 |
|||
|
|||
 |
 |
||||||||
2026 Aquaculture provides the majority of the world's seafood Aquaculture - the cultivating of freshwater and saltwater fish under controlled conditions - has remained one of the fastest growing industries in the agricultural sector. Since the late 1980s, traditional "capture" fisheries have been on a plateau. Aquaculture, by contrast, increased by 8.8% per year from 1985 to 2010* and had witnessed an eightfold increase by the mid-2020s. It now accounts for the majority of the world's seafood, surpassing wild catch harvests by weight. The capture fishing industry itself has faced severe problems. Overfishing, climate change and pollution have all contributed to the sharp decline of yields.* Numerous regions have experienced near-collapse or total collapse and will take decades to repopulate. Examples include the UK cod and Chilean jack mackerel fishing industries.
The largest centres for aquaculture remain in East and Southeast Asia - with the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia seeing large increases in production. Cambodia in particular has seen massive growth.* New techniques have been adopted, helping to increase both sustainability and yield. One such method, used for the cultivation of jumbo shrimp, is super-intensive stacked raceways. Shrimp are grown in large, enclosed tubes called raceways, in which computers monitor and control a steady circulation of mineral water. As they mature, they are moved down the stacked columns of tubes, until they reach the final bottom row, fully grown, where they are harvested. This method greatly increases the output of shrimp farms, up to one million pounds of shrimp per square acre, and can be deployed almost anywhere. Water usage is lowered significantly.* This method helps to alleviate the myriad of environmental damages traditional shrimp farming brings to the environment.* Another method being utilised is land-based, closed-loop recirculating aquaculture systems. These indoor systems recycle around 98% of their water, with little-to-no discharge back into the environment. The risk for disease in a closed-loop system is essentially zero and minimises the use of chemicals or antibiotics. Being entirely independent from any particular environment, these type of fish farms can be built anywhere, no matter the distance from any major body of water.* The growth of aquaculture has caused a major shift in commerce and trade. Countries previously reliant on imports are now capable of producing vast quantities of fish, crustaceans, seaweed and other seafood. Countries with dwindling natural fisheries benefit, now being able to produce as much or even more than can be caught from lakes or the ocean. Numerous startup companies have appeared to fill the growing industry. Aquaculture as a whole will become one of the most vital industries in the world this century, as traditional commercial fishing breaks down and produces unsustainable yields.
Youthful regeneration of aging heart muscle is becoming possible In the previous decade, researchers identified an obscure blood protein called GDF-11. This was shown to have regenerative properties upon the cardiac muscle in age-related diastolic heart failure. The substance was found to be present at high levels in youth, and lower levels in old age. When elderly mice were supplemented with increased GDF-11, it had a dramatic effect on their hearts – restoring heart size and muscle wall thickness to a much earlier state. This offered a potential way of treating heart failure and aging in people. A series of clinical trials, beginning in the late 2010s,* confirmed this. By 2026,* it's becoming fairly routine for doctors to repair cardiac damage and restore human hearts to earlier states, based on the GDF-11 protein. Along with stem cells and other advances this decade, science is gradually chipping away at the factors which cause people to die.
New treatments for Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia. This incurable, degenerative and terminal disease affects over 27m people worldwide, mostly aged over 65. The most common symptom is the inability to acquire new memories and difficulty in recalling recently observed facts. As the disease advances, further symptoms include confusion, irritability and aggression, mood swings, language breakdown, long-term memory loss, and the general withdrawal of the sufferer as their senses decline. Bodily functions are gradually lost, ultimately leading to death. Until recently, the precise mechanisms behind the illness were poorly understood. In 2011, however, genes were identified that played a key role in biological pathways such as inflammation, cholesterol and cell transport systems. These provided new targets for potential treatments in the form of drugs, behavioral changes and other therapies. New ways of delivering drugs to the brain were also found, such as using the body's own exosomes as carriers.* After 15 years of research and clinical trials, the risk of developing the disease has now been cut by over 60%.* With a better roadmap to guide progress with the remaining genes and biological processes, there is now real hope of actually curing the disease in the 2030s.
