Great article, I personally believe that we will not necessairly find an answer to all these questions in the future of this century, but we will find out if these questions are answerable.
i think extraterrestrial life is the most plausible because the odds of finding other life in the vast universe is favorable. similarily, finding other universes would tie in with aliens. i also think that immortality is the least plausible because it seems too far-fetched, but what do i know.
I think curing cancer is most likely to occur because there are so many technological and medical advancements as well as new information found on the effects and origins of cancerous cells. With this information, I think that researchers will be able to find a way to counter act their destructive nature. Also, I think that discovering where the soul is will never be solved because I personally don't believe that it can be located as a physical object or process. However, that's just my personal opinion.
I think that many of the things scientists are researching are highly plausible to find, like a cure to cancer, ways to live longer youthfully, moving faster than the speed of light, and finding other. Especially for the medically related problems, technology today is capable of doing so much it’s unbelievable. The fact that these scientists are studying itty-bitty parts of DNA is mind-blowing and makes me fully trust that one day they will succeed in having people live for longer times and prevent cancer. The only thing I’d wonder about this is how the world would adjust to higher population counts and a shift in the economy. If nobody is getting old, there would not be a need for many things like retirement homes. Yet, of all the things I do believe science could manage to figure out, there are still many things I do believe science just can’t. For example, one being the soul. I don’t believe that science can necessarily “find” the soul because I believe it does not physically exist. My personal belief is that soul is kind of like an emotion: you can see it’s affects but it’s created by other things. The soul is made up of experiences and feelings and complicated religious beliefs. I just feel it’s not something science can just believe it can figure out. In addition to that, I don’t believe in time travel. I think it’s a cool idea in the movies, but I just can’t grasp it being real. I think time isn’t like “here”, it’s just people/things being where they are at the moment. When you look back, you don’t see time leave you, it is not a tangible thing. Time is just a word we humans give for length of, well, time. It’s a tricky concept to explain. Overall, I have hope that science will answer many of these mysteries for the better, whether they are believed plausible now or not.
I think that all of these questions will be answered in one hundred years, and we will be able to accomplish all of them. I believe that curing cancer and finding extraterrestrial life will happen the quickest. These two topics have had the interest of people for many years. Cancer especially, is close to home for many and thus there would be a greater push to solve this. However, I also think that if some of these mysteries are solved, it will bring more trouble than thought. For example, creating life, immortality, and time travel could have negative effects on life as we know it.
Modern Science is progressing at the fastest rate since the Scientific Revolution. Some of the new ideas are superficially absurd; however, scientists are getting closer and closer to answering "the questions". For example, "Can we achieve immortality?". While the idea of immortaility seems impossible and improbable, there have been connections between the longevity of cancer cells, and potential immortality. While the idea of "living forever" appears appealing, the social effects would be profound. The human race would endure an enormous demographic crisis - overpopulation. I can only speculate as to what else would happen, but, overall, it would have a negative effect on the human race. Even if scientists reach a breakthrough in this area, it would be wise to not make this technology available to the general public. Another advancement that is becoming more of a reality is time travel. The American consumer's view of time travel is based on science fiction films. For example, in 1985, "Back to the Future" was released, and forever changed the traditional view of "time travel". This is deceving, as time travel will not involve DeLoreans and 88 MPH and Flux Capacitors. Albert Einstein, one of the most powerful minds of all time, declared that time travel is possible, they just don't know how. In the next 90 years, science will undoubtedly reach a "fold" in the 3rd Dimension, resulting in time travel. However, like immortality, when time travel is discovered, it will not be released to the general public. If the average citizen had access to such technology, it is a safe assumption that the world would end. While a bold call, it isn't far from the truth. If 12 billion people have "time machines" in 2100, and they all go back in time and alter the past, the present can and will be continuously altered. Reality will cease to exist if time travel becomes a regular societal "activity". Despite the fact that time travel would be AWESOME. Overall, new technology should not be left in the hands of the average citizens, as there can be innumerable social, political, economy, and demographic effects.
