Is Earth time speeding up?
In recent years, I’ve had the distinct impression that Earth’s time passage is speeding up. Today, I’m going to introduce a theory as to why this may be happening. Let’s explore.
Universe Expansion
It has been documented that the Universe is expanding at a specific rate. (via Space.com)
Scientists utilize telescopes to gather information to formulate hypotheses about the Universe. Keep in mind that any light received via telescopes emanated from those systems perhaps many thousands of years earlier (perhaps more). Meaning, scientists who formulate hypotheses based on light received by stars or galaxies are doing so based in exceedingly old data, perhaps dating back hundreds of thousands of years. Any expansion rate they formulate based on old starlight data is already years outdated. We need newer data.
One thing that hasn’t been postulated around this expansion is how this affects not only the rest of the universe, but how this rate of expansion affects the Earth itself.
As the Universe (and everything in it) expands, everything moves farther away from one another. Some postulate that gravitational bound celestial bodies do not expand away from one another or expand themselves. That presumptive stance might not be accurate depending on how and why the universe is expanding.
How does the Universe Expanding impact Earth?
Good question. Let’s dive right into the meat of this. As the Universe expands, so too do the galaxies themselves. While the galaxies get farther apart from one another, each galaxy and everything inside of may also be getting farther apart. This expansion may very well include everything inside of the Sol solar system (ours) also moving apart at specific rate, but perhaps infinitesimally small.
Time Dilation
What is time dilation? Time dilation is when two clocks measure time differently in two different locations. In one location, 5 minutes might pass. In a second location, 1 minute might pass. Time dilation illustrates the theory of relativity. Time passes relative to where you are. If you’re in the 5 minute location, you’ll feel 5 minutes pass. If you’re in the 1 minute location, you’ll feel only 1 minute has passed. One can only know that the time has passed differently between two locations if both locations are in real-time contact to state their own exact time passage to the other party.
What this dilation further means is that “something” is altering the passage of time between these two locations. Meaning, in the location where 1 minute has passed, time is running slower (viewed from the 5 minute side). In the location where 5 minutes has passed (viewed from the 1 minute side), time is running faster on the 5 minute side. This concept is known as relativism.
What we don’t know is whether that “something” is specifically affecting the 1 minute location, the 5 minute location or both. What we do know is that the the clocks are running at differing rates. As time progresses, the 5 minute location will get farther and farther ahead leaving the 1 minute location behind.
What this also means is that anyone who is in or around the 5 minute location will age faster than those in the 1 minute location. Once 2 minutes passes in the original 1 minute location, that means 10 minutes has passed in the original 5 minute location. Time will continue to “dilate” farther and farther away from one another between these two locations. For example, once 30 minutes passes in the 1 minute location, that would mean 150 minutes has passed in the 5 minute location. The more time that passes, the wider the dilation gets.
Why is Time Dilation Important?
In a gravitational universe, like the one we inhabit here, gravity directly impacts space and time; specifically time passage. Gravity directly influences how our clocks on Earth work. There are lots of gravitational variables and forces at play including the gravity that Earth imposes, the gravity that Sol imposes, the gravity that all of the rest of the planets impose, but it’s more than that. Every celestial body exerts some amount of gravitational force on each other, however small.
Many physicists believe that gravitational falloff eventually gets to be so small that it’s negligible or nonexistent when the celestial body is too far away. It is firmly believed that the center of the Milky Way is inhabited by a super massive black hole named Sagittarius A *; a black hole that imposes a large amount of gravitational force.
I’m not fully convinced of this gravitational falloff theory, specifically when considering Universe Expansion. A single celestial body might not exhibit much force on Earth, like Sagittarius A * at its distance. When combined with all of the other celestial bodies exerting gravitational force between Sol and Sagittarius A, there might be quite a bit less falloff than we think. In other words, the Earth might be impacted in a much larger way by the gravitational forces of all of the combined celestial bodies all the way to the center of the Milky Way than we think.
How would lesser gravitational forces manifest on Earth?
Because the Universe is constantly expanding and because the Milky Way is likewise expanding with it and because the Sol solar system is expanding along with all of this, the Earth is seeing a reduction in the overall gravitational forces from its affected celestial bodies, not just within Sol, but in the Milky Way and everywhere else, all at the same time.
What does this reduction in gravitational force mean for Earth? Because we know that greater gravitational forces slow down time and because we likewise know that lesser gravitational forces speed time up, this indicates that the Universe Expanding means that time passage here on Earth will continue to increase.
