Kicking off our choice for the top five discoveries in fundamental physics over the first 25 years of Physics World is quantum teleportation, which has made the fantasy of Star Trek real.
Quantum computing, quantum encryption and quantum teleportation: today's physics journals sound morelike Star Trek than ever. Based on the weird and counterintuitive features of quantum mechanics, these concepts have been brought to fruition in recent years by theorists and experimentalists alike. Indeed, these ideas are now leaving physics laboratories and being used by industry to make real products. Who knows what revolutions await in computation and communications from these budding breakthroughs?