May 19, 2010, at the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering & Technology

Science fiction has introduced us all to the idea of traveling into the past - but is it really possible?

Sean Carroll, Research Professor Physics at Caltech, explores how time travel would possibly work in the context of Einstein's theory of general relativity, including the hypothetical idea of wormholes connecting distant regions of space. Dr. Carroll also discusses the logical structure of time travel, and what it implies about predestination and free will. In the end, time travel is probably not possible, but by taking the idea seriously we help understand how the universe works.