The fountain of youth is possible because all you have to do is turn on and off a gene, we are already doing this for other genes. The least possible is time travel. Although i believe time travel is possible and i have my own idea on how to do it, the way we look at quantum mechanics needs to e further developed. This will take at least 50 more years to achieve while the rest can be done in under 20.
I think that many of these questions can be answered, but I don't think that they could all be answered within this century. I believe that the two questions we are most likely not to answer are whether we have a soul and if we can achieve immortality. I just don't think souls are things that we can prove with science. It's an inward belief, not a scientific fact. Even if we are able to achieve immortality, our world would become way too overcrowded and we wouldn't be able to survive. I think the questions we would be most able to answer in the near future are the other life forms in the universe and a cure for cancer. With technology in medicine growing more and more each day, I believe we will be able to discover the technology needed to get rid of cancer forever. The same can be said about technology in outer space.
I believe that finding a cure for cancer is definitely plausible, even if it is a vaccine for prevention and not an actual pill for after the fact. There have been vaccines for major killers before, such as smallpox, and the vaccine for smallpox has almost completely eradicated the disease. The same can most likely be true for cancer. Additionally, creating life may be possible, even if it is engineered and not considered natural. Stem cells have been a new phase being explored, and this concept is very close to creating life. In addition, there are probably more forms of life in the universe, but saying that we will be able to communicate with them is absurd. The forms of life are so different I doubt that even the smartest human beings will be able to comprehend and bridge the differences. Many of these ideas seem far fetched to me, but a few articles mentioned that our biggest hope relies on what we do not know yet. Which makes sense because events and consequences cannot be hypothesized and predicted without any actual data or knowledge. So with the information known, I do not think that we can achieve immortality. We very well might be able to live for hundreds of years, but everything must die at a certain point, and all that's being done is postponing the inevitable. Secondly, I don't think finding our soul is possible because that is part of the divine, and I don't believe it was made to be found. Also, I believe time travel is not possible, and I wouldn't want it to be either. Changing the past or the future can have dire consequences realized or not and the only way to not entirely destroy life and the past, present, and future is to leave it be.
Personally, I think the most plausible are creating life and finding a cure for cancer. Scientists already have so much knowledge about gene technology and manipulation, not to mention knowledge in cloning. With our existing technology increasing every year, I don't see why in the next century creating life wouldn't be possible. I think finding a cure for cancer may be the first to happen because whether cancer can be cured has been a question posed for many years. Also, the demand for finding a cure is very high since cancer is the second most cause of death in the US. So the race to find a cure is probably becoming more fast-paced. Of the other questions, I think immortality seems very unlikely, at least in this century. I also think learning where the soul is won't happen in this century or any century because religion is so controversial. Where as science and math have definite answers, there are many different religions, each with different morals and beliefs. If the question of where the soul is was answered, I don't think all religious groups would openly accept it.
I believe that we've already made quite the scientific progress in this century. We will only continue to make more progress. All of these mysteries are quite possible. However, some of these will be harder to obtain than others. I think that time travel will take longer to "discover" because we need to first find out how to travel at high speeds as the article discusses. This is a major problem because where will we find this energy source? One mystery that I think that we're very close to solving is the cancer mystery. Everyday there is talk of new research for cancer patients and it's only getting better. We already have established some of the sources of cancer so we're very close.
Some of these goals seem a bit unrealistic, but then again the goals we achieved, like going to the moon and curing numerous diseases, probably seemed like that when they were first proposed. I think that finding life beyond our solar system is definitely a possibility. We live in the corner of a galaxy and there are an infinite amount of galaxies out there, so there clearly has to be other life, it's just a matter of how much time it will take to find it. Also, I think curing cancer could also happen. There are so many theories on how to cure cancer, and all great scientific discoveries come from hypotheses. With tons of research and testing, I'm sure cancer will be cured; again, it's just a matter of when. I do not think, however, that we will be able to find a soul. Sure, spiritual and religious guidelines say there is a soul, and monks have a sort of higher connection within them (according to the experiments they talked about in the article), but it just doesn't seem provable. It sort of clashes the religion vs. science bit. It just doesn't seem right to try to use science to prove religion, and therefore, even if scientists do find a soul, I think it would be a very bad idea.
