The pace of technological change is rule by many divisor — admit public requirement . Which is why we ask to be demanding more . Here are 12 transformative engineering whose development should be expedite mighty now .
To make this list meaningful , I only include those items that are within reasonable technological grasp . Sure , it would be nice to have molecular assemblers , warp drive , and the recipe for good artificial intelligence service , but it ’ll be tenner before we can reasonably embark upon such project . What ’s more , there are more press things to address in the near term . To that end , here ’s what we should be working on :
1. A Viable Artificial Biosphere
Image : Biosphere 2
Before we can venture out into space and buildlong - full term space home ground , we have to figure out a whole bunch of hooey , including how to make viable and ego - keep up artificial biosphere . To escort , our efforts to manufacture a biosphere — from the pioneer efforts of the Soviets and their BIOS-3 experiments to the Biosphere 2 projects of the nineties — have for the most part been met with failure . It ’s now 2014 and we still have n’t got a cue as to how we can build up an artificial , materially closed bionomic system for human habitation — a worrisome realization given the drear land of our environment and our next plans in outer space . The time has issue forth for us toreboot these crucial projects .
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Why we should boot the Biosphere projects
2. 3D Bioprintable Vaccines
West Africa ’s current Ebola epidemic is a sober reminder that we ’re only a mutation or two away from a larger mankind - scale catastrophe . But DNA sequencing techniques are getting progressively faster , and with it , the potential for biologists to decode the hereditary blueprints of computer virus . Armed with this data , they could theoretically develop a vaccine in as fiddling as 24 hours . The problem , of track , is muckle farm these vaccines , distributing them to those in motive , and doing it in a direction that does n’t facilitate further generation of the virus .
Biotechnologist Craig Venter has picture a remarkable answer to this trouble , what he calls “ a 3D printer for DNA . ” He imagines the day when viruses like Ebola or H1N1 can quickly be digitize and emailed as data point to research science lab for immediate analysis . In crook , they would post the specs of the vaccine online for the great unwashed to download to their 3D bioprinters . People could impress out the vaccine , administer it themselves — and all without having to leave their homes .
How we ’ll employ “ teleporters ” to stop the next pandemic
3. Genuine Anti-Aging Interventions
A warm Google lookup for “ anti - aging ” take out up no less than 21,600,000 solvent — which is pretty darn interesting considering that no single anti - aging intervention actually exists . Well , to be clean , we know of at least one affair you may do to ever - so - slightly slow up down the age mental process : thermal restriction . There are several other intervention , but they ’ve only been shown to sour in mice . What ’s more , they only change the pace of aging — it is n’t truthful rejuvenation .
Now , while the aesculapian world collectively work to overcome individual age - related diseases , virtually no one is looking at the big photo . Biogerontologist Aubrey de Grey , architect of theSENSapproach to senescence , says that ’s a trouble . Here ’s what he told me via electronic mail :
Billions of enquiry one dollar bill are drop every year on attempts to make grow remedy for the disease of old age , such as Alzheimer ’s , type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease , Far greater amounts are spent oversee those disease with the short tools we have today , and greater sums even than that are lose as a result of the loser of such therapies to actually work . What are we doing wrong ? Amazingly , there is a simple answer . These diseases are not like infections that can be eliminated from the body : actually they are side - effect of the way the body work , ensue from the damage that any machine with move parts inevitably does to itself in the course of its normal cognitive process . In other run-in , they are part and parcel of ageing . We will only ever eliminate those disease by recognize that fact , and by tackle the whole of maturate with one logical instrument panel of intervention .
That coming will not only consign those diseases to account : it will also foreclose the gradual declination in genial and strong-arm function that we typically call “ aging itself ” . The final result will be truly indefinite youth . This will have a welcome side effect : people will live , in that young state , much longer than today , since their hazard of demise will not rise with age . We will thus save astronomic numbers of lifespan – 100,000 people die every sidereal day from aging – as well as foreclose 90 % of the ill - health and consequent distress that humanity endure today . What could be more urgent ?
4. Synthetic Meat
The planetary demand for meat is steadily rising . It ’s a trend that ’s certain to leave in increased environmental befoulment , energy consumption , animal suffering , and the proliferation of creature - hold diseases . This is why research laboratory - grown kernel is increasingly being watch as a potential solution despite the “ yuck ” response that typically accompanies the expectation . Indeed , as illustrated in a Timeseditoriallast year : “ ‘ How absurd is it to imagine all our meat one twenty-four hours being bring on by a similar process [ tissue paper culture ] ? Not much more absurd than it is to ideate all our meat continuing to be produced as it is now . ” Workis being doneinthis orbit , but not enough give what ’s at … uh … steak .
