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All right, so get ready because today we're going to be exploring something pretty wild

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and that is quantum immortality.

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Immortality.

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Yeah, could we actually live forever?

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It's a big question.

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It's a huge question and we have this article sent in and wow, this is a total head trip.

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It is.

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It really is.

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We're diving deep into a concept suggesting that because of quantum mechanics, death might

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not be the end that we think it is.

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It's really fascinating how this ties into the many worlds interpretation of quantum

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mechanics.

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Yeah, the MWI.

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It's a concept that I've heard more and more physicists kind of talking about and taking

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seriously.

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Yeah, and it makes you really kind of question everything.

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It does.

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You thought you knew about reality.

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So let's break this down.

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Okay.

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So the article starts with kind of the basics of quantum mechanics.

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And you know me, I'm a sucker for the double slit experiment.

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Of course.

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But it still just blows my mind that a single electron can act like a wave and a particle,

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depending on if someone is watching it or not.

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Yeah, it demonstrates that the act of observation can change how a quantum system.

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It's not just that we don't know what's going on until we look the act of observation.

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It shapes reality.

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It shapes reality at the quantum level.

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So okay, so that's already pretty wild.

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But how does this connect to us living forever and these parallel universes that we keep

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hearing about?

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That's where the many worlds interpretation or the MWI comes in.

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And basically the idea is that every time a quantum measurement is made like in the double

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slit experiment, we're figuring out which slit the electron went through.

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Reality splits.

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So there's one reality where it goes through slit A. One where it goes through slit B.

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Okay.

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And so on.

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So is it kind of like every choice, every possibility is playing out somewhere?

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Are we talking like infinite versions of ourselves living out every possible scenario?

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Pretty much.

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Whoa.

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Yeah, it really challenges our understanding of cause and effect, the nature of choice itself.

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The article actually mentioned this app called Universe Splitter.

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Have you heard of this?

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I have, yeah.

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It claims to use quantum measurements to help you make decisions.

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It's a kind of fun.

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Yeah.

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It'll silly.

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We need to visualize.

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But it's fun.

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It's like a fun illustration of like how these everyday choices we're making could be

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branching out into different realities.

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And the thing is, is that these branches don't just like suddenly appear.

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Okay.

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There's a process called decoherence.

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Decoherence.

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And it's more gradual.

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So they kind of untangle in their time.

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Yeah.

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Yeah, they sort of gradually untangle themselves.

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So these realities are kind of diverging, becoming distinct based on these choices.

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Based on the choices made within them.

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So okay.

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So if these branches are separating and can't interact, what are the implications for the

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choices we make?

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Yeah.

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Does it even matter?

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Does it even matter?

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If every outcome is playing out somewhere anyway.

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That's a huge question.

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Yeah.

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You know, and it gets at the heart of free will versus determinism.

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Right.

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You know, if everything that can happen does happen.

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Yeah.

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Where does that leave our agency?

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Does knowing about the MWI empower us or does it make us feel powerless?

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That's a great question.

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I think I need a minute to process all this.

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But the article then jumps into one of the most famous and maybe slightly unsettling

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thought experiments in physics.

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Quantum Russian roulette.

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It's a very powerful illustration of these concepts.

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Right.

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So the idea is you have a gun that is hooked up to a quantum event that determines whether

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or not it fires.

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Okay.

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And then you point it at your head.

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Oh boy.

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And you pull the trigger.

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Oh yeah.

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And so the idea is that in the MWI, there's always going to be at least one branch where

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the gun doesn't fire.

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So you keep playing and at least in one reality you're just surviving.

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Yeah.

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Okay.

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Indefinitely.

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This sounds like a recipe for disaster.

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It does.

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But before anyone gets any ideas, let's be clear, this is just a thought experiment.

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Absolutely.

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This is not something to try at home.

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Don't try this at home.

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Please.

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And the article does point out that there are some serious flaws with applying this to

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real life situations.

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Yeah.

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Max Tegmark, who is a physicist who's popularized this thought experiment, he actually outlined

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three specific criteria.

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Okay.

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For quantum immortality to even theoretically work.

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Okay.

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What are those?

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Yeah.

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So the first one is the event has to rely on a genuinely random quantum event.

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Okay.

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The second is death or at least unconsciousness needs to happen faster than you can perceive

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it.

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So like instantaneously?

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Yeah.

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Instantaneously basically.

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Okay.

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And the third is that it has to kill you.

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It can't just injure you.

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Not just injure you.

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Okay.

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So those criteria are very...

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The very specific...

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The specific and the article even mentions that most ways we die in the real world don't

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happen instantaneously.

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They do.

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Like even if there's a branch where you survive a heart attack, there's no guarantee you're

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not dealing with some serious consequences.

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Right.

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Right.

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Yeah.

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You might survive, but you're going to have...