Because time is relative to where we exist, we as humans won’t notice much difference being here on Earth. One (1) minute to us will always appear to be 1 minute. However, someone watching time from the Andromeda Galaxy would note a marked difference in time passage compared to someone watching time on Earth… particularly if they noted Earth’s time passage in the 1970s versus noting it in the 2020s.
The point here is that we as humans can’t see that the speed of time is increasing because we’re “too close” to it. The only way we can really see how fast our time passage is increasing is to place a satellite far enough away that we can have two points of time measurement reference. Then, we can calculate the time dilation differences over 1 year, 5 years and even 10 years or longer. We could then calculate the rate of increase in the dilation to better understand how time dilation impacts Earth and how quickly it’s occurring.
Sol and Earth
Many scientists assume that the Earth will die only after Sol dies. However, because of the ever increasing expansion of the Universe, the Earth could die because time speed increases. The question is, how fast can time passage increase and is there maximum limit? More than this, is the human body designed to handle this time passage increase when it reaches a theoretical maximum?
Human Body
The human body is an amazing piece of design, but it’s clearly not perfect. It is subject to diseases, viruses and sometimes can succumb to such diseases or viruses and fail, thus death. The human brain is, likewise, an amazing piece of design work. However, again, it is also not perfect.
One thing we’re not at all sure of is if the human brain can function when time speed passage reaches beyond a certain threshold. The body takes a certain amount of time to functionally store memories and process input and output. If the human brain is unable to function properly at the speed of time passage around the body, the human brain could fail to work properly. This could mean more and more human problems, such as psychosis, anger issues, memory problems and a myriad of other related human degenerative conditions.
For example, if the body has its own internal body clock to govern its workings, if that clock doesn’t align with time passage outside of the body in a mostly cohesive way, this could pose problems for each human and for humanity. It’s also possible that some humans could adapt to this new time reality, though.
It is and has always been assumed that relative time passage affects the body in a “normal” way. That the human body just “goes along” with whatever time speed is currently passing. That assumption could be incorrect. The human body might not be able to function properly if time passage becomes either too fast or too slow. Like too much radiation causes human sickness, too fast a time passage might disorient the body and brain perhaps leading to illness.
Universe Expansion and Humanity
This is where this article comes together. Because the Universe is expanding at a certain rate (possibly increasing) and because this expansion moves gravitational forces farther apart, this means that Earth’s time passage will only continue to increase (less grav forces = faster time passage). To put this in perspective, time during the 1970s ran slower than time during the 2020s because the universe has expanded some. Yes, Earth time speed has increased. Some have also noticed that the rotational speed of the Earth is also increasing. Some might argue that this increase in rotational speed is due to the Earth itself. However, I’d argue that this increase is due to the reduction in gravitational forces around the Earth, which is likely due to the Universe expanding.
As gravitational forces in the Universe continue to reduce due to the expansion, everything will speed up, including Earth’s rotational speed and time passage on Earth.
Killer Virus or Time Dilation?
Many scientists have been focused on a killer virus that might wipe out humanity. Yes, this scenario is entirely possible. It’s also entirely possible that the reduction in gravitational forces imposed on Earth as the Universe expands could lead to the demise of Earth and Humanity. The question is, which one is likely to happen first? The answer is, there’s no way to know.
If the rate of expansion is becoming exponential (or at least increasing in speed as it goes), then the reduction in gravitational forces could happen at a much, much faster rate than anyone expects. We assume that the universe expansion is slow and steady, but we have no way to know that. We’re one planet sitting in a sea of celestial bodies in this Universe. We have one vantage point from which to view what’s occurring in the universe. Because our single vantage point doesn’t afford us the necessary means to measure reduction in gravitational forces properly, we’re more or less flying blind. In other words, our single vantage point on Earth doesn’t give us the clarity needed to understand if the universe’s expansion is a significant problem in the making.
More than this, as Earth’s time passage increases in speed, we have no idea what the fallout of that will be not only on the human body, but on the plants, animals and other resources that humans require to survive.
This situation is a big picture problem with no big picture answers. I don’t even think any scientists are considering this big picture problem. Many scientists would likely discount that this idea is a problem at all because they personally consider the expansion rate of the universe too infinitesimally small. If that’s true, then why has the Earth’s rotational speed increased in just a few decades? Why does it seem that time passage is now increasing on Earth in actually humanly perceptible ways?
