December 31, 2024 • 18 mins
Welcome to "The Deep Dive," where we explore the profound and fascinating realms of science and beyond. In this episode, we journey into the captivating world of time travel through the lens of Albert Einstein's groundbreaking theories.
Join us as we unravel the mysteries of time dilation and the curvature of spacetime, core principles that suggest the possibility of traveling into the future. We'll delve into the theoretical foundations laid by Einstein's special and general theories of relativity, exploring how massive objects like black holes can warp spacetime and influence the passage of time.
We'll also discuss the intriguing concept of wormholes—hypothetical tunnels that could connect distant points in spacetime—and their potential to facilitate time travel. Despite the scientific complexity, we'll break down these ideas into digestible insights, making them accessible to all listeners.
Hear about veridical perceptions during out-of-body experiences and near-death experiences that hint at the possibility of consciousness transcending the physical body. We'll touch on the practical challenges, such as the immense energy required for near-light-speed travel and the health risks posed to astronauts.
Finally, we'll reflect on the ethical and philosophical implications of time travel research, inviting you to ponder the future of humanity and our place in the cosmos. Whether you're a science enthusiast or simply curious about the mysteries of the universe, this episode promises to expand your understanding and spark your imagination. Tune in to "The Deep Dive" and embark on a thought-provoking exploration of time travel.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
All right, get ready because today we're gonna try to wrap our heads around time travel.
(00:06):
To the future.
Yeah, to the future. You're going forward in time.
And you sent me a bunch of notes and articles all about this, most of them having to do with
Einstein.
Einstein, yeah, his theories of relativity.
Yeah.
Let's just kind of dive in, I guess.
Yeah, let's unpack it.
So before we get into the really crazy stuff, can we take a step back
(00:29):
and talk about how people thought about time and space before Einstein kind of came along
and blew everyone's mind?
Oh, absolutely, yeah. That's a great starting point because it really highlights how revolutionary
his ideas were. You see, in classical physics, time and space were seen as completely separate
(00:51):
things. They were absolute.
Gotcha.
So time was like this universal clock that ticked at the same rate for everyone and
everything.
Okay, so imagine there's this giant clock in the sky and everyone's just sinking their
watches to that one clock.
Exactly, yeah, everyone's on the same.
Same time frame.
Yeah.
Yeah, okay, I get that.
So then Einstein comes along.
Right.
And he just says, nope, I've got a totally different idea.
(01:14):
Yeah, pretty much. Ha-ha.
Ha-ha.
Yeah, Einstein's theory of relativity really changed everything.
Okay.
He introduced this concept of space time, which combined space and time as one single entity.
So it's not two separate things anymore.
No, it's a four-dimensional fabric.
Okay.
And here's the crazy part. This fabric can be warped.
(01:35):
Warped. What do you mean warped?
Warped by mass and energy.
So like, if you put a bowling ball on a trampoline.
Exactly.
Okay.
Yeah, that's a great analogy.
It makes like a dip.
Yeah.
So that's what massive objects do to space time?
Precisely.
Wow.
The bowling ball represents a massive object.
Okay.
Like a planet or a star and the dip.
(01:57):
Right.
That it makes in the trampoline.
That's the warping of space time.
So does that mean like a planet's gravity is literally just the warp in space time?
It is. That's exactly what gravity is.
Caused by its mass.
It's the curvature of space time caused by mass and energy.
Wow.
Okay. So massive objects aren't just in space time?
(02:18):
Right.
They actually shape it.
They shaped it.
That's crazy.
It is. And that warping has some pretty mind blowing consequences.
Okay.
Especially when you start talking about Einstein's special theory of relativity.
All right. So we talk about space time.
Yes.
And how it can be warped.
Uh-huh.
What's so special about special relativity?
Ha-ha.
Well, special relativity is where things really start to get interesting in terms of time travel.
(02:42):
Okay. Is this where it comes in?
Yeah. This is where it starts to make sense.
All right.
See, special relativity tells us that time isn't actually constant.
Okay.
The way we used to think.
It's relative.
Meaning it can pass at different rates.
For different people.
Yeah. For objects moving at different speeds.
Wait. So if I'm moving faster.
Yes.
Time slows down for me.
Yeah. Relatively speaking.
So our everyday experience of time.
(03:05):
Right.
That's kind of an illusion.
It's more that our everyday experience is limited.
Okay.
To a very specific set of conditions.
Gotcha.
You know, we're not moving at speeds that are anywhere near the speed of light.
Okay. So at normal speeds.
Yeah.
It doesn't really matter.
All right. The effects are so tiny.
But if you get close to the speed of light.
That's when things get really weird.
(03:25):
Okay.
Imagine you have two identical twins, right?
Okay.
One twin stays on earth.
The other twin blasts off in a spaceship.
Okay.
Nearly the speed of light.
