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No sense in nonsense —

Why the [expletive] can’t we travel back in time, if the inability to time travel were a fundamental part of our universe, you’d expect equally fundamental physics behind that rule..

Paul Sutter - Nov 30, 2021 12:30 pm UTC

Look, we’re not totally ignorant about time. We know that the dimension of time is woven together with the three dimensions of space, creating a four-dimensional fabric for the Universe. We know that the passage of time is relative; depending on your frame of reference, you can slip forward into the future as gently as you please. (You just need to either go close to the speed of light or get cozy with a black hole, but those are just minor problems of engineering, not physics.)

But as far as we can tell, we can’t reverse the flow of time. All evidence indicates that travel into the past is forbidden in our Universe. Every time we try to concoct a time machine, some random rule of the Universe comes in and slaps our hand away from the temporal cookie jar.

And yet, we have no idea why. The reasons really seem random; there is nothing fundamental we can point to, no law or equation or concept that definitively explains why thou shalt not travel into the past. And that’s pretty frustrating. It’s obvious that the Universe is telling us something important… we just don’t know what it’s saying.

Go ahead, kill your grandfather

There are all sorts of philosophical debates for and against the possibility of time travel. Take, for example, the famous “grandfather paradox.” Let’s say you build a time machine and travel back in time. You find your own grandfather and shoot him dead (I don’t know why, but roll with me here). But wait… if your grandfather is dead, it means he can’t father your father, which means you never exist. So how did you go back in time to do the awful deed?

Perhaps, however, time travel into the past is, indeed, allowed, but your actions are constrained. Maybe the past already exists and is completely set in stone. What has happened has simply happened. If you had the ability to travel back in time and monkey around with the past, then the past should already encode those acts—nothing is new, because it’s literally in the past. So you can’t kill your grandfather because you never have, but you could be the stranger that sets him up on a blind date with grandma.

Maybe, like, time doesn’t even exist, dude. Maybe it’s a construct of our human consciousness as a way to organize and synchronize our sensory inputs. Maybe we’re imposing some deep, fundamental preconceived notion on a Universe that doesn’t care, and so this whole discussion is moot.

This is all part of very legit discussions of philosophy. But let’s see if physics can take a crack at it. After all, if we could (even theoretically) build a time machine, then that would settle a lot of late-night bar bets.

Closed time-like curves

Physicists use a very particular language when trying to build time machines: the language of gravity, given to us by old Albert himself in the form of general relativity. That’s because the language of gravity as interpreted in GR is a story of the bending and warping of spacetime. GR is a theory of motion in our Universe and how that motion is tied to the underlying four-dimensional fabric of spacetime.

In GR, matter tells spacetime how to bend, and the bending of spacetime tells matter how to move.

To determine whether we can build a time machine, physicists want to know if it’s possible to construct a spacetime—to find a particular and peculiar arrangement of matter—that allows one to travel into the past.

The goal is to find “closed time-like curves,” or CTCs.

“Curve” means exactly what you think it does—a path through space and time. “Time like” means no cheating—at no point are you allowed to travel faster than light. “Closed” means that the curve meets up back with itself—imagine traveling in one direction, always moving forward, never exceeding light speed. Yet at the end of your journey, you find you’ve arrived in your own past.

That’s a time machine. That’s a CTC.

The weird thing is, CTCs exist! Over the decades we have managed to uncover many solutions of general relativity that allow for backward time travel:

• The (in)famous mathematician Kurt Gödel (yes, that Kurt Gödel) discovered if a universe is filled with uniform dust that was slowly rotating, you could find trajectories in that universe that wind up in their own past.
• You know wormholes, right? Those shortcuts through space? They can also act as time machines. The trick is to take one end of the wormhole and hold it still. Then take the other and accelerate it close to the speed of light. Keep it at that speed for however long you want. Now bring that end back to the original one. The two ends of the wormhole now no longer have synchronized clocks because of the time dilation effects of the near-lightspeed travel. Since one end is in the past of the other end, you can just hop on in and travel back in time.
• Let’s say you had an infinitely long cylinder (maybe you pick it up at your local home improvement store). Rotate that cylinder to nearly the speed of light. If you follow a careful, corkscrew path around the rotating cylinder, then, by golly, you’ll wind up in the past.
• The inside of a rotating black hole is a pretty interesting place, where the competing countercurrents of gravitational and centrifugal forces meet to open a throat in the center of a black hole, creating the possibility of CTCs.

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Is Time Travel Possible?

We all travel in time! We travel one year in time between birthdays, for example. And we are all traveling in time at approximately the same speed: 1 second per second.

We typically experience time at one second per second. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's space telescopes also give us a way to look back in time. Telescopes help us see stars and galaxies that are very far away . It takes a long time for the light from faraway galaxies to reach us. So, when we look into the sky with a telescope, we are seeing what those stars and galaxies looked like a very long time ago.

However, when we think of the phrase "time travel," we are usually thinking of traveling faster than 1 second per second. That kind of time travel sounds like something you'd only see in movies or science fiction books. Could it be real? Science says yes!

This image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows galaxies that are very far away as they existed a very long time ago. Credit: NASA, ESA and R. Thompson (Univ. Arizona)

How do we know that time travel is possible?

More than 100 years ago, a famous scientist named Albert Einstein came up with an idea about how time works. He called it relativity. This theory says that time and space are linked together. Einstein also said our universe has a speed limit: nothing can travel faster than the speed of light (186,000 miles per second).

Einstein's theory of relativity says that space and time are linked together. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

What does this mean for time travel? Well, according to this theory, the faster you travel, the slower you experience time. Scientists have done some experiments to show that this is true.

For example, there was an experiment that used two clocks set to the exact same time. One clock stayed on Earth, while the other flew in an airplane (going in the same direction Earth rotates).

After the airplane flew around the world, scientists compared the two clocks. The clock on the fast-moving airplane was slightly behind the clock on the ground. So, the clock on the airplane was traveling slightly slower in time than 1 second per second.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Can we use time travel in everyday life?

We can't use a time machine to travel hundreds of years into the past or future. That kind of time travel only happens in books and movies. But the math of time travel does affect the things we use every day.

For example, we use GPS satellites to help us figure out how to get to new places. (Check out our video about how GPS satellites work .) NASA scientists also use a high-accuracy version of GPS to keep track of where satellites are in space. But did you know that GPS relies on time-travel calculations to help you get around town?

GPS satellites orbit around Earth very quickly at about 8,700 miles (14,000 kilometers) per hour. This slows down GPS satellite clocks by a small fraction of a second (similar to the airplane example above).

GPS satellites orbit around Earth at about 8,700 miles (14,000 kilometers) per hour. Credit: GPS.gov

However, the satellites are also orbiting Earth about 12,550 miles (20,200 km) above the surface. This actually speeds up GPS satellite clocks by a slighter larger fraction of a second.

Here's how: Einstein's theory also says that gravity curves space and time, causing the passage of time to slow down. High up where the satellites orbit, Earth's gravity is much weaker. This causes the clocks on GPS satellites to run faster than clocks on the ground.

The combined result is that the clocks on GPS satellites experience time at a rate slightly faster than 1 second per second. Luckily, scientists can use math to correct these differences in time.

If scientists didn't correct the GPS clocks, there would be big problems. GPS satellites wouldn't be able to correctly calculate their position or yours. The errors would add up to a few miles each day, which is a big deal. GPS maps might think your home is nowhere near where it actually is!

In Summary:

Yes, time travel is indeed a real thing. But it's not quite what you've probably seen in the movies. Under certain conditions, it is possible to experience time passing at a different rate than 1 second per second. And there are important reasons why we need to understand this real-world form of time travel.

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September 1, 2015

12 min read

Traveling Backward in Time Is Kind of Hard

We already have the means to skip ahead in time, but going backward is a different wormhole

H. G. Wells published his first novel, The Time Machine , in 1895, just a few years before Queen Victoria's six-decade reign over the U.K. ended. An even more durable dynasty was also drawing to a close: the 200-year-old Newtonian era of physics. In 1905 Albert Einstein published his special theory of relativity, which upset Isaac Newton's applecart and, to Wells's presumed delight, allowed something that had been impossible under Newton's laws: time travel into the future. In Newton's universe, time was steady everywhere and everywhen; it never sped up or slowed down. But for Einstein, time was relative.

Time travel is not only possible, it has already happened, though not exactly as Wells imagined. The biggest time traveler to date is Sergei K. Krikalev, according to J. Richard Gott, an astrophysicist at Princeton University. Over the course of his long career, which began in 1985, the Russian cosmonaut spent a little over 803 days in space. As Einstein proved, time passes more slowly for objects in motion than for those at rest, so as Krikalev hurtled along at 17,000 miles an hour onboard the Mir space station, time did not flow at the same rate for him as it did on Earth. While Krikalev was in orbit, he aged 1/48 of a second less than his fellow earthlings. From another perspective, he traveled 1/48 of a second into the future.

The time-travel effect is much easier to see with longer distances and higher speeds. If Krikalev left Earth in 2015 and made a round-trip to Betelgeuse—a star that is about 520 light-years from Earth—at 99.995 percent the speed of light, by the time he returned to Earth he would be only 10 years older. Sadly, everyone he knew would be long dead because 1,000 years would have passed on Earth; it would be the year 3015. “Time travel to the future, we know we can do,” Gott says. “It's just a matter of money and engineering!”

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Jumping a few nanoseconds—or centuries—into the future is relatively straightforward, despite practical challenges. But going backward in time is harder. Einstein's special theory of relativity forbade it. After another decade of work, Einstein unveiled his general theory of relativity, which finally lifted that restriction. How someone would actually travel back in time, however, is a vexing problem because the equations of general relativity have many solutions. Different solutions assign different qualities to the universe—and only some of the solutions create conditions that permit time travel into the past.

Whether any of those solutions describes our own universe is an open question, which raises even more profound investigations: Just how much tweaking of fundamental physics would it take to allow backward time travel? Does the universe itself somehow prevent such journeys even if Einstein's equations do not rule them out? Physicists continue to speculate, not because they imagine time travel will ever be practical but because thinking about the possibility has led to some surprising insights about the nature of the universe we inhabit, including, perhaps, how it came to be in the first place.

A new way of looking at time

With his special theory of relativity, Einstein made time malleable in a way that must have pleased Wells, who presciently believed that we inhabit a universe in which three-dimensional space and time are knit together into a four-dimensional whole. Einstein arrived at his revolutionary results by exploring the implications of two fundamental ideas. First, he argued that even though all motion is relative, the laws of physics must look the same for everyone anywhere in the universe. Second, he realized that the speed of light must be similarly unchanging from all perspectives: if everyone sees the same laws of physics operating, they must also arrive at the same result when measuring the speed of light.

To make light a universal speed limit, Einstein had to jettison two commonsense notions: that all observers would agree on the measurement of a given length and that they would also agree on the duration of time's passage. He showed that a clock in motion, whizzing past someone at rest, would tick more slowly than a stationary clock at the person's side. And the length of a ruler moving swiftly by would shorten. Yet for anyone who was traveling at the same speed as the clock and ruler, the passage of time and the length of the ruler would appear normal.

At ordinary speeds, the time-and-space-distorting effects of special relativity are negligible. But for anything moving at a hefty fraction of the speed of light, they are very real. For example, many experiments have confirmed that the decay rate of unstable particles called muons slows by an order of magnitude when they are traveling at close to the speed of light. The speeding muons, in effect, are minuscule time travelers—subatomic Krikalevs—hopping a few nanoseconds into the future.

Gödel's strange universe

Those speedy clocks and rulers and muons are all racing forward in time. Can they be thrown into reverse? The first person to use general relativity to describe a universe that permits time travel into the past was Kurt Gödel, the famed creator of the incompleteness theorems, which set limits on the scope of what mathematics can and cannot prove. He was one of the towering mathematicians of the 20th century—and one of the oddest. His many foibles included a diet of baby food and laxatives.

Gödel presented this model universe as a gift to Einstein on his 70th birthday. The universe Gödel described to his skeptical friend had two unique properties: It rotated, which provided centrifugal force that prevented gravity from crunching together all the matter in the cosmos, creating the stability Einstein demanded of any cosmic model. But it also allowed for time travel into the past, which made Einstein deeply uneasy. In Gödel's cosmos, space travelers could set out and eventually reach a point in their own past, as if the travelers had completed a circuit around the surface of a giant cylinder. Physicists call these trajectories in spacetime “closed timelike curves.”

A closed timelike curve is any path through spacetime that loops back on itself. In Gödel's rotating cosmos, such a curve would circle around the entire universe, like a latitude line on Earth's surface. Physicists have concocted a number of different types of closed timelike curves, all of which allow travel to the past, at least in theory. A journey along any of them would be disappointingly ordinary, however: Through the portholes of your spaceship, you would see stars and planets—all the usual sights of deep space. More important, time—as measured by your own clocks—would tick forward in the usual way; the hands of a clock would not start spinning backward even though you would be traveling to a location in spacetime that existed in your past.

“Einstein was already aware of the possibility of closed timelike curves back in 1914,” says Julian Barbour, an independent theoretical physicist who lives near Oxford, England. As Barbour recalls, Einstein said, “My intuition strives most vehemently against this.” The curves' existence would create all kinds of problems with causality—how can the past be changed if it has already happened? And there is the hoary grandfather paradox: What happens to a time traveler who kills his or her grandfather before the grandfather meets the grandmother? Would the demented traveler ever be born?

Fortunately for fans of causality, astronomers have found no evidence that the universe is rotating. Gödel himself apparently pored over catalogs of galaxies, looking for clues that his theory might be true. Gödel might not have devised a realistic model of the universe, but he did prove that closed timelike curves are completely consistent with the equations of general relativity. The laws of physics do not rule out traveling to the past.

An annoying possibility

Over the past few decades cosmologists have used Einstein's equations to construct a variety of closed timelike curves. Gödel conjured an entire universe that allowed them, but more recent enthusiasts have warped spacetime only within parts of our universe.

In general relativity, planets, stars, galaxies and other massive bodies warp spacetime. Warped spacetime, in turn, guides the motions of those massive bodies. As the late physicist John Wheeler put it, “Spacetime tells matter how to move; matter tells spacetime how to curve.” In extreme cases, spacetime might bend enough to create a path from the present back to the past.

Physicists have proposed some exotic mechanisms to create such paths. In a 1991 paper, Gott showed how cosmic strings—infinitely long structures thinner than an atom that may have formed in the early universe—would allow closed timelike curves where two strings intersected. In 1983 Kip S. Thorne, a physicist at the California Institute of Technology, began to explore the possibility that a type of closed timelike curve called a wormhole—a kind of tunnel joining two different locations in spacetime—might allow for time travel into the past. “In general relativity, if you connect two different regions of space, you're also connecting two different regions of time,” says Sean M. Carroll, a colleague of Thorne's at Caltech.

The entrance into a wormhole would be spherical—a three-dimensional entrance into a four-dimensional tunnel in spacetime. As is the case with all closed timelike curves, a trip through a wormhole would be “like any other journey,” Carroll says. “It's not that you disappear and are reassembled at some other moment of time. There is no respectable theory where that kind of science-fiction time travel is possible.” For all travelers, he adds, “no matter what they do, time flows forward at one second per second. It's just that your local version of ‘forward’ might be globally out of sync with the rest of the universe.”

Although physicists can write equations that describe wormholes and other closed timelike curves, all the models have serious problems. “Just to get a wormhole in the first place, you need negative energy,” Carroll says. Negative energy is when the energy in a volume of space spontaneously fluctuates to less than zero. Without negative energy, a wormhole's spherical entrance and four-dimensional tunnel would instantaneously implode. But a wormhole held open by negative energy “seems to be hard, probably impossible,” Carroll says. “Negative energies seem to be a bad thing in physics.”

Even if negative energy kept a wormhole open, just when you would be on the verge of turning that into a time machine, “particles would be moving through the wormhole, and every particle would loop back around an infinite number of times,” Carroll says. “That leads to an infinite amount of energy.” Because energy deforms spacetime, the entire thing would collapse into a black hole—an infinitely dense point in spacetime. “We're not 100 percent sure that that happens,” Carroll says. “But it seems to be a reasonable possibility that the universe is actually preventing you from making a time machine by making a black hole instead.”

Unlike black holes, which are a natural consequence of general relativity, wormholes and closed timelike curves in general are completely artificial constructs—a way of testing the bounds of the theory. “Black holes are hard to avoid,” Carroll says. “Closed timelike curves are very hard to make.”

Even if wormholes are physically implausible, it is significant that they fit in with the general theory of relativity. “It's very curious that we can come so close to ruling out the possibility of time travel, yet we just can't do it. I also think that it's annoying,” Carroll says, exasperated that Einstein's beautiful theory might allow for something so seemingly implausible. But by contemplating that annoying possibility, physicists may gain a better understanding of the kind of universe we live in. And it may be that if the universe did not permit backward time travel, it never would have come into existence.

Did the universe create itself?

General relativity describes the universe on the largest scales. But quantum mechanics provides the operating manual for the atomic scale, and it offers another possible venue for closed timelike curves—one that gets at the origin of the universe.

“On a very small scale—10–30 centimeter—you might expect the topology of spacetime to fluctuate, and random fluctuations might give you closed timelike curves if nothing fundamental prevents them,” says John Friedman, a physicist at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Could those quantum fluctuations somehow be magnified and harnessed as time machines? “There's certainly no formal proof that you can't have macroscopic closed timelike curves,” Friedman says. “But the community of people who have looked at these general questions would bet pretty heavily against it.”

