A long-standing question in science and philosophy has a definitive answer, according to new research from the University of British Columbia Okanagan. Scientists say it is mathematically impossible for the universe to be a computer simulation.

The study, published in the Journal of Holography Applications in Physics, was led by Dr Mir Faizal, Adjunct Professor at UBC Okanagan’s Irving K Barber Faculty of Science, with co-authors Dr Lawrence M Krauss, Dr Arshid Shabir and Dr Francesco Marino. The researchers argue that the fundamental nature of reality cannot be fully captured by computation.

“It has been suggested that the universe could be simulated, and that simulated universes might themselves create further simulations,” Dr Faizal said. “Our research shows this can be scientifically addressed and the answer is clear: it is impossible.”

Modern physics has moved beyond Newtonian mechanics to theories such as relativity, quantum mechanics and quantum gravity. These developments suggest that space and time are not fundamental but emerge from deeper structures of information in a so-called Platonic realm.

Using mathematical theorems including Gödel’s incompleteness theorem, the team demonstrated that even this information-based foundation cannot be fully described using algorithms or computation alone. Some truths about reality, they say, require “non-algorithmic understanding” which cannot be reduced to a sequence of logical steps or programmed rules.

“No physically complete and consistent theory of everything can be derived from computation alone,” Dr Faizal said. “The laws that generate space and time require understanding beyond algorithms, and therefore cannot be simulated.”

Dr Krauss added that the findings have major implications for physics. “The fundamental laws of the universe cannot be contained within space and time because they create them. A full description of reality requires a deeper form of understanding than computation can provide.”

The research moves the simulation hypothesis out of the realm of philosophy and science fiction, providing a mathematical proof that our universe is real and cannot be the product of any computer.