A scientist who postulated a theory about a holographic simulation of reality disappeared almost 30 years ago and remains missing to this day.
Jacobo Grinberg Zylberbaum, born in Mexico City in 1946, decided at the age of 12 to study the human mind. This decision came after his mother died of a brain tumor.
After earning his PhD in New York, Zylberbaum returned to Mexico and established his own laboratory at the Universidad Anáhuac.
His research specialized in psychophysiology, a branch of psychology that examines the physiological bases of psychological processes.
In 1987, Zylberbaum founded the Instituto Nacional para el Estudio de la Conciencia (National Institute for the Study of Consciousness).
During his tenure there, he took scientific methods into unconventional areas, exploring meditation, shamanism, telepathy, and witchcraft, and their connection to brain activity.
Things took an even more unusual turn when he began to merge his scientific discipline with shamanism.
This was part of his effort to understand the ‘magic world’ and the relationship between science and consciousness.
Over his career, he authored more than 50 books on a wide variety of topics, although much of his work was dismissed by the scientific community.
However, on December 8, 1994, just days before his 48th birthday, Grinberg mysteriously disappeared and has not been seen since.
His disappearance sparked numerous theories about his fate.
Some of the more common theories suggest he was kidnapped by the CIA or abducted by aliens.
More unconventional theories propose that Grinberg went so deep into his studies of shamanism and consciousness that he slipped into another dimension.
One theory ties to Grinberg’s belief in a holographic simulation of reality, akin to the concept presented in The Matrix.
He theorized that by focusing our minds, we could interact with ‘perceptual reality’ in an active manner, not just passively observing it.
This theory, while intriguing, seems to verge on science fiction.
Aside from an alleged sighting by a gas station attendant in New Mexico, Grinberg has not been seen since.