I personally found most of these questions very intriguing, but I couldn't decide if one century is enough time. The ones I found most plausible were the ones closely related to biological research: curing cancer, and creating life. As of now, scientists seem to be constantly making new discoveries, so it's only a matter of time before we figure out what to do with the new information and data. What we ARE capable of doing right now is find something to prevent cancer and use digital technology to assemble human cells. Immortality was a little bit more far-fetched for me because to change the cancer cells and the way they work would require something totally new and different that scientists haven't invented or discovered yet. The other question that I don't think will ever be answered is the one about discovering the soul. I think scientists are taking the definition of the soul the wrong way. It isn't actually something one can measure or research, and it never will be. Time traveling and the speed of light were the two that while they're the easiest to MAKE theories out of, it'll take a LOT to actually prove them. Also, I feel that playing with time could really mess up life.
Many, if not all, of these answers seem plausible to be questioned within the near future but some seem more plausible than others. I believe the most reasonably is the defeat of cancer. Already, so much research has been done to find a cure for cancer. It seems inevitable that the cure for cancer will be discovered. The article mentions that there are ways to reduce cancer but that isn't a cure. The least plausible seems to be the discovery of the location of the soul. The soul can be viewed religiously and those of varying religious backgrounds can have differing views on where the soul is actually located.
This article had a multitude of interesting scientific mysteries, but in my opinion, only a select few of them have real hope of being "solved" in the near future. Of these, the ones regarding human longevity were the most plausible, mainly because we have already made actual scientific process in the mastering of genetics. Recent advancements in genetics have allowed scientists to come closer and closer to the manipulation of genes. If they could devise a way to change the way our genes work, which they undoubtedly will given how they are already able to do so in animals, youth and perhaps immortality actually become a reachable goal. While the cancer one specifically seems the most plausible of all the questions posed, as it makes total sense that modern day conditions such as unhealthy food and industrial, polluted conditions, have led to the rise of such a potent disease, merely identifying the problem may not be enough. We all know that fast food is detrimental to our health and pollution/drugs likewise, but that doesn't necessarily make us change our lives to avoid it. Life has evolved into including this issues in every day life, and it won't be that simple of a task to merely change conditions or erase the problems facing us. Whether it be because industries like those make too much money to for them to undergo change or eradication, or even because it has become too standard in life, these health-related problems may very well stay with us for a protracted period of time longer than we may predict. For example, many scientists have been pointing to the use of radio waves such as in computers and cell phones as cancer causing agents, but there is simply no way that society will drop the use of such modern technology. On a similar note to impractical solutions to problems, I agree with Agnes on the idea that although things like Time Travel are 100% possible, there still leaves the idea of how we will actually achieve it. Coming up with the possibility/theory is one thing, but actually inventing the real way to make it happen is a completely different ballgame.
I think that this article had a lot of really interesting scientific unknowns; however, I don't think that all of them can be solved in this century. I do think that artificial life can be created within the 21st century because, as the article explains, if the proper sort of base structure is created, you can grow nanotubes, nanospheres and nanotransistors for computers. I also think that these life forms may "take on a life of their own," which would be beneficial because they would then respond to certain stimuli that could further our scientific understanding of other subjects. I also think that achieving immortality is plausible, but not practical. Although scientists have discovered the protein that could theoretically allow us to live forever, I don't think it would be responsible to allow people to use this discovery because it would change society for the worse. Lastly, I think that there was one "discovery" that I don't think will ever truly be understood, which was the one concerning the soul. I don't think that the soul is a part of the brain that can be seen and researched, and I don't think that that will change any time soon.
After the article, I assume that finding a cure for cancer is definitely possibley; however, being able to communicate with other life forms such as aliens? Not so much.
