You're listening to Part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio.

Guess what gave?

What's that mango?

Did you know that?

The word teleport was actually in use as far back as the late nineteenth century, But it was not a verb back then, it was a noun.

A teleport was a hypothetical device that could carry a person's atoms from one place to another in the blink of an eye.

So this was in an old sci fi novel or something.

Surprisingly not so, the word popped up in an Australian newspaper blurb published in eighteen seventy eight, just a couple decades after the invention of the telephone.

So at the time the wonder of wire transmissions was still fresh in people's minds, and to capitalize on that, someone wrote this tongue in cheek article heralding the next technological breakthrough.

The anonymous writer claimed to have read in a Bombay newspaper that scientists in India had successfully transported both a dog and a human boy Adam for Adam, through a wire and then reassembled them on the other end.

Wow.

Well, I feel like the question everyone's asking is did they go through together or separately.

I love where your head's at, and the answer is both kind of.

According to the article quote, a dog was placed on the metal disc and a powerful current was applied to it.

After a while, the animal disappeared and was found at the other end of the wire, contentedly gnawing a bone, just as it was doing before it was transported.

Afterwards, a boy was experimented upon, and the same effect was observed as with the dog.

It was then attempted to send the boy and the dog along the wire at once, but by an unfortunate accident, the infinitesimal atoms of the boy and those of the dog got mixed in transit, and the result was that they both looked like dreadfully unnatural creatures.

No, are you sure that's from a newspaper, because that is also beat for beat what happens in those fly movies, except you know, with Jeff Goldbloom and house Fly and like a million times more.

Plus it's disgusting.

So gross, and probably the grossest take on teleportation in any of science fiction.

But yeah, yeah, this ridiculous story got picked up by newspapers across Australia, New Zealand, the US as well.

And the really funny part is that, even after describing the freak accident with the boy and the dog, the writer went on to boast that the teleport would be able to send people from India to England in a matter of minutes, with just a slight chance of passengers turning into horrible genetic mutants.

Sad to say, but I bet there's at least a few commuters out there who'd be willing to chance it anyway.

But you know, I've got to say, Mango, I'm starting to think this teleport experiment may not have actually happened.

Yeah, I think you're right now.

Some of the papers that.

Ran the story indicated that the claims were likely made up, And since there are no dog boy hybrids running around Mumbai, at least none that I've seen, it is safe to say that the teleport was just a big hoax.

Now, the real question is whether it could ever be more than that.

In other words, is teleportation actually possible?

And if so, how close are we to being able to do it?

And that's what we're going to spend this episode trying to figure out.

So let's dive in.

Hey there, podcast listeners, Welcome to part time genius.

I'm Mongish particular, and today I am joined by my friend and fellow sci fi fan Gabe lucy A.

Now Will's Adams got a little mixed up in the teleporter, so most of them couldn't be here get that stor today.

But over there in the booth is our friend and producer Dylan Fagan, who's wearing one of his signature on them T shirts.

This one says my other car is a teleportation chamber, which I think actually raises more questions than it does answers.

Yeah, you mean, like, why would anyone put that on a T shirt instead of a bumper sticker?

Exactly?

We don't even know what his first car.

Is, But the bigger question is who.

Needs a car if you can teleport?

Right?

Personally, I don't think I'd ever get behind the wheel again.

I mean, for me, I'm recording this from Munich today.

I took a flight to Amsterdam, and then a flight to Munich and then a bus ride to this lovely town where this conference is being held.

But honestly, I'm so sleep deprived and I would have loved to have just teleported here.

Yeah right, I feel like you are the prime candidate for this the target target customer.

Yeah, I would definitely use a teleportation for travel obviously if it were an option, but you know, working from home, I don't take that many big trips.

I'm not a jet setter like you, so for me it would it would probably just be, you know, teleporting directly into my reserved seat of the movies, like just before the credits start, you know.

But I like that.

It's it feels like a real time saver, right right, very practical.

Anyway, the idea for today's episode came from a listener named Asher, who listens to the show with his dad and his sister Lily, who is also a big fan, and he had one very simple question for us, Mango, how close are we to being able to teleport?

