Michio Kaku: The Metaphysics of Teleportation - YouTube
Theoretical physicist believes we could be beaming to other planets 'within decades'
- The claims were made by Michio Kaku from City University, New York
- Quantum teleportation is already possible and has been demonstrated
- Dr Kaku believes the first molecules will teleport within the next decade
- We could then teleport to the moon or even Mars by the end of the century
Star Trek is already said to have inspired a whole host of modern gadgets from the iPad to the holodeck's 'virtual reality'.
Now
a theoretical physicist believes even its teleporter is scientifically
possible - and it could become a reality as soon as the end of the
century.
Professor
Michio Kaku said that the breakthroughs needed to transport humans
instantly have already been made, and it's only a matter of time before
we will be 'beaming' across the universe.
The claims were made by Michio Kaku
(pictured) from City University, New York. Quantum teleportation is
already possible, and has been demonstrated, and Dr Kaku believes the
first molecules will teleport within the next decade. He believes we
could then teleport to the moon or even Mars by the end of the century
The physicist is a professor at City University in New York.
'You
know the expression "Beam me up Scotty"? We used to laugh at it,' Dr
Kaku said. 'We used to laugh when someone talked about teleportation,
but we don't laugh anymore.
'Quantum teleportation already exists [and] I think within a decade we will teleport the first molecule.'
He continued that, as humans we already do this at an atomic level, reports The Express.
The
phenomenon is called quantum entanglement and it allows connections to
be made between atoms, with their information being sent to others
further away.
In
particular, the entangled particles are connected in such a way that
the action of one directly affects the others, even if they're separated
over large distances.
Albert Einstein called this 'spooky action at a distance.'
Previous studies have shown atoms teleporting across a room, and light being teleported across the Danube River in Austria.
In
2014, physicists at the University of Geneva teleported the quantum
state of a photon to a crystal over 15 miles (25km) of optical fibre.
The experiment beat the previous record of 4 miles (6km) achieved 10 years ago by the same team.
Once
scientists have successfully teleported molecules, Dr Kaku believes the
next step will be to send photons to a lunar base before experimenting
with larger objects, animals and eventually humans.
During a recent Big Think interview,
Dr Kaku said; 'In the coming years we do expect to be able to teleport
molecules, maybe water and carbon dioxide. After that, who knows? Maybe
even DNA.'
However,
critics have argued there are too many atoms in the human body to
translate into physical data, then teleport and then rearrange in order.
There
is also the argument that in order to transport a living object, it
would have to effectively die and come back to life when the atoms are
broken down and reassembled.
Dr
Kaku added that while teleportation is physically possible, it does
come with a set of ethical dilemmas that would need to be addressed.
Human teleportation was a feature seen
in Star Trek (pictured). Critics have argued there are too many atoms
in the human body to translate into physical data, teleport and then
re-arrange in order. There is also the argument that in order to
transport a living object, it would have to effectively die and come
back to life
Earlier this year Dr Kaku said our
holidays could soon be uploaded into our minds. Instead of travelling
around the world, people will download memories to their brains to make
them feel as if they have been away. He told MailOnline this is just one
of the many realities we could face as we learn to manipulate the human
mind
'It
raises the question, are we nothing but information?' he said. 'Is the
soul, the essence of who we are, nothing but information?
'We
don't know the answer. All we're saying is that it is physically
possible to teleport an entire human being across the room or maybe on
to Mars.'
Earlier this year, Dr Kaku raised eyebrows when he said our holidays could soon be uploaded into our minds.
Instead
of travelling around the world, people will download memories to their
brains to make them feel as if they have been away.
He
told MailOnline this is just one of the many realities we could face as
we learn to manipulate the human mind, as explained in his book The
Future of the Mind.
He continued that we have learnt more about the brain in the past 15 years than we have in the rest of human history.
And crucially, our knowledge of the map of neural connections in the brain, known as the connectome, is rapidly improving.
Dr Kaku's theories on the future of
the mind are wide-ranging, from the possibilities of telepathy to
controlling 'programmable matter' with our thoughts alone (artist's
impression of neuron, pictured)
This
is thanks to machines such as MRI scanners that can see which parts of
the brain light up as a person performs different activities.
'In
the short term, we're going to be able to connect our minds to
computers, so that we'll be able to control exoskeletons,' he said.
'We'll
be able to perform primitive forms of telepathy, we'll eventually
record memories, and then Alzheimer's patients will be able to push a
button and memories will flood in.
'Beyond
that, the Internet will be replaced by the 'Brain-net', where you can
convey emotions and memories rather than just text.'
Further
into the future, probably the 22nd century, we could control surrogate
robots on alien worlds with our minds, so we can explore space without
physically having to go anywhere, according to Dr Kaku.
'Maybe
aliens have already done this, and we're walking into the middle of an
interstellar system where people commute regularly to planets and stars,
and we're too stupid to know it,' he said.
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