exactly. it is a strange thing much like refining the process of sciences of viruses.
In the linearity of time, virus will destroy a species until that species evolves enough to understand the nature of that virus. Then recovers a monumental amount of time for the species to flourish.
Then when that species becomes adept to more unnatural sciences, they then send that technology back in time to save themselves from ever experiencing the problem of the virus in the first place!
An inward time-spiral of problem solving.