Mar 11, 2016 07:49 PM
‘Shocking’ unification reduces a lot of tough physics problems to just one
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/03/...s-just-one
EXCERPT: It's the sort of physics advance that Sauron might appreciate. The villain in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, gives the kings of men, elves, and dwarves magic rings, but then forges a single ring that controls all the others. In a similar way, a duo of theoretical physicists has come up with a way to transform all the disparate members of a vast family of complex systems known as spin models into different shades of a single simple model, which now serves as the one to rule them all....
Sorry, but true invisibility cloaks will probably never happen
http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-t...en-1316729
EXCERPT: I know you've been wanting an invisibility cloak for years, but I've got some bad news for you. A team of physicists has said that a true invisibility cloak is essentially an impossibility. That's not to say we can't hide things in certain circumstances. For years we've been publishing stories about how cloaking technology is progressing - it's almost as much of a tech site staple as a good old fashioned Apple rumor. But there's a problem - and it's Einstein's fault....
The terrifying physics of teleporting humans
http://www.sciencealert.com/watch-the-we...ing-humans
EXCERPT: . . . So what we're dealing with here could be an entirely new and different consciousness, but with the same atom arrangement and memories as the 'real' you who lost consciousness out on that transporter pad. But is that really a problem?
If you thought all that was complicated and eerie enough to swear off teleportation forever, prepare yourselves, because CPG Grey is only just getting started. For example, what if the transporter malfunctioned and you end up with two versions of 'you' who have to fight it out for legitimacy?
It might sound like a philosophical waste of time, but with researchers making progress on teleportation technology all the time, we might one day have to grapple with these questions for real....
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/03/...s-just-one
EXCERPT: It's the sort of physics advance that Sauron might appreciate. The villain in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, gives the kings of men, elves, and dwarves magic rings, but then forges a single ring that controls all the others. In a similar way, a duo of theoretical physicists has come up with a way to transform all the disparate members of a vast family of complex systems known as spin models into different shades of a single simple model, which now serves as the one to rule them all....
Sorry, but true invisibility cloaks will probably never happen
http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-t...en-1316729
EXCERPT: I know you've been wanting an invisibility cloak for years, but I've got some bad news for you. A team of physicists has said that a true invisibility cloak is essentially an impossibility. That's not to say we can't hide things in certain circumstances. For years we've been publishing stories about how cloaking technology is progressing - it's almost as much of a tech site staple as a good old fashioned Apple rumor. But there's a problem - and it's Einstein's fault....
The terrifying physics of teleporting humans
http://www.sciencealert.com/watch-the-we...ing-humans
EXCERPT: . . . So what we're dealing with here could be an entirely new and different consciousness, but with the same atom arrangement and memories as the 'real' you who lost consciousness out on that transporter pad. But is that really a problem?
If you thought all that was complicated and eerie enough to swear off teleportation forever, prepare yourselves, because CPG Grey is only just getting started. For example, what if the transporter malfunctioned and you end up with two versions of 'you' who have to fight it out for legitimacy?
It might sound like a philosophical waste of time, but with researchers making progress on teleportation technology all the time, we might one day have to grapple with these questions for real....