Worm hole
A Worm hole is a term coined by John Archibald Wheeler in 1957 to describe Albert Einstein's 1916 theories to help to explain the mysteries of the Bermuda triangle and is today used to describe a range of theories that hypothesise the ability for 2 unrelated parts of space (or possibly time) to join instantaneously.
Albert Einstein's theories, which he collaborated with Nathan Rosen, were described in 1935 by Karl Schwarzschild as the Einstein-Rosen bridge. The Einstein-Rosen bridge described a theoretical bridge which connected the two ends of the worm hole, that separated two parts of space. Albert Einstein did not complete his theories, and from 1937-1955 received funding from the US government to conduct studies focussing on the Bermuda triangle itself to help to discover what the end point of that worm hole was, and therefore to also explain the functionality of what a worm hole was. On Einstein's death in 1955, the project officially closed. Whilst Einstein's worm hole theories were never disproven, the project officially ended and, officially at least, the worm hole study never reached a conclusion one way or the other. Whilst some theories have suggested that the Bermuda triangle worm hole projects to somewhere on or near to Mars, others have suggested that the worm hole may be in another galaxy entirely. Another proposed worm hole is said to exist in Japan.
The current leading authority on worm holes (and also on black holes), Stephen Hawking, has described ways that the Einstein-Rosen bridge could be created and sustained over a period of time, thus allowing for man-made worm holes, in addition to the possibility that they exist in nature, something which has been copied on Science Fiction shows including Star Trek. Prior to Hawking's work, it had previously been described that the Einstein-Rosen bridge was unsustainable and would vanish almost instantly.
Original thoughts - what is a worm hole?[edit]
The concept of a worm hole is based on the notion that the universe is not a fixed shape. Whilst earth is a sphere and most stars and planets are vaguely spherical, Einstein proposed that the universe itself (or the cosmos, or however you describe the whole thing) is not a sphere or any shape at all, and that it is an ever changing shape. As a part of this, at various points in time, it may be possible for some parts of the universe to temporarily touch each other, allowing a gateway between two parts of the universe that are a long way from each other, perhaps even from opposite ends of the universe. In some cases, the worm holes may exist only briefly, while in other cases, they would exist for many years or even semi-permanently.
Descriptions of this theory have described the universe as like a rubber ball that is constantly being stretched. As with a ball, it is possible to put a pin through it, to connect one area to another, although in doing this, the ball loses its shape. The ball can be patched and can recover some of its shape, but another pin can simply go through and change its shape again.
If worm holes existed, and if they existed in the Bermuda triangle, then either the other end also had a breathable atmosphere or else there was some kind of a bridge that connected the two places. Einstein therefore proposed what was later described as the Einstein-Rosen bridge to separate the two areas. Rather than there being suction from one to another, as is theorised in black hole theories, worm hole theories suggest that they exist as two separate entities.
Modern thoughts - worm holes as part of black holes[edit]
After Einstein's death in 1955, John Archibald Wheeler described the concept of black holes in 1967 and named worm holes in 1957, and from that point on worm hole theory has been constantly rubbished. Some modern day thoughts, which accept black hole theory, suggest that worm holes exist as a variation of a black hole.
One variation suggests that at the end of a black hole is a white hole, which leads to another place in space and time; however to get there would mean being crushed into an infinitely tiny space.
Science fiction of worm holes[edit]
Ever since Einstein's theories were ridiculed in 1957, science fiction has taken up the mantle of pushing forward worm hole theories. Shows such as Star Trek and Star Wars have presented various fictionalised versions of how a worm hole could work. In Star Trek they have suggested that it may be possible to manufacture a worm hole, something which theoretical physicist Steven Hawking agrees with, and has theoretically proven to be possible (although without an actual solution). In Star Wars, they suggested the concept of a hyperdrive, as a kind of faster than light speed travel, which presumably utilised artificially created worm holes.
Science fiction concepts have taken the worm hole theories and suggested possible endings to them. Whilst these endings probably are not completely true, they are actually a lot closer to the truth than popular black hole theory is.
How worm holes could be used to expand our knowledge[edit]
If Einstein's theories to explain the Bermuda triangle had been completed, and we had proven that the Bermuda triangle did indeed have a worm hole as part of it (as many personal claims of Bermuda triangle testimonies have suggested), and if we did find out where it led to, we would be able to have a chance of finding life outside of Earth. As it stands, we only have 1 star within believable reach of earth - Alpha Centauri, which is 4.37 light years away. Presuming that there is no life within our own solar system (which has not absolutely been proven, as only Mars has been visited, and not by humans), Alpha Centauri is our only chance for finding life in person. If there is life on Alpha Centauri, at our current fastest speeds it would take 20 years to get there, and then 4.37 years (or more) to get a signal back to earth (longer for audio). If we did find life on one of the planets, it would be a really long trek. If there isn't, then we have very little chance of ever finding life outside of our own.
Worm holes provide the short cut to enable us to potentially visit other civilisations. If we could work out where they led to, and how to travel through them, then we could potentially travel from one worm hole to another and perhaps find life.
On the other hand, of course, we have a probable reason why worm hole theory has been discredited. If the US secret service, including the CIA, discovered that worm holes were real, they would also know that alien creatures from other planets could visit earth, and indeed may already have visited earth. It would be in the best interests of the secret service, and the protection not only of USA but of all nations, to teach black hole theory as if it were fact and to pretend that worm hole theory is a fallacy.
This is the probable reason why Einstein's theories are currently discredited.
Wikipedia errors[edit]
Wikipedia's article on Wormholes, as with so many other Wikipedia articles, is riddled with errors. Included amongst these are:
- Falsely claiming that the worm hole was first described by Hermann Weyl in 1921, when it was actually described 2 years earlier in 1919 by Albert Einstein (although neither used the term worm hole).
- Generally continuing with the popular (yet incorrect) notion that worm holes are theoretically impossible while black holes are factual. Actually, both are theories with no proven solutions, but worm holes have at least been proven to be theoretically possible to exist while black holes are theoretically impossible to exist (unless we change the laws of physics!)
- Adding a number of odd fictionalised versions of what a worm hole might be, including time travel and parallel universe, presumably as a method to rubbish worm hole theory.