Exploring Humanity Through Sci-Fi Is Time Travel Possible? Insights with Dr. Amira Val Baker
Aug 15, 2025
17:34
Dr. Val Baker is a Scientific Research Associate at the Resonance Science Foundation. She earned an MSci in Astrophysics from University College London and a PhD in Astrophysics from Open University under Dr. Andrew Norton. Her research spans binaries, neutron stars, black holes, gamma-ray bursts, AGN and exoplanets.
Forward Time Travel via Relativity
Einstein’s special theory of relativity tells us that the faster you move, the more slowly you experience time relative to someone at rest. Precision experiments—like synchronizing atomic clocks on jets versus on the ground—confirm that high-speed travel causes measurable time dilation.
Did The Avengers Get Time Travel Right in Endgame?
The MCU’s Quantum Approach
In Endgame, the Avengers use Pym Particles to shrink into the Quantum Realm and slip through time. This nods to real ideas about spacetime shortcuts—akin to wormholes—but the film glosses over the astronomical energy and stability challenges such a method would entail in actual physics. Start Your Free One Year Trial For Sci-Fi Talk Plus, Today.
Forward Time Travel via Relativity
Einstein’s special theory of relativity tells us that the faster you move, the more slowly you experience time relative to someone at rest. Precision experiments—like synchronizing atomic clocks on jets versus on the ground—confirm that high-speed travel causes measurable time dilation.
Did The Avengers Get Time Travel Right in Endgame?
The MCU’s Quantum Approach
In Endgame, the Avengers use Pym Particles to shrink into the Quantum Realm and slip through time. This nods to real ideas about spacetime shortcuts—akin to wormholes—but the film glosses over the astronomical energy and stability challenges such a method would entail in actual physics. Start Your Free One Year Trial For Sci-Fi Talk Plus, Today.