“Shoot for the moon. You might get there.”–Buzz Aldrin
“Shoot for the moon. If you miss you’ll end up in the stars.”–Artie Shaw
Questions of the day: 1. Is a manned return to the moon possible by 2024? Is a fusion-generated power plant possible by 2025? Will cyborgs rule the world in 2100? Answers: 1. Maybe. 2. Maybe 3. Most of us are already cyborgs. Read on for details.
While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on Apple Podcasts, PlayerFM, or YouTube (audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Moon/NASA/SpaceX–Can NASA make it back to a manned landing on the moon by their target date of 2024? Elon Musk wants to do them one better, claiming his SpaceX may make a cargo landing on the lunar surface by 2021 and follow that up with a manned mission in 2022. Take that with a grain of salt, along with all of Elon’s other projections.
–One thing NASA will likely need, if American astronauts will make it back to the moon by 2024, is an updated space suit. The current model dates to 1977.
Sustainable energy/fusion–The world’s first fusion powered reactor cleared a key hurdle on the road to projected commercial fusion energy by 2025. It seems as if Fusion power has been 10-20 years away for the last 40 years. We’ll see…
Image: Shutterstock
Transhumanism–British scientist James Lovelock is predicting that the world will be ruled by cyborgs in the year 2100. Really? The definition of cyborg, according to Dictionary.com, is a person whose physiological functioning is aided by or dependent on a mechanical or electronic device. Based on the way most of us are welded to our smart phones, I’d say this has already happened.
Transport--Sorry Back to The Future fans, the hoverboard is still a work in progress. Frenchman Franky Zapata failed in his attempt to fly a hoverboard of his own invention across the English Channle. OK, who ever heard of a Frenchman named Franky? (video below)
.
Artificial Intelligence–A new study commissioned by the Association for Psychological Science has some bad news for companies, big and small, that are selling A.I. that detects human intelligence. They say it can’t be trusted.
Aging/Longevity–Nucleotide synthesis–or lack thereof–has been identified as a key factor in cellular senescence. A study by researchers at the University of South Carolina suggest that preventing cells from losing nucleotide synthesi–which creates the building blocks of DNA–could slow the aging process.
Computing/chip technology–IEEE has issued a new roadmap for device design and manufacturing. A varitey of technologies are discussed in the document which lays out a path to one nanometer devices by 2033.
The latest Seeking Delphi™ podcast features a conversation with Matt Ward, host of The Disruptors.
Seeking Delphi™ podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts,, PlayerFM, or YouTube (audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook
Seeking Delphi™ 