Einstein’s theory of general relativity upended humanity’s understanding of the universe more than a century ago, and since then, scientists have discovered that the steady march of time is anything but steady. Among the haunting implications of general relativity is that time passes more quickly at the top of every staircase in the world than it does at the bottom.
This mind-bending phenomenon happens because the closer an object is to Earth, the stronger the impacts of gravity are. And because general relativity describes gravity as the warping of space and time, time itself travels more slowly at higher altitudes and greater distances from Earth, where gravity has less of an effect.
So, if time is linked to gravity, does that mean that people on top of mountains age faster than people at sea level do? Does increased gravity actually make people age more slowly?
“Writer Fuel” is a series of cool real-world stories that might inspire your little writer heart. Check out our Writer Fuel page on the LimFic blog for more inspiration.
