Every year my favourite magazine, Technology Review, which is also the magazine for the alums of MIT, looks at the advances that have happened over the previous year and chooses 10 emerging technologies that the editors think will have the greatest impact. The ultimate criterion is straightforward: is the technology likely to change the world?
This year’s group includes high-energy batteries that could make cheaper hybrid and electric vehicles possible and a new class of electrical transformers that could stabilize power grids. Some of these choices will alter how we use technology: tapping into computationally intensive applications on mobile devices, or using gestures to command computers that are embedded in televisions and cars. Other choices could improve our health; for instance, doctors will craft more effective cancer treatments by understanding the genetics of individual tumors. But no matter the category, all 10 promise to make our lives better
Synthetic Cells 
Designing new genomes could speed the creation of vaccines and biofuel-producing bacteria
Read these and enjoy talking to the finest minds in the world.
I find this issue particularly poignant since India is at the present time drowing in praise of charatans and swamis. Time was when the country was going to emerge with a new scientfic temper, where its people would give up their worship of sadhus and other conmen and adopt science as their new gods. So hoped Nehru, But sixty years later, there is not a single publication in India on science, there are but a handful of books on new discoveries in technology and while our scientists and technologists finally grace the national awards, their place in society remains at the bottom well behind cricketers and movie stars!!
My plea to all the brilliant minds in the field: PLEEEEZ find more effective solutions to making solar energy cheaper.
ReplyDeleteVinod
I love the sign off!
ReplyDelete-Niloufer