"Now Vlatko Vedral, an Oxford physicist, examines the claim that bits of information are the universe’s basic units, and the universe as a whole is a giant quantum computer. He argues that all of reality can be explained if readers accept that information is at the root of everything." Economist, April 24, 2010 p. 81, "A quantum calculation"

  • Entropy, energy and thermodynamics: what makes our universe tick?
  • The origin of information: who makes it and how can we use it?
  • Bizarre quantum effects such as 'entanglement': just how spooky is this stuff?
  • Harnessing quantum physics for improved information processing: how much extra 'oompf' does quantum physics give us?
  • What does new evidence of quantum effects at the macroscopic level mean for us and the universe that we see around us?
  • New applications of quantum information - going beyond teleportation, super fast computing and super secure cryptography. 
Taking information as the most fundamental building block of reality, we discuss what a useful framework this is for viewing all natural and physical phenomena. In building out this framework we touch upon the origin of information, the idea of entropy, the roots of this thinking in thermodynamics, the replication of DNA, development of social networks, quantum behaviour at the micro and macro level, and the very role of indeterminism in the universe. We finish by considering the answer to the ultimate question: where did all of the information in the Universe come from? The ideas challenge our concept of the nature of particles, time, determinism, and of reality itself.

Click here