The Doomsday Clock indicates that there are 100 seconds left until midnight. The clock, which was made in 1947, symbolizes how close humanity is to destroying the planet. The initiative was initially motivated by a fear of nuclear war, and the furthest it has ever been from midnight was seven minutes. Where it is today is the closest it has ever been. We are on the verge of extinction, according to the team of scientists and professionals in charge of the project!
Fusion Power
The world has been waiting for fusion power for decades. We have fission power in abundance. It’s the power all of our nuclear reactions generate. But the downside of fission is that it’s potentially dangerous and produces a lot of waste. And while it’s efficient, it’s nowhere near as efficient as fusion
Seabins
A Seabin is, in very simple terms, a floating trash can. Water passes over the top of the bin and trash flows in with it. A filter in the bottom allows water to continue to pass through but catches the trash. It’s not a complex machine by any means. But the impact is dramatic. A Seabin can collect upwards of 1.4 tons of trash per year, including pieces of plastic as small as two millimetres.
Plastic-Eating Bacteria
Bacteria that normally would have taken years to completely degrade some plastic are now able to do it in days. Plants are already being designed to facilitate this plastic recycling on a mass scale and could begin operation in the near future. What had been an issue since plastics first appeared in the 1950s and has been growing steadily since then could be seriously ameliorated and reduced within the next decade or two as this technology progresses.
Artificial Intelligence
Of all the tech that the world has to look forward to, none is as promising or terrifying as AI. Pop culture has conditioned us to believe AI is the first step in the two-step process of human annihilation. But it may not be so. AI just might save us all. Artificial intelligence is better at spotting cancer than human doctors. It can sequence DNA faster than humans. It’s helped identify compounds for making new medications.
Graphene
Graphene is an extremely simple material. Its pure carbon, with the atoms held together in a hexagonal lattice. While that may not sound like much, the implications for what graphene can do for the world are stunning. For instance, how about energy from thin air? Graphene membranes are able to filter hydrogen atoms and strip away their electrons, producing power from ambient air. An electric car could power itself just by running out in the open.
