Huge Void Found in Cosmic Fabric (Science article)

Note: this is an interesting twist in modern cosmology, that takes it one step closer to Taoist cosmology.
Scientists are not searching for two poles to this cosmos, much like Taoist yin-yang theory of the cosmic axis of manifestation.
-michael

November 25, 2007

http://www.paternitytestinglabs.com/evidence-for-a-parallel-universe/

Last August, astronomers working on the analysis of data being acquired by
NASA¹s WMAP (Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe) satellite announced that
they found a huge void in the universe. A void is a region of space that has
much less material (stars, nebulae, dust and other material) than the
average. Since our universe is relatively heterogeneous, empty spaces are
not rare, but in this case the enormous magnitude of the hole is way outside
the expected range. The hole found in the constellation of Eridanus is about
a billion light years across, which is roughly 10,000 times as large as our
galaxy or 400 times the distance to Andromeda, the closest ³large² galaxy.

Evidence for a parallel universeThe dimension of the hole is so big that at
first glance, it results impossible to explain under the current
cosmological theories, although scientists put forward some explanations
based on certain theoretical models that might predict the existence of
³giant knots² in space known as topological defects.

However, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill physics Professor Laura
Mersini-Houghton made a staggering claim. She says, ³Standard cosmology
cannot explain such a giant cosmic hole² and goes further with the
ground-breaking hypothesis that the huge void is ³Š the unmistakable imprint
of another universe beyond the edge of our own³.

The idea of alternative, or parallel universes has been around for quite a
while and has provided considerable inspiration for Sci-Fi literature and
sparked endless philosophical debate, but although begin seriously
considered within the scientific realm it never crossed the limits of
speculative of purely theoretical grounds. Perhaps until now. If
Mersini-Houghton is right, Eridanus¹ giant hole would be the first
experimental evidence for the existence of another universe. The
implications of this possibility are obviously of huge importance for
everybody, but it also has further relevance for the astrophysics community
as it would bring support for the hotly debated string theory and other
central debates.

But Mersini-Houghton and colleagues¹ theory of entangled universes make
testable predictions, providing the opportunity to confirm or refute the
claim as more data arrive to the astronomers¹ computers. Her model predicts
the existence of two voids rather than one, one in each hemisphere of our
universe. The one that has been found by WMAP¹s data lies in the Northern
hemisphere. They expect new data will show a second similar void in the
Southern side. This and other cutting-edge experimental projects testing
Mersini-Houghton¹s ideas will tell us whether a new era in cosmological
thinking has indeed arrived.