And we didn't know the answer, so we decided to figure it out.

That is so awesome.

I love that Asher and his family listen, and I'm so happy to be dug into this question.

Me too.

But before we get into the science of teleportation, I want to talk a little more about the history of the concept and you know, the impact that it's had on our imaginations.

Now, the idea of a person or object traveling instantaneously from one point to another has been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years, and while it's impossible to know what gave rise to it, back in the day, teleportation wasn't thought about in terms of science and technology.

It was something that could only conceivably happen through the use of magic, and in fact, one of the oldest and most famous magic tricks in the world the Cups and Balls illusion.

It's built entirely on the concept of teleportation.

Known examples data as far back as ancient Greece and Rome in the year three BCE, and some historians think it goes back even further to ancient Egypt.

So I'm sure you've seen this trick, but it's the one where the magician places a ball or in the ancient Greek's case, pebble, under one of three cups.

Then they rearrange the cups and invite a volunteer to choose which one the ball is under, and the volunteer points to what should be the correct cup, only to find out that the ball has mysteriously jumped and is now under a completely different cup.

So voila the magic of teleportation.

You know, I love the cup and Ball trick.

I feel like it's just delightful sleight of hand.

I had no idea it was that old.

That's crazy, And obviously it is really fun to watch, unless someone's asking you to bet money on it, and then it's just such a ripoff, right.

It feels like you can never get it right in those cases.

Uh huh.

That's spoken with a suspicious level of familiarity, But you are right, yeah, absolutely.

Popular variations of the trick include several infamous street cons, including shell games and three Card Monty, but those depend less on the illusion of teleportation.

They do like on the player's own delusion.

You know that the whole thing isn't rigged, which it definitely is.

Well, it may be easy to debunk the Cup and Ball's trick and all his crooked cousins, but there are some centuries old folk tales and rumors of teleportation that are hard to explain.

For example, have you ever heard the legend of the transported Soldier?

No, but I very much want to.

Yeah.

So there's this long running story about a Spanish soldier, and this is in the sixteenth century, who fell asleep at the Philippines and supposedly woke up in Mexico just a few seconds later.

Now, it would have taken him about two months to make the nine thousand mile journey by boat, but according to him, he somehow made the trip in a blink of an eye.

Okay, so I actually think I can explain this one pretty easily.

You ready for this, he was lying, Oh, that's.

Just a hunch.

A very different typ of science than I was expecting from that one.

But I mean, normally I would agree, But in this case, the soldier and his name was Gil Perez, he actually wasn't the only witness.

So, as the story goes, the teleportation happened on the evening of October twenty fourth, fifteen ninety three.

Perez was stationed in Manila, and this was during the early years a Spanish rule in the Philippines, and he was stressed out and exhausted because the Spanish governor had just been assassinated and at the time there was no clear order of succession.

So that night he dozed off at his post for a few minutes, and when he opened his eyes he found himself somewhere completely different.

The Palace was nowhere in sight, and when he asked a bystander where he was.

He was told he was in Mexico City.

Perez was understandably baffled, but he wasn't the only one.

When some passeng guards spotted this frantic guy wearing a Manila uniform, they brought him in for questioning, and while Perez explained the situation as best he could, the local authorities were not buying it.

They assumed he was a Spanish soldier who had abandoned his post, so they threw him in jail.

For geez, that is gotta be one of the worst possible ways to wake up from a cat nap, like just get tossed in prison.

But I thought you said there were other people who vouched for his story.

Doesn't sound like anyone in Mexico believed.

Him so, not at first, but Perez continued to plead his innocence from his jail cell.

He told the guards about recent events in the Philippines, including how the governor general had just been assassinated.

Now, unfortunately, the.

Guards had no way to corroborate his claim.

News traveled really slowly back then, right, and the next Spanish ship from the Philippines wasn't due to arrive for several months.

Now, it's unclear exactly how long Perez spent in prison.

Some sources claim it was two months, others say it was over a year.

