A week ago I was stuck in Melbourne. After getting two flights bumped, I resorted to humor and asked the gate agent if Virgin Australia offered any teleportation options. She gave me a funny look and a serious answer, that the technology isn’t quite there yet. I guess she was exhausted, too.

Teleportation is fascinating because someday it might happen. Scientists have teleported photons and lasers, but currently, the original object has to be destroyed. So, for human teleportation to be feasible, we’d basically have all of our memories, feelings, goals and dreams digitized and repopulated in our newly reconfigured body at the other end… cloning, in essence. If one single molecule or atom were the slightest bit out of place, our new person could be entirely different. Whoever is the first human tester is going to need to reeeeally love science.