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INTRODUCTION<\/h2>\n
Human actions could become more accurately predictable, thanks to neuroscience. Nano-sized robots will deliver cancer-fighting drugs directly to their targets. And though many recently lost jobs may never come back, people will find plenty to do (and get paid for) in the future.<\/p>\n
These are just a few of the forecasts you\u2019ll find in this latest edition of Outlook,<\/strong> a roundup of the most thought-provoking possibilities and ideas published in THE FUTURIST magazine over the past year.<\/p>\n The forecasts collected in the World Future Society\u2019s annual Outlook<\/strong> reports are not intended to predict the future, but rather to provoke thought and inspire action for building a better future today.<\/p>\n The opinions and ideas expressed are those of their authors or sources cited and do not necessarily represent the views of the World Future Society. For more information, please refer to the original articles cited. Back issues of THE FUTURIST may be purchased at www.wfs.org\/backissues<\/a>.<\/p>\n Your feedback is welcome! Please e-mail your comments to letters@wfs.org.<\/p>\n \u2014THE EDITORS<\/p>\n Many recently lost jobs may never come back, but there\u2019s still a future for work. <\/strong>The economy may become increasingly jobless. Rather than worry about unemployment, tomorrow\u2019s workers will focus on developing a variety of skills that could keep them working productively and continuously, whether they have jobs or not. It\u2019ll be about finding out what other people need done, and doing it. \u2014James H. Lee, \u201cHard at Work in the Jobless Future,\u201d Mar-Apr 2012,<\/a> pp. 32-33<\/em><\/p>\n Corporate reputation ratings will be even more transparent with augmented reality. <\/strong>In a \u201cRateocracy,\u201d where organizations\u2019 reputations are quantified, data could be included in geographically based information systems. You might choose one restaurant over another when your mobile augmented-reality app flashes warnings about health-department citations or poor customer reviews. \u2014Robert Moran, \u201c\u2018Rateocracy\u2019 and Corporate Reputation,\u201d World Trends & Forecasts, May-June 2012,<\/a> p. 12<\/em><\/p>\n Virtual games could accelerate real economic growth. <\/strong>Games played on mobile devices are increasingly enticing players with discounts, coupons, and other real-world rewards. As players use their phones to pay for the games and make purchases, bypassing credit cards, bank accounts, and cash, the so-called virtual economy could grow from $3 billion in 2009 to $300 billion in the next 10 years, predicts Kiip co-founder Brian Wong. \u2014World Trends & Forecasts, Nov-Dec 2011,<\/a> p. 6<\/em><\/p>\n Money and even cash will still exist by 2100. <\/strong>Money will increasingly move to digital forms for legitimate transactions, but cash will still be the lifeblood of the black-market economy. Society will likely embrace barter, at least at the peer-to-peer level, but public services such as defense and justice will still be supported via taxes. \u2014Stephen Aguilar-Millan, \u201cWill We Still Have Money in 2100?\u201d Sep-Oct 2012,<\/a> p. 43<\/em><\/p>\n India will become a hotbed of \u201cinvisible innovation.\u201d <\/strong>Rather than focusing on tangible consumer products like the iPad, innovators in India emphasize processes that improve efficiency. Future success will depend on modernizing the nation\u2019s university system as well as its intellectual property laws. \u2014Nirmalya Kumar and Phanish Puranam, authors of India Inside, reviewed by Rick Docksai, May-June 2012,<\/a> p. 54<\/em><\/p>\n Upscale opportunities in resource recovery will abound. <\/strong>Going beyond using post-consumer waste to make more stuff\u2014often of inferior quality\u2014upcycling is about harvesting resources to make new products of higher commercial value. For example, the social enterprise Back to the Roots company sells kits that allow people to use recycled coffee grounds for growing gourmet mushrooms. \u2014Tomorrow in Brief, July-Aug 2012,<\/a> p. 2<\/em><\/p>\n Sex workers in developed countries will become more responsible for their own branding. <\/strong>With more technologies available to them to work as independent entrepreneurs, sex workers will adopt retailing trends like collective discounts, online reviews, and strategic partnerships. By 2030, mainstream companies will increasingly invest in pornography (such as purchasing product placements) and