But whatever the case, a Spanish galleon eventually arrived in Mexico from Manila, and when the soldiers on board reported that the Governor General had been killed, local officials sent for their strange captive.

Not only did the visiting soldiers confirm every single detail of press as a story, some of them even recognized him as their former comrade, which is insane.

Right, there was still no explanation for how he'd wound up in Mexico, but now his identity was actually verified, So he was released from prison and allowed to sail back on the next shift to Manila.

Oh and you just know, the whole way Perez was bragging about, you know, how much faster it was to teleport.

He probably drove the crew crazy, but I'm sure.

But all right, obviously, the big question here is whether any of this actually happened.

My vote is still no, right, But is there any proof?

No?

I mean, it is true that the Governor General in Manila was assassinated that year, and his death led to confusion over the chain of command.

But yeah, beyond that, there aren't many details to go on.

The legend of the teleporting Spanish soldier didn't appear in print until sixteen ninety eight, and that was a little over a century after it supposedly happened.

It was published by a Spanish clergyman and historian in a book called Conquests of the Philippine Islands, and the count was said to be compiled from interviews with witnesses who had met Perez firsthand, though you know, of course, there's no way to verify that now.

From there, though, the legend was recounted in dozens of books and short stories, including one by Washington Irving, who you know is the famous American author who wrote Sleepy Hollow Course.

In most versions of the tale, Perez experiences what you might call spontaneous teleportation, but a more modern theory is that he slipped into a fugue state, experienced temporary amnesia while traveling to Mexico, and then woke up with no idea of how he got there or how much time had passed.

And I guess that's the more plausible but certainly the less fun explanation.

Well, speaking of fun.

After we take a quick break, I'm going to tell you a little bit more about spontaneous teleportation, which isn't real, and quantum teleportation, which is real.

And let's just say there's a musical number involved, so don't go anywhere.

Welcome back to Part Time Genius, where we're talking teleporting.

Now, a quick reminder that.

We'd love it if you subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app.

You can leave us a nice rating and review.

We won't stop you from doing any of that.

And if you're enjoying this episode, em it over to a friend.

So, okay, Gabe, talk to me about spontaneous teleportation, because you said those words and I have no idea what they mean, but it sounds pretty crazy.

Yeah, well, it's pretty much what happened to the teleporting Soldier.

And it's obviously a very different concept from you know, the orderly, intentional kind of teleportation, like when someone asks to be beamed up on Star Trek.

But as far as I can tell, this weirder spontaneous type of teleportation what us the first one to gain ground in the public consciousness.

The person widely credited for the introduction is paranormal enthusiast and author Charles Fort.

In nineteen thirty one, he released a bizarre non fiction book called Low, in which he argued that various high profile missing person cases and other strange occurrences like frogs and fish falling out of the sky were proof of a cosmic joker.

That's what he called it.

You know, this force that would spontaneously teleport people and animals for its own amusement.

So anytime a soaka is missing in a dryer, you know, or I can't find my car keys, that is I guess a cosmic joker striking again.

Absolutely, So I am curious.

Though the eighteen seventy eight article I mentioned at the top of the show coined the noun teleport, So is Charles fourth the one who came up with the full term teleportation?

As far as I can tell, he did.

Yeah, And while laying out the aim of his book, Fort wrote quote, I shall specialize upon indications that there exists a transportory force that I shall call teleportation.

I shall be accused of having assembled lies, yarns, hoaxes, and superstitions.

To some degree I think so myself.

To some degree I do not.

That is so mysterious, and I love that he just can't commit to whether he himself is is assembling lies and yarns and hoaxes.

Right, but you said.

Some people were actually swayed by h by this anyway.

I mean, I don't know how much stock people put in the whole cosmic joker theory, but you know, the book did get a rave review in the New York Times and quickly sold through two printings, and from that point on, teleportation, both the word and the concept became much more prevalent.

It is so funny to me that these early uses of the word, though, like that they came from sources that were essentially nonfiction, right.

Like, I'm not saying the readers believe these accounts, but they seem to at least found them plausible.

