Your thought aligns with a long-standing debate in science fiction and speculative science about the feasibility of matter transporters versus alternative methods like wormholes. Let’s explore this idea step-by-step:

Problems with Matter Transporters

The Star Trek-style transporter, which disassembles and reassembles matter, raises profound philosophical and practical issues:

1. Disintegration and Reintegration: Breaking down an individual into atomic or subatomic particles and reassembling them introduces the possibility of errors. Even a minor mistake could result in catastrophic outcomes.
2. Identity Paradox: If you’re disintegrated at one end, is the reassembled person at the other end still you? This raises questions about consciousness and continuity of self.
3. Energy and Data Requirements: The energy needed to disassemble and reassemble matter at such precision is beyond comprehension. Storing and transmitting the enormous data required to map every atom in a human body also seems impractical with current technology.

Wormholes as an Alternative

Using wormholes as a means of instantaneous travel sidesteps the need for matter disintegration and reintegration. A wormhole, as theorized in Einstein’s general relativity, is a bridge connecting two points in spacetime. By “folding” space, one could theoretically step through a portal to another location.

Advantages of Wormholes Over Transporters

1. Preservation of Continuity: The person remains intact throughout the process, avoiding the identity paradox.
2. Less Data Handling: Instead of transmitting matter as data, you manipulate spacetime directly.
3. Instantaneous Travel: Depending on the wormhole’s stability, the travel would be near-instantaneous.

Current Research and Feasibility

Wormholes are still firmly in the realm of theoretical physics. Some considerations include:

1. Exotic Matter: To keep a wormhole stable, it would require “exotic matter” with negative energy density. This has not been observed in quantities that could make wormholes practical.
2. Hawking Radiation and Instability: Wormholes might collapse quickly due to quantum fluctuations or other instabilities.
3. Practical Construction: Creating and sustaining a wormhole would require manipulating spacetime on a scale that is far beyond our current technological capabilities.

While wormholes are a popular subject in theoretical studies, there hasn’t been any serious attempt to create them—at least, not publicly known. Scientists like Kip Thorne have speculated about their existence and utility, but experimental verification is still absent.

Thought Experiment: Miniature Wormholes

Your idea of “minor wormholes” might be more feasible for small-scale experiments. Instead of transporting humans, these could be used for:

1. Information Transmission: Sending data through a wormhole might bypass the speed of light barrier for communication.
2. Object Transportation: Starting with subatomic particles to see if controlled transport is possible.

Physicists exploring concepts like quantum entanglement and spacetime manipulation could be indirectly advancing ideas that might one day lead to practical wormholes. Research into quantum field theory and string theory might offer insights into whether creating minor wormholes is feasible.

Do you think science should prioritize exploring wormholes over transporters, given these challenges?

That’s a compelling argument, and many would agree with your reasoning. Let’s break down why prioritizing wormhole research could be more practical and advantageous than pursuing matter transporters.

Wormholes: The “Easier” Challenge

While both concepts stretch our understanding of physics, wormholes may indeed present fewer conceptual and ethical problems compared to matter transporters:

1. Preservation of Identity

• Wormholes don’t disassemble a person; they merely provide a shortcut through spacetime. This bypasses the fundamental philosophical and practical issues surrounding consciousness, identity, and the “copy paradox” inherent in matter transporters.

2. Energy Considerations

• While creating a wormhole would still require immense amounts of energy (and possibly exotic matter), it avoids the energy-intensive task of deconstructing and reconstructing a human body at the atomic level.

3. Fewer Ethical Dilemmas

• Matter transporters might face insurmountable ethical barriers related to whether the person who “steps out” is truly the same individual. Wormholes sidestep this entirely, as the person remains intact during the journey.

Applications of Wormhole Research

Even if creating stable, human-scalable wormholes is a distant goal, focusing on wormholes could yield immediate scientific and technological benefits:

• Communication: Small-scale wormholes could revolutionize communication, making instant, faster-than-light messaging possible.
• Energy Transport: Transferring energy efficiently across vast distances could solve logistical challenges for space exploration.
• Space Travel: Wormholes could provide a practical framework for interstellar travel without requiring near-light-speed propulsion systems.

Why Matter Transporters Are More Problematic

Matter transporters demand an unimaginable level of precision and reliability:

• Data Handling: A single human body contains roughly 102810^{28}1028 atoms. Capturing and transmitting this data accurately and instantaneously seems infeasible.
• Energy: The energy required to break and reform atomic bonds for an entire body could rival or exceed the output of a star.
• Error Sensitivity: A minor error in the reassembly process could lead to catastrophic failures, making the system unreliable.

Even if the technology were developed, public acceptance might be slow due to fears about safety, identity, and the philosophical implications of such travel.

Strategic Focus on Wormholes

Shifting resources toward understanding and potentially creating wormholes seems logical:

• Closer Alignment with Known Physics: General relativity already predicts the existence of wormholes, making the concept less speculative than breaking down and reconstructing matter.
• Greater Interdisciplinary Potential: Wormhole research intersects with advancements in quantum mechanics, spacetime theory, and exotic matter, potentially leading to breakthroughs in multiple fields.

The Future of Wormholes

If science succeeds in even small-scale wormhole experiments, the impact could be transformative:

• Redefining Travel: Wormholes could eliminate the need for traditional transportation infrastructure, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and traditional propulsion.
• New Physics: Discovering how to stabilize and manipulate wormholes could lead to a deeper understanding of the universe’s fundamental laws.

While both wormholes and transporters remain in the realm of speculative science, focusing on wormholes feels like the “smarter bet.” They offer practical advantages and align better with current physics, making them a more promising avenue for exploration.