even sponsor sex workers. \u2014Emily Empel, \u201cThe Future of the Commercial Sex Industry,\u201d May-June 2012,<\/a> p. 39<\/em><\/p>\n Career \u201cpaths\u201d will become patchwork pieces. <\/strong>Baby boomers\u2019 future career trajectories will more resemble a lattice than a ladder, with more lateral moves on the way up. For younger generations, it will be more of a patchwork quilt: multiple jobs stitched together to form a more flexible work environment. \u2014James H. Lee, \u201cHard at Work in the Jobless Future,\u201d Mar-Apr 2012,<\/a> p. 35<\/em><\/p>\n Shake-ups in the \u201cC Suite\u201d: New corporate leaders with new skills are on the way. <\/strong>Corporate futures will be shaped by leaders adept in social networking, content management, data mining, and data meaning. Look for such job titles as Earned Media Officer, Chief Content Officer, Open-Source Manager, Chief Linguist, and Chief Data Scientist. \u2014Geoffrey Colon, \u201cShakeups in the \u2018C Suite\u2019: Hail to the New Chiefs,\u201d World Trends & Forecasts, July-Aug 2012,<\/a> pp. 6-7<\/em><\/p>\n Subways, trains, and diesel trucks will become future sources of energy, not just consumers. <\/strong>Since most of the stored energy that vehicles use is wasted as heat spilling out from tailpipes, engineers at BMW, Ford, GM, and other manufacturers are seeking systems to recover thermal energy. For example, a system under development at Dynalloy Inc. would recover heat from a car\u2019s exhaust system, generating enough power to run the car\u2019s audio or air-conditioning systems. Trains would generate even more recoverable waste energy, since they are operated continuously. \u2014World Trends & Forecasts, July-Aug 2012,<\/a> pp. 7-8<\/em><\/p>\n Future cars may become producers of power rather than merely consumers. <\/strong>A scheme envisioned at the Technology University of Delft would use fuel cells of parked electric vehicles to convert biogas or hydrogen into more electricity. And the owners would be paid for the energy their vehicles produce. \u2014Tomorrow in Brief, Mar-Apr 2012,<\/a> p. 2<\/em><\/p>\n Noise vibrations and other \u201cjunk\u201d energy will be harvested from the environment. <\/strong>Researchers at Georgia Tech are developing techniques for converting ambient microwave energy into DC power, which could be used for small devices like wireless sensors. And University of Buffalo physicist Surajit Sen is studying ways to use vibrations produced on roads and airport runways as energy sources. \u2014World Trends & Forecasts, Nov-Dec 2011,<\/a> p. 9<\/em><\/p>\n Buckypaper\u2014a smart, superlight material\u2014will increase energy efficiency. <\/strong>Industrial-grade carbon nanotubes are becoming more affordable. One promising use is Buckypaper, which appears flimsy but is 100 times stronger than steel per unit of weight. It can conduct electricity like copper and disperse heat like steel or brass. \u2014Tsvi Bisk, \u201cUnlimiting Energy\u2019s Growth,\u201d May-June 2012,<\/a> p. 31<\/em><\/p>\n Forecasts for bioenergy in the United States may be overly optimistic. <\/strong>As a potential alternative source of energy to help the United States reduce its dependence on foreign oil, biofuels have not met proponents\u2019 high expectations, says the American Chemical Society. One problem is land availability: To meet the goals of the 2007 Energy Independence & Security Act, 80% of current agricultural land would have to be directed toward biofuels. Another barrier is the uncertainty about oil prices, which inhibits biofuel investors. \u2014World Trends & Forecasts, July-Aug 2012,<\/a> pp. 9-10<\/em><\/p>\n Alternative energies won\u2019t be enough to solve the world\u2019s energy woes. <\/strong>Alternatives to alternatives are needed. Heavy investment into solar energy, wind energy, and other renewable systems may actually set us back, since these strategies draw resources away from others that might work better, warns University of California\u2013Berkeley visiting scholar Ozzie Zehner. A more practical approach may be to design communities that enable people to live well while using less. \u2014Books in Brief [review of Green Illusions by Ozzie Zehner], July-Aug 2012,<\/a> p. 53<\/em><\/p>\n The next great wave of species extinctions may be in the oceans. <\/strong>By 2050, the scale of extinctions of ocean-dwelling plants and animals may equal the five great global extinctions of the past 600 million years, warns the International Programme on the State of the Ocean. Reasons: a \u201cdeadly triad\u201d of