When that space faring twin comes back.
They're actually younger.
Wait, what?
Yeah.
Seriously.
That's not like just science fiction.
(03:46):
Nope. It's a real thing.
Really?
It's called time violation.
Time violation.
And it's been confirmed by experiments.
So they've actually like done this?
Not with twins in spaceships.
Okay.
But they've flown atomic clocks on jets.
And compared them to clocks on the ground.
The ones that flew at high speeds, they ticked a little bit slower.
(04:09):
Wow. Okay. So that's real.
It's real.
So does that mean that like traveling to the future is actually possible?
Theoretically.
Yeah.
Yes.
If we could build a spaceship that could go fast enough.
Okay.
We could essentially jump ahead in time.
That's wild.
And there's another piece to this puzzle.
Okay.
Einstein's general theory of relativity.
(04:31):
All right. So we've got special relativity.
Yes.
Now we've got general relativity.
Yeah.
What's that one all about?
General relativity reveals that gravity also plays a role in how time passes.
Okay. I think I read something about that.
It's not just that massive objects warp space.
Right.
It's that they actually slow down time too.
(04:51):
Exactly.
The stronger the gravitational pull, the slower time passes.
So like being near a really massive object.
Yes.
Would be like hitting the slow motion button on your life.
You got it.
That's a great way to think about it.
So just by living on Earth, we're experiencing time a tiny bit differently.
Yes.
Than someone like floating out in space.
(05:12):
That's right.
It's a tiny difference, but it's there.
It is.
And I guess it gets more extreme.
Much more extreme.
Near like black holes.
Yes.
Because they're so massive.
Exactly.
Black holes are like the ultimate time bending machines.
So hold on.
Yeah.
If we can manipulate time with gravity.
Mm-hmm.
Wouldn't that mean we could travel to the future without going super fast?
(05:34):
That's a fascinating thought.
Just find a really massive object to hang out near.
Right.
For a while.
It's a really interesting idea.
Yeah.
And it gets even more intriguing when we start talking about things like wormholes.
Wormholes.
Those are like those tunnels in sci-fi movies, right?
Yes.
It's like two different points in space.
Exactly.
The shortcuts through space time.
(05:54):
But those are made up, right?
Well, we haven't actually observed them.
Okay.
But they are theoretically possible.
Within like the laws of physics.
Within the framework of general relativity, yes.
So imagine these tunnels.
Yeah.
Connecting different points in space time.
Mm-hmm.
And if we could find or create traversable wormholes.
(06:17):
Yeah.
They might not just let us travel vast distances.
Right.
But also jump through time.
That's the idea.
So we might not even need to go near the speed of light to get to the future.
Potentially not.
We could just take a shortcut through a wormhole.
Yeah.
But there's a catch.
Okay.
There's always a catch.
Uh-huh.
Always a catch.
What is it this time?
Um-huh.
(06:41):
There's always the catch.
Can be a grab.
Yeah.
So there are zns on the other side.
and notify them of the Chicago
Wormholes.
And then the next location.
And match the degrees.
(07:02):
speeds. Absolutely. And that would take a ton of energy.
An incredible amount of like more than we can even imagine
right now. More than we can produce, that's for sure. Wow.
I can't even comprehend how much power it would take to like
propel a spaceship that fast. Yeah, it's mind boggling. And
then there's the spaceship itself. They would have to be
(07:22):
incredibly durable. Right. To withstand those speeds. Think
about it. Even a tiny dust particle in space. Yeah. At near
light speed. Uh huh. Be like a bullet. Oh wow. Yeah. So we're
not just talking about building a fast spaceship. Right. We're
talking about building a spaceship that's essentially a
fortress. Oh, so it's not just about going fast. No. It's
(07:43):
about surviving the trip. Exactly. And then you have
radiation. Oh yeah, right. Radiation shielding. Yeah, that's
another huge hurdle. Yeah, I've read about the health
problems astronauts face. Mm hmm. Just on the International
Space Station. Right. And they're only up there for a few
months. Yeah, a few months and they've got problems. Exactly.
So imagine traveling for years. Or decades. Yeah, near
(08:04):
light speed. Yeah. The toll it would take on your body would
be incredible. It would be immense. Yeah, radiation would
be a huge problem. Yeah, you'd be talking about muscle
atrophy. Mm hmm. Bone density loss. Right. Increased risk of
cancer. Yeah. And that's just the physical stuff. Right. What
about like the mental and emotional toll? Oh, absolutely.
Being cooped up in a spaceship. Yeah, the isolation, the
(08:25):
confinement. For that long. Yeah, it would be incredibly
demanding psychologically. It'd be like a solo mission to
Mars. Mm hmm. But like a thousand times harder. Yeah. I
mean, you start to wonder. Yeah. If the human body is even
capable of handling it. Right. As it's currently designed.
