Antimatter, the "mirror image of matter," was a topic often toyed with in science fiction novels. Star Trek's spaceships are propelled by this revolutionary matter with the ability to turn all its mass into pure energy, and scientists today are even investigating the use of antimatter as real fuel. Also, antimatter, when combined with ordinary matter, annihilates it in an explosion of energy. Antimatter's existence was first predicted in 1930 when Paul Dirac's theory about the …showed first 75 words of 627 total…

…showed last 75 words of 627 total…if all its energy could be harnessed, and attempts to do so are still occurring. It is used in common procedures today, like PET scans, which analyze the mind using positrons. There is also much mystique behind this form of matter. Nobody is really sure why it is so uncommon today. It was discovered a mere seventy-two years ago, and hopefully, this energy will someday be used as fuel to revolutionize and quicken space travel.