pollution, overfishing, and climate change impacting the world\u2019s ocean habitats. \u2014\u201cThe Best Predictions of 2011,\u201d Jan-Feb 2012,<\/a> p. 36<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cPeak water\u201d may become as big a problem as peak oil. <\/strong>As water tables around the world become depleted, and as growing populations demand more water for personal as well as agricultural use, supplies of sustainably managed water will continue to fall. The consequences could be dire for human health, as water-related diseases proliferate. \u2014Jerome C. Glenn, \u201cUpdating the Global Scorecard: The 2011 State of the Future,\u201d Nov-Dec 2011,<\/a> p. 27<\/em><\/p>\n Gadget-happy societies may become more environmentally friendly. <\/strong>The consumer-electronics industries in the United States are building more drop-off sites for customers to recycle outdated devices. Recycling increased by 53% from 2010 to 2011, netting 400 million pounds of gadgets. The Consumer Electronics Association\u2019s goal is to recover 1 billion pounds of electronics by 2016. \u2014Future Scope, July-Aug 2012,<\/a> p. 4<\/em><\/p>\n Extinctions are outpacing scientists\u2019 ability to discover new species. <\/strong>New tools enable both professional and amateur taxonomists to identify new species and share discoveries around the world. About 2\u00a0million species of plants, animals, fungi, and other life forms have been identified, and there could be another 10 million awaiting discovery. But human encroachment is increasing in species-rich locales such as the tropics, Southeast Asia, and New Guinea, threatening to kill off species before they can be discovered, warns botanist Peter H. Raven, president emeritus of the Missouri Botanical Garden. He estimates that 30% of Earth\u2019s species will be extinct by the end of the century, due to climate change and habitat loss. \u2014World Trends & Forecasts, Sep-Oct 2012,<\/a> p. 8<\/em><\/p>\n Water pollution from pesticide runoff will likely increase. <\/strong>As climate change alters the activity and spread of pests, more farmers in Europe will turn to pesticides to keep their croplands productive. The result may be a doubling of pesticide use by 2090 over the 1990 average, and streams in as much as 40% of Europe\u2019s land mass will suffer increased insecticide pollution, warns the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research. \u2014World Trends & Forecasts, May-June 2012,<\/a> p. 13<\/em><\/p>\n By 2100, humans will have become managers of the natural environment. <\/strong>As climate change and population growth claim the planet\u2019s remaining \u201cwild places,\u201d mankind will learn to manage the natural world as a global garden. Species and even microscopic habitats will be monitored and protected via tiny sensors, and managed with the assistance of artificial intelligence. \u2014Brenda Cooper, \u201cWhere the Wild Things Are Not,\u201d Sep-Oct 2012,<\/a> p. 37<\/em><\/p>\n An aquaponic recycling system in every kitchen? <\/strong>Future \u201cfarmers\u201d may consist of householders recycling their food waste in their own aquariums. An aquaponic system being developed by SUNY ecological engineers would use leftover foods to feed a tank of tilapia or other fish, and then the fish waste would be used for growing vegetables. The goal is to reduce food waste and lower the cost of raising fish. \u2014Tomorrow in Brief, Nov-Dec 2011,<\/a> p. 2<\/em><\/p>\n Genetic modification could yield healthier, more flavorful, and longer-lasting food, thus reducing waste and hunger. <\/strong>Vitamin A\u2013fortified golden rice could help prevent blindness among children in developing countries, but it has not yet been approved. Such \u201cFrankenfood\u201d must first overcome opposition from fearful consumers (and from anti-GMO opponents like the $20-billion organic food industry). \u2014Josh Schonwald, \u201cEngineering the Future of Food,\u201d May-June 2012,<\/a> p. 27<\/em><\/p>\n Genetically engineered animals will become a major part of agriculture, but not soon. <\/strong>In the future, creating livestock that grows faster, consumes less feed, produces less waste, and yields leaner, healthier meat may seem a less \u201cextreme\u201d approach to meeting humanity\u2019s food requirements than it does today. Meat production may even bypass animals, if public opinion shifts to favor lab-grown food as a more ethical approach. \u2014Jeffrey Scott Coker, \u201cCrossing the Species Boundary: Genetic Engineering as Conscious Evolution,\u201d