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Fifty years ago this month Hugh Everett III published his paper proposing a "relative-state formulation of quantum mechanics" - the idea subsequently described as the 'many worlds' or 'multiverse' interpretation. Its impact on science and culture continues. In celebration, a science fiction special edition of Nature on 5 July 2007 explores the symbiosis of science and sf, as exemplified by Everett's hypothesis, its birth, evolution, champions and opponents, in biology, physics, literature and beyond.
A commentary from cosmologist Max Tegmark explains why Everett's idea is still gaining ground. A News Feature by Mark Buchanan weighs up the alternative interpretations of quantum physics. A second News Feature records a roundtable debate on the relationship between biology and science fiction. An essay in the Books & Arts section by Gary Wolfe looks at how science fiction anticipated, responded to, and continues to relish parallel universes and alternate realities. Finally, Nature announces the return of its award-winning weekly science fiction short story series with 'Olympic Talent' by Richard A. Lovett, recipient of four Analog magazine readers' choice awards.
Image: David Parkins
Current Content
EDITORIAL
Parallel worlds galore
The 50th anniversary of an astonishing scientific hypothesis deserves celebration. So too do the truly astounding tales of a literary genre that anticipated it.
Nature 448, 1 (5 July 2007) doi:10.1038/448001a
NEWS FEATURE
Many worlds: See me here, see me there
Fifty years ago, a physics student dissatisfied with the standard view of quantum mechanics came up with a radical new interpretation. Mark Buchanan reports on the ensuing debate.
Nature 448, 15 (5 July 2007) doi:10.1038/448015a
NEWS FEATURE
The biologists strike back
Time machines, spaceships, atomic blasters — the icons of science fiction tend to come from the physical sciences. But science fiction has a biological side too, finding drama and pathos in everything from alien evolution to the paradoxes of consciousness. Nature brought together four science-fiction writers with a background in the biological sciences to talk about life-science fiction.
Nature 448, 18 (5 July 2007) doi:10.1038/448018a
COMMENTARY
Many lives in many worlds Free access
Max Tegmark
Nature 448, 23 (5 July 2007) doi:10.1038/448023a
BOOKS AND ARTS
Surfing the multiverse
The 'many worlds' of quantum mechanics spawned many more of science fiction.
Gary Wolfe
Nature 448, 25 (5 July 2007) doi:10.1038/448025a
FUTURES
Olympic talent
Fit...for nothing?
Richard A. Lovett
Nature 448, 104 (5 July 2007) doi:10.1038/448104a
Top of pageLinks
Top of pageArchive
Books & arts
Our place in the Multiverse
Joseph Silk
doi:10.1038/443145a
A weird, wired world
Vlatko Vedral
doi:10.1038/441935b
From cats to computers
Alastair I. M. Rae
doi:10.1038/389686a0
House of cards
Peter T. Landsberg
doi:10.1038/388136a0
Aliens unlimited
Lawrence M. Krauss
doi:10.1038/421114a
The truth is in here
Henry Gee
doi:10.1038/403135a0
Science in culture
Greg Bear
doi:10.1038/430147a
Essays
Where might it lead?
Gregory Benford
doi:10.1038/414399a0
Joan Slonczewski: Stranger than fiction
doi:10.1038/426501a
What are clones?
Lee M. Silver
doi:10.1038/412021a0
Letters
Decoherence of quantum superpositions through coupling to engineered reservoirs
C. J. Myatt et al.
doi:10.1038/412021a0
Creation of a six-atom 'Schrödinger cat' state
D. Leibfried et al.
doi:10.1038/nature04251
A complementarity experiment with an interferometer at the quantum–classical boundary
P. Bertet et al.
doi:10.1038/411166a0
Quantum jumps of light recording the birth and death of a photon in a cavity
Sébastien Gleyzes et al.
doi:10.1038/nature05589
Experimental long-lived entanglement of two macroscopic objects
Brian Julsgaard, Alexander Kozhekin and Eugene S. Polzik
doi:10.1038/413400a0
Measurement-induced entanglement for excitation stored in remote atomic ensembles
C. W. Chou, H. de Riedmatten, D. Felinto, S. V. Polyakov, S. J. van Enk & H. J. Kimble
doi:10.1038/nature04353
Storage and retrieval of single photons transmitted between remote quantum memories
T. Chaneliére, D. N. Matsukevich, S. D. Jenkins, S.-Y. Lan, T. A. B. Kennedy and A. Kuzmich
doi:10.1038/nature04315
Quantum teleportation between light and matter
Jacob F. Sherson et al.
doi:10.1038/nature05136
Wave-particle duality of C60 molecules
Markus Arndt, Olaf Nairz, Julian Vos-Andreae, Claudia Keller, Gerbrand van der Zouw and Anton Zeilinger
doi:10.1038/401680a0
Decoherence of matter waves by thermal emission of radiation
Lucia Hackerm�ller, Klaus Hornberger, Björn Brezger, Anton Zeilinger and Markus Arndt
doi:10.1038/nature02276
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