Is It Possible A Parallel Universe Has Been Discovered?

For centuries, alternate history has been the subject of historical analysis as well as entertainment. Imagining alternate scenarios for how the world and beyond could have developed remains popular, with TV shows such as "Man in the High Castle" and "For all Mankind" receiving varying levels of acclaim. In recent years the Mandela Effect, which postulates that common misconceptions are the result of people coming in and out of other universes, became popular among internet users. 

While these specific examples of parallel universes are fictional, the study of whether a multiverse exists at all is fairly comprehensive. According to Space.com there are a number of theories as to how other universes may be composed and arranged, each potentially ruled by very different laws of physics. These models are hypothetical, however, and typically do not claim to prove that other universes exist, only how they might look if they do. Recent reexamination of an anomalous NASA reading, however, has led to speculation that the truth may have been unraveled.

As Treehugger reports, NASA's Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) indicated in 2006 that the cosmic rays it was meant to detect were coming from the Earth itself rather than solely from beyond the atmosphere. When it repeated eight years later, researchers began to examine the findings, as they came into conflict with conventional explanation: No known source exists on Earth. Does this mean that the rays are from another universe, in which any and all possibilities materialize? Unfortunately, the answer is not so certain. 

The University of Hawaii issued a statement clarifying that while Professor Peter Gorham of their faculty did make comments on what may unfold from this find, the potential for validation of parallel universes was not among them. When pressed on this specific issue, professors from the Universities of Sydney and Queensland somewhat more optimistically stated that while it is possible, there are other explanations as well (via Daily Star). Assuming ANITA was indeed correct, something is causing those rays to appear, and researchers are working to find whatever or wherever it may be.