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The skeptics' guide to the future : what yesterday's science and science fiction tell us about the world of tomorrow / Steven Novella with Bob Novella & Jay Novella.

By: Contributor(s): Language: English Publication details: New York : Grand Central Publishing, 2022Description: xvii, 414 pages ; 24 cmISBN:
  • 9781538709542 (hbk.)
  • 1538709546 (hbk.)
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 500
LOC classification:
  • Q 162 N937s 2022
Contents:
A glimpse of the future Part one: An introduction to the future. Futurism days of future passed A brief history of the future The science of futurism Future fiction ; 2063 CE Part two: Today's technology that will shape tomorrow (and tomorrow and tomorrow...). Genetic manipulation Stem cell technology Brain-machine interface Robotics Quantum computing Artificial intelligence Self-driving cars and other forms of transportation Two-dimensional materials and the stuff the future will be made of Virtual/augmented/mixed reality Wearable technology Additive manufacturing Powering our future Future fiction: 2209 CE Part three: Future technologies that don't exist (yet). Fusion Mature nanotechnology Synthetic life Room-temperature superconductors Space elevators Future fiction: 2511 CE Part four: The future of space travel. Nuclear-thermal propulsion and other advanced rockets Solar sails and laser propulsion Space settlements Terraforming other worlds Future fiction: 23,744 CE Part five:Science Fiction Tech - What Is and Isn't Possible Cold fusion and free energy Faster than light (FTL) travel/communication Artificial gravity/antigravity Transporters, tractor beams, lightsabers, and other sci-fi gadgets Regeneration /immortality Uploading consciousness/the matrix Conclusion
Summary: "Our predictions of the future are a wild fantasy, inextricably linked to our present hopes and fears, biases and ignorance. Whether they be the outlandish leaps predicted in the 1920s, like multi-purpose utility belts with climate control capabilities and planes the size of luxury cruise ships, or the forecasts of the '60s, which didn't anticipate the sexual revolution or women's liberation, the path to the present is littered with failed predictions and incorrect estimations. The best we can do is try to absorb the lessons from futurism's checkered past, perhaps learning to do a little better. In THE SKEPTICS' GUIDE TO THE FUTURE, Steven Novella and his co-authors build upon the work of futurists of the past by examining what they got right, what they got wrong, and how they came to those conclusions. By exploring the pitfalls of each era, they give their own speculations about the distant future, transformed by unbelievable technology ranging from genetic manipulation to artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Applying their trademark skepticism, they carefully extrapolate upon each scientific development, leaving no stone unturned as they lay out a vision for the future"
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Includes bibliographical references (pages 383-395) and index.

A glimpse of the future
Part one: An introduction to the future. Futurism
days of future passed
A brief history of the future
The science of futurism
Future fiction ; 2063 CE
Part two: Today's technology that will shape tomorrow (and tomorrow and tomorrow...). Genetic manipulation
Stem cell technology
Brain-machine interface
Robotics
Quantum computing
Artificial intelligence
Self-driving cars and other forms of transportation
Two-dimensional materials and the stuff the future will be made of
Virtual/augmented/mixed reality
Wearable technology
Additive manufacturing
Powering our future
Future fiction: 2209 CE
Part three: Future technologies that don't exist (yet). Fusion
Mature nanotechnology
Synthetic life
Room-temperature superconductors
Space elevators
Future fiction: 2511 CE
Part four: The future of space travel. Nuclear-thermal propulsion and other advanced rockets
Solar sails and laser propulsion
Space settlements
Terraforming other worlds
Future fiction: 23,744 CE
Part five:Science Fiction Tech - What Is and Isn't Possible
Cold fusion and free energy
Faster than light (FTL) travel/communication
Artificial gravity/antigravity
Transporters, tractor beams, lightsabers, and other sci-fi gadgets
Regeneration /immortality
Uploading consciousness/the matrix
Conclusion

"Our predictions of the future are a wild fantasy, inextricably linked to our present hopes and fears, biases and ignorance. Whether they be the outlandish leaps predicted in the 1920s, like multi-purpose utility belts with climate control capabilities and planes the size of luxury cruise ships, or the forecasts of the '60s, which didn't anticipate the sexual revolution or women's liberation, the path to the present is littered with failed predictions and incorrect estimations. The best we can do is try to absorb the lessons from futurism's checkered past, perhaps learning to do a little better. In THE SKEPTICS' GUIDE TO THE FUTURE, Steven Novella and his co-authors build upon the work of futurists of the past by examining what they got right, what they got wrong, and how they came to those conclusions. By exploring the pitfalls of each era, they give their own speculations about the distant future, transformed by unbelievable technology ranging from genetic manipulation to artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Applying their trademark skepticism, they carefully extrapolate upon each scientific development, leaving no stone unturned as they lay out a vision for the future"

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