There is no doubt that the creation of a loop in spacetime on either a quantum scale or a cosmic one would require some very extreme physics. And the most likely place to expect extreme physics, Gott says, is at the very beginning of the universe.

In 1998 Gott and Li-Xin Li, an astrophysicist now at Peking University in China, published a paper in which they argued that closed timelike curves were not merely possible but essential to explain the origin of the universe. “We investigated the possibility of whether the universe could be its own mother—whether a time loop at the beginning of the universe would allow the universe to create itself,” Gott says.

Gott and Li's universe “starts” with a bout of inflation—just as in standard big bang cosmology, where an all-pervasive energy field drove the universe's initial expansion. Many cosmologists now believe that inflation gave rise to countless other universes besides our own. “Inflation is very hard to stop once it gets started,” Gott says. “It makes an infinitely branching tree. We're one of the branches. But you have to ask yourself, Where did the trunk come from? Li-Xin Li and I said it could be that one of the branches just loops around and grows up to be the trunk.”

A simple two-dimensional sketch of Gott and Li's self-starting universe looks like the number “6,” with the spacetime loop at the bottom and our present-era universe as the top stem. A burst of inflation, Gott and Li theorized, allowed the universe to escape from the time loop and expand into the cosmos we inhabit today.

It is difficult to contemplate the model, but its main appeal, Gott says, is that it eliminates the need for creating a universe out of nothing. Yet Alexander Vilenkin of Tufts University, Stephen Hawking of the University of Cambridge and James Hartle of the University of California, Santa Barbara, have proposed models in which the universe does indeed arise out of nothing. According to the laws of quantum mechanics, empty space is not really empty but is filled with “virtual” particles that spontaneously pop into and out of existence. Hawking and his colleagues theorized that the universe burst into being from the same quantum-vacuum stew. But in Gott's view, the universe is not made out of nothing; it is made out of something—itself.

A cosmic chess game

For now, there is no way to test whether any of those theories might actually explain the origin of the universe. The famed physicist Richard Feynman compared the universe to a great chess game being played by the gods. Scientists, he said, are trying to understand the game without knowing the rules. We watch as the gods move a pawn one space forward, and we learn a rule: pawns always move one space forward. But what if we never saw the opening of a game, when a pawn can move two spaces forward? We might also assume, mistakenly, that pawns always remain pawns—that they never change their identity—until we see a pawn transformed into a queen. “You would say that's against the rules,” Gott says. “You can't change your pawn into a queen. Well, yes, you can! You just never saw a game that extreme before. Time-travel research is like that. We're testing the laws of physics by looking at extreme conditions. There's nothing logically impossible about time travel to the past; it's just not the universe we're used to.” Turning a pawn into a queen could be part of the rules of relativity.

Such wildly speculative ideas may be closer to philosophy than to physics. But for now, quantum mechanics and general relativity—powerful, counterintuitive theories—are all we have to figure out the universe. “As soon as people start trying to bring quantum theory and general relativity into this, the first thing to say is that they really have no idea what they're doing,” says Tim Maudlin, a philosopher of science at New York University. “It's not really rigorous mathematics. It's one piece of mathematics that sort of looks like general relativity and another little piece of mathematics that sort of looks like quantum theory, mixed together in some not entirely coherent way. But this is what people have to do because they honestly don't know how to go forward in a way that makes sense.”

Will some future theory eliminate the possibility of time travel into the past? Or will the universe again turn out to be far stranger than we imagine? Physics has advanced tremendously since Einstein redefined our understanding of time. Time travel, which existed only in the realm of fiction for Wells, is now a proved reality, at least in one direction. Is it too hard to believe that some kind of symmetry exists in the universe, allowing us to travel backward in time? When I put the question to Gott, he replies with an anecdote:

“There's a story where Einstein was talking to a guy. The guy pulled a notebook out and scribbled something down. Einstein says, ‘What's that?’ The guy says, ‘A notebook. Whenever I have a good idea, I write it down.’ Einstein says, ‘I've never had any need for a notebook; I've only had three good ideas.’”

Gott concludes: “I think we're waiting for a new good idea.”

Time travel is possible, but it’s a one-way ticket

Chenoa van den Boogaard , Physics and Astronomy editor

The ability to travel through time, whether it is to fix a mistake in the past or gain insight into the future, has long been embraced by science fiction and debated by theoretical physicists. While the debate continues over whether travelling into the past is possible, physicists have determined that travelling to the future most certainly is. And you don’t need a wormhole or a DeLorean to do it.

Real-life time travel occurs through time dilation, a property of Einstein’s special relativity . Einstein was the first to realize that time is not constant, as previously believed, but instead slows down as you move faster through space.

As part of his theory, Einstein re-envisioned space itself. He coined the phrase “spacetime,” fusing the three dimensions of space and one dimension of time into a single term. Instead of treating space as a flat and rigid place that holds all the objects in the universe, Einstein thought of it as curved and malleable, able to form gravitational dips around masses that pull other objects in, just as a bowling ball placed in the centre of a trampoline would cause any smaller object placed on the trampoline to slide towards the centre.

A computer-generated representation of Einstein’s curved spacetime. The Earth creates a gravitational dip in the fabric of spacetime which is deepest at its core. Courtesy and © of NASA

The closer an object gets to the centre of the dip, the faster it accelerates. The centre of the Earth’s gravitational dip is located at the Earth’s core, where gravitational acceleration is strongest. According to Einstein’s theory, because time moves more slowly as you move faster through space, the closer an object is to the centre of the Earth, the slower time moves for that object.

This effect can be seen in GPS satellites, which orbit 20,200 kilometres above the Earth’s surface. These satellites have highly precise clocks onboard that gain an average of 38 microseconds per day due to time dilation. While this time gain seems insignificant, GPS satellites rely on their onboard clocks to maintain precise global positioning. Running 38 microseconds fast would result in a positioning error of nearly 10 kilometres, an error that would increase daily if the time difference were not constantly corrected.

A more dramatic example of time dilation can be seen in the movie Interstellar when Matthew McConaughey and his crew land on a planet with an extreme gravitational field caused by a nearby black hole. Because of the black hole’s intense gravitational influence, time slows dramatically for the crew on the planet, making one hour on the surface equal to seven years on Earth. This is why, when the crew returns to Earth, Matthew McConaughey’s daughter is an old woman while he appears to be the same age as when he left.

So why hasn’t humanity succeeded in making such drastic leaps forward in time? The answer to this question comes down to velocity. In order for humanity to send a traveller years into the future, we would either have to take advantage of the intense gravitational acceleration caused by black holes or send the traveller rocketing into space at close to the speed of light (about 1 billion km/h). With our current technology , jumping a few microseconds into the future is all humans can manage.

But if technology one day allows us to send a human into the future by travelling close to the speed of light, would there be any way for the traveller to use time dilation to return to the past and report her findings? “Interstellar travel reaching close to the speed of light might be possible,” says Dr. Jaymie Matthews , professor of astrophysics at the University of British Columbia, “[but] this voyage is one way into the future, not back to the past.”

If we can’t use time dilation to return to the past, does this mean that the past is forever inaccessible? Perhaps not. Einstein proposed that time travel into the past could be achieved through an Einstein-Rosen bridge, a type of wormhole. Wormholes are theoretical areas of spacetime that are warped in a way that connects two distant points in space.

A visualization of a wormhole: The fabric of spacetime curves back upon itself, forming a bridge between two distant locations. Image by Panzi , CC-BY 3.0

Einstein’s equations suggested that this bridge in space could hypothetically connect two points in time instead if it were stable enough. “At the moment, even an Einstein-Rosen bridge cannot [be used to] go back in the past because it doesn’t live long enough – it is not stable,” Matthews explains.

“Even if it was stable, it [requires] other physics, which we don’t have. Hypothetical particles and states of matter that have “exotic” physical properties that would violate known laws of physics, such as a particle having a negative mass. That is why “wormholes” are only science fiction.”

While it would be fascinating to travel back in time to see the dinosaurs or to meet Albert Einstein and show him the reality of time travel, perhaps it is best if the past remains untouched. Travelling to the past invites the possibility of making an alteration that could destroy the future. For example, in Back to the Future , Marty McFly travels to the past and inadvertently prevents his parents from meeting each other, nearly preventing his own existence. But if he had undone his own existence, how could he have travelled back in time in the first place?

Marty’s adventures are a variation of the grandfather paradox: what happens if you go back in time and kill your grandfather before your father is conceived? If you are successful, how is it possible that you’re alive to kill your grandfather in the first place?

A recent study at the University of Queensland may have the answer to this baffling paradox. In this study, the researchers prove mathematically that paradox-free time travel is possible, showing that the universe will self-correct to avoid inconsistencies. If this is true, then even if we could travel back in time, we would never be able to alter events to create a different future.

While these new findings are enlightening, there appears to be more evidence that, although time dilation can allow us to glimpse the future, we will never be able to visit the past. As the late Stephen Hawking said in his book Black Holes and Baby Universes , “The best evidence we have that time travel [into the past] is not possible, and never will be, is that we have not been invaded by hordes of tourists from the future.”

Banner image by Alex Lehner, CC BY 2.0

240 thoughts on “ Time travel is possible, but it’s a one-way ticket ”

How do I go about time travel? what do I need how do I get those required things?

Very large ring magnets and some mathematics and will to see it in reality.

How about a sphere magnet ship…

hoe about 3d time and hemi synch or portals augmented reality,power of suggestion..drugs pcp binural tones frequency amplitude .virtual computing ie.

I’m a time traveling tourist, Stephen Hawking was wrong.

Time is simply a measurement of space under the amount given its mass and the amount of light and dark in which governs its mass in a 4dimensional reality step outside of the force in which permenates its flow one would reside there would be no past present or future there be a fixed permance of a constant here and now and so ok then what is to come.

Very well explained article !!

But I think if physics says time travel can be possible then it’s definitely possible. Considering not to go back to your childhood and fix things but rather can go to the past but as invisible person to them. So that,

No actions by you would impact your future.

Regards, Kirankumar DR

Tell me more

Yes.. I wish I can do this too 🙂

We will understand it better, by and by…

I have a theory for warp speed, but nasa would have to put it to the test…check my Facebook

I am reading for this drive , i am ready , without think my life safe or not

@Ravi chandila English translation please?

Please someone help me I just want to send a message to myself in my past.,to get the love of my life, he never revealed to me his feelings now my life is ruined by the decision of my elders Please help me, it’s question of my life and death. Nazneen

Is time travel machine is their, if the time travel machine is true can it move to the past . To bring back my lost life

That’s the problem you know.. it is not there that’s why we aren’t able to travel time..and yes it it will be built then you will be able to do so…..

damn my life is also lost and broken but still no one can give a time machine for free

DO NOT change the future. That’s why people like you couldn’t go. One wrong person to ruin it for the rest of us

On the point of time reversal, it is evidently impossible. The Uncertainty Principle prohibits spacetime reversal. The Universe is unable to remember its past (as a consequence of the Uncertainty Principle), therefore the Universe cannot reorganise itself.

Can I have to go on my past with another time travel it is a possible when just tell me about one thing that can I have to go in my past one year

we dont need magnets.we need a strong gravitational force to warp spacetime allowing us to travel through with speed of sound or speed of light or faster.we need to learn how to control such force carefully or it could be lethal.gravity slows down time.but it can theoratically work both ways.if we can reverse the gravity’s natural reaction we could speed up a spacecraft faster than light(its all relative(and theoratical))

I WAS ACTUALLY JUST THINKING THE SAME THINFG BEFORE READING YOUR PIECE. VERY WELL EXPLAINED, AND IT DOES MAKE ALOT OF SENSE. WELL DONE.

oh and I forgot to add it can be the key to look into the universe and also travelling time(theoratical).speed and gravity are the key to the universe(theory not proved)

All you really need is a crystal diode with 16 sides, a large pain of glass, and a frequency transmitter near a bathtub full of ice cold water….if you reach the right frequency you can travel through time forward and reverse…

Magnetized metal(VCR Reading Head), to read time out of the Magnetosphere all around earth. The Magnetosphere kills 2 birds with one stone- it protects earth and it records human time:

Mystery solved and I will explain, I was in a coma 3 months and I experienced things, I traveled time forward and backward, it is not a one way ticket. Movies and songs are recorded on magnetic tape in a VCR tape Cartridge or Cassette tape,   Magnetic tape recording works by converting electrical signals into magnetic energy, which imprints a record of the signal onto a moving tape covered in magnetic particles.   3D life on earth(a movie), and the Magnetosphere all around earth coming from the core of earth(MAGNETIC ACTIVITY) without Atom Made Tape, is like a movie on magnetic Atom made tape in a VCR tape cartridge. Revolution and Rotation is the motor(VCR).

This is why people have those freaky Deji’vu feelings like they have lived this before, BECAUSE YOU HAVE, and how people can be psychic, and how there is Prophecy in the Bible. When a person dies, their Spirit- MIND(Thoughts, Feelings, Urges(Physical and mental personality)) breaks out of human body- a stopped heart is what releases the spirit from the human body. Then the Soul(Life) with the memory of your existence in it breaks out of spirit and goes back to your birthday with a erased memory, meanwhile your spirit goes back in time to when you were a teenager starting the mental puberty, maturity from that adult spirit you died with in last life.In that old movie Star Wars or maybe it was the Empire Strikes Back, there is a scene where Princess Laya plays like a 3D movie, that is EXACTLY how its of life on earth.

Mr Snow, I believe you as I have seen it too. As humans we have deep knowledge of things we cannot rationally explain but you have done a great job here.

I thought that Analogy would be a better and easier way to explain, or in a picture of the earth from far out in space with the atmosphere around it looks like a DVD disk and the earth being the center sticker but is in 3D.

Actually you are on to several things here. I have also had the infusion of knowledge that also had to do with comparing life to recorded movies and music. I know you were using it to explain your theory, but I do think there is something there, I always have. When you watch a movie you are seeing the past. Why can’t you somehow use a recording as a base to go back into? I agree with everything you said here, and it’s worth looking into.

Jeffrey, very interesting idea!! Could be something to that. As far as your coma experiences, I think there are things we just do not understand and are nearly impossible to explain. Perhaps time IS like a video tape, or a DVD? Magnetism is one of the forces of nature. I too have had some odd experiences that suggest that we are able to perceive things beyond our five known senses.

I think if you have had a near death experience, such as being in a coma, then you have experienced the powerful hallucinations provided by the chemical substance DMT which your body creates naturally in times of extreme trauma, but also found in most plants and used recreationally by some who are brave enough and into that kind of thing. Your theory is interesting, but completely unproven and as far as I know untested. If things were so simple, I’m sure many scientists would have already thought of such an idea and tested it.

How do I travel through time

Be alive and live life to the fullest is the best way to travel through time ! OR Befriend grey aliens../ They may hold the key to the sum of all knowledge in the universe..

Sounds good will it work

Really log vaps mil sakte hau h kya

Can you plz explain I didn’t get it

You dont first all you are not experienced in the field of the space time continum and you could you upset the already fragile and multitude of alternate realitys that have looping due irresponsible ones who somehow gotten the technology causing another altered time frame there are a disarray multiple reality which are looping in earths 4dimensonal time frame time traveling is not for a vacation or just to get a joy ride its a serious and complex reality not be joked about it is a real thing and certain individual have are upset the balance of earths original time zone note now the gaurdians of this region of milky way the galatic order of the light keepers Angelic gaurdians of the (names with held)are working over time ooh nice pun (over TIME) ha wow to restore Earth back to a original time continum

Who said I want a joy ride, my life is devastated even my kids are suffering, I want to commit suicide but can’t leave my kids back, Being captive for most of my life, if my life is changed nothing will be disturbed, only thing happens is 3 life’s will be saved. And more so over I don’t want to travel I just want to send a message to myself in my past plz on the date of 30th May 1996. My life is ruined plz help me, it was my dad,brother, sister who pushed me into the dungeon and my husband and his family took over the charge of torturing me. Nazneen

I want to go back in time and tell my 5 year old self to burn the creepy dolls that my mom bought cause there is demons in it at the same time I will kidnap and torture my dad right now go back in time and show the younger version of my dad show him what will happen to his future self if he don’t get rid of those possessed objects and keeps letting my mom buy those antiques I’m 18 now I’m single no girlfriend no friend alone nothing very depressed too and I try to remember the positive things that happened in my life which there aren’t many tho but the demons keep squeezing my memory brain and my mom keeps on making so much loud noise including her damn mouth I have attempted to burn the demonic dolls but I only burned them for a minute or two with gas cause I was worried I might accidentally set my whole neighborhood on fire but then my mom threw it all in the recycle instead of the trash so the demons just keep bothering me its driving me nuts he he.

Access to a Quantum Computer Network on the web would be a good start. A series of ChatBots and webhook sites strategically placed in not only space, but in time. A series of algorithms and I think information can be transferred backwards to ones self…

How do we know that there are no horde of tourists among ourselves?

How do we know we’re all not tourists?

We’re all time travelers. We all travel into the future daily. 1 second at a time. Lol…

Agreed! I had the same thought!

