Their findings, published in the Journal of Holography Applications in Physics, go beyond simply suggesting that we’re not living in a simulated world like The Matrix. They prove something far more profound: the universe is built on a type of understanding that exists beyond the reach of any algorithm.
I personally don’t believe we’re living in a simulation, though it’s a fascinating thought experiment and I can’t say for certain that we’re not. This article is frankly way too definitive about questions that I don’t think we’re equipped to answer yet, without actually explaining itself.
I haven’t read the full paper, but the article about it says the theory is now testable, but doesn’t explain how they tested it to get their “definitive answer.” They also don’t address the fact that their research is based on their current understanding of reality. Usually assertions like this will include something like “as technology progresses, it’s likely that more questions will arise and we’ll have better tools to attempt to answer them.” But nope, it’s just a hubristic “here’s the definitive truth.”
Also, the generated images are infuriating. Either hire an artist, use public domain media, or just lean on the science and leave out the images. Not everything needs meaningless pictures.
This article leads me to think their “proof” isn’t proof at all, but I am curious as to why you think we couldn’t be in a simulation?
I can’t say for sure that we’re not, but to me it just comes across as an outlandish concept. Much of our natural world, while often bizarre and strange, can be explained through observation and empirical reasoning. When a concept like universal simulations comes around I usually just land on pragmatism and practicalities: for the theory to be true, so many things that are beyond our comprehension would also have to be true to allow it, and since the simplest explanations are usually true, the simple explanation here is that our reality is what it appears to be (with all the cosmological caveats that kind of thinking entails).