It seems to me like the twenty-first century has a lot on its plate with engineers and scientists carrying a lot of the weight. I found this article to be surprisingly interesting, especially since I learned about what new things are being discovered and researched that I had no idea about. I think the Fountain of Youth and achieving immortality are probably the most plausible. Turning on and off genes has already been achieved so the method to cease aging is, so to speak, already tested and proved. I do believe it is possible to stop the aging process, but it's the execution and immorality of it that I'm not sure about. As far as the cure for cancer goes, it would certainly be nice, but I think it won't happen. I would be interested in finding out if our ancestors had cancer as that would may answer some questions as to whether cancer is caused by living conditions. More than anything, cancer is probably caused by all the unnatural chemicals that we eat and breathe. Like the article said, it's not a "pill" but a lifestyle that will prevent caner. Finally, I think the origin of the soul will not be found as I believe it to be a human invention. We created it to house or emotions and make meaning out of life and death. It is not a physical thing or something that can be unlocked, but it's something that we, as humans, created to make sense out of life.
Jeff: i found these extremely interesting. some of these achievements would bring immense changes to the world, maybe not for the best in some cases. as said before, curing cancer will probably be solved, as well as some other more plausible ones, such as alien life. some may sound far-fetched to us right now, such as immortality or traveling at teh speed of light in 100 years, but others only time can tell (widely debated issues such as time travel)
I think the only one that is plausible is preventing not curing cancer. The others like some have said are extremely "far-fetched" and will definitely not happen in our life time and probably not ever. There are already numerous ways of preventing cancer and finding ways to effectively entirely prevent cancer is just on the horizon. Other things however like traveling beyond the speed the of light and time travel are mere theories and entirely impractical since they are interdependent. Finally, I hope eternal life is never achieved since first, it would make me extremely jealous b/c it would not occur in our lifetime and it is unfair for me to have to die and for future generations to live on and second, it would greatly overpopulate the earth to the extent that giving birth would be banned and new-born extermination would become a public service and mandated by law. So in conclusion, this stuff will never happen with the exception of better methods to prevent cancer.
Although I am not a scientist, this article was incredibly persuasive in that I believe it’s plausible all eight proposed mysteries could be solved. Why? Humans are tenacious; we’re curious and imbued with technology that was the stuff of science fiction but a hundred years ago. Those traits alone are compelling evidence that we’ll reach whatever ends in mind in the time period suggested. So long as there are patrons willing to fund research and researchers willing to go the distance, any of the answers to the questions on that list could be in sight within the century.
As wonderful as this kind of progress sounds, I can’t help but think maybe there are certain endeavors that would be better left well enough alone. Immortality would mean that an already overcrowded Earth would continue to fill past the brim. A time traveler might accidentally trip someone important to the future, altering history forever. Alien life might not want to be found. Locating the soul might not be something the sincerely religious of the world are not ready to hear, to comprehend.
In a world of people constantly searching for answers, there are still some who’d rather their lives not be changed by this kind of science. It’s one of the reasons I’m going to a psychologist instead of the engineer President Obama would like me to be. I’m not so sure I – or the other non-scientists of Earth – am ready for such leaps. Do scientists ever consider the magnitude of their discoveries? - Hannah, Period 5
I have every confidence that the problem of cancer can be solved, even if there is no cure. I think that prevention could work, and that this cancer epidemic will eventually die out, just as other diseases have before.
I do not think that it is possible to find a soul. A soul is not something physical, it is the spiritual aspect of ourselves. It is something that we attain through our environment. If there was a supercomputer as smart as a human, it wouldn't have a soul because no one would treat it as a human, or love it. Furthermore, if a soul was a physical thing, then could one person's soul be transplanted into someone else? Into a machine? That would go completely against what a soul is. A part of someone that exists on it's own, and therefore is not destroyed with someone's death. Our souls have ties to our physical bodies, but are not physically part of us.
Great article, I personally believe that we will not necessairly find an answer to all these questions in the future of this century, but we will find out if these questions are answerable.