Excellent question

If is possible, I would like to go back to: January the 1st 1975 & relive the 70’s as I prefer that decade to the awful one I am facing now, Back then We had more police our streets & left our front doors open, Those days were far much more better .

https://3netra.co.in/61-2/

Please do comment on my blog post regarding time travel

how about you ask the flash to help you

I need the time travel so I’m fails so many times i love time travel i have to go fast and future so i have no idea im travel is a my dream so my dream solution plz say me i have time travel so please help me someone please…..

I think you are over reacting

When we look at the stars now it is what they looked like years ago so what if we go to the stars and look down?

You cant go to the stars. It will just take billions and billions of years to go even to the next nearest star than our Sun- proxima centuri. Sorry to say, but do you think that you will be alive all those years??

You can do that without going to the stars… our planet reflects light as well thus making it visible from other parts of the universe…. has the word “reflection” crossed your mind ? 😉

Contact me on my hangout I will help you [email protected]

bro just time travel its not that hard

Please help me to time travel, can I see myself when I go back in time like Harmaini sees herself in Harry potter?? Or can I send messages to myself I know the particular date when to send. It’s not the mistake I had done in my past but it was done by my father and brother who are safe, happy enjoying their lives,my life is totally ruined Please help me. Nazneen

I want to go back in time to save my wife .it was a bad mastake she died .that could be changed i need to go back and save her. Please help me.yours gordon sutcliffe

Would love to hear more how it’s possible, as I am really so desperate to go back in time. I lost my wife 6mons back because of COVID and I will do the impossible things to make it happen.

DMT Experience

what is that?

Dmt experience. Time travel, out of body and sometimes superhuman capabilities.

Jump into a black hole

We have to lose something(the past) to gain something(the future) in time travel.Time cannot be played with.Am I correct.

you need to have d e t e r m i n a t i o n

Time machine is possible

speeder than light LOL

speeder than light cuz if the light break it limits it will move backward in time

Don’t Just don’t disturb the past

I want to go back in time and see my dad. I miss him.

mee too raina I lost my father the day before you posted the comment 18th may, crap it hurts me so much. I would rather die to bring those moments back….

Everything is connected . Time isn’t real .

It is universe we travel to and not a time line in one universe

Ask trump….Mandela effect…. dmt 5th dimension

u need an X-WING starfighter and a lightsaber to fight the knights at past and a R2-B2 to track

The fact that no one has time travelled to the past is the proof that time travelling will NEVER exist.

Others have. Portals open most of the time. Example: Miami Fl. Magnetic Material gets bombarded by the sun. Which fractures and formed portals within that area. Ley lines can lead to the portals of travel within miami for just to start. One can laugh or wonder if. In my experience jumping for the better the word of it (Movie Jumper) can be done. You can either Teleport or Time Travel. Our sun open these portals everyday. The best time when Sun spots start to emerge. All that electrons traveling at light speed is enough to rupture our magnetic fields on Earth. You will return of course. Like water on a lake or an ocean time will corrects itself. Your inner clock is your ticket back home. With a little math,fourth dimensional thinking,a magnetic meter, the right location,history research and luck. You may get to expirence it. First clue….cold spots…it may not be a ghost.

Plz can you help me please help me you can save my life

I wish I could help you, I can sense your sufferings.

You need a bag of hyperlink modules to start, then nuclear beepbeep gatangas, when you have that come back here and I will tell you what you need next.

You need high voltage beepbeep gatangas and a large broonasic magnet of about 450 Gauss, come back here when you have these and I will tell you the rest.

you need an old fashioned police box

If you rotate the center of the earth in the opposite direction, then the whole earth can be moved back in time, on the other hand, if you move the center of the earth and change its position by separating it from the part of the earth, then you will be able to time correctly. Let’s reach the other side.

How I could time travel any time travel machines inverted

give audition in the flash series..

I think that to go back in time you’d to travel faster than the speed of light since time stops at the speed of light but if you wanted to go back to say mlk’s assassination you would need to go at least 10 times the speed of light

You don’t want to, the moment you wrote that message is a historical point in time.

When time travel is possible, you should d̵͔̮͉̣̯̳͌i̩͒̍̆͟ͅs͎̲̖͙̺ͬ̽̊͆͢r̖̹͆͂̚͘ê̛̫̪̱͇̘̩ͬg̖͉̤͚ͭͣ̊̌͜a̯̗͚̬͍̱̦͑͂͒͡ṟ̝ͦ͗͘d͋҉̪̖̥͔̟̟͚̻ ͎̬ͧ̔́i̧͚̫̻̇ͮͫ̆t̩̻͉̩̘̰̠̫̓̂̕ ̦̻̳̦̉͆̊̇̀i̴̗͍̞͙͇ͣ̈́mͦ̑ͦ̚͏͚̜̬̹̘̟̭m̱͕̻͇̮̠̰̼ͫ̌͆͡e̢͈̜̱ͩd̵̦͙͔̭̹̃̿̈̚ͅi̛̖̬͓͚̩̝̗ͯa̦͎̭̣̭̘͔͙̅̏́ṯ̴̟ͥ̀͗e̵͎̭͓̟͗ͨ̂͒l̼͕͕ͦͦ͜y̸͙̯̺̘͉ͣ,͈̻͙̭̺̘̞̑ͫ͜ ͔̗̣͒͜d̶͇͚͉̦̞̗͛̍o̞̮̻̲̜̠̒ͩ̈́̀ͅ ̲̙̦̮̺̉́͂̏̀ṋ̞͖̌͠o̬͕̯̩͓̮̫̝͛ͩ̐͛͜t̼̙̿͊͆̕ ̲͚̲̬̦̗̐̀m̢̹̜̭̠̬͗̆ͣą̲̺̻͈̹͎̈́̇̉͛ǩ̜̪̱̀e̜̳͔͉̣͓̓͗͘ ̉҉̲̞̘͈ͅc̴̦̣̝͇͈̙̋ͥ́o̫͇͇̘̻̠̹͎ͯ̀n̺̹̣̦̔̇̾͢t͚̹͚̙̞̪̗̺̄͂͜a̞̗̖̻̩͉̋͛̆͘c͙̙̎͘t̻̠̣͉̹̠̣̲̐ͧͩ̈́̕ ̶͕̗̬̿w͓̞͍̹̰͖͉ͦ͐͡i͎̞̾ͦ̃̈́̕t̜̺̖̭̍ͦ͞h͙̰̬̖͎̰͛̇ͮͫ͡ ͣͯ͏͕̻͚̹̺ā̱̙̝̦̤̼̥͡n̶͔̜ͥ͆̌̋y̷͓̻̺̺͉͇̻ͨọ̱͙̜̈́̉ͣ̔͟ņ̦̟͔̜̫̗̒ͬe̡͕̮̓͂̚ ̡͓̘͚̭̹͔̉͐͋̽t̖͍͚̝̬͈̝͌͋͘ͅẖ̗̖͚̼͔͕͆̓̾͜a͈̣͍͕͍̋ͦͩͭ͢t̖̪̤̳͎̱̏͡ ̛̻̠̼̬̓ͫl̶̞̤̣͔̗͔̂ͅö̹̞̦̖͚̫̜̱́ͯ͠o̧̯̱̪̓ͮ̋k͉͎̝̻̓ͧ̕s̤͈̪̍͟ ̤̞̳͔̝̪̟̹̔̂ͨ͜h̛̝̲̰̻͗̅̏̃u̜̙͐̇̈͝m̧̞̮̟̦̳̟̊a̸͓̺̲̼̜͊͛̐n̶̳̮̒.͇̻͚͓̳̺̜̱͋ͬ͗ͩ͢

It’s Close I can feel it

Yes it becomes a history but my life also in the past changes and the present also with it. The way I’m suffering from the pain and want to end my life I’m 100% sure at least sure no one around me is or was as hopeless and horrible as my hubby I’m devastated I really want to send a message to my past it may not start but it will definitely change. I was forced, not given any option, my father and brother gave me wrong information and had no concerns for me. It was just survival for me. I repent for not killing myself when I had time, but now if I have a chance why not. Now when I’m out of my marriage I come to know a guy then had feelings for me, was madly in love and wanted to ask for my hand, now I want to inform my self and change everything plz help me.

I too would like to go back in time. I just wish he lived a happy eternal life. I would just like to repeat to come back in 2020.

I heard from a guy in Idaho that time travel is possible. You’ll need to go online and purchase a pogo stick looking device and make sure not to forget the crystals.

I think u need a black-hole-proof spaceship, go to the centre, escape the black hole and viola! You are now in the past. If you can’t escape, then you’d travel to a time where that black hole didn’t exist.

Believe me you time travel! If not physically then you do mentally,like you through dreams.

Though they sale it online, it would not take the chance. It is as simple as beating the speed of light and having some system to send you to the time you want. Time however is not real, and were just traving universes. It will all be in the open in 2028 according to other travelers.

All you need base on how to travel to time is very simple but had to find firstly find a way to get to space through a space rocket secondly find a very perfect consifigration for traveling to tiTme then find a very fast rocket that could create a form of force reaction in space in order yo enable fast speed in space for the break through of non gravity in space and make sure that while doing all you activities is not far away from planet and not also to close to planet earth and make sure that you are with wristwatchs whose time is set disame then you can to the future

Man you can get all you need for too build a time machine in your local store man, man I sure wished I’d kept mine but it frightened the heck off me man, sometimes when I fart I find a grape in my pants

time travel is a fake, baseless and delusional idea. If you believe in that crap then tell us if we are living in the future or in the past. To travel backward the entire system has to return all along with nature and events, it won’t be for you alone except time travel only happens in the mind.

you would need to get about 1,000,000 pounds of silicon and then somehow conduct enough energy to make 500 cars run without an engine and then go to a nuqular power plant and somehow make a portal. but the whole world could go out of orbit if you do that so I wouldent sugest it.

Time machine is good and bad because,with the time machine you will know about your future which is not good.

Is time travel actually a real thing because if it is then I need it because I am trying to go back in time to fix all of my mistakes

So what if time travel is the reason that we now believe there are other realities in our own world.this could be that a Time traveler we could only go back and couldn’t come back, and on doing so if you do something to change the past in stead make a new reality.making other things are deferent and ours realty stays the same . sometimes reality gets mixed up make the mandela effect that we see today

Time in the future it is faster then now. The past is slower so you can travel . It is up to you. One way is to meditate. You can travel and see any body you want right now. You can fly faster then light. That is one way. You go to the future. To go to the past you sleep for a long time. Some time you go to the future or the past. Your heart well stop and your body gets cold. Sometimes you can control it sometimes you can’t.

but how do we know that is really true ? i mean i want to figure this out, i want to time travel, but how is it that simple ? so many people have been trying to figure this out for many years and its that simple ?

Yeah what if you get stuck in there what do you do than

You cant go there in the first place. Dont worry. With current technology, we will only end up messing some few microseconds. Highly doubtful, if we can end up getting the news of travelling hundreds of years in our lifetime.

wait what would happen if someone saw you while you where in past/future i’m curious

Time is an illusion based on perceived reality and is only relative to our limitations. Time isn’t what it seems and all things can’t be figured out

Im on a school computer looking this up and i found this article and scrolling trough it and ive not heard one statement here as good as yours bro

This is blowing my mind people, then I see the school boy on the post. Great stuff, whoever reads this is already capable of travelling through time. Think about all people who have posted on this thread, now think about who will read mine. Now think of those €opposite trolls $ who never ever bother posting on you tube thread etc. But ONE comment from one of the time travellers who wrote on this thread. So that opposite troll is me,I don’t normally post.however because of previous comments I’m posting here. And I love the DMT shit I loved that and lived that one out in real life,,,,another day.

So my point is ifOne or two threads have made me write this….then what will my post make others write , think…..then I could travel back and not write this…. then what. Love the conception of time how can u travel something that doesn’t YOU perceive to be time, like a train can only run on its train tracks, a car can only drive on a road etc It’s posibble I know it is. Sometimes when u have fun times moves swift but locked in jail it goes snail pace. U c me. I write letters to myself from past from future. Remember everything that happens in present becomes part the past. But the future is what you hold in your hands. Question is, now you know….what the f are u gonna do about it?.. 01/04 ==== 21

Hahahah only realised school boy is named BIG dick pissing myself laughing I gotta go pee. Respect certified

so not halal mode

True so were not traveling in time. It is just different universe (on what we call) different time, day, tears, etc.

You would be scared for life

you will desepear

Maybe it has happened before and we just don’t know that they’re from the future. If people in the future time traveled, the would know that it’s dangerous to mess with the past and would pretend to be part of the past.

I believe time travel is already possible, however we cannot fix past mistakes without altering future predicaments. Say we stop JFK’s assasination, that would completely change the future from that point forward to one none of us can know/guess or conclude the effects? Other time travel purposes go to the future I think that from now our world will die off before 2096 basdd on overpopulation, global warming & polution as such creating islands of plastic waste in our oceans. The best thing my opinion go back to the garden of Eden, kill that Serpent Satan before he tricks Eve into the forbidden fruit. Then let God raise, enlighten & teach us how to be humanly sustainable on his planet & I guarantee technology & smart phones? Ain’t no part of it!!

Time travel possible but one n only theory of Stephen hawking

How it is possible to jump in time …??

Many ways. The most used is creating a black hole which can be done in a few ways. 1) traveling forwards or backwords faster than the speed of light 2) been known during heavy lightning strikes. Each way is a fast movement that opens the black hole. It has been done by the Government since the 1980s though they claimed they never beet the speed of light until 2002. However, Time is a illusion and their for we are actually traveling different universe that are differnt than ours even if the difference is by 1 thing. Each universe may have (what we call) different time, days and years. And each time we change that time line we created a new one. It is belief as CERN has said they destroy 5 universe, that they can travel to them. Since 2012 it has seem we been shifting and is now belief they have possibly came together. The event is known as The Mandela Effect.

No one has the right theory in my thinking. Only a few things are wrong. It is universes with (what we call) different time, days and years we are traveling to and not time itself as it is a illusion. Their is no stop to how much we can do, or where we can go. No limit as such say.

There is no God. No magical serpent or Garden of Eden ever existed. Basing a scientific theory on archaic stories does no one any good.

You choose a hopeless eternity. I choose hope through the promise of salvation through Christ for those who believe. You see, I have child in heaven. Thankfully, have a hopeful reality that I can embrace. There is a God. Our known universe is only 14 or so billion years old… is it mathematically possible that random molecules out of the Big Bang mixed in just the right way from to form a complex cellular organism… with DNA… and result in humans and such diversity of life forms? It’s naive to accept this as a result of chance. Think about it. How is that remotely possible without a creator?

Hahaha. You make it seem as tho the big bang happened, and we just popped into existence? Naw it’s called evolution baby, we started out as microscopic organisms, seriously, when did you drop out of school? But that’s like saying a some guy writes a book to explain away natural phenomenons that they were to stupid (un-evolved) to grasp and the concept good and bad and the eternal damnation, And thus, the Bible, and boom, everyone now was made by God, hahaha. When you can prove he/she exists, and that the Bible was a autobiography, and not just some twisted piece of Fiction, that has no real basis in reality, and cannot be proved to be more that a work of Fiction. Rather than being used as the16th Century control tact, ‘be good or you’ll go to hell’. But I guess that’s what they mean when they say ignorance is bliss, (maybe if I was as ignorant as y’all believers I’d believe to). But I can’t see how a ‘GOD’ would ever ask one of its creations to kill another.. Genocide, Crusades, all the ethnic cleansing.. All In the name of God Almighty! Hahahahahhaaa. Aliens are more believable than this shit, and theirs no proof they exist either. Hahahahaha. Fug’n Bible thumpers. ‘Step out side your faith and see the world for what it really is, a complex organism, mad of gravity and dust, quite a unique specimen! And we, yes Bible bangers, this includes you, are destroying it like the bubonic plague.’. ‘The end is coming and it’s our fault’

Have you taken the time to read The Old Testament and the prophecies therein that came to be ?.

How do you explain that ?.

My last post should read GS not G

You have not had an encounter yet with God. Don’t be so certain on yuour theory of evolution. He came and shook my reality to it’s core. Made thing possibly that no one could ever explain.

What are you talking about? Ur so wrong and funny in every way.

BlissfullyInformed just told me his comment was all an April fools prank. He believes in Jesus and was just fooling.

Time travel is very much possible just as you decided to come existence in this century meaning one can decide to be in another time zone . life is all about numbers, you just have to work on numbers

I’m pretty sure ppl don’t decide to come into existence. If that were true I wouldn’t be replying to your comment.

Un like your other reply, I understand what you mean. Each timeline (or universe as some see it) can easily be traveled to at will. No different than traveling threw your time you want to visit.

Science has proven a few things from the Bible is true. God does exist. Christians are confused with time and what it says. For a example. God created the world, as science even belives it was God who created the big bang, yet the bang has happen itself creating the moon, planets and stars. Christians also fail to understand chapter 1 and 2 of gen. spoke of two different creations which can be why we see dinosaurs before humans as chapter 1 spoke of animals first and humans 2nd. Their also was different time than, as without the moon a full day is 6 hours. It would take 4 days back than to equal are 1 day. Time is lost and Christians are just confuse on that time. That does not proof their is no God. As they have already found the robes of Jesus and remains of Noah’s ark, it proves much did happen. The bible only has less than 50% of what was written.

Changing the past is impossible, because if we went back into the past, that means we were already there during the time you experienced it.

We all know how to get into time travel but how do we get out……..