Right. Maybe we need to think beyond our current
(08:45):
limitations. Yeah, what if we need to explore things like
genetic engineering? Oh, wow. Or cybernetics. Make humans
more resilient. And the rigors of deep space travel. That's a
crazy thought. It is, isn't it? Yeah, like the first time
travelers. Yeah. Might not even be human. As we know it. Yeah.
It might be AI with its ability to withstand extreme
(09:08):
conditions. Yeah, process information. Yeah. At incredible
speeds. Right. That's that's blowing my mind. It's a
really interesting possibility. Yeah. Makes you wonder if
we're asking the right questions. Maybe it's not about
building bigger, faster spaceships. Mm hmm. It's about
changing what it means to be a traveler. Right. That's a
(09:28):
really profound thought. Yeah. Okay, I need a minute to
process all of this. I think that's a good idea. We've
covered a lot. Yeah, it's a lot to take in. And when we come
back, we can dive into what might be the most mind
bending concept of all. Okay. The possibility of traveling
to the past. Oh boy. I can't wait. Uh huh. That's gonna be
fun. It's gonna be a wild ride. Alright, we'll be back after
(09:49):
short break.
Welcome back. It's amazing how quickly time flies when
you're talking about time travel. It really is. Ha ha.
Maybe we're experiencing a little time dilation
ourselves. Ha ha. Maybe so. But seriously, before we took
that break, we were talking about the challenges of
actually traveling to the future. Even if you know the
(10:11):
physics works out, it seems like there are still some
huge hurdles to overcome. Absolutely. And one of the
biggest is the energy it would take. Yeah. Like how much
are we talking about here? To get a spacecraft, even a
small one moving close to the speed of light, you'd need
more energy than the entire world consumes in a year.
Wow. That's more than just a few batteries. Ha ha. Yeah, it's a
(10:33):
mind boggling amount. Okay. So, even if hypothetically, we
could generate that much power. Right. How do you even
store it? That's another massive challenge. I mean, our
current batteries are pretty good. For everyday use,
sure. No, for this. We'd need some completely new
technology. Okay, and then there's the spaceship itself.
Right. It can't just be fast. It has to be able to
(10:53):
withstand those speeds. Yeah, think about it. Even tiny dust
particles in space would become like little bullets at
near the speed of light. Exactly. We'd need something
incredibly durable. So, it's not just about building a
fast spaceship. Nope. It's about building one that's
basically a fortress. Yeah, a supersonic tank that can also
withstand cosmic radiation. Yeah, radiation. Right.
(11:15):
Radiation shielding is another major hurdle. It's crazy to
think about the damage it could do. Yeah, especially over
long periods of time. Like astronauts on the
International Space Station have all sorts of health
problems. Right, and they're only up there for a few
months at a time. So, imagine years, decades even, at near
the speed of light. It'd be a huge risk. Yeah, muscle
atrophy, bone loss, cancer. And that's not even
(11:37):
considering the psychological effects. Right. The
isolation, the confinement. Yeah, the sheer duration of the
trip would be incredibly demanding. It's like a
solo mission to Mars. Uh huh. But like a thousand times
worse. It makes you wonder if the human body is even
capable of handling it. Yeah, I mean, maybe we need to
think beyond our current limitations. What if the
(11:58):
first time travelers aren't even human as we know it?
Whoa, you're talking about like AI or something.
Possibly, something that can withstand the extreme
conditions of space travel much better than we can.
That's a pretty wild thought. It is. Makes you wonder if we're
even asking the right questions. What if it's not about
building better spaceships? Right. What if it's about
(12:20):
fundamentally changing what it means to be a traveler? That's
a really profound idea. So, even if we could figure out all
of that. Yeah. What about the research that's happening
right now? Oh, there's a lot going on. What kind of
stuff? Well, we talked about Lego earlier. Yeah, the
gravitational waves. It's giving us incredible insights
into how space time behaves, especially under
(12:40):
extreme conditions. So, we're getting a better
understanding of the like the rules of the game. Exactly.
Okay, and what about those particle accelerators? Like the
Large Hadron Collider. Yeah. They're helping us
understand the fundamental forces of the universe. By
smashing things together at really high speeds. Pretty
much. Okay, but how does that relate to time travel? The
(13:00):
more we understand about the fundamental laws of physics.
Yeah. The more likely we are to find those loop holes.
That might allow for time manipulation. Oh, so it's like,
we need to know the rules before we can break them. Uh-huh.
