In science fiction, teleportation is not always perfect. Improperly maintained teleporters can result in “poor fidelity” during transmission — and a mess on the floor of the transporter room.

In one celebrated instance, the use of the teleporter even involved creating a copy.

In the Star Trek episode “The Enemy Within,” first broadcast in 1966, the transporter aboard the Enterprise malfunctions, creating a copy of Captain Kirk. The copy demonstrates less than 100 percent fidelity, however; it embodies only his most selfish and angry qualities.

The first experimental demonstration of quantum telecloning has just been accomplished by scientists at the University of Tokyo, the Japan Science and Technology Agency and the University of York. Telecloning is a combined achievement; it combines quantum teleportation with quantum cloning into a single step.

Want to learn more? Read the full story at Live Science.

Source: LiveScience, Written By: Bill Christensen