You don’t need time travel – all you need is life. And what is life? Life is the evolution of the impossible into the inevitable over an infinite amount of time.

if it is shown that if something, such as a solution to a particular class of equations, were possible, then two mutually contradictory things would be true, such as a number being both even and odd. The contradiction implies that the original premise is impossible.

This is called proof by impossibility. Thus if some traveled back in time far enough to kill his grandfather, we have the contradiction and therefore it is impossible.

You could argue that he would be able to time travel, but not kill his grandfather. However almost anything a person does going back in time would cause the same contradiction, thererfore it is the traveling back in time that is impossible.

Actually, it probably is possible to travel back in time, however to do so, you would also have to travel so far in space that you cannot see anything that happened before your current time due to the speed of light, because this to could affect the future.

The reason I am here is that, i really want to go back the day when our matriculation exam was just finished. Everything around me is peaceful and happy. Currently, I am living in dire situation. People are dying outside on the streets. Smokes everywhere. Everything is in doom. Ah, yeah. I really miss my past. If you are reading this, you can judge me in anyways. I just want to live peacefully and happily.

You must live in Portland

I entirely know what you say and how you feel, Robin. I am totally convinced that future is no promise to offer a better place to live. World is becoming unnecessarily more complex and more horrible and more insecure. Therefore, travelling back in time to a point where things were still far away from such ordeals is what I aspire. But I think if it is possible to travel back in time without the possibility of carrying our lived experiences with us, it will be useless as we will be repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Now, this begs the questions “in what type of physique could we imagine ourselves back there if such time travel becomes possible? That is, becoming younger again in a physical regression (as I said this would be a torture without having learned from all these later years)? Or appearing at our desired times in our present physique and age? I believe the most ideal one would be if we appeared at our desired point in time at the same age that we were at that point of time with a good feeling of our later lived experiences.

Mam all u need to do is just run faster as much as u can or visit the black hole because in both condition time just slow it down ….

Time travel is simple. If you do happen to travel to the past you create a new time line not affecting the time line you left. In essence you going to the past is now your future. Even if you were able to return you may never know if you remained in your time-line or created a new one. So even if you changed something in your travels it would happen in the future not the past.

Sorry time traveling is not possible, there is no way you can go into the past or the future ‍♂️. You can only be in the time you are already in.

Incorrect. General relativity allows time travel into the future. You need a space ship that can travel extremely fast though, approaching the speed of light, or you need to get close to a supermassive black hole.

It is travel into the past that there is no known practical way to do, and is probably impossible.

So what happens when we Die? Where do we go? I want to go back in time so I can meet my childhood friends…

Simple question from a simple mind:

At what point, when a person says they are from the future, do we stop throwing them in the funny farm and actually start listening??

When they show actual proof. Not just some random prediction of the future.

I don’t believe that “glimpses into the future” could be possible. If it were so, we could glimpse blueprints of the future that we could bring back to the present and build before they were invented. My personal.beleif is in any time frame there is only one active time which is the present. The past no longer exists and the future hasn’t occurred yet, so there is no such thing as ‘time travel’ except for the frame we are in now.

First off time is not real we make time if you travel anywhere all you are doing is beating the Earth speed try this for a mathematical equation the Earth travels a thousand miles per hour you’re not beating human time that is your own equation the Earth travels a thousand miles per hour a space shuttle travel 17,000 mph you can beat time that you made so time is not real you are only beating the Earth speed if you go in a space shuttle and go around the earth 17,000 miles per hour the Earth only travels a thousand miles per hour plus it has all types of gravitational pull from the Moon Earth’s access on the til t you figure out the mathematical equation I cannot time travel is real if you can beat the Earth speed and we can it has nothing to do with its 12:00 it’s 1:00 that’s not real time is made up as a mathematical equation you can beat the Earth speed you can go back into the Earth’s time in a space shuttle but you’re not beating anything except the Earth’s speed think about that one time is not real at all all it is is a mathematical equation think about that one real long

What I’m trying to say is this a space shuttle travel 17,000 mph the Earth travels a thousand you beat it 16 times faster that’s all you did you’re not beating any time you’re not beating 1:00 you’re not beating 3:00 all you’re doing is beating the Earth’s time you can go in reverse around the Earth 17,000 mph okay you can go forward with the Earth’s centrifugal force 17,000 miles per hour you’re not beating anything you’re beating a mathematically equation that we we created astronauts been traveling time for instance for years and haven’t told us because of the space shuttle that does travel 17,000 mph it beats the Earth speed 16 times a boggles my mind you have the Earth access the moon gravitational pull but you can get in a space shuttle and travel 17,000 miles per hour and beat the Earth’s speed 17 times think about it

If any scientist or anybody can actually answer this question how do you set up this equation with the Earth spinning a thousand miles per hour you have the moon pulling gravity the Earth’s access on until I want to know tell me then wondering for a while this equation popped into my head about 2 years ago I’m not a math whiz or anything I just thought about it weird how the mind works I’m not into space or any space stuff at all I’m Samanthas boy friend John antos wrote this

I liked your post and the knowledge you given. I also written a post on Time Travel.

how would any of that stuff be true because e’*34+Em would stop all the forss of vissecs and how would we do it if you now what i mean??? also thanks for the scuff for my project

I would love it if I had a real life time machine here with me now which could take me to anytime I want, the past, present or future. If I had a time machine here with me now, I would go to the past in September 2004 when I was born and give myself to another family that is actually rich and not this horrible family that I have now.

that not nice

Close but not quite right scientists of the idiotic variety, yes, you don’t want people to travel back in time to mess with their own pasts, of course, but you say it’s impossible, but it’s not, and I’m always ignored with my crazed crackpot theories, so what’s the harm in telling the truth as I see it, while it could be possible to travel to the past, here in lies the problem with rewriting the future, while some believe it’s possible to travel back in time, but it’s very expensive and definitely a one-way trip to the future or to the past. Basically Doc Brown got the mechanism for time travel almost right but the energy out put needs to be quadrupled instead, allowing for the ‘physical item, being or vehicle’ to transport through time without killing the time traveler in question. Wormholes are unpredictable, until warp speed for spaceships are a thing, it is not possible for the space ships to achieve time travel, unless they want to enter a black hole, which I would not recommend. as you need warp speed to survive the emptiness of the black hole, without being ripped to shreds. Say for example, Back to the future 1, the timeline doesn’t erase it continues on without the ‘said time traveler’ in existence basically the Marty from Wimpy George’s timeline did time travel to the past and messed with his parent’s meeting so to speak, but never return to the same timeline therefore Marty A went known as a Missing Child in timeline A, while it continues on without him, however Marty A became Marty B/C, in the Successful George Timeline. So that is what I’m talking about. the timeline changes only for the time traveler themselves the ones who are left behind don’t experience a thing of timeline rewritten-ism, as it would never happen in the first place. The other thing is if you want to mess with your own childhood, to make a better life for the past self, the key thing to remember it’s not really you. It’s an alternative version of you, that you interfered with. creating a parallel timeline to it’s original, yet slightly different. Yes it would be awkward to raise yourself. but as long as you are staying in the past, nothing should happen until the age you traveled back in time, unless of course you touched your past self and suddenly de-aged and merged with your past self, is an option 1, option 2 the future self explodes spreading guts all over the place and therefore the past self, of you became a murderer of your future self, I am more inclined to believe option 1 as option 2 seems a little too out there. Basically you would have two memories one of the former timeline and one of the current different timeline. Still traveling through time is truly a one way trip and if you want to travel through time, you would need some time travel mechanism, the way you scientist talk is basically a dream version, or an OBE version (OUT-OF-BODY-EXPERIENCE) which is basically a vivid/lucid dream which is not true time travel, the true time travel is based on the BTTF Trilogy not the idiotic versions you preach about. I believe I’ve said enough.

Mystery solved and I will explain, I was in a coma 3 months and I experienced things, I traveled time forward and backward, it is not a one way ticket. Movies and songs are recorded on magnetic tape in a VCR tape Cartridge or Cassette tape, Magnetic tape recording works by converting electrical signals into magnetic energy, which imprints a record of the signal onto a moving tape covered in magnetic particles. 3D life on earth(a movie), and the Magnetosphere all around earth coming from the core of earth(MAGNETIC ACTIVITY) without Atom Made Tape, is like a movie on magnetic Atom made tape in a VCR tape cartridge. Revolution and Rotation is the motor(VCR).

This is why people have those freaky Deji’vu feelings like they have lived this before, BECAUSE YOU HAVE, and how people can be psychic, and how there is Prophecy in the Bible. When a person dies, their Spirit- MIND(Thoughts, Feelings, Urges(Physical and mental personality)) breaks out of human body- a stopped heart is what releases the spirit from the human body. Then the Soul(Life) with the memory of your existence in it breaks out of spirit and goes back to your birthday with a erased memory, meanwhile your spirit goes back in time to when you were a teenager starting the mental puberty, maturity from that adult spirit you died with in last life.In that old movie Star Wars or maybe it was the Empire Strikes Back, there is a scene where Princess Laya plays like a 3D movie, that is EXACTLY how its of life on earth.

If only wish I could undo everything what I’ve done wrong in the past, I’d be more happier

And that my friend is absolutely what you do not or would not know. Everyone focuses on what they don’t or haven’t had rather than what positives they do have around them. To change the ingredients of a past life only changes the flavour you have in this life, it does not make you happier.

No, travel to the future is not possible. Like, future is unpredictable and always have been so give up on that field

Already has been, and has been proven.

Time travel is not so possible for every one , but there are already time travelers on earth #@*

Who are these time travelers?

Depends if it is the Governments (they done it since the 80s), or if it was a Accidental travel, or a simple us creating our own machine. Either way, one can easily find storys, and other evidence with a good research. I have a website that shows the effects of change cause by time travel.

They are out their (done by the government since the 80s) but the future is open with time travel (told its open since 2028) so they travel back much.

Time travel 101-

Create a closed loop circuit around a full metal structure, hermetically seal it and bring O2, Use two tesla coils to create north and south poles. (Artificial Magneto sphere.) Make sure to pain the outside in lead to prevent any cosmic rays from penetrating the materials on the inside. (Radiation = bad). Connect a ball made of w/e with wires that alternate the current from the coils to w/e panel on the outside of the structure to make it move via inductive magnetic / electric Lorentzo (Lorentzo = ExMfield = Velocity. = Antigravity) Create Antigravity by using forces from the inside reactor. (Pressurized Mercury, and Tesla Turbine.) Then Move 10-100x faster than light depending on the charged field, Friction will be added to the electric field instead of the craft allowing the G-forces not to crush you inside. The field will take the pressures of outer space, The temperature of space will allow for super conductivity of the structure.

Eventually you will arrive in the future, if you stay in one place. but account for the movement of earth in your travel log. To see outside you will need a monitor / camera system, as any leaks through a viewing area will cause death by radiation from the cosmic rays from the field you have created.

The O2 can be used as a backup generator, through air pressure and the tesla turbine.

There are many different ways to make wormholes, but the curvature of space is really hard to calculate to send a machine far out to the end and create a link with the machine that wants to travel there. And leaving one behind to get back.

If you can imagine it, it can be done. You just need the knowledge of not dying to complete it.

U.S.S. Tourist, You’re a time traveler or just insanely smart.

You don’t need to go the speed of light. Human Time is recorded in the magnetospere as a movie is record, ed on magnet VCR Tape or a song on a record. A VCR or record does not have to go light speed to retrieve the recorded info. All of life is recorded in 3D by our Magnetosphere. My Analogy is imagine a VCR tape cartridge being the earth, imagine life on earth being the movie but in 3D with out adom made tape, imagine Rotation and Revolution of Earth being the VCR putting all in to motion- playing. That is how its done, the magnetosphere kills two birds with one stone, it protects earth and records time, human time is in a magnetic bubble that is why the Bible refers our time is different from gods time and this is how God the maker(PLANET OF UNITED SUPREME BEINGS) can flip through our time to know everything. By the way long before life on earth, he built the original 7 wonders of world(Pyramids) to Pump the Seven gasses into the atmosphere of this planet found in the goldilocks zone, so Life can live on it, and that life of all types is his technological cyborgs that grow and multiply on earth also he seeded it with plant, trees, sea creature and things that fly,. Anyway that above is how time is recorded.

Until recently, I thought my neighbor was a crackpot until he actually invented a time machine. He utilized an ordinary closet, and showed me the sophisticated (to me) instrumentation he had installed. I was very skeptical at first, until he offered a small demonstration and entered the time coordinates and energized his invention. To my amazement, when I opened the door, the clock on the wall was 30 minutes later than when we stepped into the machine. OMG!!! Destroy this thing before it destroys us!!!.

So happy to have my husband back after 6 months of separation. get any kind of relationship/marriage help you want from….Robinsonbuckler11 @gmail com………………………

I find it odd that people say time travel isn’t possible yet… If time travel is possible, it has always existed. Meaning, there is not past present it future, only our perception of time. What we know as past present and future have always been occurring simultaneously, so travel was invited the moment the universe wss formed. Dinosaurs are roaming the earth right now, and forever. A version of me is typing this and has always been typing this, within this perceived moment of “time” and time travel has always happened, whether or not we exist in that reality at the right “time” to observe time travel is the only question.

I find it odd that people say time travel isn’t possible yet… If time travel is possible, it has always existed. Meaning, there is no past present or future, only our perception of time. What we know as past present and future have always been occurring simultaneously, so travel was invited the moment the universe was formed. Dinosaurs are roaming the earth right now, and forever. A version of me is typing this has always been typing this, within this perceived moment of “time” and time travel has always happened, whether or not we exist in that reality at the right “time” to observe time travel is the only question.

Their had to be one point however, when it was created and started, and for that, there was nothing but the current time. Once it was created, than we had a pass, present and future to which we can go back to millions of years to see Adam and Eve with the dinosaurs or go millions of years in the future. However, given the events that changes, each time a new time line has been created. We also have destroyed the planet and repopulated many times in the last million years. Each event changed, or something we do different (without traveling) enters a new universe where some things may be different or the same. Today are universe are shifting a lot.

To be fair, even if it is a one way trip into the past, that doesn’t stop machines going back. We could send a machine back and order it to do anything we want and then tell it to meet us at a certain time in the future. We send it back, then go straight to the meeting point we agreed and then we’ll be able to prove if it worked or not.

I’m a girl who has read a book about seeing future through a box. So is it actually possible?

Time travel has been done on purpose by the Government since the late 1980s. From research, the mostly use kids, or future Presidents. Their are some cases where people have been struck by lightning or came across some tragically event that cause them to leave their timeline either forward or behind in time. The Mandela Effect is the current cause of how things go wrong when time travel is not done right. Click on my name to see the website.

Even as traveling to a location as a future or pass date is possible as what people here mean. However, as you said, it is numbers. Time is a illusion and we do not travel threw time, just universe that are different than ours. What we call time dates and months is what changes each universe. We are all from different universes today as they came together. The mandela effect is a fine example.

thx to eleon wont we soon be able to digitize our conscious being, then accelerate that data pass the speed of light some how then download it into some android or something…..i dunno…..just a thought

I want to go to my elementary school again. Someone help me out, I know its Idiotic but stil.. I am not good at science. As far I understood, 1) we can trace through time if we travel fast than speed of light.. I think memory os the only thing that is faster than light, Yeah I can go to Paris within 1 sec in my memory but yeah its illustion, i want in real 2) Through Blackhole – I think its Bermuda triangle

if you travel back in time you will still be your age now. That is how it worked with others. No one gets younger otherwise traveling to far back would kill you. No school would let you return to school as a adult so not possible.

Plz help me I just want to send a message to myself in my past and save my self from a beast plz help Nazneen

Would love to experience many moments in life again for the first time again!

I think that time traveling should be left alone, for the sake of humanity. There are some things we’re not ready for yet.

Well stephen hawking may be wrong. I mean, the study proved that the universe self corrects itself to prevent inaccuracies. So maybe tourists from past do visit us but we don’t remember them as the universe alters our memory. If you guys have read about Butterfly Effect, a simple mistake today may grow through years to become a giant disaster in future so if you think of it, oncoming tourists from future may cause giant inaccuracies. Imagine this, You have travelled to past. You brought two cakes for yourself, so you pay the shopkeeper 20$. The shopkeeper invests the 20$ in stocks, strikes gold there and becomes a rich businessman.His daughter goes to Cambridge and marries someone else than the person she was supposed to marry according to time. Can you imagine the magnitude of inaccuracy after 100 years? Therefore, whatever the tourists from future do, is corrected by the universe and we don’t remember it. Creepy, but food for thought.It also adds a special meaning to the word ‘Fate’.

How much wacky terbacky (i.e. weed) you be smokin’ JOE JOE?

Hmmmm…. As brilliant of a mind as Stephen Hawkins was, how is he so sure that he would even recognize hordes of tourists from the future? Almost everyone is aware of the warning of the Butterfly Effect. So I’m sure any future visitors Intelligent enough for Past-Time travel would be amply attuned to this.

Most future people coming to the pass (our time) seems careless and not intelligent. Most are taking FBI lie detector test and telling us what is happening in the future. That is a bad idea, because if you tell us (example) who is the next President, and the Government does not like the person they than can change that event to let someone else in (as seen in 2020) One should never acknowledge who he or she is or why they are their. Most traveling is to get knowing of the pass or to pick up certain things. Since are pass is changing, events are changing and are timelines are messed up, someone made a mistake. The Mandela Effect is a fine example.