Exactly. So, we need physicists who are also like
cosmic hackers. That's a great way to put it. And then
there's the theoretical stuff, right? Right. There are
(13:22):
brilliant minds out there. Yeah. Working on completely new
models and theories. Like what kind of stuff? Worm holes,
higher dimensions, even multiple universes. So, it's
like we're constantly pushing the boundary. Of what we
think is possible. Both technologically and
conceptually. Absolutely. Makes you wonder if one day
we'll look back. Yeah. At our current understanding of
(13:42):
time travel. Mm-hmm. And laugh at how primitive it seems. Like
we do with those old drawings of flying machines. Yeah,
exactly. I wouldn't be surprised at all. Yeah, but
there's one big question we haven't really talked about
yet. What's that? We've talked about going to the future.
Mm-hmm. But what about going back in time? Ah, yes. That's
the really tricky one. I mean, going forward, that's crazy
(14:03):
enough. Mm-hmm. But going backward. Mm-hmm. That seems
like a recipe for disaster. It introduces a whole new set of
challenges. Like what if you went back in time? Yeah. And
accidentally stepped on a butterfly. Haha. The butterfly
effect. Yeah. Would that change the course of history? It's a
classic paradox. Yeah. Cause and effect would be all
messed up. Exactly. You'd be violating one of the
(14:24):
fundamental principles of the universe. Okay, so let's talk
about that. I'll go going back in time thing. Yeah, let's
dive into that. All right, my brain is a little fried after
that last conversation. Yeah, it's a lot to process. Thinking
about going back in time just it really messes with my head. I
know. It's it really challenges our understanding of of how
things work. Like the whole idea of cause and effect. Yeah. It
(14:48):
seems like going back in time would completely turn that on
its head. You're right. It could potentially violate one of
the most fundamental principles of the universe. Right. Like
if if you could go back in time and change something,
wouldn't that change everything? Exactly. And that leads to
all sorts of paradoxes. Yeah, like like that grandfather
paradox. Right. The one where you go back and accidentally
(15:09):
kill your own grandfather. Yeah, before your parent is even
born. Which means you would never have been born. Exactly. So
how could you have gone back in time in the first place? It's
a loop. Like a crazy time loop. A classic paradox. Yeah. It's
a real head scratcher. So have have physicists figured out a
way around that? Well, there are some theories but they get
pretty wild. Okay, like what? Some suggest that if backward
(15:33):
time travel were possible, it might create parallel universes.
Parallel universes. Like alternate reality. Exactly. So
instead of changing your own past. Okay. You might
inadvertently create a new reality where things played out
differently. Wow. So so it's like stepping into a completely
different dimension. It's a possibility but there are other
(15:56):
theories too. Okay, what else? Some suggest there might be a
sort of cosmic sensor. A what? A cosmic sensor. Like a built-in
mechanism. Okay. That prevents us from making changes to the
past. So we can go back but we can't actually change
anything. Well, it's more like there might be laws of
physics we haven't discovered yet. Okay. That would somehow
(16:18):
prevent those paradox creating events from happening. So
like the universe has a safety mechanism built in. To keep
things from unraveling. Yeah. A paradox protection system.
It's a fascinating idea. It is but are these theories like
based on anything solid? Honestly, we're really in the realm
(16:39):
of speculation here. Okay. We just don't have enough evidence.
It's way for sure. To say for sure whether backward time
travel is possible. Or how it would even work. Exactly. So
traveling to the future, maybe, maybe that's on the table.
Yeah, theoretically possible. But traveling to the past,
that's that's still a big mystery. A huge mystery. It seems
like the more we dig into this, the more questions we have.
(17:01):
Well, that's that's science for you. Yeah. It's not always
about finding answers. Right. Sometimes it's about asking
the right questions. Even if they lead to more mysteries.
Exactly. The quest to understand time. Yeah. It's one of the
most fundamental pursuits in science. Trying to unravel the
the very essence of reality. That's a great way to put it.
So where do we go from here? Well, I I think continued
(17:25):
research is key. Okay. We need to keep pushing the boundaries
of what we know about the universe. From the tiniest particles.
To the largest structures. Yeah. And everything in between.
Exactly. It's like we're trying to assemble this giant cosmic
jigsaw puzzle. And we're missing a bunch of the pieces.
And somewhere in those missing pieces. Yeah. Might lie the key
to unlocking the secrets of time travel. I like that. It's
(17:48):
hopeful. We have to be optimistic. Yeah. There are still
amazing discoveries to be made. It's just a matter of time.
Literally. Exactly. Well, I think that's a good place to wrap
things up. Yeah, we've covered a lot of ground. I don't know
about you, but I'm definitely leaving this conversation. Yeah.
With a whole new perspective on time. It's something we often
take for granted. Yeah. But when you really think about it.
(18:10):
It's incredibly complex and mysterious. Yeah. And even if
we never figure out how to build an actual time machine.
Mm hmm. Just exploring these ideas. Pushing the boundaries of
what we thought was possible. It's an incredible journey. It
really is. It's about expanding our understanding of the
universe. And our place in it. And who knows? Maybe someday.