Like it's not sci fi that that in the way that people are talking about this.

Right, Yeah, so let's play Devil's Advocate.

You know, you said that the article about the teleport came out in the wake of the telephone, right, so I could imagine someone hearing that story and thinking, Hey, if science did something as seemingly impossible as sending a person's voice over a wire, then why not the entire person.

That's interesting.

It probably just seemed like, you know, a difference of degrees, first the telegraph, then the telephone, and now the teleport.

And I guess that's honestly how a lot of us still think of teleportation, right, Like nowadays, we're mostly familiar with the concept through sci fi stories and also fantasy.

Harry Potter certainly essentially teleports, but that hasn't stopped us from assuming the technology.

Will actually exist, right.

And that's probably because we've watched so many futuristic ideas graduate from science fiction to actual science over the last century.

You think about like space shuttles or video watches or three D printing or the Internet.

You know, all these things show up on the Jetsons and sci fi and whatever, Like why not teleportation too?

Well, I'm that first article you talked about made a pretty great case for why not teleportation?

Like it's nice to be entirely human and not part dog.

But I know what you mean, Like, on some level we figure that teleportation must be something that scientists are actively working toward and you know, will eventually figure out one day.

But the reality is that's probably not the case, or at least not in the way most of us think.

Is this the part where you let us all down by explaining, pasim that actual teleportation isn't real and never will actually be.

Not exactly.

It's more like the part where I try to break down some really dense scientific concepts in a way that's hopefully both accurate and entertaining.

So you are going to break our hearts, great, so go for it.

Well yeah, okay, so when most of us hear the word teleporting, we think of physical matter being atomized and transferred as energy from one point to another, without actually traveling the physical distance between those points.

Right, so let's call this original flavor teleportation.

Sounds delicious, right, Well, the trouble is nobody's actually tasted it.

You see it advertised all over the place, but no stores carry it and no one has the recipe.

So original flavor is kind of a tease it is, yes, But now imagine there's a new, totally different flavor called quantum teleportation, and instead of zapping matter from point to point, quantum teleportation deals with the transfer of information.

I feel like quantum sounds like much better branding, right, It sounds so much cooler than But if I'm being honest, teleporting information doesn't sound nearly as fun as teleporting matter, like I want to zap myself places, or especially when I was a kid, I wanted to send my sister other places.

Sure, yeah, okay, so maybe it's not as tasty a flavor, but it is a more satisfying one in my opinion, because quantum teleportation is a flavor we can make.

It's something we can actually do right now.

So how does this work exactly?

Well, it's not the easiest concept to understand, but it's basically the transfer of quantum information between two physically separate yet quantumly entangled entities.

I feel like that doesn't clarify a whole lot for me, and probably not for our listeners either.

What quantum information quantum entanglement?

So far, this sounds like, you know, just as science fiction me as original flavor teleportation.

All right, fair enough, all right, So let's take it slow for starters.

Quantum information is related to quantum states, which are all the potential properties of a tiny discrete system like an electron or an atom.

So we're not talking about definite values like an electron's fixed location in space.

We're talking about uncertainties, all the possible places it could be, along with other properties like its energy, it's spin, or momentum.

But wouldn't that change over time, Like if an electron moves to a new position or it interacts with another electron, wouldn't that create like a whole new set of possibilities?

Right?

Yeah, And that's what quantum mechanics is concerned with, studying how quantum states evolve and change and are measured over time.

But your question actually hits on the really tricky thing about quantum states, which is that whenever you measure one, it collapses.

A quantum system exists as many possibilities at once.

The electron is spinning this way and it's spinning that way, but the act of measurement basically forces the system to choose and settle into a single definite state.

So the electron is only spinning this way.

Got it.

So it's basically like Schrodinger's cat, right, Like when the lid of the boxes closed, the cat is both live and dead simultaneously, but when you open it, the cat is either one way or the other exactly.

And since it's hypothetical, let's say the cat's alive.

Yeah, we are a whole bunch of cat lovers on this podcast, So I think that makes a lot of sense, except for.

