The enigmatic nonlocal quantum correlation that was famously derided by Einstein as "spooky action at a distance" has now been experimentally demonstrated to be authentic. The quantum entanglement and nonlocal correlations emerged as inevitable consequences of John Bell's epochal paper on Bell's inequality. However, in spite of some extraordinary applications as well as attempts to explain the reason for quantum nonlocality, a satisfactory account of how Nature accomplishes this astounding phenomenon is yet to emerge. A cogent mechanism for the occurrence of this incredible event is presented in terms of a plausible quantum mechanical Einstein–Rosen bridge. Quanta 2018; 7: 111–117.
Action-at-a-distance is a generic property of physical theories. As such, it is not a fruitful idea in theory building. Its absence confers a rigidity on a theory which we exemplify through analysis of long-range correlations of the EPR-type in relativistic theories. Rigidity is desirable for fundamental theories, and theory building should focus on structurally unstable properties, making action-at-a-distance a side issue. Though apparent superluminal effects seem to be present in many present-day physical theories, we maintain that they are not a basis for action-at-a-distance.