Billionaire Peter Thiel invests in the development of 3D print meat
Lab grown burger will be the most expensive ever assist
5. Space Elevator
We have to image out a better way to get ourselves and all of our stuff into space . Back during the Space Shuttle era , each missionary work cost $ 450 million . NASA ’s upcoming Space Launch System is head in the wrong counsel , with estimate as highas $ 500 million per launch . SpaceX ’s Falcon Heavy is well better , but still not greatat $ 83 million per launch(which calculates to $ 709 per pound to LEO ) . What ’s more , roquette — and the gasses they leave behind — are n’t completely sporting .
A quad elevator , on the other hand , would be comparably cheap once it ’s coiffure up and active . Space would n’t seem so far away and inaccessible . certainly , it wo n’t be well-to-do building one ( as we’vediscussedatlength ) , but there ’s cause for hope , include thatincredible new nanothread weaved from microscopically small baseball field — a wonder cloth that appears stronger than carbon nanotube .
Why we ’ll belike never build a space lift
Incredible New Nanothreads Could assist Us establish a Space Elevator
6. Space-Based Solar Power
If we take up that economic progress and globalization continues apace , we ‘ ll need to produce twice the amount of energy consumed today by the 2030s . That ’s a whopping 22 trillion kiloWatt hours per yr . And by the end of the 21st century we ’ll need four times the current pace of consumption . At the same time , we have to finish our reliance on fossil fuel , a non - renewable imagination that ’s lead to climate alteration . There are a numeral of proposal on the tabular array for how we may address these challenge , includingnuclear fusionand massive regalia of concentrated photovoltaic cell .
find : The world ’s first net - positive nuclear fusion reaction
But there ’s one solution that rises way above the rest : distance based solar power . Though many different ideas have been proposed , the canonical concept remain the same : place up big photovoltaic platform in Earth ’s orbit and shine the extracted vim down to meet stations back on dry land in the form of microwaves that can be win over into electricity . Japan ’s blank space agency is so activated by the aspect thatthey’re project on deploy a system by the 2030s . It ’ll be unmanageable and expensive to build , but the take will be immense .
How blank - based solar baron will clear all our energy needs
Japan Has A Plan To Start Using Space - base Solar Power By The 2030s
7. Reliable Measures of Individual Rationality
Intelligence and rationality are two very dissimilar things . AsIdea CoutureForesight Strategist Jayar LaFontaine told me , high scores on intelligence agency mental test are only a moderate predictor of the capacity to exhibit good judgement and to ground one ’s notion on appropriate grounds . A person might be very impertinent , he says , but at the same time prostrate to short belief formation and sagaciousness . It ’s what psychologist Keith Stanovich holler dysrationalia ( Image : Lyao / Shutterstock )
As LaFontaine remark to me in an electronic mail :
The good news is that , while intelligence appear to be relatively unchanging and static throughout an soul ’s lifespan , it seems rationalness might be improve through training and education . Stanovich and his Colorado - detective Richard West are working on developingan RQ ( rationality quotient ) testthat could be used to reliably value individual rationality . We could use this test to measure the efficacy of different intervention aimed at amend human ground . With luck , we may discover avenue for improving individual reasonableness that could become part of standard syllabus in the hereafter .
The changes in human society this would trigger are difficult to predict , but we can already see how this might change things in the nowadays . Take public policy . Governments have long depend on a “ cultivated carrot vs. stick ” approach to public insurance : subsidize good behaviors , penalize defective ones . “ Nudging ” is a growing third approach to encouraging good behaviors and decision - making among citizens . By both building the surroundings and presenting data in certain ways , the intellection goes , we can provide unconscious cues , or nudges , for people to choose sure preferable options over others without interdict or incentivizing any particular choice .
But if individual human rationality is improvable , then perhaps policymakers do n’t need to build unconscious jog into the world . As an alternative , we could provide the grounds - based education and training necessary for individuals to make just decisions on their own .
