Friday, July 29, 2011

Time Travel

You may have noted the news item this week regarding time travel. A group of researchers in Hong Kong recently conducted a study in which they believe they have demonstrated that a photon cannot travel faster than the speed of light. This finding indicates that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light meaning that traveling back in time would be impossible. For a long time, traveling faster than the speed of light was considered a possibility and, by extension, it was also possible that one could travel in time.

This discovery was a real bummer for me. I didn't have any big plans for traveling through time, but, like any sci-fi fan, I've always been enthused that this was a theoretical possibility. Despite the news, time travel cannot be ruled out completely. There's the possibility of wormholes, using black holes, and time dilation. No matter, I'm certain it will remain fodder for book, movie, and TV plotlines for years to come. Below are some time travel-related links for your inner-scientist and just for kicks:

BOOKS:

Breaking the Time Barrier: The Race to Build the First Time Machine

How to Build a Time Machine

The New Time Travelers: A Journey to the Frontiers of Physics

Time Travel in Einstein's Universe: The Physical Possibilities of Travel Through Time

Time Traveler: A Scientist's Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality

DVDS

Back to the Future: The Complete Trilogy

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

Doctor Who: The Complete First Series

Land of the Lost: The Complete First Season

Quantum Leap: The Complete First Season

Through the Wormhole: With Morgan Freeman

3 comments:

tim snead said...

I bet we never get to beam ourselves anywhere, either.

Aleph said...

I was going to ask about that! Did you learn anything new about teleportation? Just wondering! :)

Ragged Robin said...

I didn't see anyone talking about that, but, yeah, I assume that must be out of the question as well. I want to find more info on it, though. I always held out hope for tachyon speed!