Just over a year ago, a film crew from a popular morning show arrived on campus to interview me about large-scale algal blooms because there was a related story in the news.  They wanted to shoot near a body of water to ‘look like we were in the field‘, so set up their equipment near a small pond by the parking lot. The conversation, more or less, went like this:

Reporter: ‘Can you dip your hand in the water, maybe play with some lily pads.‘

Me: ‘Huh? Guys, I do marine science, so this pond isn’t related to my work and doesn’t exactly have anything to do with algal blooms in the ocean.‘

Reporter: ‘Let’s get started… So the blooms, they’re most likely caused by the sun right?‘

Me: ‘I expect it has more to do with a lot of extra nutrients being emptied into the ocean such as runoff from agricultural practices in the region. This provides an excellent environment for algae to bloom which depletes oxygen levels. Eventually it can sometimes lead to what’s called a dead zone…’

Reporter: ‘Stop, let’s reshoot. We need you to say something about the sun being a factor.  And let’s get you wading into the water. Pretend you’re catching something.‘

Me: ‘Uh, the sun didn’t cause the bloom… and you do realize I’m wearing a dress, right?‘

Reporter: ‘You can say your reason too, but name the sun as another ‘theory’. And just look science-y.‘

Anyway, the segment never made it to air. Go figure. Jorge Cham sums it up well here:

Since tonight’s the much anticipated season finale, let’s return to LOST…

We’ve already covered time, space, and discussed whether time travelers as ‘variables‘ are doomed to repeat the same mistakes along this incarnation of the journey.  If you’ve been following the show, it appears resident physicist Daniel Faraday was able to alter the future when he created a new memory for Desmond in the present.

Tonight’s episode finds the survivors in the past grappling with whether to jolt history off course far more dramatically…  Jack seems intent to set off the island’s H-bomb. If he succeeds, more survivors from the future will probably perish in the past. Hence will they cease to exist in the present?

Let’s delve into the implications…

While I’m on the way to NYC to meet up with Chris as we get ready to kick off the NYAS Two Cultures conference, let’s turn the blog back to exploring LOST…

Last time, we considered time travel, and whether the position of where you arrive through such travel might be predictable.  A series of thought-provoking responses ensued, covering everything from the notion of fixed points in space to matters of the competency of your pilot.

Now for round two…

Readers who’ve been following LOST know that if the island’s resident physicist, Daniel Faraday, was right, then variables (a.k.a., time travelers) can alter the future.  [Paging Marty McFly].  So let’s reexamine the possibility of the space-time continuum by imagining that you are that variable.  Say you’ve made the journey back in time, but yout memories and experiences from the 21st century suggest to you that you have already had this role in the past.  (Still following me on this?)

Hence, are you doomed to fail on a mission to change the ‘present‘ you left?  Or might free will* result in your making different choices this time–decisions that may yet result in new and alternative realities?

* Yes, many neuroscientists don’t believe in ‘free will’, but that’s another post entirely. For now, let’s stick with theoretical science fiction for fun…