A team of scientists led by the University of Rochester and North Carolina State University have achieved a first in particle transmission.
The scientists “sent a message using a beam of neutrinos — nearly massless particles that travel at almost the speed of light. The message was sent through 240 meters of stone and said simply, ‘Neutrino,'” reports ScienceBlog.com.
“Using neutrinos, it would be possible to communicate between any two points on Earth without using satellites or cables,” notes Dan Stancil, professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State and lead author of the research paper. “Neutrino communication systems would be much more complicated than today’s systems, but may have important strategic uses.”
Neutrinos have the potential to dramatically impact modes of communication since “they can penetrate almost anything they encounter.” The article sites examples such as possible advances for submarine communication over long distances through water, and even communication “with something in outer space that was on the far side of a moon or a planet, our message could travel straight through without impediment.”
The experiments are costly and require a great deal of equipment. However, this research may be the first step toward practical applications.
As George Gerba noted when he submitted this article: “Next — video anywhere… Really anywhere…”
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