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In the Loki (2021) TV series, Loki travels through time and puts the universe in jeopardy through irresponsible time travel. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, characters time-travel through alternate universes, or timelines. If time travel were possible, how would it impact humanity? Although there are only a few specific circumstances where minor time travel is possible under the laws of physics, traveling to the past is purely hypothetical. But it does raise questions about the consequences changing the past could have on the future.
Can We Actually Travel Through Time?
Einstein’s Theory of Relativity actually explains that a form of time travel is possible due to special relativity. Traveling at speeds close to the speed of light would allow you to travel to the future because of time dilation. Essentially, because someone in space is moving faster than Earth itself, time in space moves slower relative to time on Earth. Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) actually experience this effect, but they’re only traveling about one second faster per year because they are relatively close to Earth. If we sent rockets to space that could travel faster than the ISS, they would likely experience time even slower. While this form of time travel is more about perception rather than actually traveling years into the future, it does raise interesting questions about how time works in space.
How Speed and Gravity Can Change Time
By traveling faster than Earth, astronauts experience time slower than people on Earth. If we could travel using spaceships that travel extremely fast, close to the speed of light, astronauts would experience greater time dilation, making time move days or even years slower than on Earth, depending on how far away the astronauts were from Earth. Traveling extremely fast warps how we experience time, but gravity can have similar effects. Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity explains that time passes slower in stronger gravitational fields. This concept was explored in the movie Interstellar (2014). While exploring a distant planet that is next to a black hole, a couple of characters experience a few hours passing, but another astronaut that has been stuck on the ship has experienced decades. This is because the gravitational pull of the black hole was so strong that it slowed down time.
Why Time Travel Creates So Many Paradoxes
Because time travel in science fiction doesn’t obey the laws of physics, it can very quickly become complicated. In Loki (2021) and many other time travel media, characters travel to the past and attempt to change things. Traveling to the past creates multiple issues. First, the grandfather paradox questions what would happen if you traveled back in time and killed your grandfather, preventing one of your parent’s birth. The MCU solves this dilemma by creating alternate timelines. Every time someone travels to the past, another alternate timeline or universe is created, meaning that your actions won’t impact your timeline. The Loki (2021) series breaks the MCU’s own rule by giving Loki the power to rewrite his past and directly impact his present and future. This means that he could break his own timeline or erase his existence. In the series, the TVA monitors timelines and prevents people from abusing time travel. If a similar situation did happen in the real world, scientists around the world would try to prevent any harm by carefully researching and monitoring time travel.
Exploring the Possibilities of Time Travel
While traveling through time like characters in the MCU remains science fiction, real scientific concepts explore how time is more complex than it appears. Studying time dilation, black holes, and paradoxes encourages students to ask questions and think critically about the possibility of time travel. As scientists continue to explore the universe, future STEM innovators may help answer some of the biggest questions about how time works.
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