Wow that’s great plz help me go to my past plz,I can’t do it by my own at least help me send a msg to myself in my past Nazneen

I think it is possible, but time traveling is really just changing universe created by different time lines. Our whole solar system is in a whole different place now and Earth is much smaller in this universe from the one I grew up end. Someone has already changed the timeline.

Roads? Where we’re going, you don’t need roads!

Youre wrong about your measurement of speed for traveling, in order for time to slow down, with inside an object compared to outside. Scientists proved that time with inside an object at an excelorated speed actually appeared to have slown down during the duration of time for the test. The speed was far less then the terminal speed of a rocket for NASA at 256,000 kms p/h.

In to the volicity of space. Generating a vacuum of space, could be no different the the actual transport of matter over frequency where in fact matter can be carried by sound. It is believed that an alien civilization harnessed this energy in the form of bolisks that where believed to carry the same properities and in consideration of harmonic resinance, the simularities could be used in order to carry large weight. In accordance with a documentry on theoretical science.

However the properties, present the fact that a working property controdicts your counter intuative theory of gravitational deceloration of matter to colide within itself to absorb all things into non existance as to the transfer of matter into energy, rather then your idiolisms of transfer between dimentional space to another destination that is not linked or the transfer between time that isnt, either.

However to reproduce the fabric of time within space in a practical measurement as I have mentioned, would put an end to all the lunacy of an unmeasureable field, which people fail to identify. Like running into a glass window. Only to not know what forcefield is present.

Time travel into the past can be achieved simply going faster than the speed of light.

The closer you get to the speed of light the slower time goes

If you reach the speed of light time stops

If you go faster than the speed of light it starts to reverse

Why does no one seem to know this?

Christopher Reeves did this in Superman 3 brah.

Any time travel, pass and future, is by going faster than the speed of light. It is said by reversing that that you can go back in time. However, I assume since the Government has done this since the 80s they have better ways (maybe tying in a date) and not having to go to a unknown date.

I want to send a message to myself in the past on a particular date plz can you help me, this means a lot lot lot to me,plz help me Nazneen

Why don’t we drop the declaratory statements that it “is or isn’t possible!” Until someone actually does so. Just say “maybe”.

People have and their are records both to the pass and future. The Government has done it since the 80s as part of the “star wars project” and are much better at it today. This explains the black holes in the sky of 2019, and the CERN destroying 5 parallel universes in 2013. We also see changes because of time travel events changing time. The Mandela Effect is a find example.

I want to send a msg to myself and my family in the past ,is it possible plz help me my life will be saved one who helps me saves me and my kids from a pack of beasts,

The worst idea ever. We all want to do this and where does it stop. A lottery win does not sound bad if you knew the actual location, time and place. After a while though, would you not want to write that hit song, become the author of the Harry Potter books, stop 9/11? The idea of giving your pass self (a time time travel was not proven) information of the future could change things in a major way. This would cause one small thing to change creating many others to change. This has already happen in simple ways of the The Berenstein Bears changing to The Berenstain Bears. This is a small event but this event “The Mandela Effect” now has over 3,000 changes.

What if you decided to give your pass self information about a lottery ticket that would be a winner, bought late at night and he was hit by a car on the way to get it. Changes the whole future. However, If detailed right, done right, with no large changes, it may not effect much, but to know your being given info from yourself in a future time (when that was not known much or provrn back than) You would either assume it is a joke or you gone crazy.

I don’t want to win a lottery, my decision about my career and studying was right but my family and their cruelty has put me into this worst condition I just want to go back complete my studies and live a life like a human not like a animal or slave,help me plz Nazneen

Can someone take me to 2013? i can pay later to all of you in bitcoins so its a win win and you dont need to do anything, just wait

LOL but still complicating on my side

You travel in your dreams where time and space colloids ..That’s y sometimes the dream which you dreamt might be a 10 mins reel time but you felt dreaming whole time like 6 to 8hrs .. Probably even traveling to parallel universe

I agree. Dreams as we know it is not a simple sleep. The part of the brain we do not use while awake, we use at night. This is the phenomenon part of the brain that can do thing we feel a human can not do. We of course use less than 30% of our brain. By the use of 100% of the brain we would use both sides and be able to do common things such as read thoughts, move things without touching them etc. The idea of using this side of the brain, would be the theory we can leave our bodies and visit different universe, see what could of happen shall we done something different, and even see future events. This may be why we notice different memories to some things as we could of held some from another reality.

It would be very weird, however, if we were trapped in that universe, or another body and fail to return to ours. Is that how people die in their sleep?

i just fell like going to late 70’s, where i can see majority of family.. i am willing to trade life for it…..

Time travel to the pass is just as common as the future. However, as both has been done it is NOT travel threw time. Time is a illusion we created. We are actually traveling threw different universe with (what we call) different time, dates, years, etc. The Mandela Effect is a find example how traveling threw different reality’s change the time lines.

As a add on to the above, Time travel is not a theory, has been proven, and has been done by the Government since the 1980s. Their is many residue in our history to even show some time travel storys to be real.

Where can one get a reverse watch, is it really possible to go back in past with its help, is it sooo easy ,plz help me ??????? Nazneen

US20060073976A1- search this patent number,this describes the process for time travelling,I really don’t think magnetic energy will work,maybe heat focused on a specific point could expand the fabric of space and make a hole in it.even then I will the hole take you to another time.it would be one thing to time travel but selecting a point in time would be impossible.you could only travel to the time you device was built?

Is there a watch which back travels in time or reverse time watch? Is it true? How to get one? But with that how can I send a message to myself in my past, plz help Nazneen

I don’t believe such a watch exist and their are plenty of smart minds with huge funds trying to travel.right now there are only theories.

Thank you very much for your response. I just want to send a message to myself in my past. Nothing much will be changed but 3 literally dying devastating lives will be saved. We are suffering for the mistakes and egoistic arrogance of others so if possible plz help me

Traveling back in time isn’t just a when problem, it’s a *where* problem. Where was the place you’re standing right now a thousand years ago, or a thousandth of a second ago? There is no useful answer to those questions, so there’s nowhere to travel back in time to.

Traveling forward in time? You’re doing it now.

when you step through a door is time lost when you come back through? lets say you return days Later how much time did you loose. what exactly is Time,.? is dialation a safe way to return ,. a Blackhole will assist you in in travel, the question is will you arrive safe,.

Traveling back in time is impossible. 2 reasons why that are never taken into account.

A) The stuff you are made of ( subatomic material) is being used by something else. It I not like you are a facsimile of the already existing material. What you are made of is exactly the same existing material. The problem is exact stuff can not exist in 2 different places in the same point in time. You will either : Decompile or fall out of phase with the universe. Both bad outcomes for the time traveler.

B) Lets look at it from logical commonsense. You have a bar of gold . You intend to send the bar back 1 second in time. Now you have 2 bars of gold . You send those 2 bars back one second . You have 4 bars …… do that 50 times . You have over 900 trillion bars of gold. All made of the exact subatomic particles. The more the bars back the more the existing mass of the universe increase. What are the consequences of changing the mass of the universe . Hence the paradox . Information can not be destroyed., It also can not be created.

At least this is the way my brain perceives going back in time.

Time is a function of change. None of the 4 forces The strong force , The weak force , Electromagnetism and Gravity can not work without time.

I will figure out time travel one day but only for the past.

I wish I could travel back to 18th of June to save my mom.

Is time travel really a one way ticket? Theoretically, if you can go one way, you should be able to go back.

Time is not one way. It’s consequences are however irreparable given certain circumstances and is not something that should be taken lightly or thought of in a manner of disregard. I’ve only very recently decided to take to your social platforms regarding space and time.

You can try finding me on Instagram. I’m not familiar with these platforms to better direct you there. My Instagram name is johnrvh

On Twitter it seems to be @_JohnRvH

If I go forward I will have to pay extra bills and taxes. I don’t think I can afford it.

You’re the first person I’ve come across in this timeline that has a sense of humor. Thankfully, going forward is not possible if that future hasn’t been created yet.

timetraval is no joke if its created the whole universe could go out of orbit.

Cauchy problem converging to non minimal terraces as t → +∞

Stephen Hawking may he rest in peace a genius but not all knowing. As far as he knows we haven’t been flocked by tourists, in the same maybe these UFO sightings are actually time travelers from the future coming to the past to view how we really lived why things really happened the way they did, etc. To limit the imagination of possible and impossible is wrong then you create fantasy. And we have learned from history that there is truth in fantasy. I.e. the different mythos of the different ancient cultures from around the world including those of the Norse. Improbable and probable should be more appropriate. It’s possible because it can be imagined improbable die to the right math or this or that not existing or matching up. I also believe that if time travel to the past were possible that the changing of something in the past would create a new timeline running current with your timeline at which will inevitably collide and will cause the collapse of the universe at which point a new universe will be born.

so i think the speed of light is only relative to deciding a point of destination -initially- as specific gravity of destination needs to be ascertained to calculate the frequency needed to run an alcubierre-white engine to bend space correctly to cross space ‘quickly’, the point of reference may well be jupiter in our solar system for the fact of the moons that orbit it, i surmise that by using a ‘dead end ‘ equation that usually puts notable mathematicians into the outer regions by trying to solve it may actually be the key as calculations end in a loop of 4-2-1 ie 3N+1; this process of calculation creates a sine wave over time/distance relative to specific gravity of chosen destination – as time is determined by gravity therefore if the speed of light to a destination can be used to ascertain the specific gravity of a ‘body’ to visit ie a star or sun due to receivable resonant frequencies emitted by the body, then the constrictions of the speed of light do not exist other than to give a constant, by using the 3N+1 method of calculation ,once the speed of light and returning resonant frequencies of a destination are determined the calculation can be extrapolated to match the distance giving the end point -in doing this the sine wave required can be ascertained and be condensed to create a wormhole and allow the alcubierre-white engine to ‘bend or distort space enough so that the bubble you are in matches the required specific gravity of the destination – the frequency of the body nearest to the destination point should be used and resonated inside the bubble to create synchronicity of frequency and cause attraction i also believe that travelling through space require the ability to see things from different perspectives and it requires the ability to navigate through a series of what may be described as “Aims Windows” where your point of view needs to change inherently with a given position at a given point in the galaxy

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Is time travel really possible?

Can we only travel forward in time, or is the reverse at least theoretically possible?

Marcus Chown

The question as to whether time travel is actually possible is one of the most enduring in science.

Imagine if we could go back in time, visit key moments in history, perhaps even prevent certain disasters from happening.

Or we could travel far into the future and see what ultimately becomes of the human race.

For some, these concepts are a dream come true, while others might believe that even if time travel is really possible, the past and future should be left alone.

• Is teleportation possible?

Why do we only travel forward in time?

But I suppose if we think about it, we do appear to travel in time, as we live from day to day.

Which begs the question: if time is one of the four dimensions of the Universe, why can we only travel forward in time?

It’s true that we live in four dimensions, with three dimensions of space and one of time.

However, the time dimension is different to the three space dimensions because of the way we choose to define it and the way the Universe is constructed.

Nevertheless, one of the remarkable features of physics is that travel into the past does appear to be possible.

According to Einstein, time flows more slowly in stronger gravity .

Imagine two people, one on Earth and the other near a black hole , where time flows more slowly because of the stronger gravity.

We view them on Monday, but by the time the person on Earth reaches Friday, the person near the black hole has only reached Wednesday.

If there was a bridge between the two – Einstein’s theory permits one known as a wormhole – it would be possible for the person on Earth to travel back from Friday to Wednesday.

That would effectively mean it was indeed possible to travel back in time.

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Can we time travel? A theoretical physicist provides some answers

Emeritus professor, Physics, Carleton University

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Peter Watson received funding from NSERC. He is affiliated with Carleton University and a member of the Canadian Association of Physicists.

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Time travel makes regular appearances in popular culture, with innumerable time travel storylines in movies, television and literature. But it is a surprisingly old idea: one can argue that the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex , written by Sophocles over 2,500 years ago, is the first time travel story .

But is time travel in fact possible? Given the popularity of the concept, this is a legitimate question. As a theoretical physicist, I find that there are several possible answers to this question, not all of which are contradictory.

The simplest answer is that time travel cannot be possible because if it was, we would already be doing it. One can argue that it is forbidden by the laws of physics, like the second law of thermodynamics or relativity . There are also technical challenges: it might be possible but would involve vast amounts of energy.

There is also the matter of time-travel paradoxes; we can — hypothetically — resolve these if free will is an illusion, if many worlds exist or if the past can only be witnessed but not experienced. Perhaps time travel is impossible simply because time must flow in a linear manner and we have no control over it, or perhaps time is an illusion and time travel is irrelevant.

Laws of physics

Since Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity — which describes the nature of time, space and gravity — is our most profound theory of time, we would like to think that time travel is forbidden by relativity. Unfortunately, one of his colleagues from the Institute for Advanced Study, Kurt Gödel, invented a universe in which time travel was not just possible, but the past and future were inextricably tangled.

We can actually design time machines , but most of these (in principle) successful proposals require negative energy , or negative mass, which does not seem to exist in our universe. If you drop a tennis ball of negative mass, it will fall upwards. This argument is rather unsatisfactory, since it explains why we cannot time travel in practice only by involving another idea — that of negative energy or mass — that we do not really understand.

Mathematical physicist Frank Tipler conceptualized a time machine that does not involve negative mass, but requires more energy than exists in the universe .

Time travel also violates the second law of thermodynamics , which states that entropy or randomness must always increase. Time can only move in one direction — in other words, you cannot unscramble an egg. More specifically, by travelling into the past we are going from now (a high entropy state) into the past, which must have lower entropy.

This argument originated with the English cosmologist Arthur Eddington , and is at best incomplete. Perhaps it stops you travelling into the past, but it says nothing about time travel into the future. In practice, it is just as hard for me to travel to next Thursday as it is to travel to last Thursday.

Resolving paradoxes

There is no doubt that if we could time travel freely, we run into the paradoxes. The best known is the “ grandfather paradox ”: one could hypothetically use a time machine to travel to the past and murder their grandfather before their father’s conception, thereby eliminating the possibility of their own birth. Logically, you cannot both exist and not exist.

Read more: Time travel could be possible, but only with parallel timelines

Kurt Vonnegut’s anti-war novel Slaughterhouse-Five , published in 1969, describes how to evade the grandfather paradox. If free will simply does not exist, it is not possible to kill one’s grandfather in the past, since he was not killed in the past. The novel’s protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, can only travel to other points on his world line (the timeline he exists in), but not to any other point in space-time, so he could not even contemplate killing his grandfather.

The universe in Slaughterhouse-Five is consistent with everything we know. The second law of thermodynamics works perfectly well within it and there is no conflict with relativity. But it is inconsistent with some things we believe in, like free will — you can observe the past, like watching a movie, but you cannot interfere with the actions of people in it.

Could we allow for actual modifications of the past, so that we could go back and murder our grandfather — or Hitler ? There are several multiverse theories that suppose that there are many timelines for different universes. This is also an old idea: in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol , Ebeneezer Scrooge experiences two alternative timelines, one of which leads to a shameful death and the other to happiness.

Time is a river

Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote that:

“ Time is like a river made up of the events which happen , and a violent stream; for as soon as a thing has been seen, it is carried away, and another comes in its place, and this will be carried away too.”

We can imagine that time does flow past every point in the universe, like a river around a rock. But it is difficult to make the idea precise. A flow is a rate of change — the flow of a river is the amount of water that passes a specific length in a given time. Hence if time is a flow, it is at the rate of one second per second, which is not a very useful insight.

Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking suggested that a “ chronology protection conjecture ” must exist, an as-yet-unknown physical principle that forbids time travel. Hawking’s concept originates from the idea that we cannot know what goes on inside a black hole, because we cannot get information out of it. But this argument is redundant: we cannot time travel because we cannot time travel!

Researchers are investigating a more fundamental theory, where time and space “emerge” from something else. This is referred to as quantum gravity , but unfortunately it does not exist yet.

So is time travel possible? Probably not, but we don’t know for sure!

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Will We Ever Be Able to Time Travel Into the Past?

Forward or back—which will it be?

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You likely don’t realize it, but when you’re done reading this article, you will have traveled perhaps 90 seconds into the future. The truth is that it is easier, theoretically speaking, to travel forward in time than it is to travel backward, and that’s partly because we’re all moving forward in time naturally.

The possibility of time travel stems from Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity, which, loosely speaking, describes the relationship between space and time. An outgrowth is something known as “time dilation,” which suggests that time can move at different rates for different observers—and therefore at different rates in different places. This theory is borne out by the (rather freaky) fact that clocks on the space shuttle—whether internal clocks or atomic clocks placed aboard for experimental purposes—run more slowly than reference clocks on Earth. In this sense, astronauts on extended missions may already be considered time travelers, as they arrive home very slightly later than the elapsed time measured on their own instruments would suggest. Moreover, “Time beats faster on the moon than on Earth, and time beats slower on Jupiter,” says celebrated physicist Michio Kaku of the City College of New York. “So if you were to simply camp out on the moon or Jupiter, you’d be going backward and forward in time. Now, of course, these are for fractions of a second.”

