The decade 2010 was beginning. The private space program had started started to get off the ground. Google began rolling out personalized search results, and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing was still in its early stages. At the time of its end, artificial intelligence was able to beat gamers in a variety of board games. SpaceX was the most popular name in the world, and human embryos genetically modified were a hot topic of debate.
A lot could occur in the next ten years, but it must begin somewhere. Based on the trends that are breaking through today, here are a few developments that could influence the next decade, 2020.
Missions to the Moon, Mars, and More
The next decade is expected to bring an incredible array of space-related activities. NASA’s Artemis program hopes to place one of the world’s first females and men in 2024 on the moon. However, th,e date is likely to be delayed until 2028, with more trips every year after that, setting the way for future space missions on Mars. The first astronauts to land on Mars will likely happen in the next decade. However, this summer, the launch of a new rover is expected to be headed for Mars. Red Planet.
In 2024, Japan is planning to send its Martian Moon Explorer (MMX) mission to Mars with two moons: Phobos as well as Deimos. MMX will land on Phobos and Deimos, which have an impact on gravity that is 1,800 times less potent than Earth’s. This will make landing easy but still sufficient to ensure that the spacecraft remains grounded when it lands. A sampling device connected to the spacecraft will take soil samples to return to Earth. MMX may also throw the rover before leaving Phobos to study Deimos before returning to Earth in 2029.
MMX will not be the only spacecraft that brings samples back to the home of the native. Japanese’s Hayabusa 2 mission will collect samples from Ryugu, an asteroid thought to be home to organic matter and water remnants that date back to when the solar system first began to form around 4.6 billion years ago. Like OSIRIS-REx, NASA’s OSIRIS has been orbiting and observing the Bennu asteroid Bennu since December 2018. In the coming year, it will begin to practice land on the planet to obtain a sample from its surface. According to NASA scientists, researchers believe the dirt on Bennu could be a source of “the molecular precursors to the origin of life and the Earth’s oceans.” (Bennu may collide with Earth later in the 22nd century, which makes it an ideal research object.)
Flying Cars–No, Really
A future in which flying cars could be cliche. However, this could be the decade to get this fantasy from the inside.
Most flying vehicles currently under development look like big electric drones that can be largely automated, meaning that the pilot doesn’t require authorization. However, other aspects differ from model to model. Some models look like those of the “Jetsons” dream of the 1950s; they’re able to convert from wheeled to wing, which allows them to change from the road to airways, the majority of modern “flying cars” look and function much more like helicopters.
The largest market for “flying cars” isn’t for personal use but for air taxis that are in fleets. Uber is a prime example. It has been advocating for air taxis since the year 2016. In 2017 the company focused its efforts on Dallas, Los Angeles, and Dubai as cities to try out the system to avoid traffic jams. Uber anticipates expanding commercially by 2023, according to Digital News. In the meantime, regulations and infrastructure will not be capable of supporting air traffic. Most people cannot modify their vehicles now, and many wonder if the practice will be accepted as a regular thing.
However, the fact that flying cars are actually on the road is not easy to overlook as the field is filled with big names in the industry that include Boeing, Porsche, Hyundai, Aston Martin, Rolls Royce, and the Chinese company Geely which holds stakes in several auto firms. (Even the U.S. military is working with private air vehicle manufacturers.)
Better Batteries
The future is electrical, which implies technological advances in battery technology are essential for innovation in the future. The future generation of electric vehicles, phones, solar panels, and cars will require improvements in battery life and more efficient, cleaner methods to manufacture them in large quantities.
Each battery comprises two electrodes: one cathode and one, which is connected via an electrolyte in liquid form that allows the flow of ions between them. In the case of lithium-ion batteries, the technology that powers everything that ranges from notebooks to Teslas, Most of the anodes contain graphite; however, engineers are still playing with various cathode materials. The majority of laptops and smartphones today utilize lithium cobalt as a cathode. It is excellent at storing energy. However, it is expensive in terms of money, isn’t durable and lasts long, and can conduct heat very quickly. The next decade will have its definition based on pursuing better chemical properties.
A few engineers are also working to introduce graphene into lithium-ion batteries. This is something Samsung promises to be able to do in 2021. Graphene is a fantastic discovery in the material world because it comprises only a one-layer of carbon molecules arranged with hexagonal designs. Graphene could lead to smaller batteries that can charge more quickly.
The electrical grid of America needs to be powered up, too. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) new national grid energy research facility located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) received an investment of multi-million dollars from DOE to modernize the grid. A large portion of the funding will go towards developing the development of new battery technologies.