Yeah. These theories will be seen as the first steps. To a
(18:34):
future. Where the boundaries of time. Aren't as rigid as we
thought. It's a nice thought. It is. And to everyone listening
out there. Yeah. We want to hear from you. Absolutely. If you
could travel through time. Past or future. Where would you go?
Mm hmm. What moment would you choose to visit? Let us know.
Thanks for joining us on this deep dive. Thanks for listening.
(18:56):
We'll see you next time.
All right, get ready because today we're gonna try to wrap our heads around time travel.
(00:06):
To the future.
Yeah, to the future. You're going forward in time.
And you sent me a bunch of notes and articles all about this, most of them having to do with
Einstein.
Einstein, yeah, his theories of relativity.
Yeah.
Let's just kind of dive in, I guess.
Yeah, let's unpack it.
So before we get into the really crazy stuff, can we take a step back
(00:29):
and talk about how people thought about time and space before Einstein kind of came along
and blew everyone's mind?
Oh, absolutely, yeah. That's a great starting point because it really highlights how revolutionary
his ideas were. You see, in classical physics, time and space were seen as completely separate
(00:51):
things. They were absolute.
Gotcha.
So time was like this universal clock that ticked at the same rate for everyone and
everything.
Okay, so imagine there's this giant clock in the sky and everyone's just sinking their
watches to that one clock.
Exactly, yeah, everyone's on the same.
Same time frame.
Yeah.
Yeah, okay, I get that.
So then Einstein comes along.
Right.
And he just says, nope, I've got a totally different idea.
(01:14):
Yeah, pretty much. Ha-ha.
Ha-ha.
Yeah, Einstein's theory of relativity really changed everything.
Okay.
He introduced this concept of space time, which combined space and time as one single entity.
So it's not two separate things anymore.
No, it's a four-dimensional fabric.
Okay.
And here's the crazy part. This fabric can be warped.
(01:35):
Warped. What do you mean warped?
Warped by mass and energy.
So like, if you put a bowling ball on a trampoline.
Exactly.
Okay.
Yeah, that's a great analogy.
It makes like a dip.
Yeah.
So that's what massive objects do to space time?
Precisely.
Wow.
The bowling ball represents a massive object.
Okay.
Like a planet or a star and the dip.
(01:57):
Right.
That it makes in the trampoline.
That's the warping of space time.
So does that mean like a planet's gravity is literally just the warp in space time?
It is. That's exactly what gravity is.
Caused by its mass.
It's the curvature of space time caused by mass and energy.
Wow.
Okay. So massive objects aren't just in space time?
(02:18):
Right.
They actually shape it.
They shaped it.
That's crazy.
It is. And that warping has some pretty mind blowing consequences.
Okay.
Especially when you start talking about Einstein's special theory of relativity.
All right. So we talk about space time.
Yes.
And how it can be warped.
Uh-huh.
What's so special about special relativity?
Ha-ha.
Well, special relativity is where things really start to get interesting in terms of time travel.
(02:42):
Okay. Is this where it comes in?
Yeah. This is where it starts to make sense.
All right.
See, special relativity tells us that time isn't actually constant.
Okay.
The way we used to think.
It's relative.
Meaning it can pass at different rates.
For different people.
Yeah. For objects moving at different speeds.
Wait. So if I'm moving faster.
Yes.
Time slows down for me.
Yeah. Relatively speaking.
So our everyday experience of time.
(03:05):
Right.
That's kind of an illusion.
It's more that our everyday experience is limited.
Okay.
To a very specific set of conditions.
Gotcha.
You know, we're not moving at speeds that are anywhere near the speed of light.
Okay. So at normal speeds.
Yeah.
It doesn't really matter.
All right. The effects are so tiny.
But if you get close to the speed of light.
That's when things get really weird.
(03:25):
Okay.
Imagine you have two identical twins, right?
Okay.
One twin stays on earth.
The other twin blasts off in a spaceship.
Okay.
Nearly the speed of light.
When that space faring twin comes back.
They're actually younger.
Wait, what?
Yeah.
Seriously.
That's not like just science fiction.
(03:46):
Nope. It's a real thing.
Really?
It's called time violation.
Time violation.
And it's been confirmed by experiments.
So they've actually like done this?
Not with twins in spaceships.
Okay.
But they've flown atomic clocks on jets.
And compared them to clocks on the ground.
The ones that flew at high speeds, they ticked a little bit slower.
(04:09):
Wow. Okay. So that's real.
It's real.
So does that mean that like traveling to the future is actually possible?
Theoretically.
Yeah.
Yes.
If we could build a spaceship that could go fast enough.
Okay.
We could essentially jump ahead in time.
That's wild.
And there's another piece to this puzzle.
Okay.
Einstein's general theory of relativity.
(04:31):
All right. So we've got special relativity.
Yes.
Now we've got general relativity.
Yeah.
What's that one all about?
