logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2019
23m 19s

Is time travel possible?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Ever wanted to meet your historical heroes or explore the inventions of the future? Travelling in time has long been a dream of writers and filmmakers, but what does science tell us about how possible this would be to achieve in real life?

We explore how physics shows us that time runs at different rates depending on where we are and how we’re moving - time goes more slowly for astronauts on the international space station for example. We hear about the very dangerous ways we could possibly exploit this to skip forwards through time and into Earth’s future, and we do the maths on wormholes, to see if they offer a possible portal to our past.

Up next
Jul 8
Can Brazil’s supercows feed the world?
Brazil’s Zebu cattle, or “supercows” are bred for size, strength, and meat quality. Every year the animals are showcased at ExpoZebu, Brazil’s premier cattle fair. These animals are preened, pampered, and prized, before being sold for millions for their genetic material. Zebu cat ... Show More
23 m
Jul 1
Does Trump care about Taiwan?
Ahead of last year’s US Presidential elections, Donald Trump was asked if he would defend China against Taiwan, he responded that Taiwan should pay the US for protection from China. Taiwan is a self-governing island, claimed by Beijing and whilst Taiwan is not formally recognised ... Show More
22m 58s
Jun 25
How crucial is the Strait of Hormuz to global oil supplies?
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most important energy corridors in the world. It is the only sea route from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, it serves as the primary maritime route for oil exports from the Gulf. Any disruption to traffic through the strait would have i ... Show More
22m 59s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2021
Time Traveler Zero, Part 2
Today, time travel fiction is everywhere – and we understand the cosmos enough to even speculate what is and isn’t possible. But how old is the notion of travel through time? What sorts of attitudes and ideas concerning the nature of time were seemingly necessary before humans fi ... Show More
59m 38s
Mar 2021
Is time travel possible?
Will we ever get to rewind time, or fast forward through it? Sanden stops by to tell us all about how time works. He also has a couple ideas about how we might make time travel a reality! But one tricky thing about time travel is that it’s full of paradoxes — so we look into thos ... Show More
35m 13s
Dec 2021
Time Traveler Zero, Part 1
Today, time travel fiction is everywhere – and we understand the cosmos enough to even speculate what is and isn’t possible. But how old is the notion of travel through time? What sorts of attitudes and ideas concerning the nature of time were seemingly necessary before humans fi ... Show More
52m 45s
Nov 2022
From the Vault: Time Traveler Zero, Part 1
Today, time travel fiction is everywhere – and we understand the cosmos enough to even speculate what is and isn’t possible. But how old is the notion of travel through time? What sorts of attitudes and ideas concerning the nature of time were seemingly necessary before humans fi ... Show More
53m 26s
Jan 2022
Le warp drive permet-il de dépasser la vitesse de la lumière ?
Les œuvres de science-fiction nous font rêver à des voyages intersidéraux au terme desquels les cosmonautes poseraient le pied sur des planètes lointaines. Mais de telles entreprises supposeraient de voyager plus vite que la lumière. Avec le "warp drive", les physiciens n'auraien ... Show More
2m 2s
Sep 2023
Time Travel Pt. 2
How would a time machine work? Physicists have been engaging the question for decades — and building theoretical frameworks to make it happen. From designs like the Tipler Cylinder, to the paradoxes that imply time travel's improbability, how close are we really to folding the fa ... Show More
36m 36s
Dec 2022
Past, Present, Future: Time Travel with Brian Greene
What type of time travel is in A Christmas Carol? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice answer fan questions on time travel, paradoxes, and wormholes with theoretical physicist, Brian Greene. Did Ebenezer Scrooge get pulled through a wormhole? NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can li ... Show More
54m 34s
May 2024
Can We Time Travel?
Is it possible to build a time machine? Can we time travel someday? That’s what Tumble listener Willa wants to know. Clifford Johnson, a theoretical physicist and film consultant, says that there’s real science behind the time travel - and he’ll tell us what it takes to do it.To ... Show More
22m 10s
Aug 2022
Things You Thought You Knew - Timeline of the Universe
How far back in the universe’s timeline can the JWST see? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly explore the Coriolis Effect, hurricanes, the gridiron timeline of the universe, the physics of spinning objects, and much more!NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch ... Show More
46m 32s