Importance of Emerging Technology

The world relies on technological improvements.

From the automobile to the computer, the light bulb to the micro-chip, the emergency of new technology has been the story of human development over the past 150 years. And with the current challenges, such as how to slow global warming, feed a rapidly expanding population, and cure disease, the technology just beginning to emerge is more crucial than ever.

Renewable Energy

Some experts think global oil production will peak within the next two decades, leading to massive economic shocks and skyrocketing energy prices. Similarly, climate scientists have predicted that global warming could radically alter the habitability of the planet. Renewable energy sources may help to change that. These include wind, solar, biofuel, geothermal, and tidal.

Biotechnology

With the human genome having been fully sequenced and procedures such as somatic cell transfer perfected, bio-engineering promises to play an increasingly important role in daily life. Some possibilities include tissue and organ banks comparable to today's blood banks, genetically modified bacteria that consume environmental waste, and gene therapy to cure inherited diseases and enhance quality of life.

Quantum Computing

With the volume of Internet traffic threatening to exceed the current system's design capabilities, computer experts are pointing to new technologies such as quantum processing, which could enable lightning-fast peer-to-peer networks to take the place of traditional servers. Such networks could stream high definition video games with lifelike avatars, predict the weather weeks in advance and maximize energy efficiency through the allocation of smart power.

Nanotechnology

Computers are usually thought of as machines built for use on a human scale, but nanobots are sophisticated machines that are smaller than the width of a human hair. As nanotechnology improves, its impact will be felt in a variety of fields. These might include cancer-destroying molecules, clothing that adapts to its environment and strong, flexible materials for buildings and vehicles.

Space Travel

Changes in the ability of human beings to travel through outer space and adapt extra-terrestrial resources for human needs are among the most difficult to predict because they depend less on advancing knowledge than on political, social and economic factors. If human beings do continue the exploration of space, they will likely rely on new technology such as ion propulsion, antimatter rockets and nuclear fusion.

References

• Renewable Energy
• Biotechnology
• Quantum Computing
• Nanotechnology
• Ion Propulsion Engines