Researchers from the University of Queensland have put forth an updated mathematical framework that models time travel scenarios without violating the established principles of cause and effect. In their paper published in IOP Publishing, the scientists delve into the interplay between human free will and the rigid structure of deterministic laws.
The proposed model posits that the time traveler’s actions will not alter the ultimate historical outcome; rather, any attempted intervention merely creates a parallel sequence of events that converges upon the identical final result. This concept hinges on the idea of self-correcting temporal loops, which inherently smooth out any discrepancies, thereby preserving the overarching conclusion.
The authors illustrate this with the instance of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if the initial infected individual were removed from the timeline, the contagion would inevitably emerge through another vector—perhaps a different carrier or even the time traveler themselves. Consequently, pivotal occurrences remain fixed, with deviations in the process having no bearing on the final established event.
The researchers ultimately conclude that while temporal regression into the past is theoretically feasible, an individual lacks the capacity to influence the progress of history, as the terminal events will invariably remain as they were originally set.
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