General relativity reveals that gravity also plays a role in how time passes.
Okay. I think I read something about that.
It's not just that massive objects warp space.
Right.
It's that they actually slow down time too.
(04:51):
Exactly.
The stronger the gravitational pull, the slower time passes.
So like being near a really massive object.
Yes.
Would be like hitting the slow motion button on your life.
You got it.
That's a great way to think about it.
So just by living on Earth, we're experiencing time a tiny bit differently.
Yes.
Than someone like floating out in space.
(05:12):
That's right.
It's a tiny difference, but it's there.
It is.
And I guess it gets more extreme.
Much more extreme.
Near like black holes.
Yes.
Because they're so massive.
Exactly.
Black holes are like the ultimate time bending machines.
So hold on.
Yeah.
If we can manipulate time with gravity.
Mm-hmm.
Wouldn't that mean we could travel to the future without going super fast?
(05:34):
That's a fascinating thought.
Just find a really massive object to hang out near.
Right.
For a while.
It's a really interesting idea.
Yeah.
And it gets even more intriguing when we start talking about things like wormholes.
Wormholes.
Those are like those tunnels in sci-fi movies, right?
Yes.
It's like two different points in space.
Exactly.
The shortcuts through space time.
(05:54):
But those are made up, right?
Well, we haven't actually observed them.
Okay.
But they are theoretically possible.
Within like the laws of physics.
Within the framework of general relativity, yes.
So imagine these tunnels.
Yeah.
Connecting different points in space time.
Mm-hmm.
And if we could find or create traversable wormholes.
(06:17):
Yeah.
They might not just let us travel vast distances.
Right.
But also jump through time.
That's the idea.
So we might not even need to go near the speed of light to get to the future.
Potentially not.
We could just take a shortcut through a wormhole.
Yeah.
But there's a catch.
Okay.
There's always a catch.
Uh-huh.
Always a catch.
What is it this time?
Um-huh.
(06:41):
There's always the catch.
Can be a grab.
Yeah.
So there are zns on the other side.
and notify them of the Chicago
Wormholes.
And then the next location.
And match the degrees.
(07:02):
speeds. Absolutely. And that would take a ton of energy.
An incredible amount of like more than we can even imagine
right now. More than we can produce, that's for sure. Wow.
I can't even comprehend how much power it would take to like
propel a spaceship that fast. Yeah, it's mind boggling. And
then there's the spaceship itself. They would have to be
(07:22):
incredibly durable. Right. To withstand those speeds. Think
about it. Even a tiny dust particle in space. Yeah. At near
light speed. Uh huh. Be like a bullet. Oh wow. Yeah. So we're
not just talking about building a fast spaceship. Right. We're
talking about building a spaceship that's essentially a
fortress. Oh, so it's not just about going fast. No. It's
(07:43):
about surviving the trip. Exactly. And then you have
radiation. Oh yeah, right. Radiation shielding. Yeah, that's
another huge hurdle. Yeah, I've read about the health
problems astronauts face. Mm hmm. Just on the International
Space Station. Right. And they're only up there for a few
months. Yeah, a few months and they've got problems. Exactly.
So imagine traveling for years. Or decades. Yeah, near
(08:04):
light speed. Yeah. The toll it would take on your body would
be incredible. It would be immense. Yeah, radiation would
be a huge problem. Yeah, you'd be talking about muscle
atrophy. Mm hmm. Bone density loss. Right. Increased risk of
cancer. Yeah. And that's just the physical stuff. Right. What
about like the mental and emotional toll? Oh, absolutely.
Being cooped up in a spaceship. Yeah, the isolation, the
(08:25):
confinement. For that long. Yeah, it would be incredibly
demanding psychologically. It'd be like a solo mission to
Mars. Mm hmm. But like a thousand times harder. Yeah. I
mean, you start to wonder. Yeah. If the human body is even
capable of handling it. Right. As it's currently designed.
Right. Maybe we need to think beyond our current
(08:45):
limitations. Yeah, what if we need to explore things like
genetic engineering? Oh, wow. Or cybernetics. Make humans
more resilient. And the rigors of deep space travel. That's a
crazy thought. It is, isn't it? Yeah, like the first time
travelers. Yeah. Might not even be human. As we know it. Yeah.
It might be AI with its ability to withstand extreme
(09:08):
conditions. Yeah, process information. Yeah. At incredible
speeds. Right. That's that's blowing my mind. It's a
really interesting possibility. Yeah. Makes you wonder if
we're asking the right questions. Maybe it's not about
building bigger, faster spaceships. Mm hmm. It's about
changing what it means to be a traveler. Right. That's a
(09:28):
really profound thought. Yeah. Okay, I need a minute to
process all of this. I think that's a good idea. We've
covered a lot. Yeah, it's a lot to take in. And when we come
back, we can dive into what might be the most mind
bending concept of all. Okay. The possibility of traveling
to the past. Oh boy. I can't wait. Uh huh. That's gonna be
fun. It's gonna be a wild ride. Alright, we'll be back after
(09:49):
short break.