Rising sea levels are wreaking havoc on the Maldives At an average of just 1.5m above sea level, the Maldives is the lowest lying country on the planet. Rising sea levels are now devastating its economy, one-third of which relies on tourism. The mere talk of a possible submersion had been denting investor confidence in recent years. By now, countless islands are being abandoned as the reality of global warming begins to bite.* A mass evacuation plan is underway, with many of the nation's citizens resettling in Sri Lanka, India and Australia.*
Global reserves of indium are running out
Construction
of the Sagrada Família is complete
Robotic hands matching human capabilities As has often been the case, engineers turned to the human body itself to model both the form and function of new robot apparatuses. Since almost all robots must interact with and handle physical objects in some way, among the most commonly emulated body parts is the hand. Along with their associated computer programs and visual recognition software, robotic hands in the 2000s and 2010s had already boasted some impressive abilities. They could pick up delicate objects,* catch objects thrown to them,* make a range of gestures,* fold towels,* pour drinks and even prepare meals.* Despite this, the sheer dexterity and flexibility of the human hand and the practical limits of mechanical components prevented scientists from achieving a perfect recreation. By the second half of the 2020s, however, the techniques involved have become sufficiently advanced to overcome most of the obstacles faced in previous decades. Around this time, some of the first robot hands equalling the capabilities of human hands are appearing in the laboratory.* Advances in nanotechnology,* miniaturisation and micro-electronics have allowed engineers to account for almost all of the subtle movements performed by a living biological hand. Graphene-based actuators converting electricity into motion, artificial skin, tactile sensors,* flexible electronics and various other features are employed to emulate the real thing. This has also been the result of an improved biological understanding of how humans manipulate objects. AI programs, using precise visual perception software, are able to recognise countless physical objects and intelligently plan for how they can be manipulated. The robotic hand is therefore able to function autonomously and self-adjust to different objects based on texture, weight and shape. All of this can be accomplished in fluid, natural movements that are largely indistinguishable from those of a real hand. Though still in the trial stage, such systems will prove extremely useful in the development of human-like robots and androids. By the middle of this century, the subtle capabilities offered by robotic hands will allow machines to interact with humans and their environment in myriad new ways.*
Mars Science Laboratory is shutting down
|
||||||||
 |
||||||||
Share |
||
|
References 1 Aquaculture's Growth Seen As Continuing, Science Daily: 2 The End of the Line: 3 FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Report No. 928, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: 4 New Shrimp Farming Technique Yields Record Hauls of Jumbo Shrimp from Minimal Water, Popular Science: 5 Shrimp Farm - Ecological Impacts, Wikipedia: 6 World Review of Fisheries and Aquaculture 2010, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: 7 Clinical trials "could begin in four to five years." 8 Clinical trials usually take around eight years to complete, i.e. 2013 + 5 + 8 = 2026. 9 Breakthrough
in delivering drugs to the brain, BBC: 10 Five
more Alzheimer's genes discovered, scientists say, BBC: 11 Maldives
rises to climate challenge, BBC: 12 Maldivian Leaders Might Move the Entire Nation to Australia If Sea Keeps Rising, PopSci: 13 This reference predicts 2024, while the next one predicts 2028. We have therefore used an average of the two, which is 2026. 14 This reference predicts 2028, while the previous one predicts 2024. We have therefore used an average of the two, which is 2026. 15 Researchers Find Replacement for Rare Material Indium Tin Oxide, ScienceNewsline: 16 Sagrada
Família, Wikipedia: 17 "Researchers predict that within 10 to 15 years, personal robots will become more commonplace, helping people keep their homes safe and perform household chores." 18 Egg Pick Up, YouTube: 19 Disney teaches a humanoid robot to play catch and juggle balls, Future Timeline Blog: 20 Robot hand is unbeatable against a human opponent, Future Timeline Blog: 21 See 2010. 22 CIROS, the salad-making robot, Future Timeline Blog: 23 Article from 2011: "It will take around 15 years of research into these areas to build a robotic hand that is able to perform certain complex tasks with a level of precision, autonomy and dexterity that is similar to that of a human hand," predicts Professor Abderrahim. 24 Thousands of nano-machines mimic human muscle, Future Timeline Blog: 25 Robots that can touch and feel?, Future Timeline Blog: 26 See 2049. 27 See 2012. 28 Nasa's Curiosity rover on course for Mars landing, BBC:
|
||
|
||
|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
Follow us »
|
 |
|
|
Latest prediction »
Latest blog »
|
|
|
|
|
Visit our forum »
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|