ReplyDeletei think extraterrestrial life is the most plausible because the odds of finding other life in the vast universe is favorable. similarily, finding other universes would tie in with aliens. i also think that immortality is the least plausible because it seems too far-fetched, but what do i know.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think curing cancer is most likely to occur because there are so many technological and medical advancements as well as new information found on the effects and origins of cancerous cells. With this information, I think that researchers will be able to find a way to counter act their destructive nature. Also, I think that discovering where the soul is will never be solved because I personally don't believe that it can be located as a physical object or process. However, that's just my personal opinion.
ReplyDeleteI think that many of the things scientists are researching are highly plausible to find, like a cure to cancer, ways to live longer youthfully, moving faster than the speed of light, and finding other. Especially for the medically related problems, technology today is capable of doing so much it’s unbelievable. The fact that these scientists are studying itty-bitty parts of DNA is mind-blowing and makes me fully trust that one day they will succeed in having people live for longer times and prevent cancer. The only thing I’d wonder about this is how the world would adjust to higher population counts and a shift in the economy. If nobody is getting old, there would not be a need for many things like retirement homes.
ReplyDeleteYet, of all the things I do believe science could manage to figure out, there are still many things I do believe science just can’t. For example, one being the soul. I don’t believe that science can necessarily “find” the soul because I believe it does not physically exist. My personal belief is that soul is kind of like an emotion: you can see it’s affects but it’s created by other things. The soul is made up of experiences and feelings and complicated religious beliefs. I just feel it’s not something science can just believe it can figure out. In addition to that, I don’t believe in time travel. I think it’s a cool idea in the movies, but I just can’t grasp it being real. I think time isn’t like “here”, it’s just people/things being where they are at the moment. When you look back, you don’t see time leave you, it is not a tangible thing. Time is just a word we humans give for length of, well, time. It’s a tricky concept to explain.
Overall, I have hope that science will answer many of these mysteries for the better, whether they are believed plausible now or not.
I think that all of these questions will be answered in one hundred years, and we will be able to accomplish all of them. I believe that curing cancer and finding extraterrestrial life will happen the quickest. These two topics have had the interest of people for many years. Cancer especially, is close to home for many and thus there would be a greater push to solve this. However, I also think that if some of these mysteries are solved, it will bring more trouble than thought. For example, creating life, immortality, and time travel could have negative effects on life as we know it.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn Fan, Period #8
Modern Science is progressing at the fastest rate since the Scientific Revolution. Some of the new ideas are superficially absurd; however, scientists are getting closer and closer to answering "the questions". For example, "Can we achieve immortality?". While the idea of immortaility seems impossible and improbable, there have been connections between the longevity of cancer cells, and potential immortality. While the idea of "living forever" appears appealing, the social effects would be profound. The human race would endure an enormous demographic crisis - overpopulation. I can only speculate as to what else would happen, but, overall, it would have a negative effect on the human race. Even if scientists reach a breakthrough in this area, it would be wise to not make this technology available to the general public.
ReplyDeleteAnother advancement that is becoming more of a reality is time travel. The American consumer's view of time travel is based on science fiction films. For example, in 1985, "Back to the Future" was released, and forever changed the traditional view of "time travel". This is deceving, as time travel will not involve DeLoreans and 88 MPH and Flux Capacitors. Albert Einstein, one of the most powerful minds of all time, declared that time travel is possible, they just don't know how. In the next 90 years, science will undoubtedly reach a "fold" in the 3rd Dimension, resulting in time travel. However, like immortality, when time travel is discovered, it will not be released to the general public. If the average citizen had access to such technology, it is a safe assumption that the world would end. While a bold call, it isn't far from the truth. If 12 billion people have "time machines" in 2100, and they all go back in time and alter the past, the present can and will be continuously altered. Reality will cease to exist if time travel becomes a regular societal "activity". Despite the fact that time travel would be AWESOME. Overall, new technology should not be left in the hands of the average citizens, as there can be innumerable social, political, economy, and demographic effects.