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It's going to have some brain damage.

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Some brain damage.

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Right.

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Or something.

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Exactly.

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That's it.

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So the idea of quantum immortality at least as it relates to our everyday lives, it starts

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to kind of fall apart when you apply it to how things actually work.

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Right.

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So how did this idea even gain traction?

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Where did this connection between quantum mechanics and immortality come from?

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That's a good question.

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Well, the article mentions this philosopher, David Lewis.

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Oh, yeah.

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And he kind of took this quantum Russian roulette idea and applied it to the concept of immortality

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in general.

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Right.

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So the universe is fundamentally quantum.

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Any cause of death could theoretically have a branch where you survive.

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Even if it's incredibly unlikely.

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Yeah.

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He was essentially suggesting that we're constantly branching into realities where we survive.

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He can have the probability is like...

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Right.

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Even if it's minuscule.

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Super tiny.

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Yeah.

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So are we saying there's a tiny chance a speeding car could quantum tunnel right through me?

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That's the ideal.

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Without a scratch?

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Yeah, it's a very...Constantly dodging bullets in some alternate realities.

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It's a mind-boggling concept.

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But the article does point out that there are some problems with just...

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Right.

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...focusing on the survival branches.

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Okay.

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You know, because doesn't that mean that there are...

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Right.

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...countless branches where things go wrong?

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That's a great point.

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And if so, shouldn't we be concerned about those two?

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Yeah.

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It seems a little too convenient to just ignore...

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Right.

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...all the branches where things don't go our way.

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Exactly.

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The article kind of dives into this with something called the corrected intensity rule.

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It sounds very complex.

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It is a bit of a complex idea.

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But how does that fit into all this?

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So it's a way of trying to reconcile the 100% probability of all outcomes in the MWI with

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the fact that we only experience one.

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Right.

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So Lewis basically argued that the branches where we die...

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Okay.

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...should essentially be ignored.

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Ignored.

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Because death is oblivion, as he put it.

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Okay.

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So you can't experience those branches so they don't really count.

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Hmm.

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I don't know.

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It sounds like a little bit like a heads I win, tails it doesn't count kind of thing.

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It does a little bit.

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That doesn't seem very fair.

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And the article does mention that this corrected intensity rule is pretty controversial.

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It is very controversial, yeah.

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Other physicists and philosophers have challenged this idea.

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They argue that just because we can't experience something...

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Right.

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...doesn't mean it's not real.

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Right.

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It doesn't directly experience your life.

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Right.

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But that doesn't mean that your experience isn't real.

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Okay.

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That makes sense.

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Right.

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So maybe the corrected intensity rule isn't the answer.

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Yeah.

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But even if we kind of ignore that rule for a second.

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Okay.

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Does our everyday experience even support this idea of quantum immortality?

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Right.

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You know what I mean?

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Like, do we...

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That's where things get really complicated.

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Yeah.

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You know, remember Tagmark's criteria.

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Right.

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One about death needing to be faster than you can perceive it.

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Yeah.

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Well, the article presents some pretty thought provoking counterarguments to that.

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Okay.

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Like what?

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So for example, physicist Anthony Aguirre argues that we experience reduced consciousness

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all the time.

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Oh, yeah.

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Like when we're sleeping or under anesthesia.

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Right.

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But we don't assume that we're only conscious in the branches where we stay awake.

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Right.

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We wake up and life continues.

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So if we apply that to death, why would...

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Why would that be any different?

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Yeah, why would the specific time scale of dying be the thing that decides which branches

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we experience?

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It sounds like the idea of quantum immortality hinges on defining death as the instant you

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lose consciousness.

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Right.

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Rather than the process of dying itself.

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Which is kind of a little bit.

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Which is a very specific and kind of strange way to look at it.

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Yeah.

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And it leads to some pretty uncomfortable implications.

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It does.

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Because even David Lewis, who we were talking about before.

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Right.

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Who kind of advocated for quantum immortality.

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Acknowledge that it could lead to this sort of eternal torment scenario.

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Right.

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Where you might survive every near-death experience.

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Yeah.

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But potentially at the cost of like accumulating.

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Accumulating injuries.

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All these injuries and suffering.

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Right.

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Along the way.

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Instead of blissful eternal life, we're talking about a potentially endless series of near-death

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experiences.

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Which leads to far cry.

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Yeah.

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With consequence.

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From the immortality that most people imagine.

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It's not fun.

276
00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:04,840
It's not.

277
00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:05,840
So.

278
00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:06,840
Okay.

279
00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:07,840
So we've got philosophical issues.

280
00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:08,840
Right.

281
00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:10,240
We've got this time frame issue.

282
00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:11,240
Yeah.

283
00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:14,280
Anything else casting doubt on this idea?

284
00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:16,800
Well beyond just the arguments and the statistics.

