October 13, 2011 1:16 PM

Why I now believe time travel is totally possible

By
Ysolt Usigan
Topics
Tech Talk ,
Wired for Women

(CBS) - Are you watching "Terra Nova"? I am and I may just get hooked. In the show, "future" people leave a deteriorating Earth to live life during a time when dinosaurs roamed and the planet's natural resources were plentiful. It's interesting, however, the idea of time travel has been a big question mark for me. I know, I know - it's only a TV show, but I've seriously been trying to wrap my head around whether or not we (or our kids, grand kids or great grand kids) can go back in time. Sadly, my brain has not been successful at figuring this out - I got a C in physics, after all.

Then, I came across this video from one of my favorite sites ever, New Scientist, and it blew my mind.

"Time travel is more than just science fiction: it could be possible according to the laws of physics," reports New Scientist. "However, building a time machine would likely be difficult and require technology that doesn't currently exist. In this animation, we look at how to build a time machine and the perplexing implications of such a feat."

So okay, it's not super-possible right at this very moment, but in time, it can happen. All you need is a black hole, a worm hole and negative gravity. When you round up those ingredients - if I'm still alive (hehe, wishful thinking here) - take me back to the 1970s, please. I absolutely love hippie style and groovy tunes.


  • Ysolt Usigan

    Ysolt Usigan is the editor of lifestyle and technology for women at CBSNews.com

Add a Comment
by I_remember_when October 16, 2011 4:33 AM EDT
I wish I could join you in the '70s. But your best bet for a good trip is to use your imagination. Be free, be wild, be hippy.

Now, if you get your science facts from publications such as the New Scientist magazine, you really did deserve a C in physics!!! Their tagline should read: "we interpret science for the scientific ignoratti."

Don't believe them just because THEY say the laws of physics allows us to travel in time.

The laws of physics today say only that very simple particles (like a boson or photon) MIGHT be able to travel through time. The laws of physics do not preclude this. But it's on the edges of possibility - with EXTREME structures (like wormholes and black-holes -- which we still don't understand well, or even how they could exist).

The laws of physics do say it's nearly impossible (extremely low/basically zero probability) for a complex dynamic structure like a living human/animal to make the trip through time (in either direction) and come out living and the same. If you do get everything setup and working, each of the particles that make us up will travel, but due to random fluctuations they all will arrive at slightly different positions and times -- the result is a human soup. Theoretically, you MIGHT get a soupy messy (fragmented torn-apart) but dead person appearing on the other end.

If that isn't clear, maybe this will shed some light. The laws of particle physics say we have a better chance (higher probability) of being able to put our hand straight through (inside) a wall, and it going through fine -- with all of the atoms in our hand aligning perfectly between the gaps in the wall's atomic structure. It says this is more possible -- i.e. better probability than human time-travel - but they both are still pretty close to zero probability.

Anyway, saw a few interesting articles of yours, good work! And please, stay off the New Scientist stuff if you can.ddddddsx
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