Will Star Trek-Style Matter Transporters Ever Exist

Beam me up, Scotty! Its one of the most famous lines in the Star Trek franchise and refers to the futuristic matter transportation device or transporter on every ship in the galaxy. The transporter dematerializes entire humans (and other objects) and sends their constituent particles to another destination where they are perfectly reassembled. The best thing to come to personal point-to-point transportation since the elevator, this technology seemed to have been adopted by every civilization in the show, from the inhabitants of Vulcan to the Klingons and Borg. It solved a multitude of plot problems and made the shows and movies iconically cool. Is Beaming Possible? Will it ever be possible to develop such technology? The idea of transporting solid matter by turning it into a form of energy and sending it great distances sounds like magic. Yet, there are scientifically valid reasons why it could, perhaps, one day happen. Recent technology has made it possible to transport—or beam if you will—small pools of particles or photons from one location to another.  This quantum mechanics phenomenon is known as quantum transport. The process does have future applications in many electronics such as advanced communication technologies and super-fast quantum computers. Applying the same technique to something as large and complex as a living human being is a very different matter. Without some major technological advances, the process of turning a living person into information has risks that make the Federation-style transporters impossible for the foreseeable future. Dematerializing So, whats the idea behind beaming? In the Star Trek universe, an operator dematerializes the thing to be transported, sends it along, and then the thing gets rematerialized at the other end. Although this process can currently work with the particles or photons described above, taking apart a human being and dissolving them into individual subatomic particles is not remotely possible now.  Given our current understanding of biology and physics, a living creature could never survive such a process. There are also some philosophical considerations to think about when transporting living beings. Even if the body could be dematerialized, how does the system handle the persons consciousness and personality? Would those decouple from the body? These issues are never discussed in Star Trek, although there have been science fiction stories exploring the challenges of the first transporters. Some science fiction writers imagine that the transportee is actually killed during this step, and then reanimated when the bodys atoms are reassembled elsewhere. But, this seems like a process that no one would willingly undergo. Re-materializing Lets postulate for a moment that it would be possible to dematerialize—or energize as they say on screen—a human being. An even greater problem arises: getting the person back together at the desired location.  There are actually several problems here. First, this technology, as used in the shows and movies, seems to have no difficulty in beaming the particles through all kinds of thick, dense materials on their way from the starship to distant locations. This is highly unlikely to be possible in reality. Neutrinos can pass through rocks and planets, but not other particles. Even less feasible, however, is the possibility of arranging the particles in just the right order so as to preserve the persons identity (and not kill them). There is nothing in our understanding of physics or biology that suggests we can control matter in such a way. Moreover, a persons identity and consciousness is likely not something that can be dissolved and remade. Will We Ever Have Transporter Technology? Given all the challenges, and based on our current understanding of physics and biology, it does not seem likely that such technology will ever come to fruition. However, famed physicist and science writer Michio Kaku wrote in 2008 that he anticipated scientists developing a safe version of such technology in the next hundred years. We may very well discover unimagined breakthroughs in physics that would allow this type of technology. However, for the moment, the only transporters were going to see will be on TV and movie screens. Edited and expanded by Carolyn Collins Petersen

