Do Particles Know They’re Being Watched?
February 25, 2026
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7:07Now PlayingDo Particles Know They’re Being Watched?
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as posted by the channelIn this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson, co-host Chuck Nice, and guest Sean Carroll discuss the famous double-slit experiment and the much-hyped delayed choice quantum eraser experiment. Chuck raises concerns about whether particles “know” they are being observed, but Sean Carroll explains that the experiment does not imply consciousness, backward causation, or particles making decisions. Instead, he clarifies that standard quantum mechanics—through wavefunctions, entanglement, and the Schrödinger equation—fully explains the results without any spooky awareness by particles.
From 'The Complex Universe, with Sean Carroll'
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