Time travel into past called impossible....

[j d worthington]

Well, I've seen debates back and forth on this, but I'd always felt the possibility was a shaky one; at any rate, thought this might prove of interest:

You Can't Travel Back in Time, Scientists Say - Yahoo! News

It's from LiveScience, by Sara Goudarzi, datelined Fri., Mar. 9, 2007, and titled "You Can't Travel Back in Time, Scientists Say":

There are a handful of scenarios that theorists have suggested for how one might travel to the past, said Brian Greene, author of the bestseller, “The Elegant Universe” and a physicist at Columbia University.“And almost all of them, if you look at them closely, brush up right at the edge of physics as we understand it. Most of us think that almost all of them can be ruled out.”

However, the story does go into some of the ideas, and examines them; if nothing else, it might spark some story ideas.....

 

[Urien]

Are you saying it's impossible, an impossible mission to travel back in time... A MISSION IMPOSSIBLE?

Cue music...

(This post will self destruct in..... BANG WHOOSH... BURNY NOISES)

 

[Spartan27]

Maybe a link between time-light speed (possibility) travel etc...

 

[BookStop]

Impossible is a pretty strong word. You'll notice the article says

brush up right at the edge of physics as we understand it

, which could change in the future, ergo, not impossible, only improbable.

 

[Dave]

I think the idea that we can build a time machine of the kind described by HG Wells, or a Tardis, or that seen in Back to the Future, Deja Vu, or Seven Days has long been known to be pure fantasy. Travelling to the future by relativistic means would be possible if it were possible to reach relativistic speeds. But, that does not rule out Time Travel to the past completely.

....if you’re very, very optimistic ...if you fiddle with the wormhole openings, you can make it not only a shortcut from a point in space to another point in space, but a shortcut from one moment in time to another moment in time.

I don't see dismissed yet, though actually sending matter through a wormhole and re-constructing it on the other side requires a huge leap in imagination.

 

[The Ace]

Didn't some bright spark say in 1903 that heavier than air flight was impossible ? And what about the turn of the last century genius who said that the only achievement of a future submarine would be to suffocate its crew ? Wait and watch, I say.

 

[murphy]

Didn't some bright spark say in 1903 that heavier than air flight was impossible ? And what about the turn of the last century genius who said that the only achievement of a future submarine would be to suffocate its crew ? Wait and watch, I say.

My feelings exactly. It's impossible now, but in the future, who knows?

 

[j d worthington]

The difference where heavier-than-air flight was concerned, or submarines, is that we weren't dealing with what seemed to be breaking the laws of physics per se... we knew some objects could be fashioned that could at least glide that were heavier than air... these were engineering problems, not contrary to physical laws. Time travel, on the other hand, looks very much like that may be the case. It isn't definite, no; but, again, the probability is very near zero.

However, I will admit that I find the entire idea fascinating, and would rather like to see it become a reality... I'm even tempted to say: even if it ended up with a "Changewar" scenario....