Will He could go either way on that.

Well he's not here today.

So quantum states are weird and confusing.

I feel like we got to that fit.

But what was the other phrase that you use?

Quantum entanglement.

Yeah, that's even weirder, but also hopefully a little more intuitive.

So.

According to space dot com, quantum entanglement is when two sub atomic particles become linked in such a way that their properties remain connected no no matter how far apart they are.

So, for example, the basic unit of quantum information is a quantum bit or cubit.

So say you mingle two particles together and the cubits that determine their directions become entangled.

Now, even if you moved one of those particles to the opposite end of the universe, those cubits would still be linked together on a quantum level.

And that means that if one of those particles undergoes a change, Let's say you bump it and it starts pointing north, then the other linked particle way on the other side of the universe will instantaneously point north.

Two, even if they're separated by billions of light years, Altering one entangled particle will change the characteristics of its twin.

That's really cool.

Yeah, And so quantum physicists sometimes explain this with an analogy they call the Alice and Bob approach.

And in this framework, there are two particles Alice particle A and her ex boyfriend Bob particle B.

And even though they've you know, gone their separate ways, there's a part of themselves they still share together.

They're entangled cubits, and changes to one of them can change the other.

I mean that is kind of sweet.

But also it feels like they need therapy.

So do we know how this kind of spooky interaction happens?

Like, how is it that they end up pointing in the same direction?

Yeah, we do not know.

But spooky is an apt description because when this phenomenon was first being theorized, Albert Einstein famously dismissed it, and he did so with a German phrase that translates to spooky action at a distance.

He thought the whole idea was laughable because you know, it flies in the face of classical physics.

That's really fascinating, But you said quantum teleportation is already happening, right, So was Einstein.

Wrong on that one?

He was?

Yeah, And you know, in recent years, researchers have been able to demonstrate quantum teleportation at aggressively greater distances.

We haven't sent any entangled cubits to the far side of the universe yet, but we have teleported quantum information between two clouds of gas across the bottom of the Danube River, and even from Earth to a satellite in space.

And while it's hard to imagine many practical uses for this kind of technology, it could allow quantum computers to transmit sensitive information much faster and more securely than they ever could through traditional methods.

That is really cool.

So could this replace Wi Fi?

Like, I know WiFi has gotten pretty fast, but like, if quantum teleportation is instantaneous, it feels like that would be even better.

Yeah, but you know, let's not get ahead of ourselves, because remember, you have to measure something to determine its quantum state.

So if I manipulate an entangled particle to make it point north, I then have to perform a specific mathematical measurement to make sure I achieve my goal and not only that, I have to repeat that same measurement on the other entangled particle, you know, to confirm that it's also now pointing north.

So in other words, you still have to pass along directions on how to perform that necessary measurement, which you would have to do through normal means like text or email.

Now I know I've thrown a lot of heavy science at you, just now, mango, So to light the mood, I have a surprise.

Mary and I reached out to our old pal David Nageler, and we said, hey, David, could you write us a song that explains quantum teleportation?

And you know it's also really catchy And David was like, no problem.

So he sent us this tune about two star crossed particles and they're entangled cubits.

It's called Sending information, and I hope you love it as much as I do.

Sending in bomage, sending information, I used to call you mine something information where not a twine?

So the prove mald is true.

Something infirmation, something infirmbation.

No one on where's the ship sending information?

And I've never I'll be something information far across the land.

Something information.

You may not understand something information.

Spooky action ramified something information the metal where you are.

This is a complex mathematical process that's very hard to comprehend.

So hold on tight, baby of you.

Then value the sign of zero or a one for its quantum.

Stale light zero, And if I'm not afraid I try, I'll ride your name across the sky and ring a tear to mine malcular.

Fits for you, my dear.

Sending infombation.

Maybe that will make it clean.

Sending infombation this message that I send, Sending infomdation, sending.

Infomat you transfer milasia, sending infomba.

What's mine is yours?

Not mine?

Normal sending information when others comment came in, math is through the send.

I don't know about you, but that is hands down the most emotional song I've eard about two quantum particles.

