If only for reasons of mental health hygiene, consider blocking the static and noise of attention-grabbing events and reflect on some truly awesome developments. For example, giving attention to the developing theories in quantum physics will challenge your understanding of how the world works.
Quantum Teleportation of Data
I would be the first person to admit I struggle to grasp even the most basic principles of quantum physics. The best description I’ve read is this:
Classical physics is the force governing an extremely predictable world, where an apple set on a table stays there until something causes it to move again.
In the quantum world, not only can the apple end up on Mars, but, hypothetically, it could exist both on the table and on Mars at the same time. It could even be inextricably tied to another apple in some other part of the universe through entanglement. Thus, “reality” as we know it is much more uncertain, with the possibility for many solutions or outcomes to exist, rather than just one.
The problem with this description is that I have difficulty grasping the alternative reality. But never mind. Let’s talk about teleportation. Because I do know what that is.
Teleportation is what Captain Kirk asked Mr. Scott to do when he wanted to return to the spaceship. But of course, this was a dramatic television or movie moment based on fiction.
However, quantum physicists report figuring out how to teleport data through existing telecommunication lines. The use of photons (particles of light) and fiber optic cable allows the secure transfer of information to legitimate receivers.
The implications are stunning. Besides teleporting data on Earth, we will one day be able to use light to communicate with other galaxies in other universes. I can’t even imagine the applications on Planet Earth.
Quantum Entanglement
If you really want to boggle your mind, try to understand how one particle can instantly influence the state of another particle, even if they are light-years apart. Quantum physicists call this “quantum entanglement,” although Einstein more informally referred to the phenomenon as “spooky action at a distance.”
I think this explains why often, when I think about someone, they call me. That’s probably not very scientific, but it is a way for me to understand quantum entanglement.
Thought-Reading Computers
In a recent TED Talk, Dr. Chin-Teng Lin demonstrated the current stage of this technology. An assistant, wearing an EEG headset, read a sentence silently while a computer measured the neurological changes in his brain.
The words the computer “heard” the assistant’s mind say silently then appeared on a screen for the audience to see. The brain-to-computer interface is not 100 percent accurate (Lin reported a 30 percent error rate), but the demonstration was impressive nonetheless.
Imagine the applications of this technology. My first thought was that we could toss our old lie detector equipment. Police may simply read a suspect’s thoughts during questioning, although the ethics of this approach are debatable. Keeping secrets will get harder and harder!
Negative Time Exists
My mind was boggled when I read an article on how physicists had recently conducted an experiment where light exited a medium before entering it. The researchers didn’t argue that time was going backward. Instead, they sought an explanation for how this could occur.
They concluded that “‘negative time’ isn’t just a theoretical idea—it exists in a tangible, physical sense, deserving closer scrutiny.”
Our Body Hosts Even More Guests: Obelisks
Microbiologists recently discovered unusual RNA-based organisms that live in various parts of the body, including the gut and the mouth. They are called “obelisks” because of their shape.
They may be an entirely new class of life form, separate from viruses and other biological entities. They produce protein; however, their impact on the human body is not understood.
My first thought was, what else is living in me that has yet to be identified? The complexity of the human microbiome has yet to be fully discovered.
I’m not the only one who is puzzled by the new information. University of North Carolina cell biologist Mark Peifer says, “It’s insane. The more we look, the more crazy things we see.”
The Sun Is under Study
NASA launched the Parker Solar Probe in 2018. On Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024, the probe came the closest to the sun than any other human-made object ever has. Although the distance from the solar probe was 3.8 million miles, this is still an incredible achievement.
The Parker Solar Probe moves at 430,000 miles per hour, making it the “fastest human-made object in history.”
The purpose of the study is to understand solar and space weather. The study’s results will be useful to us since solar storms and weather impact life on Earth and astronauts in space.
What’s Next?
We have no idea what discoveries will be made in the next year or decade. All we can be sure about is that if we manage to keep the human race from destroying itself, there will be many more breakthroughs. I think I’ll stick around a while longer.
All images from Canva