285
00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:17,800
Okay.

286
00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:20,440
The article also explores some interesting analogies.

287
00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:21,440
Okay.

288
00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:26,080
That I think really highlight just how complicated this whole concept is.

289
00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:27,080
Okay.

290
00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:32,040
One that I found particularly fascinating was the Star Trek transporter example.

291
00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:33,040
Oh yeah.

292
00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:34,040
That one.

293
00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:35,040
Yeah.

294
00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:36,040
Imagine stepping into a transporter.

295
00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:37,040
Right.

296
00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:38,040
That makes two copies of you.

297
00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:39,040
Right.

298
00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:40,040
Instead of just rematerializing you.

299
00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:41,040
Exactly.

300
00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:42,040
In one place.

301
00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:43,040
Yeah.

302
00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:44,040
So you technically survive.

303
00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:45,040
Right.

304
00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:46,040
But which version is the real you.

305
00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:47,040
Right.

306
00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:49,920
And what happens if one of those copies doesn't make it?

307
00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:51,760
It really forces you to confront.

308
00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:52,760
Yeah.

309
00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:54,080
The question of what defines you.

310
00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:55,080
Right.

311
00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:59,200
And how much of our sense of self is tied to this single continuous experience.

312
00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:00,200
Right.

313
00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:02,880
And what happens when that continuity is broken?

314
00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:03,880
That's deep.

315
00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:06,920
Or if it's unclear which version of you is the original.

316
00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:10,880
It's like we're trying to understand this quantum concept through the lens of our own

317
00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:11,880
consciousness.

318
00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:13,160
It doesn't quite fit.

319
00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:14,160
It doesn't really fit.

320
00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:15,160
Yeah.

321
00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:18,800
And that kind of leads us to what I think is the most fascinating part of this whole

322
00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:19,800
discussion.

323
00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:20,800
Okay.

324
00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:22,480
Which is this paradox of selfhood.

325
00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:23,480
Oh.

326
00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:24,480
In the MWI.

327
00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:25,480
Right.

328
00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:26,480
How do we even define self?

329
00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:27,480
Right.

330
00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:30,560
In a reality where every possible outcome is happening.

331
00:11:30,560 --> 00:11:35,760
So how does the self even exist if there are infinite copies of me out there all making

332
00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:36,760
different choices?

333
00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:37,760
Yeah.

334
00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:39,080
That's the big question.

335
00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:41,840
The article presents a few different perspectives on this.

336
00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:42,840
Okay.

337
00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:47,000
Brian Green suggests that we might need to expand our definition of self.

338
00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:48,000
Okay.

339
00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,360
To include all of our counterparts across the multiverse.

340
00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:55,120
Like a giant interconnected network of consciousness spanning all these realities.

341
00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:56,120
Yeah.

342
00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:57,120
Kind of like a.

343
00:11:57,120 --> 00:11:58,760
It's a lot to wrap my head around.

344
00:11:58,760 --> 00:11:59,920
It's a huge idea.

345
00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:00,920
Yeah.

346
00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:03,160
And it gets even wilder.

347
00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:05,560
The article also brings up Lev Aidman's argument.

348
00:12:05,560 --> 00:12:06,560
Okay.

349
00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:10,480
He suggests that while beings identical to us might exist in other branches.

350
00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:11,480
Okay.

351
00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:13,040
There's still only one I.

352
00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:14,040
Okay.

353
00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:17,720
The one experiencing this particular reality right now.

354
00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:18,720
Okay.

355
00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:20,520
It's not about a collective self.

356
00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:21,520
Right.

357
00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:23,520
But rather the unique consciousness.

358
00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:24,520
Right.

359
00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:26,400
We experience in this specific branch.

360
00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:27,400
Exactly.

361
00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:28,920
What about all those other versions of ourselves?

362
00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:29,920
Are they less real?

363
00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:30,920
Yeah.

364
00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:32,440
That gets into some deep philosophical waters.

365
00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:33,440
Yeah.

366
00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:34,440
But the article goes even further.

367
00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:36,200
It presents David Wallace's perspective.

368
00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:37,200
Okay.

369
00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:42,280
Which suggests that the MWI might actually challenge the very notion of individual selfhood as

370
00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:43,280
we understand it.

371
00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:44,280
Whoa.

372
00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:47,920
So the idea that there's a single unique me might be an illusion.

373
00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:48,920
It might be.

374
00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:49,920
Yeah.

375
00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:50,920
It really kind of.

376
00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:51,920
It's seriously blinded by mind right now.

377
00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:52,920
It really shakes things up.

378
00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:53,920
Yeah.

379
00:12:53,920 --> 00:12:57,920
It highlights how profoundly the MWI can change our understanding of who we are and how we

380
00:12:57,920 --> 00:12:59,800
exist in the universe.

