Visions: How Science Will Revolutionize the Twenty-First Century

As the twentieth century draws to a close, the fundamental elements of matter and life - the particles of the atom and the decoding of the nucleus of the cell - have been discovered, and one of the great chapters of scientific discovery has drawn to a close. In many ways, however, this is but a preface to an even more far-reaching scientific revolution that will take place in the next century, as we make the transition from unravelling the secrets of nature to becoming the masters of nature. In VISIONS, physicist Michio Kaku looks to this future and guides the reader through the science of the next century. What makes his vision of this future so compelling is that it is based on the pioneering efforts by theoreticians and the groundbreaking research that is going on in the labs right now. Science, for all its breathtaking change, evolves slowly. Dr. Kaku asserts that, using today's knowledge, we can confidently predict the direction of science through the next century. In the first section of the book, he explores the evolution and development of computers and artificial intelligence. He offers a window on how computer science will evolve after the year 2020, when the principle that has governed the industry's technological process since the 1950's, Moore's Law, reaches its limits. Next, he discusses biogenetics, the second great scientific revolution, and reveals how the completion of the decoding of the genetic structure of DNA will allow us to conquer the devastating genetic diseases that have plagued the human race throughout our history and allow us to alter and reshape our genetic inheritance. The final section of the book takes us yet further into the future, as we see how quantum physicists are perfecting new ways of harnessing the matter and energy of the Universe. A spellbinding narrative that brings together the cutting-edge research of today's foremost scientists to explore the science of tomorrow, VISIONS is an exhilarating adventure into the future of our planet and ourselves.