You can now time-travel on Google Maps (sort of)

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You can now time-travel on Google Maps (sort of)
(Image credit: Twitter)

Google hasn't invented an actual DeLorean just yet, but a new update to its Maps web application will allow users to do a little bit of time traveling. The search giant's new time machine feature, which was unveiled today, allows users move a slider to see all the images Google's Street View cars have taken throughout the years of a single spot. While the images only go back in time a maximum of eight years, there are still plenty of drastic changes to be observed.

Recode picked out a few of the best locations for testing out this feature, including the impressive ascending heights of New York City's Freedom Tower and the widespread destruction and gradual rebuilding of Onagawa, Japan in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The new feature more than doubles the number of images that were previously accessible, notes Time.

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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.