The fountain of youth is possible because all you have to do is turn on and off a gene, we are already doing this for other genes. The least possible is time travel. Although i believe time travel is possible and i have my own idea on how to do it, the way we look at quantum mechanics needs to e further developed. This will take at least 50 more years to achieve while the rest can be done in under 20.
ReplyDeleteI think that many of these questions can be answered, but I don't think that they could all be answered within this century. I believe that the two questions we are most likely not to answer are whether we have a soul and if we can achieve immortality. I just don't think souls are things that we can prove with science. It's an inward belief, not a scientific fact. Even if we are able to achieve immortality, our world would become way too overcrowded and we wouldn't be able to survive. I think the questions we would be most able to answer in the near future are the other life forms in the universe and a cure for cancer. With technology in medicine growing more and more each day, I believe we will be able to discover the technology needed to get rid of cancer forever. The same can be said about technology in outer space.
ReplyDeleteI believe that finding a cure for cancer is definitely plausible, even if it is a vaccine for prevention and not an actual pill for after the fact. There have been vaccines for major killers before, such as smallpox, and the vaccine for smallpox has almost completely eradicated the disease. The same can most likely be true for cancer. Additionally, creating life may be possible, even if it is engineered and not considered natural. Stem cells have been a new phase being explored, and this concept is very close to creating life. In addition, there are probably more forms of life in the universe, but saying that we will be able to communicate with them is absurd. The forms of life are so different I doubt that even the smartest human beings will be able to comprehend and bridge the differences.
ReplyDeleteMany of these ideas seem far fetched to me, but a few articles mentioned that our biggest hope relies on what we do not know yet. Which makes sense because events and consequences cannot be hypothesized and predicted without any actual data or knowledge. So with the information known, I do not think that we can achieve immortality. We very well might be able to live for hundreds of years, but everything must die at a certain point, and all that's being done is postponing the inevitable. Secondly, I don't think finding our soul is possible because that is part of the divine, and I don't believe it was made to be found. Also, I believe time travel is not possible, and I wouldn't want it to be either. Changing the past or the future can have dire consequences realized or not and the only way to not entirely destroy life and the past, present, and future is to leave it be.
Personally, I think the most plausible are creating life and finding a cure for cancer. Scientists already have so much knowledge about gene technology and manipulation, not to mention knowledge in cloning. With our existing technology increasing every year, I don't see why in the next century creating life wouldn't be possible. I think finding a cure for cancer may be the first to happen because whether cancer can be cured has been a question posed for many years. Also, the demand for finding a cure is very high since cancer is the second most cause of death in the US. So the race to find a cure is probably becoming more fast-paced. Of the other questions, I think immortality seems very unlikely, at least in this century. I also think learning where the soul is won't happen in this century or any century because religion is so controversial. Where as science and math have definite answers, there are many different religions, each with different morals and beliefs. If the question of where the soul is was answered, I don't think all religious groups would openly accept it.
ReplyDeleteI believe that we've already made quite the scientific progress in this century. We will only continue to make more progress. All of these mysteries are quite possible. However, some of these will be harder to obtain than others. I think that time travel will take longer to "discover" because we need to first find out how to travel at high speeds as the article discusses. This is a major problem because where will we find this energy source? One mystery that I think that we're very close to solving is the cancer mystery. Everyday there is talk of new research for cancer patients and it's only getting better. We already have established some of the sources of cancer so we're very close.
ReplyDeleteSome of these goals seem a bit unrealistic, but then again the goals we achieved, like going to the moon and curing numerous diseases, probably seemed like that when they were first proposed. I think that finding life beyond our solar system is definitely a possibility. We live in the corner of a galaxy and there are an infinite amount of galaxies out there, so there clearly has to be other life, it's just a matter of how much time it will take to find it. Also, I think curing cancer could also happen. There are so many theories on how to cure cancer, and all great scientific discoveries come from hypotheses. With tons of research and testing, I'm sure cancer will be cured; again, it's just a matter of when.
