# The Physics of FTL Travel

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/science-futurism-with-isaac-arthur-714313/the-physics-of-ftl-travel
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/science-futurism-with-isaac-arthur-714313/the-physics-of-ftl-travel.md
Podcast: [Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur](https://stenobird.com/podcast/science-futurism-with-isaac-arthur-714313)
Published: 2026-06-18T13:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://rss.art19.com/episodes/298375d2-6ee9-4122-aae6-e8f460846456.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0
Audio file: https://rss.art19.com/episodes/298375d2-6ee9-4122-aae6-e8f460846456.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/science-futurism-with-isaac-arthur-714313/episodes/the-physics-of-ftl-travel
Duration seconds: 2447

## Resource

Can humanity ever travel faster than light, or does every shortcut through spacetime break causality itself? We explore warp drives, wormholes, tachyons, and why the universe pushes back. Get Nebula using my link for 50% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur Watch my exclusive video Nearby Supernovae: https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur-nearby-supernovae-could-one-destroy-earth-and-could-we-stop-it 🛒 SFIA Merchandise: https://isaac-arthur-shop.fourthwall.com/ 🌐 Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net ❤️ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur ⭐ Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-arthur 👥 Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/ 📣 Reddit Community: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/ 🐦 Follow on Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur 💬 SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE Credits: The Physics of FTL Travel Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur Editor: Lukas Konecny Music Courtesy of Stellardrone & Chris Zabriskie Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:12 Faster Than Light Is the Wrong Question 4:18 Spacetime Engineering: Moving the Map Instead of the Ship 5:24 Warp Drives: Surfing Spacetime 11:46 Wormholes: Shortcuts with a Side of Time Travel 13:20 Hyperspace: Shortcuts Through the Bulk 15:11 Solitons: The Positive Energy Challenge 17:35 The Krasnikov Tube: Building a Star-Road 20:30 Natural Relativistic Loopholes: Cosmic Strings and Tipler Cylinders 25:05 Tachyons: The Simplest Way to Break Time 28:04 Vacuum & Time-Advance Effects: When Causality Bends, Just a Little 32:19 Quantum Red Herrings 35:42 Nebula 36:54 Why the Universe Pushes Back: Chronology Protection and Self-Defeating Physics See Pr…

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