Jan-Feb 2012,<\/a> p. 26<\/em><\/p>\n Demands to decrease pesticides and other chemicals on farms could exacerbate food shortages. <\/strong>However, lower crop yields could be compensated for by wasting less food, says environmental researcher Matthias Liess. About a third of all the food the world produces each year is either thrown out or lost in storage, transit, processing, or packing, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. \u2014World Trends & Forecasts, May-June 2012,<\/a> p. 14<\/em><\/p>\n China\u2019s growing appetite for meat will strain global grain supplies. <\/strong>China now consumes 71 million tons of meat a year, about twice as much as the United States and more than a fourth of all the meat produced worldwide, according to the Earth Policy Institute. Increased meat production also increases demand for corn and soybeans used for livestock feed. Supplies of these grains are already seeing strain as energy and other sectors compete with food producers. \u2014Future Scope, Sep-Oct 2012,<\/a> p. 4<\/em><\/p>\n By 2025, there will be 27 megacities around the world, each with populations exceeding 10 million. <\/strong>The \u201creal population bomb\u201d isn\u2019t the sheer number of world population, but the relentless urbanization in places unprepared for this growth. Megacities in northern Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, China, and Indonesia, where poverty is already severe, will face more environmental pollution and become havens for terrorism and crime, warn defense experts P. H. Liotta and James F. Miskel. \u2014Books in Brief [review of The Real Population Bomb by P. H. Liotta and James F. Miskel], July-Aug 2012,<\/a> p. 55<\/em><\/p>\n By 2100, 70% of the world\u2019s 10 billion inhabitants will live in cities. <\/strong>As rural residents move to far-more-complex urban habitats, many will struggle to cope with new institutions and new rules and attitudes. Slums will serve as catalysts for facilitating this psychosocial transition, enabling newcomers to adapt successfully. Instead of \u201csolving\u201d the slum problem, nongovernmental organizations will work to facilitate life with wireless service, educational programs, and \u201coff-grid\u201d power, water, health care, and sanitation services. \u2014Eric Meade, \u201cSlums: A Catalyst Bed for Poverty Eradication,\u201d Sep-Oct 2012,<\/a> pp. 43-44.<\/em><\/p>\n Knowmads may drive growth in micro-urban areas. <\/strong>As telecommuting enables more knowledge workers to work and live anywhere they choose, places with big-city amenities and a small-town feel could have growing appeal. Look for micro-urban booms in places like Fargo, Syracuse, Iowa City, and Roanoke. \u2014Future Scope, Sep-Oct 2012,<\/a> p. 4<\/em><\/p>\n A \u201cgreen\u201d housing boom is under way. <\/strong>U.S. home buyers are increasingly demanding energy efficiency and the use of sustainable materials both in new homes and in remodeling projects. \u201cGreen homes\u201d will grow from 17% of the residential construction market in 2011 to 38% by 2016, with a fivefold increase in revenues, according to the National Association of Home Builders. \u2014Future Scope, May-June 2012,<\/a> p. 4<\/em><\/p>\n Drug-delivering nanorobots built from DNA could be approved for use in humans within 20 years. <\/strong>Medical nanorobots that carry molecule-sized payloads and can detect and attack cancer are being developed by Shawn Douglas and researchers at Harvard Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. The bots are like complex pieces of fabric, with hundreds of DNA pieces wrapped around a scaffold. When the bot encounters a protein indicating cancer, the nanostructure unlocks itself to release a cancer-fighting antigen. \u2014World Trends & Forecasts, May-June 2012,<\/a> pp. 15-16<\/em><\/p>\n Robots may become gentler caregivers. <\/strong>Lifting and transferring frail patients may be easier for robots than for human caregivers, but their strong arms typically lack sensitivity. Japanese researchers are improving the functionality of the RIBA II (Robot for Interactive Body Assistance), lining its arms and chest with sensors so it lift its patients more gently. \u2014Tomorrow in Brief, Nov-Dec 2011,<\/a> p. 2<\/em><\/p>\n Humans could one day reach longevity \u201cescape velocity.