ReplyDeleteI do not think, however, that we will be able to find a soul. Sure, spiritual and religious guidelines say there is a soul, and monks have a sort of higher connection within them (according to the experiments they talked about in the article), but it just doesn't seem provable. It sort of clashes the religion vs. science bit. It just doesn't seem right to try to use science to prove religion, and therefore, even if scientists do find a soul, I think it would be a very bad idea.
I personally found most of these questions very intriguing, but I couldn't decide if one century is enough time. The ones I found most plausible were the ones closely related to biological research: curing cancer, and creating life. As of now, scientists seem to be constantly making new discoveries, so it's only a matter of time before we figure out what to do with the new information and data. What we ARE capable of doing right now is find something to prevent cancer and use digital technology to assemble human cells. Immortality was a little bit more far-fetched for me because to change the cancer cells and the way they work would require something totally new and different that scientists haven't invented or discovered yet. The other question that I don't think will ever be answered is the one about discovering the soul. I think scientists are taking the definition of the soul the wrong way. It isn't actually something one can measure or research, and it never will be. Time traveling and the speed of light were the two that while they're the easiest to MAKE theories out of, it'll take a LOT to actually prove them. Also, I feel that playing with time could really mess up life.
ReplyDeleteMany, if not all, of these answers seem plausible to be questioned within the near future but some seem more plausible than others. I believe the most reasonably is the defeat of cancer. Already, so much research has been done to find a cure for cancer. It seems inevitable that the cure for cancer will be discovered. The article mentions that there are ways to reduce cancer but that isn't a cure. The least plausible seems to be the discovery of the location of the soul. The soul can be viewed religiously and those of varying religious backgrounds can have differing views on where the soul is actually located.
ReplyDeleteThis article had a multitude of interesting scientific mysteries, but in my opinion, only a select few of them have real hope of being "solved" in the near future. Of these, the ones regarding human longevity were the most plausible, mainly because we have already made actual scientific process in the mastering of genetics. Recent advancements in genetics have allowed scientists to come closer and closer to the manipulation of genes. If they could devise a way to change the way our genes work, which they undoubtedly will given how they are already able to do so in animals, youth and perhaps immortality actually become a reachable goal.
ReplyDeleteWhile the cancer one specifically seems the most plausible of all the questions posed, as it makes total sense that modern day conditions such as unhealthy food and industrial, polluted conditions, have led to the rise of such a potent disease, merely identifying the problem may not be enough. We all know that fast food is detrimental to our health and pollution/drugs likewise, but that doesn't necessarily make us change our lives to avoid it. Life has evolved into including this issues in every day life, and it won't be that simple of a task to merely change conditions or erase the problems facing us. Whether it be because industries like those make too much money to for them to undergo change or eradication, or even because it has become too standard in life, these health-related problems may very well stay with us for a protracted period of time longer than we may predict. For example, many scientists have been pointing to the use of radio waves such as in computers and cell phones as cancer causing agents, but there is simply no way that society will drop the use of such modern technology.
On a similar note to impractical solutions to problems, I agree with Agnes on the idea that although things like Time Travel are 100% possible, there still leaves the idea of how we will actually achieve it. Coming up with the possibility/theory is one thing, but actually inventing the real way to make it happen is a completely different ballgame.
I think that this article had a lot of really interesting scientific unknowns; however, I don't think that all of them can be solved in this century. I do think that artificial life can be created within the 21st century because, as the article explains, if the proper sort of base structure is created, you can grow nanotubes, nanospheres and nanotransistors for computers. I also think that these life forms may "take on a life of their own," which would be beneficial because they would then respond to certain stimuli that could further our scientific understanding of other subjects. I also think that achieving immortality is plausible, but not practical. Although scientists have discovered the protein that could theoretically allow us to live forever, I don't think it would be responsible to allow people to use this discovery because it would change society for the worse. Lastly, I think that there was one "discovery" that I don't think will ever truly be understood, which was the one concerning the soul. I don't think that the soul is a part of the brain that can be seen and researched, and I don't think that that will change any time soon.
ReplyDeleteAfter the article, I assume that finding a cure for cancer is definitely possibley; however, being able to communicate with other life forms such as aliens?
