Among the most intriguing ideas is warp drive—a concept that challenges Einstein’s Theory of Relativity by suggesting faster-than-light travel might be possible by warping space and time.

In 1994, theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre introduced the idea of a space-time bubble that could contract distances ahead of a spacecraft while expanding them behind it. His model, known as the Alcubierre drive, suggested a loophole in relativity that could, in theory, allow faster-than-light travel. Yet, most scientists dismissed it as impossible due to extreme energy requirements.

Not everyone was ready to abandon the idea. Joseph Agnew, an undergraduate at the University of Alabama, set out to explore whether the theory held up mathematically. “If you fulfill all the energy requirements, they can’t prove that it doesn’t work,” he stated in a university press release.