Episode
Are We Living in a Simulation? How to Tell If Reality Is Fake
- Podcast
- Instant Genius
- Published
- Sep 17, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2166
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR4410014787.mp3
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/instant-genius-226559/episodes/are-we-living-in-a-simulation-how-to-tell-if-reality-is-fake/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/instant-genius-226559/are-we-living-in-a-simulation-how-to-tell-if-reality-is-fake.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
The possibility that we may be living in a simulation created by a more technologically advanced civilisation has occupied the minds of scientists, philosophers and fiction writers for decades. We may never be able to satisfactorily answer this question, but perhaps the best way of investigating its feasibility is by looking at how we might go about creating a simulation universe ourselves. In this episode we’re joined by Prof Catherine Heymans, Astronomer Royal for Scotland, who investigates this question in her new book, How to Design a Universe – The Science of Real and Virtual Worlds, the royalties of which will be given to the Royal Observatory Trust, which supports astronomy youth projects across Scotland. She tells us what our current knowledge tells us about the way that the universe operates, explains why we’d need an enormous amount of computing power to generate a simulation universe, and investigates the question of why we, or a more advanced civilisation, might attempt to do this in the first place. Take your curiosity further with a subscription to BBC Science Focus magazine. Every issue is packed with fascinating insights into the science behind everyday life, the latest breakthroughs and expert analysis, delivered straight to your door. Receive an extra £5 when you subscribe using the code SF5OFF, (minimum spend £20, see full terms and conditions on our website). https://www.ourmediashop.com/bbc-science-focus-magazine-pod30 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices