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Biochemist Dr. Isaac Asimov was joking, of course, when he came up with the substance (it came up in his orals for his doctorate, and it terrified him), but some theoretical physicists have suggested that something similar to Asimov's fictional chemical actually exists at the quantum level.
Phys Org reports that "Physicists provide support for retrocausal quantum theory, in which the future influences the past."
(Phys.org)—Although there are many counterintuitive ideas in quantum theory, the idea that influences can travel backwards in time (from the future to the past) is generally not one of them. However, recently some physicists have been looking into this idea, called "retrocausality," because it can potentially resolve some long-standing puzzles in quantum physics. In particular, if retrocausality is allowed, then the famous Bell tests can be interpreted as evidence for retrocausality and not for action-at-a-distance—a result that Einstein and others skeptical of that "spooky" property may have appreciated.
It's a long and informative article that I found fascinating.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by marcello_dl on Saturday July 08 2017, @08:04AM (1 child)
Retrocausality vs. action at a distance is a problem only for those religious bigots who insist on modeling a mechanically evolving, impersonal, universe based upon traditional models of the macroscopic world. Such models have already been given the death blow by the discovered properties of spacetime (probability based models are not mechanical, and BTW "randomness" is an improper way to call the current inability to "explore" quantum fields), yet in their religion improperly called "science", they keep trying to rationalize. For no real reason, because in their religion "random" is not only allowed but mandatory.
Fact, all rules defining a universe are ultimately conventional, be it there god(s) or not. If retrocausality explains things that action at a distance doesn't, or is a better model, then by all means go for it. Else, keep the action at a distance. How either is implemented, is always beyond your reach
TLDR retrocausality is no more spooky than thermodynamic "laws".
(Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 08 2017, @09:44AM
Unconvincing argumentation.No mention to black lives matter, neither to dark energy.
The social aspects have a very weak and pale representation in your argumentation, this letting aside freedom of speech, the rights to bear arms and. last but not least, immigration.