\u201d <\/strong>Continuous rejuvenation therapy that focuses on repairing cell damage before it accumulates, causing pathologies, may one day allow people to live for a thousand years. As these technologies continue to improve, each new round of rejuvenation therapy will improve upon the previous treatments, and we will stay young indefinitely. \u2014Aubrey de Grey, \u201cA Thousand Years Young,\u201d May-June 2012,<\/a> pp. 21-23<\/em><\/p>\n Full-body firewalls will be necessary to prevent hackers from tampering with your implants. <\/strong>Wireless medical devices designed to manage and monitor drug-delivery systems and other implants are vulnerable to interference. Researchers at Purdue and Princeton universities are developing a medical monitor (MedMon) designed to identify potentially malicious activity. \u2014Tomorrow in Brief, July-Aug 2012,<\/a> p. 2<\/em><\/p>\n Cancer survivorship may strain future health-care systems. <\/strong>More people are beating cancer and surviving longer and healthier\u2014that\u2019s the good news. The bad news is that elderly cancer survivors will still need more medical services. In the United States, the aging population is growing while the number of oncologists and geriatric specialists is declining. \u2014Future Scope, Jan-Feb 2012,<\/a> p. 4<\/em><\/p>\n Smart helmets will rapidly detect brain injuries. <\/strong>Contact sports will become smarter and less dangerous, thanks to helmets that detect concussions. By 2015, high-school football players could be wearing smart helmets that rapidly detect abnormalities in users\u2019 brain-wave activity. The EEG-reading helmets, under development by Villanova University engineering professor Hashem Ashrafiuon and others, would alert medics on the sidelines if there are signs of concussion. \u2014World Trends & Forecasts, July-Aug 2012,<\/a> pp. 12-13<\/em><\/p>\n Better health, but fewer doctors. <\/strong>A projected shortage of more than 90,000 doctors by 2020 will drive technological innovations such as low-cost, point-of-care diagnostics\u2014i.e., Lab-on-a-Chip technologies. A cell-phone-sized device could analyze your blood or sputum while you talk to a health provider from the comfort of your home. \u2014Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler, \u201cThe Abundance Builders,\u201d July-Aug 2012,<\/a> p. 17<\/em><\/p>\n Boys will enter their at-risk years earlier than ever. <\/strong>The age of male sexual maturity has been slowly decreasing since the mid-1700s (2.5 months per decade), thanks to changes in nutrition and environmental factors. A similar trend has already been observed among girls. While the \u201chigh-risk\u201d adolescent years have been stretched for boys, the dangers may be offset by parents who tend to supervise children more closely when they\u2019re younger. \u2014Future Scope, Jan-Feb 2012,<\/a> p. 4<\/em><\/p>\n New approaches to treating alcohol addiction could let alcoholics drink moderately. <\/strong>Abstinence is not always feasible or necessary in treating substance abuse, say researchers at UCLA\u2019s Scripps Research Institute. A chemical treatment approach targeting peptides in the part of the brain that regulates moods and emotions could reduce alcoholics\u2019 anxiety and the urge to drink. \u2014World Trends & Forecasts, May-June 2012,<\/a> pp. 6-8<\/em><\/p>\n Disease detection may soon be but a breath away. <\/strong>A Single Breath Disease Diagnostics Breathalyzer under development at Stony Brook University would use sensor chips coated with nanowires to detect chemical compounds that may indicate the presence of diseases or infectious microbes. In the future, a handheld device could let you detect a range of risks, from lung cancer to anthrax exposure. \u2014Tomorrow in Brief, Sep-Oct 2012,<\/a> p. 2<\/em><\/p>\n The future Internet could connect the world at the neural level. <\/strong>Advances in neurotechnology will make it possible for us to link our minds, share our emotional experiences, and even feel changes in the collective state of mind. This \u201ctelempathy\u201d would, for instance, enable leaders to gauge public anxiety during a catastrophe. \u2014Michael Chorost, \u201cA World Wide Mind: The Coming Collective Telempathy,\u201d Mar-Apr 2012,<\/a> p. 22<\/em><\/p>\n Legal-expert systems will make laws easier for laypersons to understand. <\/strong>\u201cConversational law\u201d will incorporate statutes, interpretations, precedents, and other elements of the law; the system will query users about their particular situation and provide clear answers on how the law applies. Lawyers may reduce their billable hours but earn income developing specialized legal-expert systems. \u2014David R. Johnson, \u201cServing Justice with Conversational Law,\u201d Sep-Oct 2012,<\/a> p. 21<\/em><\/p>\n Minority