While teaching a class on ''Time Travel, Causality, and Temporal Mechanics,'' Professor Derrick Schmidt mentioned Stephen Hawking''s time travel party and concluded, "But no one showed up."


    A student frantically raised her hand.


    "Yes, Samantha?"


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    "Professor, what if no one came to Hawking''s time traveler party because of a killer asteroid or extinction-level event? The lack of party participation might show that humanity no longer exists in the not-so-distant future—a sort of ''Fermi Paradox'' style answer to ''Where are the time travelers?''


    Professor Schmidt stared at Samantha, visibly shaken, paced back and forth, then stepped out of the classroom.