Breakthrough of 2010: First Quantum Machine

Until this year, all human-made objects have moved according to the laws of classical mechanics. In March, a group of researchers designed a gadget that moves in ways that can only be described by quantum mechanics — the set of rules that governs the behavior of tiny things like molecules, atoms, and subatomic particles. In recognition of the conceptual ground their experiment breaks, the ingenuity behind it and its many potential applications, Science has called this discovery the most significant scientific advance of 2010. ” It opens up a variety of possibilities ranging from new experiments that meld quantum control over light, electrical currents and motion.”