Now that the new year has dawned we should be bracing ourselves for the sci-tech storm heeding our way. The way social, corporate and personal spaces work is about to change forever. This year we will witness how scientific breakthroughs of the past years turn into handy accessible technology that affects everyone.
In 2010 the scientific community was busy churning out the stuff made of science fiction, from artificial life to antimatter to two successful HIV prophylaxis.
The year gone by
2010 can safely be also called the year of gadgets. The steep rise in highly Internet dependent individuals created a space for devices we thought we did not need. The iPad has been the most successful personal gadget in history and life without your smartphone is now unimaginable. The portable ultrasound scanner by GE that doctors can wear around their necks also became the next big thing in innovation.
Also noteworthy is the Indian governments desire to gain to access to all conversations and Internet use. It was marked by its row with BlackBerry provider Research In Motion earlier this year. The authorities went on further to breach bounds of personal privacy by asking Skype and Google to set up servers in the country so it can gain control.
Besides important breakthroughs in policy, the past year also brought up other scientific issues under public eye. After a failed attempt to strike a climate deal in Copenhagen, the UN persisted to convince leaders in Cancun. Again, the summit failed to provide any concrete directions, although the consensus is that the cause of an international climate deal is making progress steadily but very slowly.
As the masses rose to the reality of climate change, the scientific community became obsessed with a new kind of sustainability: biodiversity conservation. The UN announced 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity bringing light to the cause of protecting different species from extinction. Numerous conservation projects were kicked off, thousands of new species were discovered and marine biodiversity came into the spotlight, thanks to BP’s oil spill. A quote made by an oceanographer echoed in every conservation delegation; it said: “We are destroying the ocean without even getting to know it.”
India’s year in science was marked by a combination of both failed and successful space missions. Even though there were setbacks (rocket failures), we should be proud of Isro’s attempts to launch India into space research. The lunar orbiter Chandrayan-1 launched in 2008, reported back with confirmations of ice on the moon’s north pole.
Another scientific struggle Indians faced was the furious GM debate that overtook the entire nation; it ended in a moratorium on Bt Brinjal, which was declared safe by scientists earlier.
Top 5 innovations of Science and Technology
Synthetic Life: Controversial geneticist Craig Venter led his team to create life artificially. Emptying a cell and inserting artificially produced DNA created this synthetic microorganism.
Finally Antimatter: The $10 billion particle collider (LHC) finally reached high energy levels in collisions and later managed to produce and store antimatter for a fraction of a second.
Space exploration: By the end of 2010, we are aware of the existence of at least 500 exo-planets. The planet hunter responsible for the discovery of Gliese 581g last September has claimed that the discovery of life-friendly planets is now a matter of larger time-slots on the Very Large Telescopes (VLT).
Progress on HIV: Clinical evidence was found in support of a vaginal gel that helps prevent sexual transmission of HIV. In two separate investigations, pre-exposure prophylaxis using a combination of drugs was found to lower the rate of transmission in high-risk populations.
Enabled and Online: Facebook now has over half a billion users. This means that social networking now connects all age groups globally and has become an attractive marketing space. Number of people shopping, banking and reading news online is growing every day.
What to expect in 2011
As 3G service stabalises this year around the world, expect more integrated gadgets. Google TV is expected to revolutionise the telly watching experience and the wait for the low-cost 3D TV might just end this year.
The future of the Internet has been threatened by the wave of widgets and apps. The sustainability of both lies in combination of the both these entities enhancing user experience and communication.
Expect to hear a lot about GM organisms as Malaysia prepares to release its super-mosquitoes in the wild to control the malaria problem. Even though the issue is likely to be debated further, the future looks anything but bleak for GM crops and animals.
Core scientific research is ready to take on more challenges. Quantum mechanics will be explored more as a result of a highly successful experiment in 2010. The LHC continues to look for the Higgs Boson, the particle responsible for giving mass its properties.
Space exploration is a promising area owing to rising volume of investments that governments are offering space agencies. Mars will inhabit another earthling, Nasa’s Curiosity rover, which will join Spirit and Opportunity which have roamed Mars for seven years.
Private players are entering the foray of research and development, which can be clearly evidenced by the scheduled launch of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo in 2011.The first ten years of the 21st century have led to a large appetite for technology that we have today, rooting from the core science experiments of the previous centuries. The upcoming year will bear more fruits in the form of innovation and the authorities will try to make these accessible while scientists are busy formulating other theories.