A more useful implication of time dilation is the fact that the closer to the speed of light you’re moving, the slower your internal clock will be ticking relative to time on Earth. “If you reach 99 percent of the speed of light and spend like a year moving at that speed—around the solar system, say—and then come back to Earth, you will find that the Earth has moved on, 100 to 200 years into the future,” says Dr. Ulvi Yurtsever, coauthor of a seminal paper on time travel. So, in theory, if we could improve propulsion systems enough, we could skip ahead centuries. But we still couldn’t move backward.

Indeed, backward time travel, while theoretically possible, is far trickier and would involve black holes and “tunable wormholes” and more energy than a kindergarten class on a sugar binge. “You can write down solutions of the equations,” says Clifford V. Johnson, a professor of theoretical physics at USC, “and those equations tell you two things: how you twist up space and time, and what matter you need to do that. And every time you get those weird twists in space and time that look like a time machine, the matter and energy you need to do that is in a form that may not exist in this universe. So that’s just a fancy way of saying that the jury is out.”

So from a technical standpoint, it seems far more likely that we’d move forward in time first. But how about from an ethical one? “Scientists and physicists may say ‘You know what, it’s much safer for us to go to the future, because if it’s possible to alter the past and therefore have that reverberate into the present—create a paradox—that’s pretty dangerous,’ ” says Bob Gale, who has spent some time thinking about this stuff, given that he cowrote the 1985 time-travel blockbuster Back to the Future. “So they would say ‘Well, to preserve the sanctity of the space-time continuum, we better go into the future, because that provides the least amount of risk.’ ”

So there you have it: 25th century, here we come.

Do you have unusual questions about how things work and why stuff happens? This is the place to ask them. Don’t be afraid. Nobody will laugh at you here. Email ­[email protected].

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Traveling Into the Past

Black holes and wormholes, causality and alternate realities, wormhole warnings, so, is time travel to the past really possible.

• Ph.D., Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University
• B.S., Physics, Purdue University

Going back in time to visit an earlier era is a fantastic dream. It's a staple of SF and fantasy novels, movies, and TV shows. Who wouldn't like to go back and see the dinosaurs or watch the birth of the universe or meet their great-great grandparents? What could possibly go wrong Could someone travel to a previous era to right a wrong, make a different decision, or even completely alter the course of history? Has it happened? Is it even possible?

There are a lot of questions about travel into the past, but not very many solutions. The best answer science can give us right now is: it's theoretically possible. But, no one has done it. 

It turns out that people time travel all the time, but only in one direction: from the past to the present and moving into the future . Unfortunately, no one has any control over how quickly that time passes and nobody can stop time and continue to live. It seems that time is a one-way street, always moving forward.

This is all right and proper. It also fits with Einstein's theory of relativity because time only flows in one direction—forward. If time flowed the other way, people would remember the future instead of the past. That sounds very counter-intuitive. So, on the face of it, traveling into the past seems to be a violation of the laws of physics.

But not so fast! It turns out that there are theoretical considerations to take into account if somebody wants to build a time machine that goes back to the past. They involve exotic gateways called wormholes, or some science fictional-sounding creation of gateways using a technology not yet available to science. 

The idea of building a time machine, like those often depicted in science fiction films, is likely the stuff of dreams. Unlike the traveler in H.G. Wells's Time Machine, no one has figured out how to build a special carriage that goes from now to yesterday. However, astrophysics gives us one possible pathway: one could possibly harness the power of a black hole to venture through time and space. How would that work?

According to general relativity , a rotating black hole could create a wormhole —a theoretical link between two points of space-time, or perhaps even two points in different universes. However, there's a problem with black holes. They've long been thought to be unstable and therefore un-traversable. However, recent advances in physics theory have shown that these constructs could, in fact, provide a means of traveling through time. Unfortunately, we have almost no idea what to expect by doing so.

Theoretical physics is still trying to predict what would happen inside the wormhole, assuming one could even approach such a place. More to the point, there's no current engineering solution that would allow us to build a craft that would let make that trip safely. Right now, as it stands, once a ship enters the black hole, it's going to get crushed by incredible gravity. The ship, and everyone aboard are made one with the singularity at the heart of the black hole.

But, for the sake of argument, what if it were possible to pass through a wormhole? What would people experience? Some suggest it would probably be a lot like Alice falling through the rabbit hole. Who knows what we would find on the other side? Or in what time frame? Until someone can devise a safe way to make that trip, we aren't likely to find out.

The idea of traveling into the past raises all sorts of paradoxical issues. For instance, what happens if a person goes back in time and kills their parents before they can conceive their child? Lots of dramatic stories have been built around that one. Or, the idea that someone could go back and kill a dictator and change history, or save the life of a famous person. An entire episode of Star Trek was built around that idea.

It turns out that the time traveler effectively creates an alternate reality or parallel universe . So, if someone did travel back and prevent someone else's birth, or murdered someone, a younger version of the victim would never come to be in that reality. And, it might or might not carry on as if nothing had changed. By going back in time, the traveler creates a new reality and would, therefore, never be able to return to the reality they once knew. (If they then tried to travel into the future from there, they would see the future of the new reality, not the one they knew before.) Consider the outcome of the movie "Back to the Future". Marty McFly changes reality for his parents back when they were in high school, and that changes his own reality. He gets back home and finds his parents aren't quite the same as when he left. Did he create a new alternate universe? Theoretically, he did.

This brings us to another issue that is rarely discussed. The nature of wormholes is to take a traveler to a different point in time and space . So if someone left Earth and traveled through a wormhole, they could be transported to the other side of the universe (assuming they are even still in the same universe we currently occupy). If they wanted to travel back to Earth they would either have to travel back through the wormhole they just left (bringing them back, presumably, to the same time and place), or journey by more conventional means. 

Assuming the travelers would even be close enough to make it back to Earth in their lifetimes from wherever the wormhole spat them out, would it still be the "past" when they returned? Since traveling at speeds approaching that of light makes time slow down for the voyager, time would proceed very, very quickly back on Earth. So, the past would fall behind, and the future would become the past... that's the way time works flowing forward ! 

So, while they exited the wormhole in the past (relative to time on Earth), by being so far away it's possible that they wouldn't make it back to Earth at any reasonable time relating to when they left. This would negate the whole purpose of time travel altogether. 

Possible? Yes, theoretically. Probable? No, at least not with our current technology and understanding of physics. But perhaps someday, thousands of years into the future, people could harness enough energy to make time travel a reality. Until that time, the idea will just have to stay relegated to the pages of science-fiction or for viewers to make repeated showings of Back to the Future. 

Edited by Carolyn Collins Petersen .

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Do we live in a rotating universe? If we did, we could travel back in time

Living in a rotating universe would be strange indeed.

We know that planets rotate, but what about the universe as a whole? No, the universe doesn't appear to rotate; if it did, time travel into the past might be possible.

Although people throughout antiquity had argued that the heavens rotate around the world, in 1949, mathematician Kurt Gödel was the first to provide a modern formulation of a rotating universe. He used the language of Albert Einstein 's theory of general relativity to do so, as a way of honoring his friend and neighbor at Princeton, Einstein himself.

But this process of academic "honoring" went in a different direction than you might suspect, because Gödel used the example of a rotating universe to show that general relativity was incomplete.

Related : Was Einstein wrong? The case against space-time theory

Gödel's model of a rotating universe was rather artificial. Besides the rotation, his universe contained only one ingredient: a negative cosmological constant that resisted the centrifugal force of that rotation to keep the universe static.

But the artificial nature of that universe didn't bother Gödel. Instead, his main point was that general relativity allowed for the possibility of a rotating universe at all. And Gödel used his rotating universe to show that general relativity allowed for time travel into the past, which should be forbidden. 

Taking the universe out for a spin

Living in a rotating universe would be strange indeed. For one, all observers would consider themselves the center of rotation. This means that if you parked yourself somewhere and ensured that you were absolutely still, you would see the universe wheeling around you. But if you picked up and moved anywhere else, even to a distant galaxy , you would always still see the universe rotating around your new position.

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This is incredibly hard to visualize, but it's not much different from the idea that in an expanding universe , all observers see themselves as the center of expansion.

The farther you go from any one observer, the greater the rate of rotation. And this isn't merely a rotation of stuff but a rotation of space-time itself. This means that light, which is always forced to follow the curvature of space-time, makes for some strange journeys. A beam of light sent out from an observer will curve away as it gets swept up in the rotation of space-time. At some distant point, the rotation will be too much, and the light will turn around and return to the observer.

This means there's a limit to how far you can see in a rotating universe, and beyond that, all you'll observe is duplicate images of your own past self.

This strange behavior doesn't apply only to light. If you were to get in a rocket and blast off through a rotating universe, you, too, would get caught up in the rotation. And because of that rotation, your movement would double back on itself. When you returned to your starting point, however, you would find yourself arriving before you had left.

In a manner of speaking, a rotating universe would be capable of rotating your future into your own past, allowing you to travel back in time.

Sitting still

This was Gödel's major objection to general relativity. That theory, being our ultimate understanding of space and time , should not allow for backward time travel, because time travel into the past violates our notions of causality and introduces all sorts of nasty time-travel paradoxes. The fact that relativity did not automatically make time travel impossible signaled to Gödel that Einstein's theory was incomplete.

Thankfully, we see no signs that we live in a rotating universe. If the cosmos were rotating, then light coming from opposite directions of the sky would be redshifted in one direction and have an equivalent amount of blueshifting in the other. Astronomers have applied this test to surveys of distant galaxies and even to the cosmic microwave background , which is the light left over from when the cosmos was only 380,000 years old. The conclusion of these tests is that if the universe is rotating, it's doing so at a rate of less than 10^-17 degrees per century. 

— Is time travel possible?

— Why time-traveling tachyons probably don't exist

— What is the grandfather paradox?  

But Gödel's objection still stands. Since 1949, physicists have concocted other ways for general relativity to allow for backward time travel, wormholes , faster-than-light-speed "warp drive" (known as Alcubierre drive), and special paths around infinitely long cylinders. But all those contrivances rely on some sort of exotic physics that breaks our understanding of how the universe works, like matter with negative mass.

But Gödel's rotating universe is simply a matter of observational test, not a fundamental break with known physics. We could have found ourselves in a rotating universe just as easily as we find ourselves in an expanding one. There's nothing in our knowledge of physics that prevents this kind of universe from existing, so there's nothing in our knowledge of physics that prevents backward time travel.

Perhaps Gödel is right, and we have more to learn about the universe.

Learn more by listening to the "Ask A Spaceman" podcast, available on  iTunes  and askaspaceman.com . Ask your own question on Twitter using #AskASpaceman or by following Paul @PaulMattSutter and facebook.com/PaulMattSutter .

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Paul M. Sutter is an astrophysicist at SUNY Stony Brook and the Flatiron Institute in New York City. Paul received his PhD in Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2011, and spent three years at the Paris Institute of Astrophysics, followed by a research fellowship in Trieste, Italy, His research focuses on many diverse topics, from the emptiest regions of the universe to the earliest moments of the Big Bang to the hunt for the first stars. As an "Agent to the Stars," Paul has passionately engaged the public in science outreach for several years. He is the host of the popular "Ask a Spaceman!" podcast, author of "Your Place in the Universe" and "How to Die in Space" and he frequently appears on TV — including on The Weather Channel, for which he serves as Official Space Specialist.

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Admin said: A rotating universe would be capable of rotating your future into your own past, allowing you to travel back in time. Do we live in a rotating universe? If we did, we could travel back in time : Read more

• mokeshame I think the universe is rotating but some early assumptions have been made in this article. Like the one that we should red and blueshift every lightbeam. Instead red and blueshift are direct evidence that the universe is rotating and because of that appears to be moving away from us. And it goes faster because the universe on a grand scale will ever rotate faster. This is the endgoal of al conservation of energy. Conserve it in rotations as a way of catapulting the universe to all time high rotation speeds. So in the end the speed isnt conservated any more and goes into a strait line. The universe does this to work in on itself. We see actually one particle that can manage itself. Builds his own structure and forms, with no limits. Just like Lego. Spacetime is the exactly the same as the forming of rotations, so it can not be distorted by it i think. A while ago i saw a matmathhecian that exactly formulated it the way i see it, her name was M. Duchin. I think to understand the base and interactions of the universe we must see it as an geniometrical system. Reply
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A ‘quantum time flip’? Scientist explains how light can travel back and forth in time

It’s more complex than a photon simply “traveling into the past”..

Chris Young

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• Two teams of physicists recently made a light particle seem to travel back and forth in time simultaneously in their experiments.
• Teodor Strömberg, lead author of one of those studies, told IE it’s more complicated than light simply “traveling into the past.”
• The new findings from those experiments could help create more powerful quantum computing devices.

Scientists made light, in the form of a photon particle, appear to move simultaneously backward and forward in time for the first time ever this year.

The new method, described as a “quantum time flip”, was achieved thanks to two principles that form a part of the weird, wonderful, and complex world of quantum mechanics — meaning they describe the physical properties of atoms and subatomic particles.

Coincidentally, two separate teams of scientists worked simultaneously on a similar problem and released their findings around the same time this year — on Oct. 31 and Nov. 2 . Unlike the photons they were studying, the two teams were working in the same direction.

We reached out to Teodor Strömberg, lead author of the second paper, titled ‘Experimental superposition of time directions’ to see what he could tell us about how his team’s experiment worked and how their findings could be applied to various fields, including the potentially revolutionary world of quantum computing.

What does light traveling back and forth in time simultaneously actually mean?

For those uninitiated in the world of quantum mechanics, the idea of a particle of light simultaneously existing in two different time states likely sounds bizarre, to say the least. It’s important to note, however, that what we’re not talking about a photon literally traveling back in time. “I want to clarify what we did in the experiment, because one needs to be a bit more precise than simply saying “traveling backward in time,” Strömberg told IE. 

To make the experiment possible, Strömberg and his team made use of quantum superposition and charge, parity, and time-reversal (CPT) symmetry, which are principles of quantum mechanics. “The light wasn’t traveling into the past,” he emphasized. “Instead, a quantum state that was encoded in a degree of freedom of a single photon (in this case the polarization) evolved in a superposition of time evolutions, where one was the time reverse of the other.”

A good analogy, Strömberg explained, would be a “tennis ball flying through the air in a superposition of the forwards and backwards direction,” or “an object that is rotating in a superposition of clockwise and counterclockwise rotations.” 

“Both of these analogies are examples of processes where one is the time reverse of the other,” Strömberg continued, “but one can’t definitively say which one is the forward time direction, and which is the backward time direction (imagine that I show you a movie of a tennis ball flying over the net, or an object spinning, you wouldn’t be able to tell me if the movie was being played forwards or backwards). To get a bit more technical, this is because the processes we implemented conserve entropy.”

‘Quantum time flip’ scientists gamify quantum superposition

Superposition is a quantum principle that describes the fact that a quantum system, such as an atom, can exist in two states at the same time until it is observed. 

It is famously described by the thought experiment Schrödinger’s cat , in which a hypothetical cat is considered simultaneously alive and dead due to the fact that its state is determined by a random subatomic event that both takes place and doesn’t take place until observed. 

Quite aptly, then, Strömberg’s team utilized their own thought experiment as part of their research into the superposition of time direction. 

The researchers “considered a sequence of two distinct time evolutions,” Strömberg explained. “In the example of a spinning object, this would correspond to first spinning around one axis for some time, and then spinning around another.”

They then formulated a game to determine whether the combined effect of the two rotations changes depending on the spinning direction.

“Under the restriction that the player can only let the object be rotated once, it turns out that you can’t always successfully answer this question,” Strömberg said. “However, if the player is able to let the object be rotated in a superposition, where the two constituent rotations have opposite relative time direction, then this property can be ascertained with 100% success probability.”

“What we did experimentally,” he continued, “was to show that we could get really close to 100%, and showed mathematically that any physical process in which the state wasn’t evolving in a superposition of relative time directions could at best have achieved a success probability of around 90%. We could therefore rule out such an explanation to the experiment.”

New findings are a “motivating example for exploring models of quantum computation”

The team’s findings could allow for faster and more efficient processing in quantum computing, as they demonstrated that they can solve computational problems more efficiently by utilizing a method that falls outside the standard model for quantum computing frameworks.

“When working on quantum computation one typically does it within a framework that abstracts away the physical hardware, and distills the relevant concepts,” Strömberg explained. 

The most widely-used framework to describe quantum computation is the quantum circuit model, which is made up of sequences of quantum gates operating on qubits — the quantum computing equivalent of a bit in classical computing. 

“The quantum circuit model has some rules for how quantum information can be manipulated, and these in turn lead to some restrictions on what is and isn’t possible,” Strömberg said. “The significance of our work in this context is that we define a task that can be understood as a computational problem, and we show that we can solve it more efficiently using the process we demonstrate in the lab.”

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The lead researcher emphasized that this process is “allowed by quantum mechanics, but it is not allowed within the quantum circuit model. This is analogous to indefinite causal processes, which can also speed up certain tasks, and fall outside the quantum circuit model. Our work, therefore, serves as a motivating example for exploring models of quantum computation more general than the standard framework.”

Next, Strömberg explained that he and his team want to see “whether the particular advantage we observe in our computational “game” can translate into an advantage in a task that has more concrete applications” or “systems with more qubits”.

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Chris Young Chris Young is a journalist, copywriter, blogger and tech geek at heart who’s reported on the likes of the Mobile World Congress, written for Lifehack, The Culture Trip, Flydoscope and some of the world’s biggest tech companies, including NEC and Thales, about robots, satellites and other world-changing innovations. 