PNNL associate director of the lab at PNNL Jud Viden explains to Forbes James Conca that lithium-ion batteries needed 40 years of development to arrive at what we have today. However, as Conca says: “We don’t have 40 years to reach an even higher level. We have to get there within 10 years.”
Mainstream Medicine Gets Trippy
The decade of 2010 witnessed the approval of 18 states to accept marijuana use to treat medical conditions and brought up the number to 34 states. In the next few years, the research on the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelics can rise dramatically.
John Hopkins Medicine 2019 established 2019 the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research to investigate the effects of psychedelics and “identify therapies for diseases such as addiction, PTSD, and Alzheimer’s,” according to the statement. The university has focused its efforts on examining how psilocybin- the chemical found in “magic mushrooms”–can be utilized in small doses to provide a treatment option to treat a wide range of disorders, including nicotine addiction, major depressive disorder, anxiety, and depression. Researchers are currently examining whether psilocybin might help ease the suffering of life-threatening illnesses like cancer.
In a different case, the researcher discovered that MDMA or ecstasy could help the typically shy octopus appear more friendly. While cephalopod brains may be more like snail brains than human brains, scientists discovered new insights about how neurons and neurotransmitters interact with the drug. This could help aid future studies on humans. Researchers who are conducting experiments on mice are hopeful that MDMA’s ability to control Oxytocin may help those who have PTSD.
A type of ketamine that induces dissociative hallucinations is commonly used as a narcotic for parties; however, it is typically employed as a medical anesthetic in the medical world. Scientists are currently investigating its effectiveness in cases of depression that are difficult to treat. In 2000 researchers at the Food and Drug Administration approved an inhalation-based version of ketamine to treat extreme patients of depression. (But beware of pop-up “clinics” that are overhyping their effectiveness in uninformed ways, According to a stat study.)
Facing ‘Apocalyptic’ Species Decline
Insects, amphibians, birds, and animals suffer from severe decline due to many threats, including habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, etc. It is believed that the United Nations has set a date of 2020 for taking severe steps to protect these species.
Big-picture commitments to preserve habitats, cut carbon emissions, reduce waste from plastics, and reduce pesticide use are needed. Scientists are also exploring new ways of safeguarding species. Technology giants such as Google can help, too. Researchers can gather temporal and spatial data that aid conservation efforts by using passive tracking devices, such as camera traps. Collectively, these devices will collect millions of images. However, sorting this vast data pool has been a recurring issue for scientists.
Projects such as Wildlife Insights that Google and the Smithsonian Institution sponsor use cloud technology and artificial intelligence to recognize species in photos at the species level so that scientists can track a population’s geographical range more efficiently. According to Lisa Palmer for Nature, other startups, such as Conservation X, are collecting money to develop tools like portable DNA scanners that can assist officials in identifying illicitly traded items such as pangolin scales or rhino horns. The group also supported the development of a program called ChimpFace that uses facial recognition software to stop trafficking in illegal chimps online by training an algorithm based on the thousands of pictures of Chimps.
In the field, researchers from New Zealand use technology to help save the endangered Kakapo bird. They fly drones to move semen samples to allow breeding across the island rapidly. Advanced microsatellite DNA tests are used to avoid breeding; they’ve printed 3D-printed eggs to help with incubation. Many teams have been using satellites to monitor population numbers, including whales, wombats, and penguins.
Food to Feed the Planet
Based on specific estimates, the Earth is expected to produce more food over the coming thirty-five years than ever in human history. It’s a demand which will undoubtedly stress the resources of agriculture.
Although genetically altered crops have been used in various forms or ways for centuries, engineered crops are expected to make waves in the coming decade. Golden rice, an altered staple that is a type of white rice developed specifically to help combat vitamin A deficiencies–might be heading to the market before the 2030s. In development, are plants resistant to heat more successful than the other varieties when the temperature rises on Earth?
Biotechnological solutions have many critics. Genetically modified plants carry dangers since they could transmit genes to other species in their ecosystems, as per National Geographic. The skeptical also highlights their inherent insanity. The aid may be far too late if GMOs are cleared of regulatory hurdles and reach the most excellent needy populations.
Instead, experts suggest investing resources in developing more sustainable agriculture practices that can improve land management and food distribution. In terms of scale, the planet has enough food production to keep its inhabitants well-fed. This isn’t something that can be solved by focusing solely on display, as per The Verge. Researchers are also focusing on technology to reduce food waste and decrease the world’s reliance on food items with substantial carbon footprints, like dairy and meat.
