The first issue is the sheer amount of energy to convert. For instance, I weigh 68kg, so my conversion would result in E=mc^2 = 6.1e18 joules (6.1 quintillion). To give you a means of comparison, you could power the entire human race on planet earth for approximately 3.5 days if you were to use me as fuel.

Which basically solved the issue energy issues in Back to the Future 2, Mr. Fusion.

Which basically solved the issue energy issues in Back to the Future 2, Mr. Fusion.

When I first saw that, one of my first thoughts was "That would be a good way to dispose of a body..."

So, um. ... yeah.

Converting matter into energy, transmitting it, and reconstructing the matter using that energy is something that will never be able to work for the following reasons.

• The first issue is the sheer amount of energy to convert. For instance, I weigh 68kg, so my conversion would result in E=mc^2 = 6.1e18 joules (6.1 quintillion). To give you a means of comparison, you could power the entire human race on planet earth for approximately 3.5 days if you were to use me as fuel.
• Conversion is never 100% efficient. Realistically, we could assume 98%? Well, how would you like 2% of your body missing after transport?
• You can't transmit 6.1e18 joules of energy over long distances, and even if you could, transmission through the air follows the inverse square rule, where the amount of energy left decreases exponentially over distance.

If you think of portals as intersections of 3D space through the 4th dimension, they make perfect sense. But who knows how to manipulate space in the 4th dimension, and how much power something like that would require?

Interesting Star Trek fact: Filming a landing sequence did not fit into their budget, so they had to invent "beaming" in order to make up for it.

While teleportation isn't going to happen, your arguments are not quite correct. Firstly, we already transmit information at 100% correctness (or very very close). 98% efficiency in energy conversion doesn't mean 2% of you is missing, it means you need an additional power source.

In additional, using coherent beaming technology (like lasers) allows energy to be sent long distances accurately.

Nit-picking really, but then the whole idea is only for fun so why not :)

I think the bigger problem would be the GARGANTUAN amount of information required to store all your molecular details, and send them. Even with some staggeringly high frequencies it would take a non-trivial amount of time to send that info.

Also I wouldn't like my body info to be put in a ZIP file to save time.

I think the bigger problem would be the GARGANTUAN amount of information required to store all your molecular details, and send them. Even with some staggeringly high frequencies it would take a non-trivial amount of time to send that info.

Also I wouldn't like my body info to be put in a ZIP file to save time.

We apply lossless compression until the information fits in 0.5 bits. Problem solved.

In additional, using coherent beaming technology (like lasers) allows energy to be sent long distances accurately.

The accuracy of the data isn't the real issue, as additional redundant information could be sent to ensure accuracy. The bigger problem is how to convert a human being into a chunk of data,

If we reach geometry accuracy levels of 1 atom for 3D printers, and invent perfect hibernation and freezing and restoration from it (because a half printed human would just "melt" and deform during the printing process I guess), we will be able to achieve both teleportation and transferring the complete mind to a new brain.

I don't know why I posted...

That's essentially how the transporters in Star Trek work. Their biggest shortcoming is being limited to the speed of light, so they would be no good for long distance travel.

Well, no. Transporters in Star Trek (at least those used by the Dominion) can instantly transport a person over 3 lightyears as shown in the DS9 episode "Covenant". Also, it is possible to beam people to and from ships travelling at warp speed (funnily, phasers are considerably slower than speed of light but can be fired at another vessel cruising at warp speed, too...).

A more intersting question would be, of course, if beaming is "teleportation" or "destruction and reconstruction" (meaning that you technically die). Also, what becomes of your soul, if you are inclined to believe in the existence of such a thing? Is it transported too, or does it stay behind?

A more intersting question would be, of course, if beaming is "teleportation" or "destruction and reconstruction" (meaning that you technically die). Also, what becomes of your soul, if you are inclined to believe in the existence of such a thing? Is it transported too, or does it stay behind?

It's pretty much impossible to decide (at least at the current state of science) if you have a soul. I know I have one. Other people behave like they have souls. I will never get to directly experience those souls. (all this is based on my assumption that soul-like behavior can be explained, thus can also be artificially created some day).

An even more interesting question: what happens if I don't get destroyed, and basically teleportaion means that there will be a perfect copy of me? Which one I will continue to "experience"? The other will surely have a soul, just as other people than me (more precisely the other me will perfectly behave like it has a soul). But which one of me will be the other me? I guess the original?

But to push this further, what if the original me gets destroyed, but two copies will be made? Which one will continue to be me if there is continuity at all. (And based on the assumption, that the soul like behaviour can be recreated with perfectly placed and tuned atoms, electrons, quarks whatever, so all brain activity will continue to work at another place without hiccup, there could be continuity. But maybe this perfection is ruined by the Heisengerg principle. But does it have to be perfect at all?).

Or something...

An even more interesting question: what happens if I don't get destroyed, and basically teleportaion means that there will be a perfect copy of me? Which one I will continue to "experience"? The other will surely have a soul, just as other people than me (more precisely the other me will perfectly behave like it has a soul). But which one of me will be the other me? I guess the original?

But to push this further, what if the original me gets destroyed, but two copies will be made? Which one will continue to be me if there is continuity at all. (And based on the assumption, that the soul like behaviour can be recreated with perfectly placed and tuned atoms, electrons, quarks whatever, so all brain activity will continue to work at another place without hiccup, there could be continuity. But maybe this perfection is ruined by the Heisengerg principle. But does it have to be perfect at all?).

Or something...

The idea was in Peter Hamilton's novels, I believe. Temporal Void, Pandora's Star, I think?