(image courtesy Daily Mail)
I love the concept of time travel. Paradoxes, the concept of multiple universe outcomes, all that stuff just absolutely fascinates me. So I was super excited to read Stephen Hawking’s column on how he believes time travel is possible.
Apparently the whole thing has to do with wormholes. All we need to do is enlarge a wormhole, drive a time traveling ship through it, and poof! We’re either on the other side of the universe or racing a T-Rex. And since it basically involves cosmic tunnels, I’m sure the NY/NJ Port Authority will find a way to charge an exorbitant toll and monetize the whole trip.
Of course, then Dr. Hawking goes and ruins that plan by pointing out that the universe probably has checks and balances in place to prevent paradoxes from people traveling backwards in time. Which is too bad, since some of the best science fiction comes from that premise!
Apparently you can travel forwards by going really, really, really fast. Super duper fast. Unfortunately, it’s a one way street, so if you go that fast you can’t hop the nearest wormhole and let everyone 100 years in the past know what you saw.
The whole article is incredibly fascinating, and is worth a thorough read. Apparently there’s a Discovery special this weekend as well, so check your local listings. And because I can’t discuss time travel without discussing my all time favorite time travel story, you MUST find yourself a copy of The Fantasies of Robert Heinlein and read “All You Zombies”. Definitely one of the most intriguing and slightly disturbing sci-fi/time travel stories I have ever read.
What’s your theory about time travel? Do you have a favorite time travel story? Do you think Apple is already gearing up to sue anyone who travels through time to review the 10th generation iPhone? Share any suggestions or thoughts below!
Via Daily Mail
