The Tech Of Trek by Jordan Hoffman (NAPSA)—Thefuture, at least in somecases, is already here. Consider this: The Star Trek communicator was a far-out nov- elty during the original 1960s television series. Now those flip models are positively retro. This forward-looking franchise has always been about awesome gizmos and gadgets and they’re all over the newest release, “Star Trek Into Darkness.” J.J. Abrams and company have put an extra dashof sci into thefi. Here are five ways in which scientists are trying to bring the Treknology of the film into reality. 1. Cryogenics: John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a man from a different century who’s been kept in a cryogenic chamber. Cryogenics means keeping something supercold. Noted physicist Michio Kaku says humantissueis just not conducive to freezing and reviving but he doesn’t rule out that we may invent a way that worksin the future. 2. Super DNA: John Harrison is actually (spoiler alert) Khan Noonien Singh: the fearsome, genetically altered superman who brought devastation to Earth. While creating some sort of “super DNA”is not yet plausible, a new protein called Cas9 was recently discovered that can snip strands of DNA very precisely so scientists can make specific edits. 3. Cold Fusion: In the movie, Spock tries to stop a voleano with a cold fusion bomb. Cold fusion is the theory that a nuclear reaction could be created without volatile temperatures. While it’s never been done, some elements do give The future, at least in some cases,is already here. off energy emissions, suggesting it’s not impossible. 4, Warp Drive: To explore strange, new worlds you have to get there. You need faster-thanlight travel. According to theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre, spacecraft may one day travel faster than light by manipulating the space around them. 5. Multiple Worlds: Most people wonder about the road not taken. Many respected scientists believe that, to an extent, every possible outcome to a situation exists in a parallel universe. If these myriad corridors of spacetime could drip into one another, a situation like the one that occurs in the 2009 version of Star Trek— a wormhole zips Spock over from the pre-established timeline to a new one—could happen, based on what we currently understand about quantum mechanics. To experience the future today, you can watch “Star Trek Into Darkness” now on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand from Paramount HomeMedia Distribution. Learn More For further facts on the film, visit www.StarTrekMovie.com. Mr. Hoffman is a movie critic and writer.