I've got a feeling those crazy kids are gonna be all right.

What do you think?

Yeah, he absolutely nailed a sign, man.

I mean, quantum teleportation still sounds insane to me.

But if he keeps Alice and Bob together, I am all for it.

But I've got to say, Gabe, I am not quite ready to let go of the dream of original flavored teleportation.

We have to take a quick break, but when we come back, I'll tell you a little bit about one last possibility for actually teleporting Matt and it involves wormholes.

So stay tuned.

Welcome back to part time Genius.

Okay, Gabe.

So, the big question of this episode is how close are we to making teleportation a reality?

And so far the answer seems.

To be not even remotely close unless you count quantum teleportation, which most people probably don't.

So one thing we haven't discussed is why teleportation feels so unlikely Now, the major hurdle turns out to be the impossibility of instantaneous travel, which goes back to that annoying universal speed limit, the speed of light.

Now, whether you're dealing with information, or solid matter, or even a natural force like gravity, the fastest that anything can travel in our universe is the speed of li light.

And while three hundred million meters per second is still pretty fast, it is a far cry from instant.

Yeah, it's it's hard to argue with a universal law, but you know that means speed of light teleportation is still on the table, right.

I'm imagining something like a tractor beam that could push or pull your body at the speed of light, and maybe it could even break you down into sub atomic particles like the transporter on Star Trek, you know, so that you wouldn't you know, weigh as much.

It is a beautiful dream, give, I've got to admit that, But unfortunately we run into a problem, which is that nothing with mass can ever travel at the speed of light.

So even if you're broken apart somehow, your individual particles would still have to travel below light speed, and to get them moving even that fast would require a tremendous amount of time and energy.

You might be able to.

Move a few particles that quickly, but not all the particles in a human body, and it's just never gonna happen.

Wow, Mangos, such a buzzkill.

But I'm just spitballing here.

But what if you sent a scan of yourself at the speed of light?

Right?

We know information can move that fast, So what if you measured the exact position of every particle and molecule in your body and then scent that information across space like as a beam of light.

If there was someone waiting at your destination, you know, with a big fat stack of fresh particles.

They could theoretically, you know, follow those instructions and reassemble you from scratch.

Yeah, but then it's a copy, right, Like, it's not the real you.

What about the personalities and the memories and all the other intangible things that make us who we are.

You wouldn't get that just by copying the arrangement of your molecules.

Not to mention that in this scenario, the really you doesn't even get to teleport.

You're stuck at home.

Whether your jankie clone gets to explore the moons of Jupiter or wherever the other character is.

Okay, yeah, yeah, kind of a raw deal for the real me.

Plus, you know, I guess the logistics are pretty daunting.

You'd have to have a body reconstruction machine waiting at every location you want to visit, which means that somebody you would have to schlep out there and you know, the old fashioned way and set up all the equipment.

I hate to say it, but the deeper we drill down, the more it feels like teleportation just isn't in the cards for us.

Well, don't throw in the towel just yet, because there's one last option on the table, and that is portals, or as some people like to call them, wormholes.

So if we knew how to open a tunnel through space time, we could simply step through it and be immediately transported somewhere else.

Oh sure, yeah, wormholes.

Because you know this episode hasn't been confusing enough, let's throw in some more brain melting theoretical science while we're at it.

I know, right, And that's why I called in some backup for this one.

I reached out to our resident particle physicist Daniel Whitson and asked them to give us the lowdown on this hail mary approach to teleportation.

And here's what do you have to say?

So the other option is much more like teleportation in that it actually moves your body, your electrons, those same ones that make up you.

And that's to say, Look, we're going to shorten the distance between here and there.

Right, we are limited by the speed of light.

But what if we just opened up a portal.

What if we connected space time in not a simple way where like everything is just next to the thing that's near it on the lattice, but there's like a weird connection.

So this is a wormhole, and in principle, physics says that these things are possible, that you can have connections between here and there, so that the distance between here and there is effectively zero, and I can just like step through a portal and boom, I'm at karate practice.

