Simulation theory posits that reality as we perceive it could be an artificial simulation, such as a highly advanced computer-generated construct, rather than a physical or natural existence.

Is this real life? Is this just fantasy? A growing number of scientists are suggesting that the idea that we are all living in a simulation may not be completely far-fetched. Simulation theory is ...

Dr Melvin Vopson published the research in AIP Advances which suggests that the universe behaves just like a computer, ordering and deleting unnecessary information.

Is this real life? Is this just fantasy? A growing number of scientists are suggesting that the idea that we are all living in a simulation may not be completely far-fetched.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Melvin Vopson, an associate professor in physics at the University of Portsmouth, outlines three theories as to why we might be imprisoned by machines.