• Question: How far do you think modern science would have reached in about 20years? Thanks!

    Asked by shoetree3 to Mike, Pip, Tim, Tom on 4 Jul 2012.
    • Photo: Tim Stephens

      Tim Stephens answered on 4 Jul 2012:

      Wow, great question!
      You may have seen on the news today that scientists have discovered the Higgs boson, which is another part of the jigsaw puzzle in understanding exactly how the universe all works.
      In another 20 years, we may well have finally tied together all the pieces of evidence ane be able to say definitively how everything in the universe works. That would be amazing.

      There’s also medicine. 20 years ago, we were just starting to understand DNA. About 10 years ago, human DNA was fully sequenced and measured but it took months. Now, it can be done in an afternoon at a fraction of the cost. Imagine how much progress another 20 years will make.

      There’s so much stuff that we’re just starting to learn about and be able to work on that I think it’s a very exciting time for science!

    • Photo: Tom Lister

      Tom Lister answered on 4 Jul 2012:

      We’l never understand how everything works, but the Higg’s is good support of the popular Unified Theories.

      In 20 years, I think that science will be huge business in countries like China – this will be useful for things like genetic engineering, as different countries will follow different rules and may not be restricted in the same way that we are.

      I also think that we will start looking beyond DNA as the only type of inheritance, alternatives to Quantum Theory in physics may emerge and in medicine, I think that our increasing understanding of how our brain works will link psychology with medicine for a more holistic approach. Chemists will probably find a new element or something too…

      This is really a fun time to be a scientist and we are beginning to see a re-instatement of the ‘know-it-all’ types that do well by not sticking to just a single subject (think Da Vinci!).

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