The universe is a massive place, with galaxies well beyond our own. However, some also hypothesize that there may be more than one universe. The multiverse theory essentially suggests that our universe is just one of many branching and infinite universes. These universes are believed to have appeared just after the Big Bang, and now, scientists may be closer than ever to proving this theory is correct.

The idea of a multiverse existing has gained a lot of following over the past several years—not only in entertainment avenues like the Marvel Cinematic Universe but also in the scientific community, especially since the 1980s when inflation—a period when the universe suddenly expanded—was invented. Inflation is the main explanation for why the universe is so smooth and flat. It also predicts the existence of several independent universes beyond our own.

But inflation isn’t the only route that scientists have looked at to prove the multiverse theory. Others have looked at alternatives called cyclic universes, which basically say the universe is on an unending cycle of ballooning and then compressing. It still focuses on that multiple universe prospect—though it focuses on them appearing at different times.

To find evidence of these multiple universes, scientists look at the cosmic microwave background or the CMB. This is essentially the light left over from the Big Bang, and scientists believe that alternate universes leave imprints in the CMD. In 2011, scientists discovered four patches within the sky that could one day reveal these highly sought-after scars.

If that is true, then it could be a big component of proving that the multiverse theory is actually true, and that there are actually other universes—perhaps even other versions of you and me—out there somewhere. But we’ll need to find those scars and then prove that they are actually imprints of other universes.