languages will disappear with minority populations. <\/strong>Of the 6,900 languages spoken today, more than half face extinction in the next 100 years. Reason: 95% of the world\u2019s population speak one of just 400 languages, and the remaining 5% of languages are scattered among fewer and fewer speakers. \u2014Lawrence Baines, \u201cA World of Fewer Words? Five Trends Shaping the Future of Language,\u201d Mar-Apr 2012,<\/a> p. 43<\/em><\/p>\n Mobile phones may contribute to political reform in Africa. <\/strong>Web-accessible mobile devices have proliferated in Africa, where text messaging and social networking are giving low-income residents more opportunities to watch their governments. Increased transparency and accountability, such as improving public access to spending on expensive infrastructure projects, could help reduce corruption and poverty, says Matthias Mordi, executive director of Accender Africa. \u2014World Trends & Forecasts, Jan-Feb 2012,<\/a> p. 6<\/em><\/p>\n The last newspaper and book will have been printed in 2020. <\/strong>Information formerly contained by print products will be rented by users rather than owned, and will be accessed from the cloud via 3-D mobile media. \u2014Marcel Bullinga, \u201cWelcome to the Future Cloud: Five Bets for 2025,\u201d Jan-Feb 2012,<\/a> p. 64<\/em><\/p>\n Tablet PCs, netbooks, and laptops will be extinct by 2022. <\/strong>Instead of relying on hardware, workplaces will become ubiquitous computing environments, where everything around you (door knob, coffee pot, window) has connectivity and computing capabilities. \u2014\u201cThe Best Predictions of 2011,\u201d Jan-Feb 2012,<\/a> p. 30<\/em><\/p>\n Communication will become increasingly image-driven. <\/strong>Thanks both to the proliferation of video and to smaller screens for computing and communication devices, graphics and images will be more heavily relied on for ordinary communication. This will foster faster comprehension and possibly stimulate new ways of thinking, but at the cost of eloquence and precision. \u2014Lawrence Baines, \u201cA World of Fewer Words? Five Trends Shaping the Future of Language, Mar-Apr 2012,<\/a> p. 46<\/em><\/p>\n By 2020, data will have a life of its own. <\/strong>Algorithms will talk to other algorithms, things will connect with millions of other things, and sensors will gather even more data, processed by more computers, all scarcely discernible to humans. But data may be becoming too big, and we need to learn how to channel the power of data into making the lives of everyone on the planet better. \u2014Brian David Johnson, \u201cThe Secret Life of Data in the Year 2020,\u201d July-Aug 2012,<\/a> pp. 21-23<\/em><\/p>\n The \u201ccloud\u201d will become more intelligent, not just a place to store data. <\/strong>Cloud intelligence will evolve into becoming an active resource in our daily lives, providing analysis and contextual advice. Virtual agents could, for example, design your family\u2019s weekly menu based on everyone\u2019s health profiles, fitness goals, and taste preferences. \u2014Chris Carbone and Kristin Nauth, \u201cFrom Smart House to Networked Home,\u201d July-Aug 2012,<\/a> p. 30 <\/em><\/p>\n Online pornography will become more graphic and more pervasive. <\/strong>As with any stimulant, pornographic imagery must become more intensive as users become less sensitive to its effects. One result will be the creation of an entire generation of young men so desensitized by pornography that they are unexcited by normal sexual encounters. \u2014Roger Howard, \u201cAnticipating an \u2018Anything Goes\u2019 World of Online Porn,\u201d May-June 2012,<\/a> p. 42<\/em><\/p>\n Neuroscientists may soon be able to predict what you\u2019ll do before you do it. <\/strong>The intention to do something, such as grasp a cup, produces blood flow to specific areas of the brain, so studying blood-flow patterns through neuroimaging could give researchers a better idea of what people have in mind. One potential application is improved prosthetic devices that respond to signals from the brain more like actual limbs do. \u2014World Trends & Forecasts, Jan-Feb 2012,<\/a> p. 10<\/em><\/p>\n The next space age will launch after 2020, driven by competition and \u201cadventure capitalists.