Here's why the 'arrow of time' points only toward the future, probably
"Why does time pass?" asks The Economist, acknowledging that the question is "so profound that few people would even think to ask it." Many physicists do, however, and the magazine spoke with a handful to understand how time works and why it appears to go only in one direction: forward. That theory is known as "the arrow of time," and according to Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, it needn't point only to the future. But it seems to in practice.
"Our best guess is that you just can't travel backward in time," says Sean Carroll, a physicist at the California Institute of Technology, casually breaking the hearts of science fiction fans everywhere. But Einstein's theory does allow for traveling forward in time, and doesn't obviously forbid wormholes through the space-time continuum — theoretically if not practically. If you're interested in the mysteries of time, the 10-minute video below does a fine job of explaining difficult theoretical physics in a way that's mostly accessible to non-scientists. If the video blows your mind, you can always mellow out and listen to some Pink Floyd or Steve Miller Band. But first, watch below. Peter Weber
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Israel approves new West Bank settlementsSpeed Read The ‘Israeli onslaught has all but vanquished a free Palestinian existence in the West Bank’
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
