Physicists at the University of Michigan brought one of Einstein's experiments in quantum physics to new lengths. The scientists managed to change the state of one atom by manipulating another atom that's a considerable distance away. The findings could eventually lead to the construction of a quantum computer, or even a quantum internet.

The process where one atom affects another that's far away is called "entanglement" and is one of the many strange qualities of quantum physics. There's no known way of how these two particles interact with each other; scientists liken the process to flipping two coins, where the result of one affects the other.

The experiment had two atoms of ytterbium trapped in enclosures a meter apart. By entangling the two atoms, the state of one dictated the state of the other. This will still be the case even if one were taken "to Jupiter." A very mysterious quirk, and as Einstein once described it, very "spooky."

While current tech transmits data through the air or through cables, quantum tech (if developed the right way) could transmit data directly from one atom to another in no time at all, which could lead to a whole new era of quantum computers and a quantum internet.