Physics Of Star Trek, New Study On Mammograms, Return Of The U.S. Textile Industry

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From beaming up to warp speed, a theoretical physicist joins Veronica Rueckert and Rob Ferrett to explain the physics behind the hit TV show Star Trek. They also find out why decades after the U.S. textile industry was written off, business seems to be improving, and they discuss a new study that shows mammograms for pre-menopausal women don’t reduce cancer death rates.

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  • Warp Nine, Engage: Using Star Trek To Teach Real-World Science

    While the science fiction world of “Star Trek” may be a pop-culture classic, the science isn’t always on target. A theoretical physicist says the television and movie franchise can open the door to lessons about real-world science.

    Lawrence Krauss, of Arizona State University, who will speak Wednesday night in Madison, said pop culture can be a great point of entry to learn lessons about science. He points toward educational research that shows that “the only we to teach people is to confront their own misconceptions. ‘Star Trek’ and a lot of science fiction is full of misconceptions, so it’s great fodder top use those ideas and surprise people.”

    The transporter is one of the most famous pieces of technology in “Star Trek.” Krauss said the premise behind the technology — completely disassembling a human, transporting the atoms and reassembling them elsewhere — is unwieldy.

    “First of all, disassembling you would require heating you up to maybe a 100 million degrees, and probably releasing as much energy as a 100 nuclear weapons,” he said.

    He said it would be easier to use an inspiration from the Internet and 3-D printing.

    “I would scan you and get all the information that makes you a human being and send that info from here to there and combine it with atoms I already have and make another copy of you,” he said.

    Krauss said both models of transporter run into the same roadblock: the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, which states that people can’t know the exact location of atoms and their momentum at the same time, making it impossible to perfectly recreate the transported human. He said “Star Trek” writers invented a “Heisenberg Compensator” to explain that away.

    Another problematic technology is faster-than-light travel, with the starship Enterprise zooming around the galaxy at warp speed. Krauss said there is some physics behind the idea of warping space at speeds faster than light.

    “We can’t travel through space faster than light, but space can do whatever the hell it wants,” he said.

    Although space can move faster than light, it doesn’t help us get around that fast. Krauss said there are roadblocks because people would have to have a way to signal space to warp the way people want it, and that signal would be limited by the speed of light.

    “Even if we do imagine a warp drive, where you’re carried away by space,” he said, “you still can’t move from one place to another and get there from the beginning of the time you tried to the end faster than light.”

  • The Physics of Star Trek

    Teleportation, the Borg, warp speeds, wormholes, holodecks… Star Trek has captured the imagination of science geeks for decades. A theoretical physicist explains these concepts and offers useful insights into the Star Trek universe.

  • New Study Concludes Mammograms Don't Reduce Cancer Deaths

    A new study published yesterday finds that mammograms for pre-menopausal women don’t reduce the number of cancer deaths. The study’s lead author explains how they came to this conclusion and how he hopes these controversial findings will change screening recommendations.

  • Is The U.S. Textile Industry Making A Comeback?

    After decades of analysts writing off the U.S. textile industry, recent sales and employment numbers seem to show that business is good. A reporter discusses what’s behind the industry’s domestic rebound.

Episode Credits

  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • Lawrence Krauss Guest
  • Dr. Anthony Miller Guest
  • Marsha Mercer Guest
  • Marika Suval Producer
  • Amanda Magnus Producer
  • Chris Malina Producer

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