Teleportation: The Impossible Leap

David Darling is one of the best science writers around, and in this book he tackles one of the most mysterious of the latest breakthroughs in quantum physics, teleportation. Entanglement, the spooky action at a distance connection between particles, allows teleportation to occur. Learn all about this in this well written account by David Darling, a skilled science writer whose penetrating prose has kept me up thinking at night many times. Also try to get a copy of his excellent work "Equations of Eternity".

First of all, bravo! The insight that organic teleportation could not take place before quantum (sp?) computing is something that breezed through my mind, but I thought I did not understand enough for it to be true. And then I read it in this wonderful book! Helped my self-esteem and also showed me that Darling is not only brilliant, but open-minded. There is science of course: that which has been established as fact, science fiction: that which is fantasy and need not be at all rooted in science, and a third realm: the realm of the scientific imagination which I like to call "science faction." And Darling embraces the importance of imagination and inspiration as necessary to any scientific progress of any significance. If one cannot dream it, or will not dream it, it will NEVER happen. But if one dares to dream, much more is possible than that which has already been established as fact. A lot of people think space initiatives are unimportant to us humans, but they've got it wrong: we must, MUST see our species as one people searching for friendship both on terra firma and well, wherever else. Who does not look at the stars at night without dreaming of what (or who) may be in that vast sea of existence. And out of such imaginings come ideas that have led young scientists to actually try to do "the impossible": to teleport information, then things, and then perhaps people. When you think of the death rate on today's roadways, how could anyone complain about possible dangers? We must dare to dream to make life better.

This book presents current information regarding scientific leaps regarding teleportation, sorry for the pun, in a way that is very accessible and interesting. Now all we need are quantum computers! "Teleportation depends on entanglement. If nature has already been kind enough to entangle large portions of itself, then it seems that a lot of the work needed to teleport macroscopic objects has already been done." (p. 221)