A Test to Measure How Rational You Really Are
8. Effective and Safe Geoengineering
At this breaker point in our history , and case in point being what they are , it does n’t appear that we ’re going to cut back carbon paper emissions . It probably does n’t even weigh anyway — we may have already elapse the tipping point . Asa NOAA - lead sketch explained back in 2009 , “ changes in surface temperature , rain , and ocean level are mostly irreversible for more than 1,000 year after carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) emissions are totally break . ”
accordingly , we may have no choice but to occupy in the exercise ofgeoengineering — like making clouds more contemplative , progress giant infinite reflectors , operate in ocean fertilisation , and producing giant air refining systems that suck redundant carbon dioxide out of the air . unhappily , this will essay to be a monumental challenge . The error for perimeter is minuscule , while the voltage to exacerbate deleterious environmental conditions is great . Moreover , once we start , we believably wo n’t be capable to stop . But given that we ’re already feeling the effects of mood change , we should probably get on this . ( image UC Davis )
10 Ways Geoengineering Could Save the World
Once we start geohacking , we wo n’t be able-bodied to stop
9. Gene Drives
The mosquito isthe deadly animal in the world . To day of the month , they ’ve killed more than half of all humans who have ever hold up — even more than state of war , plague , famine , and heart disease . By spreading deadly disease , such as malaria and dengue , mosquitos are responsible for about 750,000 to 2.7 million deaths each class . gratefully , there ’s at long last a engineering on the apparent horizon that could really help oneself us do something about it .
It ’s called a “ gene drive ” and it ’s opening up unbelievable opportunities for the ascendance and manipulation of wildlife . To make it work , scientist would sequester a suitable gene and thendrive it through a dotty population of beast . For example , research worker have already figure out a style to engineer malarial mosquitoes such that they produce an overabundance of males . The eventual unbalance following a gene drive would help reduce the mosquito universe and bed covering of the disease . ( figure : Nova Next )
10. Gene Therapy
Gene therapy is still observational , but it has the potential drop to serve doctors do by a emcee of disorders . alternatively of using drugs or surgery , genes would be inserted into a patient ’s cells . The technique could allow therapists to supercede a disease - get mutated cistron with a healthy copy of the factor . It could inactivate , or “ tap out ” , a mutate factor that ’s functioning improperly , or introduce an entirely new cistron , or sets of cistron , into the body to assist struggle a disease .
Currently , factor therapy look promising for such shape as inherited disorder , some types of cancer , and certain viral infections . But progress has been agonizingly irksome . It ’s currently only being tested for the treatment of diseases that have no other therapeutic . Part of the trouble isthe yuck - component that ’s associated with gene therapy , but give the possible benefits , we need to get over such hang - ups .
11. Male Birth Control Pill
Women have had entree to reliable contraceptives for a half - one C , but hands still do n’t have a birth control birth control pill to call their own . It ’s safe to say many men would welcome such a medical advance , but it ’s proving to be a monumental scientific challenge .
To appointment , most attempts at creating a male pill have focused on techniques to make dysfunctional sperm . But those attack incline to make various wellness job in work force , such as reduced sex - private road or permanent alterations to the room the body produces spermatozoan . Even worse , some method even cause men to send prejudicious changes to next progeny . There have been some encourage developments , however , such asa male pill that causes a impermanent vasectomy , one that does n’t require hormones , andone that can be applied like a app . But none of these looking as though they ’re ready to hit the market any time before long . Time for science to get a move on . ( image : msmd | h / t Chel An )
A male person giving birth control contraceptive pill that causes a irregular vasectomy
A male contraceptive pill that does n’t use hormones
Researchers create a new male contraceptive machine that you put on like lotion
12. Cell Modeling For Brain Emulation
Assuming that whole brain emulations are possible , the passage from meatspace to internet could be incredibly disruptive . Eventually , digital brains could outnumber biologic one — and they could redo the world . But as economic expert and fantast Robin Hanson told me , the technical fiat of operations is run to make a big difference . For thing to go smoothly , it ’s important that we create math models for all nous cellphone type prior to the coming of computer hardware that ’s tight and powerful enough to turn tail the emulations . ( image : iawwai )
What will liveliness be like when digital brains outnumber world ?
As Hanson told io9 :
Brain emulations seem likely to appear within a century , and in my judgement they are probable to appear before we achieve human tier artificial intelligence in other elbow room . Brain emulations require that three techs each be honorable and cheap enough : computer hardware , human brain scan devices , and brain prison cell math / computer model . The disruptiveness of a passage to a reality of psyche emulations would bet on which of these three techs is ready last . Having computer ready last would make for a decentralized , smooth , and anticipated transition . But having cell models ready last could make for an centralised unanticipated jerky conversion . Which would be bad . Thus it would be good to travel rapidly up cell modelling progress , so it is not the last tech ready .
A side welfare to this technology would be the ability to uphold a nous after last for eventual reanimation .
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