381
00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:00,800
So okay.

382
00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:02,480
After going through all this, where do we land?

383
00:13:02,480 --> 00:13:03,480
Right.

384
00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:05,400
Are we all secretly immortal?

385
00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:09,760
Should we change how we live knowing there might be countless versions of us out there

386
00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:11,280
making different choices?

387
00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:15,120
The article kind of wraps up by revisiting this Cuban Missile Crisis example.

388
00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:16,120
Oh yeah.

389
00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:21,080
And it makes, you know, a single decision potentially save the world from nuclear war.

390
00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:22,080
Right.

391
00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:28,920
And it makes you wonder, you know, do we only exist in the branches where humanity survives?

392
00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:31,520
That's both terrifying and kind of reassuring.

393
00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:32,520
It is.

394
00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:33,520
At the same time.

395
00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:34,520
Yeah.

396
00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:36,360
Like maybe there's some kind of cosmic selection pressure.

397
00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:37,360
Right.

398
00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:40,200
That favors the continued existence of conscious beings.

399
00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:41,200
Right.

400
00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:44,000
Even if it means like sacrificing countless other possibilities.

401
00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:45,000
Yeah.

402
00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:46,000
It's an intriguing thought.

403
00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:47,320
But you know, it's important to remember that.

404
00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:48,320
Right.

405
00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:53,520
We've identified several logical and scientific inconsistencies with the idea of quantum immortality.

406
00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:54,520
Yeah.

407
00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:57,600
So the takeaway here isn't so much about whether we literally live forever.

408
00:13:57,600 --> 00:13:58,600
Right.

409
00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:01,920
But rather the profound questions that the MWI raises.

410
00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:02,920
Right.

411
00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:05,800
About our place in the universe and the nature of reality itself.

412
00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:06,800
Yeah.

413
00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:09,520
Even if we kind of set aside this whole immortality thing.

414
00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:10,520
Right.

415
00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:15,080
The MWI still suggests that somewhere out there, versions of us are experiencing this

416
00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:17,360
vast spectrum of possibilities.

417
00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:18,360
Right.

418
00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:22,560
You know, maybe there's a branch where I'm a world famous chef or you've finally written

419
00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:24,000
that best selling novel.

420
00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:25,000
Exactly.

421
00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:26,000
You've always dreamed of.

422
00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:27,640
It's a very thought provoking idea.

423
00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:28,640
It is.

424
00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:34,080
It's, you know, even if we can't interact with those other branches.

425
00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:35,080
Right.

426
00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:36,920
Just knowing that they might exist.

427
00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:37,920
Yeah.

428
00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:41,720
Can inspire us to kind of embrace the possibilities within our own lives.

429
00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:42,720
Right.

430
00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:47,760
And I find it that, you know, even seemingly small choices can lead to drastically different

431
00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:48,760
outcomes.

432
00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:51,280
I love that a multiverse full of potential.

433
00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:52,920
Like a cosmic cheering section.

434
00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:53,920
Exactly.

435
00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:55,600
For all the different paths we could take.

436
00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:56,600
That's a great way to put it.

437
00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:58,840
So what's the key takeaway for our listeners today?

438
00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:05,040
I think the biggest takeaway is that quantum immortality while a captivating concept.

439
00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:06,040
Right.

440
00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:07,040
Remains highly speculative.

441
00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:11,640
It's a powerful thought experiment that really pushes us to the edge of our understanding

442
00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:12,840
of reality.

443
00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:13,840
Yeah.

444
00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:14,840
Consciousness and the self.

445
00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:15,840
Yeah.

446
00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:18,040
And even if the immortality part doesn't hold up.

447
00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:19,040
Right.

448
00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:25,240
Exploring these ideas helps us appreciate just how much we still don't know about the universe

449
00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:26,560
and our place within it.

450
00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:27,560
Absolutely.

451
00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:28,560
We've covered a lot today.

452
00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:31,440
Quantum mechanics, multiple universes, the nature of self.

453
00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:32,440
It's a lot to process.

454
00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:33,440
It's a lot to process.

455
00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:36,280
But before we wrap up, I have one final thought to leave you with.

456
00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:37,280
Okay.

457
00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:41,760
To accept the many worlds interpretation, does knowing that other versions of us are out

458
00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:47,320
there living different lives, change how you view your own choices and experiences?

459
00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:51,640
Does it make you feel more free knowing that every possibility is playing out somewhere?

460
00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:54,960
Or does it make you feel less significant knowing that your choices might not be as unique

461
00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:55,960
as you thought?

462
00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:57,680
We'd love to hear your thoughts.

463
00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:03,080
Thanks for joining us on this deep dive into the mind-blowing world of quantum immortality.

464
00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:06,400
Until next time, keep questioning, keep exploring, and stay curious.