Welcome back. It's amazing how quickly time flies when
you're talking about time travel. It really is. Ha ha.
Maybe we're experiencing a little time dilation
ourselves. Ha ha. Maybe so. But seriously, before we took
that break, we were talking about the challenges of
actually traveling to the future. Even if you know the
(10:11):
physics works out, it seems like there are still some
huge hurdles to overcome. Absolutely. And one of the
biggest is the energy it would take. Yeah. Like how much
are we talking about here? To get a spacecraft, even a
small one moving close to the speed of light, you'd need
more energy than the entire world consumes in a year.
Wow. That's more than just a few batteries. Ha ha. Yeah, it's a
(10:33):
mind boggling amount. Okay. So, even if hypothetically, we
could generate that much power. Right. How do you even
store it? That's another massive challenge. I mean, our
current batteries are pretty good. For everyday use,
sure. No, for this. We'd need some completely new
technology. Okay, and then there's the spaceship itself.
Right. It can't just be fast. It has to be able to
(10:53):
withstand those speeds. Yeah, think about it. Even tiny dust
particles in space would become like little bullets at
near the speed of light. Exactly. We'd need something
incredibly durable. So, it's not just about building a
fast spaceship. Nope. It's about building one that's
basically a fortress. Yeah, a supersonic tank that can also
withstand cosmic radiation. Yeah, radiation. Right.
(11:15):
Radiation shielding is another major hurdle. It's crazy to
think about the damage it could do. Yeah, especially over
long periods of time. Like astronauts on the
International Space Station have all sorts of health
problems. Right, and they're only up there for a few
months at a time. So, imagine years, decades even, at near
the speed of light. It'd be a huge risk. Yeah, muscle
atrophy, bone loss, cancer. And that's not even
(11:37):
considering the psychological effects. Right. The
isolation, the confinement. Yeah, the sheer duration of the
trip would be incredibly demanding. It's like a
solo mission to Mars. Uh huh. But like a thousand times
worse. It makes you wonder if the human body is even
capable of handling it. Yeah, I mean, maybe we need to
think beyond our current limitations. What if the
(11:58):
first time travelers aren't even human as we know it?
Whoa, you're talking about like AI or something.
Possibly, something that can withstand the extreme
conditions of space travel much better than we can.
That's a pretty wild thought. It is. Makes you wonder if we're
even asking the right questions. What if it's not about
building better spaceships? Right. What if it's about
(12:20):
fundamentally changing what it means to be a traveler? That's
a really profound idea. So, even if we could figure out all
of that. Yeah. What about the research that's happening
right now? Oh, there's a lot going on. What kind of
stuff? Well, we talked about Lego earlier. Yeah, the
gravitational waves. It's giving us incredible insights
into how space time behaves, especially under
(12:40):
extreme conditions. So, we're getting a better
understanding of the like the rules of the game. Exactly.
Okay, and what about those particle accelerators? Like the
Large Hadron Collider. Yeah. They're helping us
understand the fundamental forces of the universe. By
smashing things together at really high speeds. Pretty
much. Okay, but how does that relate to time travel? The
(13:00):
more we understand about the fundamental laws of physics.
Yeah. The more likely we are to find those loop holes.
That might allow for time manipulation. Oh, so it's like,
we need to know the rules before we can break them. Uh-huh.
Exactly. So, we need physicists who are also like
cosmic hackers. That's a great way to put it. And then
there's the theoretical stuff, right? Right. There are
(13:22):
brilliant minds out there. Yeah. Working on completely new
models and theories. Like what kind of stuff? Worm holes,
higher dimensions, even multiple universes. So, it's
like we're constantly pushing the boundary. Of what we
think is possible. Both technologically and
conceptually. Absolutely. Makes you wonder if one day
we'll look back. Yeah. At our current understanding of
(13:42):
time travel. Mm-hmm. And laugh at how primitive it seems. Like
we do with those old drawings of flying machines. Yeah,
exactly. I wouldn't be surprised at all. Yeah, but
there's one big question we haven't really talked about
yet. What's that? We've talked about going to the future.