Wow.

Okay, so there you have it.

Right.

The key to teleportation, as most of us imagine it, is wormholes.

Pack your bags and you know, point me to the nearest portal.

Right, Well, not so fast.

There is still a lot we don't know about wormholes, like if they're even real.

So we don't know if they exist in the universe naturally, we don't know if we could make them artificially.

Nobody knows how to do it.

There's all sorts of problems with how you might keep them open, which requires some kind of pressure or negative mass or negative energy matter, which nobody knows if it exists at all.

We're not even at the engineering step here.

It's like, nobody knows that this is possible, but the equations that general relativity suggest that it should be.

On the other hand, we also know general relativity is not the fundamental answer to how does the universe work?

Because it ignores quantum mechanics and everything else.

So it could be that when we get a better theory, one that merges general relativity and quantum mechanics, we discover, oh, wormholes aren't actually allowed in the real theory of the universe.

So wormholes are a fun possibility and they would accomplish what your listener wants, but we don't know if they actually can be built in the universe.

We've never seen one.

So even the particle physicists are stumped.

That's not a good sign.

But is this something they're working on at least.

You know?

I asked Daniel that exact question because I told him that we have a young listener named Asher who's really hoping teleportation could become real one way or another.

And let's just say he threw the ball back into Ash's court.

In terms of wormholes, this is something people in theoretical physics think about, noodle around with.

I don't know of any big research efforts like actively trying to build a wormhole, but definitely something people think about and sort of hoping that when we get a theory of quantum gravity it's still going to be possible.

Absolutely huge open questions here, and somebody young with a still flexible brain might be the one to crack it all.

Right, there you go, Asher, teleportation and wormholes could be real.

It's up to you.

I have a feeling no one is too thrilled with that answer.

I mean, I'm not thrilled with that answer because I want to teleport and I'm sure Asher does too.

Yeah.

You know, as frustrating as it is that there's no clear solution right now, at least we know none of it is settled yet.

A while ago, no one could have dreamed about quantum teleportation, and now we know that's real.

So maybe the next step is figuring out, you know, how to apply it to more than a few particles at a time, or connecting the dots to harness the power of wormholes.

And who knows, maybe Asher or Lily or one of our other listeners will be the one to do it.

Yeah, that would be amazing.

Well, thanks again to Asher for suggesting this topic.

We love hearing from listeners, So if you have an idea for the show or a question you'd like us to explore, call our hotline at three O two four oh five five nine two five.

That's three O two four oh five five nine two five, or you can send us an email at High Geniuses at gmail dot com.

That's Hi Geniuses at gmail dot com, and you can follow us on Instagram and Blue sky at Part Time Genius.

Big thanks to the incredibly talented David Naegeler for writing us yet another song about physics.

We will link to his music in the show notes.

It is not normally about physics, but uh, but we are thrilled he covered that topic for us.

Our friend Daniel Whitson's work is all about physics, on the other hand, and you should definitely check out my conversation with him about his latest book, Do Alien Speak Physics, which is a wonderful, wonderful read.

Those links are in the show notes as well.

That does it for today.

We'll be back next week with another brand new episode, but in the meantime from Will, Dylan, Gabe, Mary, and myself, thank you so much for listening.

Part Time Genius is a production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio.

It is hosted by my good pal Will Pearson, who I've known for almost.

Three decades now.

That is insane to me.

I'm the UTA co host Mangeshatikular aka Mango.

Our producer is Mary Phillips.

Sandy.

She's actually a super producer.

I'm going to fix that in post.

Our writer is Gabe Lucyer, who I've also known for like a decade at this point, maybe more.

Dylan Fagan is in the booth.

He is always dressed up, always cheering us on, and always ready to hit record and then mix the show after he does a great job.

I also want to shout out the executive producers from iHeart my good Pals Katrina and Norvel and Ali Perry.

We have social media support from Calypso Rallis.

If you like our videos.

That is all Calypso's handiwork for more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio.

Visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or tune in wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

That's it from us here at Part Time Genius.

Thank you so much for listening.