New Mars Forums

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Scrambled atoms, anyone? - Or do you like your atoms sunny-side up?

I looked for an appropriate folder in which to post this before starting a new one.  Alas, I find this won't "fit" elsewhere, and so I'll start a new Topic.

I just now heard on the evening (cable) news that, in Australia (maybe Shaun B. can help us out here), scientists have "transported" (sort of "ala the Star Trek transporter") a laser beam from one area to another area a meter or so away.  They will continue working on transporting simple objects by "breaking down" their atoms and re-assembling them elsewhere.  However, they warn us not to get our hopes up too high yet for humans undergoing the process as we're too complex.

I wonder who'd volunteer to be the first human transported that way, if the technology ever came to that...heck, he or she would be in the same celebrity category as Neil Armstrong or Christopher Columbus.

This will be interesting to follow.

--Cindy

MS member since 6/01

---

We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Scrambled atoms, anyone? - Or do you like your atoms sunny-side up?

Here's a news link regarding this topic [hopefully I related the matter correctly in my previous post, which was based on viewing only a short -- perhaps 1-minute in length -- news segment]:

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/fc....Physics

--Cindy

MS member since 6/01

---

We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Phobos

Member

Registered: 2002-01-02

Posts: 1,103

Re: Scrambled atoms, anyone? - Or do you like your atoms sunny-side up?

I already know I wouldn't be the first volunteer!  I'll just take the shuttlecraft. Really though, this is exciting technology.  If they can succeed in transporting simple molecular objects it would be almost like magic!  If I were these guys I'd probably be trying to figure out how I could make a billion dollars with my "telekinetic" abilities.

---

To achieve the impossible you must attempt the absurd