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Is reality shaped by our observation? Why a fringe idea in science is still controversial

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Physicist Dr. John Wheeler was an ideological leader in developing quantum cosmology.

He was also known for his tendency to push the boundaries of what was possible in physics with creative ideas.

Wheeler 's idea of the participatory universe posits that our own observations could actually be what is creating our physical reality.

Wheeler ’s idea of the participatory universe was initially seen as being a little too far out and was not pursued by the scientific community when he proposed it in the 1970s .

Instead of the past causing the present, the future "determines" the past, Wheeler 's idea flips the way we traditionally think about the way time works.

The idea could help explain some mathematical conundrums in quantum physics.