If the universe’s expansion is as slow as has been claimed, then it should take humanity millennia to notice changes on Earth, not decades. Decades implies that “something” is moving way faster than expected. What that something is, we don’t really know. It’s likely that the universe is expanding at a rate we aren’t expecting, simply because there’s no other rational explanation for the reduction in gravitational forces on Earth.
Of course, we can’t rule out a technologically sophisticated extraterrestrial intentionally reducing the gravitational forces being applied to Earth. We also can’t rule out one or more near celestial body/bodies having been “consumed” that has drastically reduced gravitational forces applied to Earth. However, these latter scenarios are way more far fetched than the universe expansion theory. It would take many years of research to uncover any answers involving questions postulated in this article.
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Fact Check: Time article claims Phenylephrine ineffective.
Welcome to the new Randocity Fact Check Series. With all of today’s lies, deception with intentional and wilful misleading information, Randocity is beginning this series to combat these misleading and false articles. With that said, a recent Time article blanketly claims Phenylephrine is ineffective. Let’s explore.
Time Article
The Time article in question is entitled “With the Decongestant SNAFU, the FDA Tries Something New” written by Haley Weiss and published on September 14, 2023 4:30 PM EDT. Note, the link included points to the article’s contents located at the Wayback Machine at the Internet Archive to show this article’s snapshot as it was written at the time this article was published. I offer a link to the actual Time article later in this article, but I suspect this article will be corrected soon, thus the snapshot is required. Please click the Wayback Machine link to read this article in full.
Because Time and other large media outlets have tendencies to revise, correct and sometimes delete articles at later dates, the Wayback Machine is the only safe way to maintain a consistent link to such articles from the past. Let’s move on.
Misleading Information
The trouble even with sites like Time is that they hire writers who don’t always properly investigate or clarify the information about which they are writing. In this case, Haley Weiss doesn’t properly clarify her article’s own topic.
Here is Ms. Weiss’s relevant misleading statement in her article:
…the panel of experts assigned to evaluate over-the-counter allergy medications ruled that phenylephrine was effective.
Except phenylephrine has never worked. What’s puzzling, then, is how it stayed on those shelves for 50 years without a challenge.
Note: Highlighting and text formatting added by Randocity for fact checking and clarification purposes.
This unusual blanket statement regarding Phenylephrine is entirely misleading. The article opens by not outright stating the fact that the entire article’s premise involves discussion solely around oral administered versions of Phenylephrine. Simultaneously, this article makes no mention of nasal spray versions of this drug. It is, thus, left up to the reader to understand and discern (and not conflate) this fine point. Conflation is the problem at issue here.
The reality is, either Haley is intentionally trying to mislead readers into believing that all forms of Phenylephrine don’t work or Haley is naive and doesn’t understand (or didn’t research) that multiple administration forms of Phenylephrine exist. Being a health columnist for Time, I find the latter to be extremely unlikely and improbable.
In this article, Haley seems to be intentionally trying to conflate all forms of Phenylephrine under the same “doesn’t work” umbrella, when clearly this is not true.
Nasal Spray Administration
While oral pills and oral suspensions appear to be the sole focus of Haley’s Time article, this article also conveniently ignores the fact that the drug Phenylephrine is also available in a Nasal Spray format. In fact, several known brands utilize this drug ingredient including the brand Neo-Synephrine… and, yes, this brand has been on store shelves for years. The form of Phenylephrine used in a nasal spray is Phenylephrine HCL.
When Phenylephrine HCL is administered using a nasal spray, this drug is, contrary to Haley’s misleading assertion in her Time article, quite effective and fast acting at opening up nasal passages when applied directly to nasal mucosa tissues, thus shrinking (or constricting) them. This author has used Neo-Synephrine for years for this purpose. I can also attest personally that Phenylephrine HCL is not only QUITE effective, it’s also fast acting and usually starts working within 1-3 minutes.
The downside to Neo-Synephrine (Phenylephrine HCL) is that it is short acting and requires frequent re-application. The best duration I’ve been able to get out of this nasal spray is between 1 and 3 hours of relief.
How I use this specific nasal spray is for the near instant relief it offers (1-3 minutes), opening up nasal passages rapidly. I then couple Neo-Synephrine with a second spray from the longer acting Afrin. Afrin contains Oxymetazoline HCL, which this drug lasts between 6-12 hours in duration, depending on amount of nasal discharge. The more discharge, the faster it wears off. However, Afrin’s active ingredient (Oxymetazoline HCL) takes up to 15 minutes to begin working after being sprayed… which is why I couple up Afrin with Neo-Synephrine. Waiting 15 minutes for a nasal spray to begin working takes way too long.
