Although traversable wormholes are a popular trope in sci-fi, the space-time structures that connect two different points of the universe are—at least, as of now—completely hypothetical. One of the first types of wormholes ever theorized, the Einstein-Rosen bridge, is simply a specific solution to Einstein’s field equations, which map space-time geometry within certain matter and energy conditions.
Sadly, these sci-fi dreams rest on the fantastical concept of “negative energy,” a cosmic phenomenon that simply doesn’t exist in the classical universe (though the answer isn’t so clear cut in the quantum realm). Due to the space-time strangeness required to form a stable wormhole, some scientists have considered whether certain black holes might actually be wormholes in disguise. Although physical reality makes this a near-impossibility, mathematics shows that it’s at least conceivable.
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