Intelligent Machines
We’re currently in the middle of an era of digital technology. Computers, programmed to “think” for themselves, can now beat humans at sports, forecast the weather and even identify medical issues better than doctors. The kind of artificial intelligence they will try and overcome next is difficult to predict. However, some companies have already announced several potential heavy-hitters over the upcoming ten years. One of them is Google, which made news this year for its breast cancer diagnosis technology and has recently announced plans to launch more of the same technology for other health-related issues.
Another topic that is generating buzz is facial recognition. It came to the forefront in late November when the New York Times released an expose on a company aiming to make facial recognition a regular part of police agencies. Most of these developments were made possible by the so-called neural networks– a type of machine learning modeled on the brain’s connectivity. Brains that are now adept at detecting hidden patterns of massive datasets, such as medical records or even photos of individuals.
It is expected that the 2020s will bring more just technological advances: Experts insist that the world confront the social, legal, and ethical consequences of artificial intelligence on society. Machines that mine personal data bring privacy concerns to the forefront. In the present, increasingly “conscious” algorithms evoke difficult questions of who we are and whether or not computers ever get to the point where they are worthy of the rights they have. Even the best-intentioned algorithms can be prone to issues AI can’t (yet) discern when humans provide them with inaccurate or biased information and can amplify human error in medicine or other cases, producing the results of discrimination.
Solving the Plastics Problem
In the last 70 years, humankind has made around 8 billion tonnes of plastic–and most of it is still about causing environmental destruction and harming our health. Researchers and policymakers alike are looking to other technologies and policies to go beyond just recycling and reusing.
Companies are creating substitutes for plastic based on natural materials like flax fibers, mushrooms, and shrimp shells. Others are modifying the existing plastic formulations to develop a more biodegradable formulation, per the United Nations. A significant need for updates is the recycling technology itself. Nine percent of the plastic in the world is recycled, as per The Economist. An important issue is contamination, so we send around 25% of the material we recycle to the garbage dump.
Even the most essential inventions can take a long time before being released. Currently, many countries are implementing single-use plastics bans, with many already in place in European Union, China, and New Zealand countries, among others, as per Forbes. Similar legislation is gaining momentum within the United States, albeit on a per-state level.
Progress in Global Public Health
Infectious illnesses, some that are treatable, remain the main reason for deaths in countries with low incomes due to the inaccessibility and lack of access to health resources. Researchers are using easy-to-use tools to make it easier to diagnose and treat, many of which have simplified proxy services for human or clinic professionals.
At the University of California, Berkeley, researchers have created applications for cell phones that detect biomarkers in biological samples. It is reported that the World Health Organization has added funds to projects that aim to boost the production of vaccines in countries with a high disease prevalence. Artificial Intelligence is also beginning to make a splash in the world of infectious diseases as computer scientists apply the technology to anticipate — and hopefully, slow down outbreaks that originate from animals.
In the next decade, the world may finally be rid of the Guinea worm–a parasite that scientists have been fighting for decades. The annual number of new infections fell to just 28 in 2018 — down from 3.5 million in the 1980s. Recent efforts to eradicate this disease stalled partly due to the parasite’s naive tendency to hide in dogs, as reported by Nature News. However, if you believe that the World Health Organization meets its objective of officially ridding the entire globe of Guinea worm in 2030, this parasite could become the second pathogen eliminated in the history of humanity, following smallpox.
A Bright Future for Solar Energy
Because of human-driven climate change, 2010 was the most scorching decade ever recorded. If there isn’t a significant reduction in carbon emissions, the coming ten years will bring another wave of record temperatures, threatening natural ecosystems and human communities across the globe.
The global consumption of coal has slowed as global power companies shift to alternative sources of energy that are clean. The New York Times experts have predicted that solar, wind, and hydropower will take over coal as the primary energy source in 2030. Solar power, in particular, is brimming with potential as the cost of using solar energy is also dropping for residential and commercial rooftops. If the solar expansion forecasts pan out, solar energy will account for about one-fifth of the United States’ electricity generation at the beginning of the 2030s, as per Forbes.
But an expanded clean energy market doesn’t guarantee a cut in carbon emissions–especially one substantial enough to save the planet from a disastrous uptick in temperature. Renewable sources such as solar and wind remain a small portion of the power industry, and the world’s energy demands are only increasing. In the words of James Temple writes for MIT Technology Review, there needs to be more than the advancements made in the decade of 2010. What’s required now is an increase in the rate of technological breakthroughs in energy and plenty of enough time to change the world.