Scientists Teleport Data on Tiny Scale

It’s not quite worthy of the Starship Enterprise, but Maryland scientists have managed to teleport data on an atomic scale, LiveScience reports. The researchers transmitted information between atoms a meter apart without the data actually crossing that space—a development that could help create speedy quantum computers and highly secure communication, Science News notes.

Other experiments have passed quantum information, like photon polarization and particle spin, between photons or two atoms on the back of a third. But none have teleported data over long distances. The Maryland experiment "could form the basis of a new type of quantum internet that could outperform any conventional type of classical network for certain tasks," one scientist said.