Houses as Motif Kate Chopins the Awakening - 2783 Words

Houses as Motifs in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening Linda Catte Dr. Kathryn Warren ENGL 2329: American Literature March 22, 2012 (KateChopin.org.) (Krantz’s Grand Isle Hotel Picture of painting by Tracy Warhart Plaisance) (Reflechir: Vol.1. Les images des prairies tremblantes: 1840-1940 by Chà ©nià ¨re Hurricane Centennial Committee) It is not new or unique that an individual is looking for one’s purpose and meaning in life. Nor is it unique that men and women imitate the norms of society. In Kate Chopin’s novella, The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, the antagonist, knocked against the societal norms of the late 1800’s. Houses represent Edna’s search for her inner self. The houses which Chopin uses in The Awakening come in pairs which contrast†¦show more content†¦7) She desired passion as expressed in her daydreams prior to marriage, â€Å"It was when the face and figure of a great tragedian began to haunt her imagination and stir her senses. The persistence of the infatuation lent it an aspect of genuineness. The hopelessness of it colored it with the lofty tones of a great passion.† (Chopin, ch. 7) But she had no passion in her life. â€Å"As the devoted wife of a man who worshiped her, she felt she would take her place with a certain dignity in the world of reality, cl osing the portals forever behind her upon the realm of romance and dreams.† (Chopin, ch. 7) (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images) Marriage did not bring fulfillment or satisfaction to Edna’s life, nor did being a mother. â€Å"She would sometimes gather them passionately to her heart; she would sometimes forget them.† (Chopin, ch. 7) When her children were away with their grandmother, they were not missed by their mother. â€Å"Their absence was a sort of relief, though she did not admit this, even to herself. It seemed to free her of a responsibility which she had blindly assumed and for which Fate had not fitted her.† (Chopin, ch. 7) What mother forgets her children and does not miss them when they are gone? Edna was searching for meaning in her life, she wanted happiness. (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images) (http://www.loyno.edu/~kchopin/Album10.html)Show MoreRelatedKate Chopin s Life And Feminism1281 Words   |  6 PagesKate Chopin’s Life and Works- Feminism Kate Chopin, born on February 8th, 1850, was a progressive writer in the midst of a conservative and unequal time. She exposed the unfair undertones of society in such a way that made people outrage and condemn some of her works. However, in the early 1900s, her works were examined again and people started to listen to her ideas. One of these main motifs that Chopin’s works kept bringing up were feminism and equality. In The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, a radicalRead More Symbolism in Kate Chopins The Awakening Essay1467 Words   |  6 PagesSymbolism in Kate Chopins The Awakening Chopins The Awakening is full of symbolism.   Rather than hit the reader on the head with blunt literalism, Chopin uses symbols to relay subtle ideas.   Within each narrative segment, Chopin provides a symbol that the reader must fully understand in order to appreciate the novel as a whole.   I will attempt to dissect some of the major symbols and give possible explanations as to their importance within the text.   Art itself is a symbol of both freedomRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1633 Words   |  7 Pages1. Title of text (underline novels/plays) author’s name The Awakening by Kate Chopin 2. Characterization Character Development (a) 1.Edna Pontellier- Edna is the main character of the novel who is married to a businessman. Edna is a dynamic character because at the beginning of the novel, she conforms to society by being the â€Å"perfect† mother and wife; however, Edna suddenly realizes that she is no longer happy with the way she was living her life and began to become independent only for herRead MoreKate Chopin s The Awakening2531 Words   |  11 PagesDress to Impress Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening depicts sexual affairs, inner struggles, and the conquest of motherhood that most women face today. The conquest of motherhood involves the battle between being a supportive wife and selfless mother. The story revolves around the characters’ dialogue and appearances described beautifully throughout the novel by Kate Chopin. The story is a familiar one that, sadly, most women can relate to: A woman is married without knowing what true love is. HerRead More The Awakening and The Yellow Wallpaper2395 Words   |  10 Pages   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kate Chopins story The Awakening and Charlotte Perkins Gilmans story The Yellow Wallpaper draw their power from two truths: First, each work stands as a political cry against injustice and at the socio/political genesis of the modern feminist movement. Second, each text is a gatekeeper of a new literary history. Kate Chopin and Charlotte Perkins Gilman seem to initiate a new phase in textual history where literary conventions are revised to serve an ideology representative of theRead MoreReview Of Edna s 1637 Words   |  7 Pageshas kids who takes care of them and perform her domestic duties. Adele is simple because when Edna told her that she would give up her life for her children, Adele just asked her why she would do such a thing. b) The main character in Kate Chopin, The Awakening is Edna Pontellier. Her society was based on womanhood where the mother and wife stays home with their children while the husband goes to work. When Edna lived with her husband and kids, she was expected to be like a mother and wife, butRead MoreWomen are not only Beautiful, but Equal: The Awakening by Kate Chopin1284 Words   |  6 Pagesservility, and moved toward their valuation as individuals of intellect, talent, and independence. The culture about women’s empowerment has been reflected in literature and history throughout many ages. In a famous 20th century novel –The Awakening by Kate Chopin– Edna, the protagonist of the novel, exemplifies the domestic identity of women. She is forced to stay home with her two children, but when she decides to relieve herself of her domestic responsibility, she is frowned upon by society. She

ADHD Medication Should Antihypertensive Drugs Be Used Free Essays

Throughout the 1980’s, several published research papers suggested that antihypertensive drugs can be used to effectively manage ADHD symptoms, particularly hyperactive behavior and violent tendencies. It was found that anti-hypertensive drugs clonidine and guanfacine can improve the brain’s use of dopamine and inhibit the production of too much norepinephrine. Clonidine was also discovered to be better than stimulants at reducing hyperactivity, impulsivity, and mood swings. We will write a custom essay sample on ADHD Medication: Should Antihypertensive Drugs Be Used? or any similar topic only for you Order Now But are these ADHD medications necessarily safer than stimulant drugs? There are many kinds of drugs that reduce blood pressure through different mechanisms. Some reduce the vigor of heart contractions while others lower the amount of fluid in the blood. The anti-hypertensive medications for ADHD lower blood pressure by affecting the nervous system. To be specific, they prevent the release of norepinephrine, the neurotransmitter that boosts heart rate when the body’s fight or flight response gets activated. By inhibiting norepinephrine’s release, the medicine can calm down a hyperactive child. It’s very likely that the desirable effects of anti-hypertensive drugs are due to its sedative properties; drowsiness and fatigue are two of the most common side effects of clonidine. Studies also show that these medicines do not improve short attention spans and productivity. To combat this, there was a trend where doctors prescribed anti-hypertensives with the stimulant methylphenidate, found in the popular ADHD drug Ritalin. Unfortunately, this practice resulted in the death of several children. Although a medical investigation was unable to come up with evidence that the deaths were due to these drugs, many prominent doctors started questioning the value of treating ADHD with antihypertensives and methylphenidate, considering that its long-term effects and safety are poorly studied. When used alone, anti-hypertensive medications may have some potentially worrisome side effects. Since these drugs are designed to prevent hypertension, the drug may cause low blood pressure and interferes with heartbeat, which may increase the risk of heart conditions. Its sedative effects can also impair thinking and slow down motor skills, which pose safety problems for ADHD sufferers who drive or operate heavy machinery. On the other hand, anti-hypertensive medications do not have the addictive potential of stimulants and will not cause heart failure by itself. Of all the medications used to treat ADHD, anti-hypertensives seem to have the least dangerous risks. However, these risks are very real and still have the potential to be life-threatening. Consider the pros and cons very carefully before deciding to treat your child’s ADHD with proper medicinal remedies. How to cite ADHD Medication: Should Antihypertensive Drugs Be Used?, Papers