Time and Travel:-
According to Newtonian mechanics, we either perceive time as linear and deterministic. But ever since Albert Einstein published the theory of relativity, the Newtonian conception of absolute time and space has been replaced by the idea that time has a subjective significance to everyone. In this case, time is one dimension of space-time in special relativity (SR). And of dynamically curved space-time in general relativity (GR).
From here on, the possibility of moving backwards or forwards in time might not be as farfetched as one might think. In this case, it might just be as simple as how ordinary beings can move between different points in space.
There are many different hypothetical answers for time travel, and over the years, those scenarios have been put forward by notable scientists. Essentially, these scenarios are different from the notion of a physical machine with levers and dials that H.G. Wells proposed.
Einstein also previously showed that time actually runs differently in different situations. This basically implies that time passes at different rates for different observers based on their travelling speed.
Here’s a very interesting example. The astronauts onboard the ISS orbit the Earth at 28,000 km/h (17,500 miles/h). Taking into account the conflicting factors of GR and SR, we’ll get the net time dilation effects on the astronauts with respect to an observer on the planet’s surface.
The astronaut onboard the spaceship will get a TimeDilation of -0.000026 seconds per day. For a typical crew member who stays on the ISS for 6 months, the total time dilation would be about 5 milliseconds. In such a case where the astronaut has a twin, the astronaut has experienced less passage of time than his twin counterpart who remained on the Earth’s surface.
Giving the option to fast-forward through time is a pretty cool idea. Though it would be a one-way process where you wouldn't have the chance to go back. There might, however, be some scientific basis within the theory of relativity, supporting the possibility of time travel under certain scenarios.
There was a scientist named Kurt Gödel in the early 19th century. He showed that there are some solutions to the field equations of GR. It describes space-time so warped that they contain “closed time-like curves”. This is where an individual time-cone twists and closes in on itself. It allows a path from the present to the past or to the future.
Since we're on the topic, we'll mention a few notable attempts by popular scientists on time travel.
In 1994, Theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre proposed a speculative scenario. This involves a spacecraft that would contract space in front of it, and expand space behind it. If this shortcut is taken, it will result in effective faster-than-light travel. You might even be able to use it for time travel.
Other theoretical physicists have been thinking about these kinds of shortcuts as well. For example, Kip Thorne and Paul Davies think it's possible to use a wormhole and travel through space-time. In a similar way as GR could be used to make instantaneous spatial travel plausible.
Quantum:-
The "scientific" description of you, me and everything is "energy". We don't know what energy is. We can quantify it, however, in essence what is it? we have no idea. And energy takes different forms, like elementary particles, which in turn become atoms, molecules and part of the end result is "us". We know energy is governed by laws and constants which naturally takes us to the inevitable conclusion: we are governed by those constants and laws. Before discovery of quantum physics, this would mean we are completely deterministic objects. Quantum physics showed us that we are not 100% deterministic. We are limited by laws but still we are unpredictable (we can calculate probabilities of what we might do next, but we don't know what we will do next until we do it). What do all these mean for us? Who are we? or what are we? Why do atoms and molecules pile up and "make" us? to live longer? All the atoms in our bodies are almost 15 billions of years old. What we call life is just another state in which they continue existing; nothing more; nothing special about it. How can we make sense of all these? Can we make sense of all these? If we are only, and only, condensed energy, there is no such a thing as making sense of things. There is only energy going through one state to another state "mindlessly". Pretty scary and dark explanation of our existence, is the pure scientific one.
Science is only a tool; only a methodology we use to "make sense" of the universe. It does not tell us why things are the way they are. It tells us how we can construct theories and how we can use methods to test them, so that, we can do all these in an objective way. Science is an extremely limited way of looking into existence. Are my feelings objective? No. Are they scientific? No. Or, should I greet my neighbour every morning? Should I have an extra spoon of ice cream today? Or why do we do science? Do we have to do science? Say for our survival? Our survival has no meaning given particles making up our physical bodies existed for billions of years and they will continue to exist, perhaps longer.
I will jump to my personal understanding, rather than "destroying ourselves" using science. To me, existence of The Creator makes more sense than anything else, including my own existence. The Creator, who logically must be All-Knowing, All-Powerful, capable of creating a free agent (my soul for example) with life, creating a universe in which those free agents can grow up, examine, study, learn, make sense of it... freely... is the only logical answer I can think of. We don't see the Creator, or souls, or anything which would "force" us to believe and accept. Creator made us free and as part of making that choice freely, we will always be bothered by our existence, but we will never find an answer. That will remain as a matter of choice and it has always been like that.
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