Time Vagabonds of 3025 Possibly Present a Legitimate Scientific Conundrum

In a groundbreaking study published on the preprint journal arXiv, Andrew Jackson, a researcher based in an unidentified location, proposes a new theory on the apparent impossibility of time travel beyond scientific and technical aspects.

The paper, titled "Where Are All the Tourists From 3025?", suggests that time travel might be a self-suppressing phenomenon, continually rewriting timelines until no time machines are ever constructed. This intriguing theory posits that if time travel were possible, it would create dynamic instability that could erase itself from all timelines, leading to a timeline without time travel.

Jackson illustrates this idea using a Markov chain, a sequence of possible events where the probability of those events depends only on the current state. In classical physics, objects will always return to their most stable state, such as hot coffee cooling to room temperature. If time machines introduce temporal instability, then timelines will similarly default to the most stable state, which would be a timeline with no time machines at all.

The study proposes that the most stable state for any timeline would be one without time machines. This means that if time travel were possible, it would statistically create a timeline where time travel was never invented, which is the most stable state for any timeline.

It's important to note that Jackson's theory does not definitively confirm that time travel is impossible. Instead, it offers a compelling argument that, assuming his model, time travel is self-suppressing and would eventually erase itself from all timelines.

The study is still worth considering for alternative explanations as to why we don't see a sky full of DeLoreans, a reference to the movie Back to the Future. Darren Orf, the author of the article, is based in Portland and writes/edits about sci-fi and how our world works. His previous work can be found at Gizmodo and Paste.

In conclusion, Andrew Jackson's theory offers a fascinating perspective on the nature of time travel. While it does not provide a definitive answer, it certainly adds to the ongoing debate and encourages further exploration of this intriguing concept.