seconds**. Even if we could somehow harness the energy of entire galaxies, we'd still fall short by **incomprehensible margins**. ## Google's Quantum Bridge **Google's quantum computing breakthroughs** add complexity to the debate. Their systems manipulate **58-qubit lattices** to generate matter phases impossible for classical hardware, switching between analog and digital quantum processors like **modular game engines**. These experiments demonstrate reality behaving like code: programmable, modular, optimizable. Yet they also consume enormous energy for relatively simple simulations, supporting Vazza's energy constraints rather than contradicting them. **Here's where quantum computing reveals the paradox**. Google's latest systems can manipulate **58-qubit lattices** and generate matter phases that classical computers cannot simulate. **IBM has pushed beyond 1,200 qubits**. These machines flip between quantum processors like switching game engines. Yet **each qubit requires 250,000 watts** just for cooling and control. To simulate Earth at the quantum level would need **10⁵⁰ qubit equivalent processing**. That's **10⁴⁸ orders of magnitude** beyond current capability. Even with exponential progress, we're looking at **billions of years** to reach Earth-scale simulation capability. The quantum machines that demonstrate reality's **code-like behavior** simultaneously prove why universal simulation remains **energetically impossible**. ## What This Means The entropy evidence suggests our universe optimizes information like **sophisticated software**. The energy calculations prove we cannot simulate such complexity with **known physics**. **Both findings may be correct**. Reality might follow compression algorithms without being artificially generated. Natural systems could have evolved data optimization as a fundamental property, not evidence of digital creation. --- **For technology developers**: apply these compression insights to AI systems and data management. **For philosophers**: prepare for a universe that acts like code whether or not it is code. This parallels how [cognitive research reveals our brains use information shortcuts and optimization algorithms for survival](/psychology/your-brain-lies-to-you-cognitive-biases-2025). ## Sources 1. [Vopson, M.M. (2023). The second law of infodynamics and its implications for the simulated universe hypothesis](https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/5.0173278) - AIP Advances 2. [Vazza, F. (2025). Astrophysical constraints on the simulation hypothesis](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physics/articles/10.3389/fphy.2025.1561873/full) - Frontiers in Physics 3. [Google Quantum Research Publications](https://quantumai.google/research) - Google AI Quantum 4. [University of Portsmouth Physics Research](https://www.port.ac.uk/about-us/structure-and-governance/our-schools/school-of-mathematics-and-physics) - University of Portsmouth 5. [Quantum Computing Energy Requirements](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-023-02131-2) - Nature Physics