Theoretical physicists at the University of Southampton believe they have uncovered evidence the universe is in fact a giant holographic illusion – and one of the researchers on the project has told Sputnik the findings will alter the way scientists think about the universe forevermore. In essence, the holographic universe theory means that while humans perceive reality as three dimensional, it is in fact a mere projection on a two dimensional surface — effectively an illusion. If that's a tad mindboggling, Professor Kostas Skenderis, one of the researchers on the project, generously simplified the concept. "A good analogy might be watching a 3D movie at the cinema — onscreen images may have height, width and depth, but they're just projections on a flat 2D screen. In our 3D universe, however, we can touch and feel objects — the 'projection' is 'real' from our perspective," Professor Skenderis told Sputnik. Many might find the concept peculiar, but theories suggesting the universe is