Neo-Synephrine gives me short and immediately relief. Afrin gives me long continuous relief long after the Neo-Synephrine has worn off.
Compare all of this to saline spray. While saline sprays are effective at washing nasal tissues, it does nothing to actively open up the nasal passages. If the saline manages to dislodge and wash away an allergen irritant, it might help reduce nasal allergies. However, I’ve never had any congestion relief from using a saline nasal spray, other than to sooth irritation and dryness.
Nasal Sprays are Drying
The one thing that drugs like Oxymetazoline HCL and Phenylephrine HCL have in common is that they are extremely drying to nasal muscosa. They are so drying, in fact, that they can sometimes cause nose bleeds. The best way to avoid this drying problem is to occasionally apply a saline spray to keep the nasal tissues hydrated while using Phenylephrine HCL and/or Oxymetazoline HCL. You can also use a facial steamer to steam the nasal passages, help hydrate them and offer relief from the dryness.
Nasal Spray Rebound
All of the current drugs that are designed to shrink nasal mucosa (vasoconstriction) by direct spray application have the possibility of a rebound effect. Nasal spray rebound is when the drug wears off and the nasal passages stay congested for long periods thereafter… sometimes for hours. This then causes the person with congestion discomfort to want to spray again to open up the nasal passages. It becomes a vicious cycle.
I workaround rebound by cessation of spraying one side at a time. I cease using the nasal spray in one nostril and wait through the rebound cycle to complete for that one side, which could take up to 24 hours. Once the rebound is over and that nostril is back to its normal state, I then cease using nasal spray in the other nostril and, again, wait through the rebound cycle. Once both nostrils are clear, I’m off of the nasal spray.
This is the only method I have found to get out from under the nasal spray rebound cycle. I go through this process with each cold I’ve had at the very end of the cold. There’s no real way to avoid nasal spray rebound, unfortunately.
Rebound is the reason that so many people get addicted to using nasal spray.
Nasal Spray Effectiveness
The final aspect of the use of any vasoconstricting nasal sprays is that they’re actually too effective. What I mean by “too effective” is that these sprays artificially open the nasal passages wider than is otherwise normal. It forces the nasal muscosa to shrink more than is normal when the nasal passages are open under normal circumstances. For me, this being “open too wide” causes several problems.
The first problem of being too open is that it allows way more allergens in, which causes me to sneeze way more often. The second problem is that I can feel that the passages are open too wide, which actually causes a slight bit of discomfort. Third, because the passages are open quite wide, this encourages way more air flow in and out, which seems to cause more drying than is otherwise normal. Thus, the need for saline sprays or steam treatments to moisturize. While the drug formulations also seem to encourage dryness via the drug chemical itself, the being open too wide seems to exacerbate this drying issue.
However, if the choice is being fully congested or using a spray to open nasal passages, I’ll choose using the spray every time. My first spray choice is always Neo-Synephrine because of its fast acting nature, even though it doesn’t last nearly as long as Afrin.
Time Article, Circling Back
The point to all of the above is that Phenylephrine is indeed effective and useful when applied in the correct way. However, when taken in an oral form, its effectiveness may be in question as Haley’s Time article suggests.
I don’t have a problem with Haley’s article if seen solely through the lens the oral drug versions. However, her article is confused and appears to intentionally conflate all versions of Phenylephrine to be one-in-the-same. They aren’t. While the oral versions may be ineffective and have no efficacy, the same absolutely cannot be said of the nasal spray version.
Debunking Haley Weiss Time Article
Haley Weiss’s article in Time (this is the actual Time article link) is strongly misleading. It intentionally attempts to lump all forms of Phenylephrine into the same bucket, claiming the overall drug is ineffective and does not work.
===> This article’s claim is absolutely false! <====
Phenylephrine HCL in a nasal spray format is quite effective as a decongestant when applied directly in the nasal passages. Phenylephrine, when taken in an oral pill or suspension format, as her article suggests, may or may not be effective for the purposes for which it was intended, as an oral decongestant. This article intentionally fails to separate the effective uses of this drug from its ineffective uses, thus making overall blanket statements to confuse readers.
I guess that Time is no longer a trustworthy enough news source to properly research its articles… nor can it now avoid making such misleading statements.
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