Interstellar travel could become a reality, but only if we can harness higher dimensions beyond our three-dimensional experience, scientists suggest. Recent theories propose that wormholes—spacetime shortcuts—might allow humans to traverse vast cosmic distances, connecting different parts of the universe nearly instantaneously. However, accessing these wormholes requires a breakthrough: tapping into a higher-dimensional realm.

Wormholes are theoretical constructs based on Einstein’s General Relativity principles, first explored by Einstein and Nathan Rosen in 1935 as “Einstein-Rosen bridges.” These wormholes could act as tunnels linking two far-apart regions in spacetime, effectively bending the “fabric” of space. If these wormholes exist, they are thought to connect points separated by enormous distances, potentially galaxies apart, allowing for interstellar travel that otherwise would take thousands of years at light speed.

Scientists often use a familiar analogy to explain this phenomenon: imagine folding a two-dimensional piece of paper so two distant points touch, then puncturing it with a pencil to form a bridge between them. Similarly, a wormhole could theoretically connect two points in our universe. However, this shortcut would only be possible if we could enter a higher-dimensional space beyond our own three-dimensional experience. In other words, we’d need to “break into” this higher dimension, where such a wormhole bridge would likely exist, and then use it to travel instantly to distant cosmic locations.

To make a wormhole viable for interstellar travel, it would need to be held open by a type of material scientists refer to as “exotic matter.” Unlike ordinary matter, which has positive mass and is governed by gravity, exotic matter would have negative mass and might counteract gravity’s intense pull within the wormhole, preventing it from collapsing. Without exotic matter, the immense gravitational forces near a wormhole would likely tear it apart or cause it to implode soon after forming.

Theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, who worked as a science advisor for the movie Interstellar, points out that while creating a stable wormhole may sound far-fetched, it’s not entirely impossible. The use of exotic matter, while hypothetical, is a potential solution for keeping a wormhole open long enough for passage. If scientists can eventually produce or find exotic matter, it could act as a scaffold to stabilize the wormhole’s “throat” and prevent it from collapsing under gravitational forces.

Another dimension where wormholes might already exist is on a quantum scale. Quantum theory suggests that tiny, brief wormholes—or “quantum foam”—may spontaneously form and disappear at microscopic levels. Capturing one of these wormholes and enlarging it could theoretically open a door for larger-scale travel, but this would require technology far beyond our current capabilities. This small, theoretical gateway could be the first step toward creating a stable wormhole suitable for human travel.

Traveling through a wormhole would also have peculiar effects on time, as spacetime itself would be warped. For example, time might flow differently on each side of the wormhole. If one side moves faster than the other, travelers might experience time distortion, emerging at a different time than when they entered. Thorne and other scientists have suggested that a sufficiently large wormhole could even allow for backward time travel, depending on how it interacts with the universe’s spacetime structure.