Beam Me Up: 'Teleportation' Is Year's Biggest Breakthrough (Plus 9 others!)

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Crew members on the Starship Enterprise beamed to alien planets via teleporters. Now scientists are perfecting a way to communicate via a similar technology. NBC photo

Thanks to physics, and the truly bizarre quirks of quarks, those Star Trek style teleporters may be more than fiction.

A strange discovery by quantum physicists at the University of California Santa Barbara means that an object you can see in front of you may exist simultaneously in a parallel universe -- a multi-state condition that has scientists theorizing that teleportation or even time travel may be much more than just the plaything of science fiction writers.

Until this year, all human-made objects have moved according to the laws of classical mechanics, the rules governing ordinary objects. Toss a ball in the air and it falls back to Earth. Drop a coin from your roof and it falls into your yard. But back in March, a group of researchers designed a gadget that moves in ways that can only be described by quantum mechanics -- the set of rules that governs the behavior of tiny things like molecules, atoms, and subatomic particles.

And the implication -- that teleportation and even time travel may someday, somehow be a reality -- is so groundbreaking that Science magazine has labelled it the most significant scientific advance of 2010.

Science magazine has just recognized this first quantum machine as the 2010 Breakthrough of the Year. The magazine's editors have also compiled nine other important scientific accomplishments from this past year into a top ten list

Synthetic Biology:
Neandertal Genome:
HIV Prophylaxis:
Exome Sequencing/Rare Disease Genes:
Molecular Dynamics Simulations:
Quantum Simulator:
Next-Generation Genomics:
RNA Reprogramming:
The Return of the Rat:

Source: www.foxnews.com...

Please go to the article to read about all of these very interesting topics. Makes me proud to be human....

On the other hand, what the hell are we going to do when we go TOO FAR? When is Too Far? I mean-Programmable RNA? I get a kick out of the Rats are Back!

I have to admit, I am novice in all there areas and I look forward to seeing what our good old ATS members can add to these topic areas. I find it all fascinating but I just don't have the background to get it all.

Enjoy.

Flag for the topic, and a star for the cool Star Trek Transporter image.

I agree that the first quantum machine was a major discovery. I don't see how it could lead to development of the Transporter. But I'm all for the existence of other dimensions. Especially the normally closed 'extra' quantum dimensions associated with our universe. From these can come faster-than-light travel.

reply to post by Larryman


Glad you liked it. Can you think of what episode this was from?

I think I know. I'll hold off on the answer for now.

I'll have to say I was hoping to get some input on the whole teletranporter concept myself.

reply to post by anon72


The crew uniforms and Captain Pike are of the Star Trek pilot episode - "The Cage". Or the reconstruction of that pilot into "The Menagerie" episode.

But as cool as the Transporter was... I would not care to be atomically disintegrated by it, in hopes of re-assembly elsewhere. That's why I don't understand it's the connection to the quantum machine discovery. The ST Transporter did not make use of 'other dimension' mechanics. But a Stargate might do so.

My geek meter is pegged.
Love the techo stuff.
S+F

When it comes to transport from planet orbit to planet surface (or reverse)... I'll skip the Transporter, and stick to doing it the old fashioned way - by anti-gravity flying saucer.

And that's something that NASA should learn.

reply to post by anon72


Great find, teleportation has always interested me ala Star Trek

S&F

reply to post by Aquarius1


Interesting yes but doing it? I don't know. The risk involved are tremendous and deadly.

One little fuse blows and forget it.

Demolecularize for good.

I have to tell you...I'm with McCoy on this one... I don't care how "safe" a transporter is...ever... The idea of atomizing me, and then rebuilding a copy of me, just isn't something I will ever willingly volunteer for.

I'm cool with using it for inanimate, non-unique items, but for living beings? Nope...no thank you.

How many Star Trek episodes contained a twist born from a transporter accident anyhow? A bunch....

No thank you, I'll take the shuttle.

Interesting tidbit though. If there really was such a device, then why do you need a doc on the ship? Couldn't you just FIX whatever is wrong in the reassembly stage? if you really could have that info on an atom by atom basis.....

Here's a link to the SN article. The First Quantum Machine

I haven't read it, yet, so no comment.

EDIT: Okay, I read it and watched the video. Conclusion: Foxnews, bah! humbug! The SN article never even uses the word "teleportation". The research merely demonstrates the possibility of observing quantum effects in a mechanical device a few micrometers long and nanometers wide. The only connection between this and the so-called "quantum teleportation" experiments by the Chinese is the fact that both involve quantum effects. And even that has nothing to do with teleportation of matter. This is a prime example of journalism gone wild!

reply to post by Phractal Phil


I think if it can be thought of, it can be done-eventually.

Maybe not by that person-but someone, someday.