this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2026
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Science Memes

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[–] Etterra@discuss.online 7 points 3 days ago (5 children)

Yeah but it only works at the subatomic level.

[–] FiskFisk33@startrek.website 11 points 3 days ago

This is just plain false.

There is no theoretical size limit to unobserved quantum systems, although it is practically hard to achieve large ones.

the largest ones we've managed are over 100 atoms. https://www.livescience.com/19268-quantum-double-slit-experiment-largest-molecules.html

[–] alsimoneau@lemmy.ca 16 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Actually, they managed to see the effect with a 114 atoms molecules

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 7 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

There are no particles, there are only waves

Macrodoses LSD to make it also work with baseballs

[–] Admetus@sopuli.xyz 7 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Run into a wall fast enough and you can phase through it!!

[–] bss03@infosec.pub 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I actually think you have to go so slow that your (probable) position extends to the other side of the wall. Unfortunately speeds that slow are incompatible with (the processes of) life.

[–] Zwiebel@feddit.org 3 points 3 days ago

What if I only get to one of the air pockets in the wall material

[–] 843563115848@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 days ago

This only works with brick walls, not drywall.

[–] bss03@infosec.pub 2 points 2 days ago

Nope, the Aussies quantum entangled whole atoms, and were able to do a Bell test on objects with rest mass. It's news: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp9n5QwVgu4

[–] AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Not necessarily. There was a dude who was studying some plant and was measuring their leaves, and discovered that touching them to measure them stunted their growth. It confused him a lot at first.

I think the plant was mimosa pudica, but I will double check the story when I have had some sleep. I just wanted to add this briefly because it's a very funny story. The dude was super confused when it happened, because I think that science didn't realise the extent to which plants could detect and respond to touch at that time

[–] flora_explora@beehaw.org 6 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

This has absolutely nothing to do with the meme apart from similar wording. The underlying mechanisms are completely different

[–] Sylvartas@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Judging from the name of the plant alone, it's just one of these plants where the leaves somehow retract in reaction to some stimuli, right ?

[–] flora_explora@beehaw.org 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It's in the same genus as species who show this behavior, yes. Not sure if this specific species does it though. In any case, even with non-retracting species the interaction is between plant and observing human. In the meme it is just between particles and their environment in general, not related to an observer.

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

To clarify, "observer" in the double slit experiment has nothing to do with humans, or consciousness, or anything like that. It has to do with it interacting with something on the other side of the slit. This thing, that creates (or "observes") an interaction, collapses the waveform. A human can watch or not. It doesn't change the results of the experiment.

[–] flora_explora@beehaw.org 2 points 2 days ago

Yes, I tried to communicate this difference, but didn't know how to

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 4 points 3 days ago

"A watched pot never boils." 😤