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Backwards Time Travel Would Create Spooky, Self-Annihilating Twins

It's a common trope in science-fiction novels: Astronauts travel back in time by zooming through space at speeds faster than light (usually getting into trouble in the process).

Most physicists think that scenario is impossible.

But let's suspend disbelief for a second. If it time travel like this were possible, how exactly would it work?

It turns out that objects traveling faster than the speed of light could go back in time — but in the process, a pair of phantom doubles of the speedy object would pop out of thin air, and one would then go backwards and be annihilated with another, according to one hypothesis, which Robert Nemiroff, a physicist at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan, described in a paper published in May in the preprint journal arXiv .

But don't stock up on plutonium for your DeLorean just yet. The new thought experiment is probably impossible, Nemiroff said.

"I don't believe you can create a spaceship that can go faster than light," Nemiroff told Live Science. [ 8 Ways You Can See Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity in Real-Life ]

Faster than light?

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Everyone has heard it: Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity means that nothing can travel faster than light in a vacuum. That's not quite true, though: Such speeds are technically possible, but relativity dictates that anything with mass becomes heavier as it zips faster and faster, so reaching and surpassing the speed of light would take infinite energy. (Weirdly, the math would also dictate that objects could be traveling  faster than the speed of light, but could not slow down to below the speed of light, Nemiroff said.)

"It is just generally believed — and I mean generally to mean almost all physicists — that there is nothing that can travel faster than light," said Sabine Hossenfelder, a theoretical physicist at Nordita in Stockholm, Sweden, who blogs at BackReaction but was not involved in the current study.

And while physicists can send subatomic particles called muons forward through time , the issue with backward time travel is causality.

Time has an arrow, and that arrow points forward. Without this safeguard, all sorts of absurd situations can occur, such as the so-called grandfather paradox , the plot device in "Back to the Future" and several other sci-fi films. If you go back in time and kill your grandfather before he has your dad, how would you exist to go back in time in the first place? [ Science Fiction or Fact? The Plausibility of 10 Sci-Fi Concepts ]

But oddly, neither special relativity nor particle physics has a time orientation. In fact, antiparticles, the antimatter partners of regular particles, can be interpreted as either antimatter particles going forward in time or real particles traveling back in time, Hossenfelder said. And the equations of special relativity mean that an object going faster than the speed of light would travel backward in time, she added.

Spaceship doppelganger

To understand the implications of relativistic backward time travel, Nemiroff ran the numbers for a very simple case. In his thought experiment, a spaceship would start on a launching pad on Earth, travel at five times the speed of light to a planet about 10 light-years away, then turn around to return home to a landing pad not far from the liftoff site. (Other proposed methods of time travel, such as traveling through a wormhole in curved space-time, were not addressed in the study.)

It turned out that a pair of ghost-ships, one with negative mass and one with positive mass, the researchers speculate, must appear out of thin air.

Five years after embarking, Earthlings would see a very strange apparition: Because the light from the spaceship travels slower than the spaceship itself, after the vessel returned and sat on the landing pad, Earthlings would see images of the spaceship on its way out and another doppelganger spaceship on its way back.

Eight years later, things would look even odder: An image of the spaceship sitting on the landing pad would still be visible, as would two images (perhaps like holograms) of the spaceship on its outbound and return flights. Only this time, both of those images would look farther away, as if the spaceship was traveling backward in time.

Finally, after a bit more than 10 years, the phantom spaceship pairs would annihilate each other and you'd be left with the spaceship sitting on the landing pad.

The thought experiment prompts a lot of questions. How would it all work? What would the twin spaceships be made of? Which spaceship would be the "real one? Would the phenomenon work through the quantum behavior of entangled particles ? And what would the people on the spaceships be doing? Nemiroff said he can't answer those questions, and he doubts it's possible in any case.

"It doesn't make a lot of sense, and I doubt if you would look at it microscopically it would actually be possible," Hossenfelder told Live Science.

Still, the study is extremely valuable as a teaching tool, Hossenfelder said.

Real-life pair production

The time travel, pair production would be similar to an established phenomenon that occurs in illumination fronts, Nemiroff said.

"There are things that go faster than light, like shadows on the wall," Nemiroff told Live Science.

To understand illumination fronts, consider this thought experiment: If you were to aim a laser pointer at the moon (and assuming that atmospheric effects, clouds, buildings, etc. did not block the light), you would only have to flick your wrist from one side of the moon to the other faster than about 4 seconds to have the dot of light travel faster than light, Nemiroff said. If you had a powerful enough laser, an ability to take fast, time lapse-photography and an awesome telescope, you would see a pair of spots, slightly separated in distance, on the moon's surface, he said.

The trick is that in this scenario, what's traveling faster than the speed of light is not information, because there's no way for a person on one side of the moon to transmit information superluminally to the other spot via the illumination front, Nemiroff added.

Follow Tia Ghose on Twitter  and Google+ .   Follow   Live Science @livescience , Facebook   & Google+ . Original article on  Live Science .

Tia is the managing editor and was previously a senior writer for Live Science. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Wired.com and other outlets. She holds a master's degree in bioengineering from the University of Washington, a graduate certificate in science writing from UC Santa Cruz and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Tia was part of a team at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that published the Empty Cradles series on preterm births, which won multiple awards, including the 2012 Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism.

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Is There a Particle That Can Travel Back in Time?

A hypothetical particle could be the answer, but traveling in time would still be a complicated venture..

Yes, there is a hypothetical particle, called the tachyon , that could travel back in time. One catch: It almost certainly doesn’t exist.

Time and Speed of Light

Before we start talking about time travel, we first must talk about the speed of light . All objects in our universe are constrained to go no faster than the speed of light. The only particles capable of achieving light speed are massless particles, like light itself. Anything with even a tiny amount of mass will find it impossible to achieve light speed. That’s because the faster you go the more massive you become, and at light speed your mass becomes infinite, which would take an infinite amount of energy to accelerate.

But the speed of light isn’t just an expression of how fast objects can travel. It’s an expression of how fast objects can influence each other. Every single interaction in the universe, whether it’s your sibling hitting you or a supernova ’s shock wave blasting through a gas cloud, is limited to the speed of light. The speed of light is actually the speed of causality – the fastest possible way that one cause can create an effect, and the fastest possible way that events can influence each other.

Read More: A Major Time Travel Perk May Be Technically Impossible

Going faster than light means that you could go faster than causality. Said another way, going faster than light means going faster than time itself , meaning that faster-than-light travel automatically allows for time travel into the past.

Tachyon and Time Travel

There is a hypothetical class of particles that always travel faster than light. Einstein himself played around with the idea, calling them “ meta-particles ,” but today we call them tachyons , a word coined in 1967 by physicist Gerald Feinberg from the Greek word meaning “swift.”

Tachyons would be strange. Just as we massive objects could never ever exceed the speed of light, tachyons could never dip below light speed – they would be equally constrained on the other side of that invisible boundary. For tachyons, slowing down means increasing mass, and slowing down all the way to light speed would require an infinite amount of energy. To make this work, the mass of the tachyon has to be imaginary, but in the mathematical sense: Its mass would be multiplied by a factor of the square root of negative one.

At first glance, tachyons wouldn’t cause much trouble. You could fly out in a rocket ship, and on Earth, I could beam tachyon messages to you. If you were looking back at me through a telescope, those tachyons would reach you before the photons carrying the image of me sending the message arrived in your telescope. That’s a little weird but doesn’t necessarily violate anything about physics.

Read More: Black Holes Are Accelerating The Expansion Of The Universe, Say Cosmologists

Time-Travel Paradox

The problem is that with tachyons, you could start to construct some truly weird scenarios. For example, you could move in a certain direction with a certain speed and send a tachyon signal back to me. If you construct things just right in the rocket ship, that signal can arrive back to me before I sent the original one out.

Suppose that signal back to me contained instructions to destroy my transmitter. The only way to destroy the transmitter is through the reception of your signal, but the only way to get your message is for me to first send mine. If I get my signal out, then my transmitter was destroyed in the past. But if the transmitter was destroyed, I can’t get the signal out.

This is just one of many common time-travel paradoxes brought about by traveling faster than light. This doesn’t rule out the existence of tachyons explicitly, but it does signal that they likely don’t exist. It seems impossible for us to travel backwards into the past or send signals into our own past: Everything in our universe not only travels no faster than the speed light, but also always in the direction of the future.

Impossible, or Not Proven?

Physicists have proposed the “causality protection conjecture,” which says that faster than light travel (and travel into the past) is outright impossible. As of now this conjecture is merely a, well, conjecture, and not proven. We do not currently understand why travel into the past is forbidden, but we hope that someday we can construct a law of physics that tells us why.

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Self-Esteem

Mental time travel boosts sense of control and self-esteem, imagining oneself in the future or recalling a nostalgic past can be beneficial..

Posted May 12, 2024 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader

• What Is Self-Esteem?
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• “Mental time travel” may increase self-esteem and a sense of coherence and control.
• One aspect of mental time travel is reliving nostalgic events from the past (called retrospection).
• Another aspect involves imagining oneself in the future (called prospection).

Published in Personality and Social Psychology Review , a recent study by Stephan and Sedikides suggests mental time travel can increase self-esteem , coherence, and sense of control.

But what is mental time travel? Let me use an example.

A friend of mine who is in a committed romantic relationship and very much in love tells me that he often relives the day he and his partner first met. He also imagines what their future would be like (e.g., their wedding day, their life as parents).

In both cases, my friend is engaging in mental time travel .

Simply put, mental time travel involves projecting oneself either forward or backward in time. As illustrated, reliving a past event requires reconstructing it from memory , whereas pre-living a potential future event requires imagination .

Benefits of Imagining the Future

Imagining yourself in the distant future (called prospection) allows you to step back and see the bigger picture—to focus on living according to your core values, achieving long-term goals , and living a satisfying and meaningful life.

It also enhances the feeling that future outcomes are under your control. It promotes the belief that your intentions, determination, and commitment will make goal pursuit possible no matter what challenges come your way. Finally, prospection may even increase self-esteem.

Benefits of Nostalgia and Recalling the Past

The same is true of moving backward in time and nostalgizing.

Nostalgia refers to longing and affection for valued past events and a desire to re-experience them. Previous research shows nostalgia can be an important psychological and relationship resource.

For instance, it can help people cope with boredom and meaninglessness . Romantic nostalgia may enhance passion, intimacy, commitment, and relationship satisfaction. Even nostalgic memories of an ex-romantic partner may have benefits and influence perceptions of self-growth .

Self-Affirmation

Mental time travel emphasizes aspects of the self that are positive, abstract, and central to one’s identity , as opposed to aspects that are negative or situation-specific. In other words, it stresses long-term goals, personal values, and positive personality traits, instead of current behaviors and more immediate plans and goals.

Therefore, mental time travel serves as self-affirmation . The core facets of self-affirmation include:

• Control: Feeling empowered to pursue desired goals; believing one can influence valued outcomes.
• Self-esteem: Having a positive subjective evaluation of one’s worth (i.e., liking yourself).
• Coherence: Being able to make sense of one’s experiences and to see life as meaningful.

How Does Mental Time Travel Foster Self-Validation?

To explain how mental time travel can promote self-validation and self-affirmation, let's look at another example, this one courtesy of an old classmate (let’s call her Emma).

Emma told me that before applying to nursing school, she failed a genetics course, which really affected her self-confidence . She felt stupid, incompetent, and worthless.

Eventually, Emma decided to engage in mental time travel—both recalling nostalgic events and imagining herself in the future. Doing so facilitated perspective-taking and seeing the bigger picture: She became more deeply aware of her core values (e.g., authenticity , social justice, making a difference) and positive personality traits (e.g., creativity , compassion , sensitivity, and gratitude ).

And failing genetics no longer defined her.

Additionally, Emma found that by engaging in prospection and retrospection regularly, subsequent challenges became increasingly manageable, including those she faces now in her teaching career as a nursing professor. Consistent with this, Stephan and Sedikides propose that “self-affirmation might serve to strengthen the psychological immune system in non-threatening situations, thus protecting against potential future threats.”

Threats to the adequacy and integrity of one’s sense of self come in many shapes and forms: getting fired, being rejected romantically by a desired mate, receiving negative health news, failing a course or getting a bad grade, etc.

The research discussed suggests that by imagining one’s future self or recalling nostalgic memories, one could get in touch with who they truly are—as defined by their positive personality traits, core values, and long-term goals.

Several positive psychology interventions could be helpful for this purpose, such as nostalgia interventions .

Or, consider the Best Possible Self exercise. Take some time to picture a future where everything in your life has gone as well as possible. Imagine living life in full accordance with your values, having accomplished all your most important goals and realized all your dreams .

What does such a happy, successful life look like? Write about it. This exercise has been shown to improve mood, optimism , and well-being.

Arash Emamzadeh attended the University of British Columbia in Canada, where he studied genetics and psychology. He has also done graduate work in clinical psychology and neuropsychology in U.S.

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At any moment, someone’s aggravating behavior or our own bad luck can set us off on an emotional spiral that threatens to derail our entire day. Here’s how we can face our triggers with less reactivity so that we can get on with our lives.

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Backward Walking Is the Best Workout You’re Not Doing

I ’ve spent my whole life happily walking in one direction: forward. It was, I believed, the only way to go, so I dutifully logged dozens of miles a month looking like every other person out for a morning stroll.

No more. Thanks to TikTok, I discovered a new (to me, at least) spin on walking: backward walking, also known as “retro-walking.” Though it’s trending on social-media platforms right now, physical therapists and fitness trainers have been touting its benefits for years. It’s a low-impact way to burn calories, strengthen your legs, test your coordination, and even improve pain, experts say—all of which lured me onto my quiet, rural street one afternoon to give it a whirl.

After about 50 steps, I realized going in reverse was no walk in the park. It burned . I could feel the switch-up in my lower legs in a way I don’t with ordinary walking unless I’m powering up a hill. There was a mental challenge, too (beyond ignoring the strange looks from my neighbors). I had no idea what was behind me, so I had to engage all my senses to ensure I stayed upright and didn’t trip over any unexpected obstacles—including my walking partner, who was slightly faster and, therefore, a couple steps behind me.

When I told a handful of experts about my surprisingly fun retro-walking expedition, they agreed more people should make it part of their routine. Here’s a look at why.

It’s great for older people

Backward walking is an underrated way to engage your glutes, shins, and the muscles in your feet and ankles, says Joe Meier, a Minnesota-based personal trainer and author of Lift for Life . Plus, it mitigates the impact of each step, reducing the force exerted on the knees and lower back. Part of its appeal, he adds, is that it’s so accessible—and suitable for people of any age and fitness level.

Read More : Why Walking Isn’t Enough When It Comes to Exercise

Meier has noticed that older people, in particular, are drawn to backward walking as a no-frills way to spice up their fitness routine. “If you look around a gym that has tons of treadmills, you’ll see at least one or two people walking backward at any given time,” Meier says. “There are always older individuals walking backward on the ground, too, and you can tell someone has told them, ‘Hey, you should try doing this because it’s great for your balance and coordination—just don't trip over anything.’” He points out that many pickleball players have adopted the practice: It can help strengthen their knees and ensure they don’t take a (metaphorical) step back on the courts.

You’ll engage different muscles

Walking backward requires you to stand up straighter than you do when walking forward, Meier says. By reversing your stride, you’ll create a new challenge for the muscles in the abdomen, lower limbs, and back. “You might notice your glute muscles—your big butt muscles—are doing more work,” Meier says. (Author’s note: You’ll definitely notice.) Meanwhile, your calf muscles will need to work opposite of how they usually do. When you walk forward, your calf contracts concentrically, which means the muscle gets shorter, he explains. When you’re going in reverse, your calf muscle contracts the opposite way and gets longer as it bears your body weight. That switch-up can be a valuable way to improve your fitness.

You’ll also be targeting the quad muscles on the front of your thighs. According to one study —yes, scientists have studied this—people who walked backward three times a week for six weeks ended up with improved quadriceps muscle strength, compared to those who walked forward for their exercise. The quads are responsible for knee extension and straightening your leg, Meier explains—so they, too, work differently when you're walking backward. “That’s one of the reasons why people say it helps their knee pain improve,” he says. “You’re essentially strengthening your quads by doing this backward walking trick.”

It can be good for people with injuries

When New York City-based Peloton Tread instructor Marcel Dinkins had patella issues, she took up backward walking. She returned to it recently after tearing her ACL. “You get to push off,” she says, describing the motion required to launch into walking in reverse. “When you have running or knee issues, you usually have a little pain right underneath your patella. Running backward gives you some respite and relief.”’

Read More : Why Hiking Is the Perfect Mind-Body Workout

Retro-walking has a long history of being used in a clinical or rehabilitation sense, says Janet Dufek, a biomechanist and professor in the School of Integrated Health Sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who has researched backward walking. One study , for example, found that after a six-week retro-walking program, participants with osteoarthritis in the knee experienced greater reduction in pain and functional disability compared to those who walked in the typical way. Another found that backward walking down a steep slope alleviated symptoms of plantar fasciitis. And in a study led by Dufek , walking backward reduced lower back pain and enhanced function among athletes. 

Retro-walking is also used in occupational therapy. Older people might practice walking up to a kitchen sink, for example, and then walking backward away from it. The ability to move in reverse can enhance “practical activities of daily living,” Dufek says.