Mm-hmm. But what about going back in time? Ah, yes. That's
the really tricky one. I mean, going forward, that's crazy
(14:03):
enough. Mm-hmm. But going backward. Mm-hmm. That seems
like a recipe for disaster. It introduces a whole new set of
challenges. Like what if you went back in time? Yeah. And
accidentally stepped on a butterfly. Haha. The butterfly
effect. Yeah. Would that change the course of history? It's a
classic paradox. Yeah. Cause and effect would be all
messed up. Exactly. You'd be violating one of the
(14:24):
fundamental principles of the universe. Okay, so let's talk
about that. I'll go going back in time thing. Yeah, let's
dive into that. All right, my brain is a little fried after
that last conversation. Yeah, it's a lot to process. Thinking
about going back in time just it really messes with my head. I
know. It's it really challenges our understanding of of how
things work. Like the whole idea of cause and effect. Yeah. It
(14:48):
seems like going back in time would completely turn that on
its head. You're right. It could potentially violate one of
the most fundamental principles of the universe. Right. Like
if if you could go back in time and change something,
wouldn't that change everything? Exactly. And that leads to
all sorts of paradoxes. Yeah, like like that grandfather
paradox. Right. The one where you go back and accidentally
(15:09):
kill your own grandfather. Yeah, before your parent is even
born. Which means you would never have been born. Exactly. So
how could you have gone back in time in the first place? It's
a loop. Like a crazy time loop. A classic paradox. Yeah. It's
a real head scratcher. So have have physicists figured out a
way around that? Well, there are some theories but they get
pretty wild. Okay, like what? Some suggest that if backward
(15:33):
time travel were possible, it might create parallel universes.
Parallel universes. Like alternate reality. Exactly. So
instead of changing your own past. Okay. You might
inadvertently create a new reality where things played out
differently. Wow. So so it's like stepping into a completely
different dimension. It's a possibility but there are other
(15:56):
theories too. Okay, what else? Some suggest there might be a
sort of cosmic sensor. A what? A cosmic sensor. Like a built-in
mechanism. Okay. That prevents us from making changes to the
past. So we can go back but we can't actually change
anything. Well, it's more like there might be laws of
physics we haven't discovered yet. Okay. That would somehow
(16:18):
prevent those paradox creating events from happening. So
like the universe has a safety mechanism built in. To keep
things from unraveling. Yeah. A paradox protection system.
It's a fascinating idea. It is but are these theories like
based on anything solid? Honestly, we're really in the realm
(16:39):
of speculation here. Okay. We just don't have enough evidence.
It's way for sure. To say for sure whether backward time
travel is possible. Or how it would even work. Exactly. So
traveling to the future, maybe, maybe that's on the table.
Yeah, theoretically possible. But traveling to the past,
that's that's still a big mystery. A huge mystery. It seems
like the more we dig into this, the more questions we have.
(17:01):
Well, that's that's science for you. Yeah. It's not always
about finding answers. Right. Sometimes it's about asking
the right questions. Even if they lead to more mysteries.
Exactly. The quest to understand time. Yeah. It's one of the
most fundamental pursuits in science. Trying to unravel the
the very essence of reality. That's a great way to put it.
So where do we go from here? Well, I I think continued
(17:25):
research is key. Okay. We need to keep pushing the boundaries
of what we know about the universe. From the tiniest particles.
To the largest structures. Yeah. And everything in between.
Exactly. It's like we're trying to assemble this giant cosmic
jigsaw puzzle. And we're missing a bunch of the pieces.
And somewhere in those missing pieces. Yeah. Might lie the key
to unlocking the secrets of time travel. I like that. It's
(17:48):
hopeful. We have to be optimistic. Yeah. There are still
amazing discoveries to be made. It's just a matter of time.
Literally. Exactly. Well, I think that's a good place to wrap
things up. Yeah, we've covered a lot of ground. I don't know
about you, but I'm definitely leaving this conversation. Yeah.
With a whole new perspective on time. It's something we often
take for granted. Yeah. But when you really think about it.
(18:10):
It's incredibly complex and mysterious. Yeah. And even if
we never figure out how to build an actual time machine.
Mm hmm. Just exploring these ideas. Pushing the boundaries of
what we thought was possible. It's an incredible journey. It
really is. It's about expanding our understanding of the
universe. And our place in it. And who knows? Maybe someday.
Yeah. These theories will be seen as the first steps. To a
(18:34):
future. Where the boundaries of time. Aren't as rigid as we
thought. It's a nice thought. It is. And to everyone listening
out there. Yeah. We want to hear from you. Absolutely. If you
could travel through time. Past or future. Where would you go?
Mm hmm. What moment would you choose to visit? Let us know.
Thanks for joining us on this deep dive. Thanks for listening.
(18:56):
We'll see you next time.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Boysober
Have you ever wondered what life might be like if you stopped worrying about being wanted, and focused on understanding what you actually want? That was the question Hope Woodard asked herself after a string of situationships inspired her to take a break from sex and dating. She went "boysober," a personal concept that sparked a global movement among women looking to prioritize themselves over men. Now, Hope is looking to expand the ways we explore our relationship to relationships. Taking a bold, unfiltered look into modern love, romance, and self-discovery, Boysober will dive into messy stories about dating, sex, love, friendship, and breaking generational patterns—all with humor, vulnerability, and a fresh perspective.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com