\u201d <\/strong>While the U.S. space shuttle program is put to rest, entrepreneurs are planning commercial launches to access low-Earth orbit and to ferry passengers to transcontinental destinations within hours. Challenges include perfecting new technologies, developing global operations, building new infrastructure, and gaining regulatory approval. \u2014Joseph N. Pelton, \u201cThe New Age of Space Business,\u201d Sep-Oct 2012,<\/a> p. 17<\/em><\/p>\n Algae could provide the molecular machinery to create ultra-low-cost fuels. <\/strong>Pioneering genome sequencer J. Craig Venter aims to create synthetic life derived from algae, which would be run through a DNA sequencing machine and used to design future cheap biofuels. The technology could also create highly productive food crops, high-performing vaccines, and more. \u2014Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler, \u201cThe Abundance Builders,\u201d July-Aug 2012,<\/a> p. 15<\/em><\/p>\n Electron-level data-storage capacity could be achieved in just over 120 years. <\/strong>One of the eight \u201cgrand challenges\u201d proposed by the DaVinci Institute is an electron-based storage system that could be manufactured for less than $1 per 100 terabytes. With Moore\u2019s law on our side, we could reach this goal in the year 2133, according to University of Colorado\u2013Boulder neurobiology professor Mark Dubin. \u2014Thomas Frey, \u201cEight Grand Challenges for Human Advancement,\u201d Jan-Feb 2012,<\/a> p. 18<\/em><\/p>\n Coming soon to sports arenas: the Enhanced Games! <\/strong>Genetically enhanced athletes are nothing new, but rather than leaving the enhancements to luck, future technologies will enable more competitors to choose the alterations that will improve their performance. Officially sanctioned enhanced athletes will thus still compete on a level playing field. \u2014Jeffrey Scott Coker, \u201cCrossing the Species Boundary: Genetic Engineering as Conscious Evolution,\u201d Jan-Feb 2012,<\/a> p. 27<\/em><\/p>\n Genetic engineering could make us superheroes. <\/strong>While we may not become Batman, we may one day find it useful to incorporate specific animals\u2019 traits (such as bats\u2019 sonar-based \u201cvision,\u201d perhaps). \u2014Jeffrey Scott Coker, \u201cCrossing the Species Boundary: Genetic Engineering as Conscious Evolution,\u201d Jan-Feb 2012,<\/a> p. 27<\/em><\/p>\n The dream of \u201cSmell-O-Vision\u201d may soon come true. <\/strong>An odor-release device triggered by heat from an electrical current may one day bring scents into virtual-reality experiences, video games, and other applications. One potential use for such telesmell devices would be for alarm systems, perhaps scaring burglars away with skunk scents, according to engineering professor Sungho Jin of the University of California, San Diego. \u2014World Trends & Forecasts, Nov-Dec 2011,<\/a> p. 8<\/em><\/p>\n Robotic pack mules will lighten the load for human soldiers on the battlefield. <\/strong>Toting 100 pounds or more of gear can be a major impairment for troops. Robotic pack mules under development at DARPA could potentially carry 400 pounds on a 20-mile hike without refueling. \u2014Tomorrow in Brief, May-June 2012,<\/a> p. 2<\/em><\/p>\n Soldiers will communicate via telepathic helmets by 2020. <\/strong>Abandoning radio transmissions, microphones, and hand signals, tomorrow\u2019s military will rely on helmets that read and communicate soldiers\u2019 thoughts, according to biomedical scientist Gerwin Schalk. \u2014\u201cThe Best Predictions of 2011,\u201d Jan-Feb 2012,<\/a> p. 30<\/em><\/p>\n A new era of global affluence, democracy, modernity, and equality is on the way. <\/strong>\u201cModernity is not a choice,\u201d writes Hudson Institute co-founder Max Singer in his new book, History of the Future.<\/em><\/p>\n Singer observes that the rise of globalized communications means that citizens of traditional, poor, and repressed countries are less likely to tolerate their conditions when they can easily watch others become free and prosperous. And, he notes, \u201cas globalization advances, the menu of opportunities for people everywhere expands.\u201d \u2014Max Singer, author of History of the Future, reviewed by Rick Docksai, Jan-Feb 2012,<\/a> p. 50<\/em><\/p>\n A new era of global disruption, resource depletion, and universally wrecked economies is on the way. <\/strong>So projects ecologist Paul Gilding in BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS<\/h2>\n
ENERGY<\/h2>\n
ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES<\/h2>\n
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE<\/h2>\n
HABITATS<\/h2>\n
HEALTH AND MEDICINE<\/h2>\n
INFORMATION SOCIETY<\/h2>\n
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY<\/h2>\n
WORLD AFFAIRS<\/h2>\n
Point\/Counterpoint: Global Affluence or Global Disruption?<\/h2>\n