It could make you more flexible

Many of us sit all day long—which leads to coiled-up, restricted muscles. “Our hip flexors, or the muscles at the front of the thigh and the front of the hip, get tighter,” says Kristyn Holc, a physical therapist with Atlantic Sports Health Physical Therapy in Morristown, N.J. When we walk backward, we’re stretching that tissue—leading to greater flexibility, which is linked to improved physical performance, increased muscle blood flow, and a reduced risk of injuries. “You’ll notice a lot of people, especially as they get older, hinge at the hips—they get a little bit of a bend there,” she says. “That's because their hip flexors are tight. So if we can stretch those out, it helps us be able to get that upright posture.”

Your gait and balance might improve

Elizabeth Stroot, a physical therapist with Core Wellness & Physical Therapy in Alexandria, Va., uses retro-walking to help people normalize their gait pattern, or how they walk. “It’s a way to tap into our neuromuscular programming and get people to work through a little limp or a range-of-motion restriction,” she says. Walking backward for just 20 or 30 feet at a time is often enough to help some patients, she adds.

Read More : Your Brain Doesn't Want You to Exercise

It can also improve balance control , especially among older adults, who are at a higher risk of falls. That’s because we maintain our balance through three big systems, Holc says: our eyes, our muscles and joints, and the vestibular system, or inner ear. When we walk backward, we can’t see what’s behind us, which means we have to rely on the other two systems instead, sharpening their ability to keep us upright. “You’re having to feel where you are in space, and that information is being sent to the brain,” she says.

But you need to do it safely

Many people experiment with retro-walking on their treadmill, which is free of hazards like rocks, uneven ground, and other people. You don’t even have to turn it on, Dinkins points out: Simply step onto the machine backward, grasp the handrails, and use your own power to move the belt. “If you’re pushing it, you’re going to get more of that resistance,” she says—leading to a better workout. If you do decide to turn on the treadmill, start at a low speed and keep the safety key clipped to you at all times, Dinkins advises.

No treadmill? No problem: Choose a safe spot indoors or outside, like a hallway, walking track, or empty field. Dufek encourages people to partner up: “Two people face each other and hold hands, and one of them walks backward while the other one’s walking forward,” she says. “That person can be the eyes for the other one, so it’s very safe, and then you just switch places.”

No matter where you start backward walking, keep in mind that you won’t go as fast backward as you do going forward. There’s a learning curve, Dufek stresses: “If you can walk 4 miles per hour forward, don’t expect to be able to walk that fast backward,” she says. “At least initially, if you can walk 1 mile per hour backward, you’re in a good place.” As with any new exercise, ease in gradually. You might walk backward for 5 or 10 minutes three times a week, and then after a few weeks, add 5 more minutes to each session, Dufek suggests. “As your body neurologically learns the movement pattern, you'll be able to walk faster,” she says. “And of course, walking faster burns more calories, and then you can be out in public and get laughed out for even longer. It’s fun.” How’s that for forward progress?

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Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker's speech was ugly. He's only part of a bigger problem.

A question: Are the Kansas City Chiefs OK with one of their players, kicker Harrison Butker, saying women belong as homemakers?

The team has several women executive vice presidents who have careers outside of the kitchen. What do they think of this? The team has celebrated Women's History Month , not Woman You Better Get My Dinner on the Table Month.

"I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolic lies told to you," Butker said at a recent college commencement. "Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.

"I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and a mother," Butker added. "I’m on this stage, and able to be the man I am, because I have a wife who leans into her vocation."

Her vocation? Really? Did I slip and fall into a time machine and travel back to the 1950s?

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“I’m beyond blessed with the many talents god has given me," he said, "but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker."

The team thus far has been silent about Butker's comments which don't stop with his antiquated views of a woman's role in society. He also went on an anti-LGBTQ rant.

Speaking of Pride month, Butker said: “Not the deadly sins sort of Pride that has an entire month dedicated to it, but the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the holy ghost to glorify him.”

The organization did not respond to an email request for comment.

But former Kansas City commissioner Justice Horn did respond to Butker. He wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter: "Harrison Butker doesn’t represent Kansas City nor has he ever. Kansas City has always been a place that welcomes, affirms, and embraces our LGBTQ+ community members."

Before all of you Constitutional scholars chime in from your grammy's basement, I'm aware Butker can say whatever he wants, but that doesn't mean the rest of us should stay silent.

On social media, one of the prevailing sentiments was that Butker was just an idiot kicker and didn't matter. That's false. Not the part about him being an idiot. That's true. The part about him not mattering.

He's a key part of a Super Bowl champion team. He plays in the most popular sport in the country. His words will carry and while they have the waft of Archie Bunker's couch, they shouldn't be ignored. We should take every opportunity to push back against this type of extremist, Neanderthalic view of the world.

(It's also interesting to see right-wing and white nationalist platforms that usually tell athletes of color to shut up and dribble championing Butker's remarks. Maybe interesting isn't the word for it.)

Read more KC Chiefs news: Harrison Butker strikes against Pride Month, lauds wife's role as 'homemaker'

Butker represents a segment of the population that wants to go backwards, particularly with women's rights. These people are getting bolder and more hateful.

The goal is to wrench power from a society that has become more pluralistic and diverse, and put it back into the hands of a small group of men. And I can tell you, in their universe, they aren't talking about men of color having all this power.

Butker gives the entire game away with this part of his speech.

"To the gentlemen here today, part of what plagues society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities,' Butker said. "As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation.

"Be unapologetic in your masculinity. Fight against the cultural emasculation of men. Do hard things. Never settle for what is easy."

There is no emasculation of men. It's not happening. It has never happened. It's a totally fabricated thing.

Again, none of this has to do with the loss of rights. No one is being emasculated. Men aren't losing power. Women don't need to stay in the kitchen. Unless they want to.

There are people like Butker who want to take America back in time. Not the majority. But enough.

And that's scary.

Pa. doctors for Biden: Trump will take the state ‘backwards’ in healthcare

• Updated: May. 17, 2024, 5:12 a.m. |
• Published: May. 17, 2024, 5:00 a.m.

Pennsylvania physicians and healthcare providers warn in an open letter to other Keystone State residents that former President Donald Trump would target the Affordable Care Act and women's reproductive rights if re-elected as president. (Angela Weiss/Pool Photo via AP) AP

• J.D. Prose | [email protected]

More than 80 Pennsylvania physicians and other healthcare providers have signed a letter warning that former President Donald Trump would take the state “backwards” by targeting the Affordable Care Act and women’s reproductive care.

“We are also acutely aware of what’s at stake in this election: if Donald Trump wins, he will take us backwards by raising Pennsylvanians’ health care costs and rolling back protections, including around reproductive health care,” reads the letter addressed to “fellow Pennsylvanians” and signed by physicians, nurses and other providers from across the state who support President Joe Biden.

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Sports | Preakness 2024: Bob Baffert is back in the race…

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Sports | Preakness 2024: Bob Baffert is back in the race he’s dominated with a hand diminished by rare bad luck

And for three decades, he was unusually lucky, avoiding the ankle chips and spiked fevers that have derailed so many would-be champions. This week, the old edict caught up with Baffert when the trainer’s early Preakness Stakes favorite, Muth, fell ill and had to be scratched from the race after an 18-hour journey from Southern California to Baltimore.

Baffert arrived Thursday, knowing he has a weaker hand in the race he’s won a record eight times but still hopeful that Imagination, the lesser of his two contenders, will give him a ninth Preakness.

“Imagination, he’s trying to catch up with Muth,” he said. “I keep waiting for him to turn on the afterburners, but he just sort of hangs out with another horse. He’s going to have to step it up.”

Baffert has long gushed about the informality of Preakness week, the camaraderie between trainers — all housed in the same stakes barn — as a respite from the grueling tension surrounding the Kentucky Derby.

The middle jewel of the Triple Crown has become a particular safe harbor for Baffert the past two years as he has remained barred from Churchill Downs because of the medication violation that cost Medina Spirit his victory in the 2021 Derby . That standoff grew more bitter last summer, when Churchill officials extended Baffert’s suspension through the end of 2024, saying in a statement that “a trainer who is unwilling to accept responsibility for multiple drug test failures in our highest-profile races cannot be trusted to avoid future misconduct.”

In other words, the most famous, successful and polarizing figure in thoroughbred racing is not welcome at the sport’s most prominent event.

That’s not the case in Baltimore, even after a complicated 2023 Preakness day when Baffert won the headline race with National Treasure but watched another of his horses, Havnameltdown, suffer a gruesome breakdown in an undercard race.

He held court at the center of the week’s largest media scrum Friday morning. He visited amiably with Kenny McPeek, trainer of this year’s Derby champion and Preakness favorite, Mystik Dan , and with his oldest rival turned pal, D. Wayne Lukas, who will saddle two horses for the Preakness.

McPeek and Lukas are among those who say racing is better off with Baffert involved in its biggest events.

“I want to tell you, Bob was one of the first people to call me [after the Derby],” McPeek said. “He and I just [talked] from horseman to horseman — not everybody calls you after you win a big race like that — but Bob’s great. And he was over the moon for me. Any notion that Bob Baffert isn’t special guy? He is — very.”

2024 Preakness week | PHOTOS

The 88-year-old Lukas used to battle with Baffert for supremacy in the Triple Crown races but has emerged as one of his most vocal defenders. They sat together for 15 minutes Friday on the bench outside Lukas’ familiar office on the far end of the Preakness barn.

“Bob should’ve been at the Derby; Bob is the face of the Kentucky Derby in this decade,” Lukas said earlier in the week. “That thing got out of hand. It mushroomed on him. But Bob being here is very important. … He’s going to be, as always, very, very tough to handle. But I wish he would’ve been in the Derby this year. Anytime we take somebody that’s that prominent in the Triple Crown series and don’t have him involved, I think it sets us back.”

Baffert, wearing a blue Los Angeles Dodgers quarter-zip and his trademark sunglasses, became more careful with his words when discussing his fractured relationship with Churchill Downs, saying the situation remains “in limbo” despite his desire to find an amiable resolution.

Muth’s owner, Amr Zedan, sued to get the horse and Baffert into this year’s Derby, with Churchill Downs issuing another snarky statement after that legal action failed: “Mr. Zedan may suffer from a case of Derby fever, which is known to spread with exposure to horses and is contagious this time of year. Symptoms can contribute to questionable judgment and in extreme cases can result in litigious behavior.”

Such words have led some in the racing world to argue that the dispute has become too personal and disconnected from the scale of Baffert’s original offenses.

Regardless, he said he’s focused only on the narrow mission in front of him, which grew more difficult when Muth’s temperature soared to 103 degrees Tuesday night. Muth was the 3-year-old Baffert knew he could trust, with a win over Mystik Dan in the March 30 Arkansas Derby and nary a dud race on his resume.

Imagination is gifted, a “beautifully balanced” horse in his trainer’s words, but has so far lacked a champion’s focus.

“He’s right there, first or second. He tries hard,” said Baffert, sounding like the father of a wayward middle child. “He’s a horse that’s going to get better and better with racing. He’s been working with Muth and working right alongside of him. I see a lot of upside in him, where Muth was just ready to roll right now.”

He wants Imagination to realize it’s OK to run away from the other horses rather than hang out with them near the lead.

He worried his remaining contender might catch whatever ailed Muth (still sick but improving Friday, according to blood tests). So far, so good on that front.

When it comes to the Preakness, Baffert said Imagination, a 3-1 second choice in the morning line, “needs to move up at least three lengths” to compete with the likes of Mystik Dan, an 8-5 favorite.

“He’s very consistent, Mystik Dan,” he said. “His race in the Southwest [Stakes] was really off the charts. He looked like the Derby favorite that day. Even thought it was a sloppy track, just the way that he did it; he really was just extending at the end. … I like the way he won the Derby, brilliant ride by [Brian] Hernandez Jr. He kept his horse in rhythm. That’s what it’s all about.”

He trusts veteran Italian jockey Frankie Dettori to pull out the best Imagination has to offer Saturday. Baffert just isn’t sure what that is, at least compared with his past greats such as Justify, American Pharoah and Silver Charm.

“I’m hoping this will be his coming out party,” Baffert said. “With Muth out, we really, really need him badly.”

149th Preakness Stakes

Pimlico Race Course

Saturday, approx. 6:50 p.m.

Preakness 2024 field

Post, Horse, Odds

1. Mugatu 20-1

2. Uncle Heavy 20-1

3. Catching Freedom 7-2

4. Muth (Scratched)

5. Mystik Dan 8-5

6. Seize the Grey 12-1

7. Just Steel 12-1

8. Tuscan Gold 9-2

9. Imagination 3-1

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Gets the Ball Rolling

Sara Muchnick makes her New York Times Crossword debut.

By Deb Amlen

Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues

THURSDAY PUZZLE — It’s not uncommon for beginners to miss or be confused by the theme in a crossword. They may even solve the entire grid without using the theme as a solving tool or without looking back to appreciate that the theme even exists. My heart always goes out to these people, because I think that deciphering the theme is a bonus, an extra bit of fun while you’re untangling the clues.

Well, today it was my turn to be flummoxed. This doesn’t happen often, but I finished Sara Muchnick’s clever puzzle and couldn’t figure out the theme. There was a revealer, and I technically understood what needed to be done, but it turns out that I was trying to do it in the wrong place. After a push in the right direction by Christina Iverson, a puzzle editor, the proverbial lightbulb went on, and I was able to get closure.

Maybe you missed the theme, too, and you’re frustrated. No need to worry — I will spill the beans on this terrific New York Times debut in the theme section of this column.

Today’s Theme

Yes, I know. The theme entries and their clues seemingly have nothing to do with one another. As always, there’s a reason for that.

Whenever a revealer has the format “___ for ___,” solvers usually need to swap one letter or word for another. The revealer clue at 63A reads “When read forward and then backward, motto that suggests how to interpret this puzzle’s starred clues,” and the answer is ALL FOR ONE (and ONE FOR ALL, when read backward). That means you are going to swap the word ALL where you see the word ONE, and vice versa.

The only problem is that the words “all” and “one” do not occur in any of the entries. So where are we supposed to do all this swapping?

Look at the clues. At 17A, for example, the starred clue is “G one ,” and the answer is SOME NERVE. But if you change “G one ” to “G all ,” the answer suddenly makes sense.

Similarly, you would break your commode if you tried to use a “St one tool” as a TOILET BRUSH (24A). Never take home improvement advice from constructors or puzzle editors, that’s my motto. But if you changed “St one ” to “St all ,” you will have your toilet for years to come.

If you would like additional help on the theme entries, please click any of the following links to see the answer.

36A. Scoop received in a call

Cone -> call = Scoop received in a cone

Shall -> Shone

52A. It gets the ball rolling

Ball -> bone = It gets the bone rolling

ROTARY JOINT

Tricky Clues

21A. The “Life lines, for short?” are not on your palm; they are in a hospital. The answer is IVS.

33A. A “Bit of a bluff” refers to the geographic element, and it’s a CRAG.

47A. KALE is a vegetable that is one “letter off” from Yale, the Ivy League school.

62A. The clue “Final points in scores?” does not refer to a sports score; it hints at music. CODAS are the concluding passages of pieces or movements.

2D. Ah, this was a tricky one! You might think that “Repetitive clicking sound?” would be a clue about a computer keyboard, but it’s not. A SHORT I sound is used repetitively in the clue.

9D. If you have “The whole world in your hands?” you are probably holding an ATLAS.

23D. “Down more than” sounds as if we’re supposed to be thinking about someone who is down many points in a game (at least it does to me), but in this case, “down” refers to eating. The answer is OUTEAT.

37D. At first, I thought that “Head of lettuce?” was a “Tell me the first letter of a word” clue, and that the answer was ELL. Fooled again! This lettuce is slang for money, and the person who would be in charge of it at a company is the C.F.O.

41D. “More than 60 percent of Fortune 500 companies are incorporated” in DELAWARE because they do not have to pay corporate income taxes in that state.

Constructor Notes

I can’t believe today is my New York Times Crossword debut! This has been the dream for such a long time. Growing up, I watched my parents solve the Times Crossword every day. By the way, photocopying the print version so that someone else can solve is a love language. When I went to college, my mom started to mail me the Monday puzzle every week (she and my dad took the photocopies, I got the original). My obsession took off, and I began constructing puzzles for my friends. At first, the fill was mostly inside jokes and made-up Spanish verb conjugations, but fortunately (for my sake and for yours) I’ve evolved. This puzzle is particularly important to me because I wrote it while on maternity leave with my son Leor. Thankfully, he’s a brilliant co-constructor.

Join Our Other Game Discussions

Want to be part of the conversation about New York Times Games, or maybe get some help with a particularly thorny puzzle? Here are the:

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Improve Your Crossword Solving

Work your way through our guide, “ How to Solve the New York Times Crossword .” It contains an explanation of most of the types of clues you will see in the puzzles and a practice Mini at the end of each section.

Want to Submit Crosswords to The New York Times?

The New York Times Crossword has an open submission system, and you can submit your puzzles online . For tips on how to get started, read our series “ How to Make a Crossword Puzzle .”

The Tipping Point

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Spoiler alert: Subscribers can take a peek at the answer key .

Trying to get back to the main Gameplay page? You can find it here .

Deb Amlen is a games columnist for The Times. She helps readers learn to solve the Times Crossword, and writes about games, puzzles and language. More about Deb Amlen

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