ReplyDeleteNot so much.
It seems to me like the twenty-first century has a lot on its plate with engineers and scientists carrying a lot of the weight. I found this article to be surprisingly interesting, especially since I learned about what new things are being discovered and researched that I had no idea about. I think the Fountain of Youth and achieving immortality are probably the most plausible. Turning on and off genes has already been achieved so the method to cease aging is, so to speak, already tested and proved. I do believe it is possible to stop the aging process, but it's the execution and immorality of it that I'm not sure about. As far as the cure for cancer goes, it would certainly be nice, but I think it won't happen. I would be interested in finding out if our ancestors had cancer as that would may answer some questions as to whether cancer is caused by living conditions. More than anything, cancer is probably caused by all the unnatural chemicals that we eat and breathe. Like the article said, it's not a "pill" but a lifestyle that will prevent caner. Finally, I think the origin of the soul will not be found as I believe it to be a human invention. We created it to house or emotions and make meaning out of life and death. It is not a physical thing or something that can be unlocked, but it's something that we, as humans, created to make sense out of life.
ReplyDeleteJeff: i found these extremely interesting. some of these achievements would bring immense changes to the world, maybe not for the best in some cases. as said before, curing cancer will probably be solved, as well as some other more plausible ones, such as alien life. some may sound far-fetched to us right now, such as immortality or traveling at teh speed of light in 100 years, but others only time can tell (widely debated issues such as time travel)
ReplyDeleteI think the only one that is plausible is preventing not curing cancer. The others like some have said are extremely "far-fetched" and will definitely not happen in our life time and probably not ever. There are already numerous ways of preventing cancer and finding ways to effectively entirely prevent cancer is just on the horizon. Other things however like traveling beyond the speed the of light and time travel are mere theories and entirely impractical since they are interdependent. Finally, I hope eternal life is never achieved since first, it would make me extremely jealous b/c it would not occur in our lifetime and it is unfair for me to have to die and for future generations to live on and second, it would greatly overpopulate the earth to the extent that giving birth would be banned and new-born extermination would become a public service and mandated by law. So in conclusion, this stuff will never happen with the exception of better methods to prevent cancer.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am not a scientist, this article was incredibly persuasive in that I believe it’s plausible all eight proposed mysteries could be solved. Why? Humans are tenacious; we’re curious and imbued with technology that was the stuff of science fiction but a hundred years ago. Those traits alone are compelling evidence that we’ll reach whatever ends in mind in the time period suggested. So long as there are patrons willing to fund research and researchers willing to go the distance, any of the answers to the questions on that list could be in sight within the century.
ReplyDeleteAs wonderful as this kind of progress sounds, I can’t help but think maybe there are certain endeavors that would be better left well enough alone. Immortality would mean that an already overcrowded Earth would continue to fill past the brim. A time traveler might accidentally trip someone important to the future, altering history forever. Alien life might not want to be found. Locating the soul might not be something the sincerely religious of the world are not ready to hear, to comprehend.
In a world of people constantly searching for answers, there are still some who’d rather their lives not be changed by this kind of science. It’s one of the reasons I’m going to a psychologist instead of the engineer President Obama would like me to be. I’m not so sure I – or the other non-scientists of Earth – am ready for such leaps. Do scientists ever consider the magnitude of their discoveries? - Hannah, Period 5
I have every confidence that the problem of cancer can be solved, even if there is no cure. I think that prevention could work, and that this cancer epidemic will eventually die out, just as other diseases have before.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that it is possible to find a soul. A soul is not something physical, it is the spiritual aspect of ourselves. It is something that we attain through our environment. If there was a supercomputer as smart as a human, it wouldn't have a soul because no one would treat it as a human, or love it. Furthermore, if a soul was a physical thing, then could one person's soul be transplanted into someone else? Into a machine? That would go completely against what a soul is. A part of someone that exists on it's own, and therefore is not destroyed with someone's death. Our souls have ties to our physical bodies, but are not physically part of us.