Today on Far Future Horizons we present an episode
from the acclaimed Canadian science documentary series The Nature of Things with David Suzuki.
The title of this episode is Dreams of the Future which first aired Friday, February 6, 2015 at
3 PM on CBC-TV.
In this instalment Dr. Jennifer Gardy explores current
scientific research that will impact us all in the future looking at everything
from 3D printing body parts to driverless car and tree cloning.
We
live in a world where technology is constantly changing. Sadly you know as you
leave the store, that your brand new Smart Phone is already out of date –
somebody, somewhere has just upgraded it. Keeping up with the latest everything
can be a challenge. We asked Dr. Jennifer Gardy to explore current scientific
research that will impact us all in the future.
Dr.
Gardy is a Senior Scientist, Molecular Epidemiology at the British Columbia
Centre for Disease Control. On this journey, Jennifer travels from Toronto to
New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Munich and back home to Vancouver – all in the
name of science exploration.
3D
PRINTING BODY PARTS
 |
| 3D Bioprinting |
Since
the 1980s it’s been possible to print 3D objects made from all kinds of
materials like plastic, metal and chocolate. Today, scientists are applying 3D
printing technology to the field of medicine.
They’re printing plastic
prosthetic parts, titanium implants, and they have now started to use ink that
contains living human cells to create cartilage and bone, skin, and in the not
too distant future, functioning liver tissue. It’s only a matter of time before
we can 3D bioprint complete fully functioning organs, which could help solve
the dilemma of supply keeping up with demand. The possibility of getting a full
body scan when we’re young and healthy, and replacing parts as we get older may
sound like science fiction but it is could soon become a reality.
DRIVERLESS
CARS
 |
| Volvo self driving car |
Researchers
at Volvo blame most auto accidents on the four Ds: distraction, drowsiness,
drunkenness and driver error. How to remedy this? Simple – remove the driver
from the equation. As we look to the future most auto manufacturers are
promising to do just that - take more and more of the driving away from the
driver. And a lot of the technology to achieve this is already here: park
assist, adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning are all available today.
But the notion of a completely driverless car raises questions – not least
being – in the event of an accident, who is responsible? The person behind the
wheel or the manufacturer?
TREE
CLONING
In
a world driven by the bottom line profits of consumerism – where technological
innovation and development supersedes all, it may seem that the natural world
is being shut out – being forced to take a back seat. Luckily for us, there are
those who dream of a world that embraces the wonders of nature – a world that
includes endless forests of healthy trees. Keith Park’s job with the National
Park Service is to maintain and protect all the trees under his jurisdiction.
And he’s prepared to do it one tree at a time. David Milarch’s dream for the
future is to clone the champion tress of the world. Although he’s not a
scientist, plenty of people believe in him including Prince Charles to Sir
Richard Branson. Sally Aitken is a scientist with UBC. She believes genetic
diversity is the key to saving the planet.
NATURE
DEFICIT DISORDER
Back
in the 1950s, less than a third of the world’s population lived in urban areas.
Today, four out of every five people on the planet live in cities. We love the
allure of city life and all that modern technology has given us, including
increased life expectancy, but it may be that this trend is about to swing the
other way. Scientists are discovering
that we could be missing out on an integral component of our existence.
Innovative new research points to links between human health and proximity to a
more natural world. Have we in fact become too urbanized for our own good?
According to some experts there‘s evidence that we just might be the victims of
a strange new disease called Nature Deficit Disorder. To discover more,
Jennifer goes “forest bathing” in Japan.
©CBC-TV
2014
Copyright Disclaimer
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
No comments:
Post a Comment