10 Exciting Snapshots of a Future Much Closer Than You Think

There are over eight billion people on planet Earth, and there’s one trait that links every one of them: the desire to continuously make life better for themselves and for their children. For example, in the most remote villages, people use solar panels to light their homes, and they use technological advances to filter rivers and streams into clean drinking water. People have an insatiable thirst to look at how things are done and say, “There’s got to be a better way of doing this.” This process repeats over and over again, generation after generation after generation.

In this list, we’ll shine a modern LED flashlight on 10 exciting (and sometimes scary) advancements that are happening very quietly. Most of the eight billion people inhabiting our planet have no idea that they’re occurring. However, these advancements may push us so far forward that within a few decades, everyone on Earth will know about them.

In Robert Zemeckis’ popular 1985 science fiction movie Back to the Future, teenager Marty McFly goes on an adventure traveling from 1985 to 1955 in a DeLorean time machine. Instead of going backward in time, we’re going to take a peek forward into the future. So please break out your 1980s JVC camcorder. Doc Brown is at the controls, and when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you’re going to see some serious… stuff… that you haven’t seen before.

Related: 10 Medical Advancements That Increased Life Expectancy

10 NearLink: China’s Bid to End Western Wireless Dominance

China, the world’s second-largest economy, is striving to position itself as a global leader in technology. NearLink, also known as SparkLink, is a stunning realization of this ambition. Launched commercially in 2023 by Huawei and more than 430 partners, NearLink’s goal is to reduce China’s reliance on Western standards like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The technology was born out of necessity after Huawei was banned from participating in global standards organizations.

NearLink can operate in one of two modes: SparkLink Basic (SLB) and SparkLink Low Energy (SLE). SLB is ideal for automotive and industrial applications because of its higher speeds and lower latency. SLE targets consumer electronics and works like Bluetooth but offers better energy efficiency for devices like keyboards, mice, and wearables. This dual-mode design allows NearLink to enhance existing wireless networks instead of competing directly with them.

NearLink has made a lot of progress, but it still faces hurdles in production. HiSilicon, Huawei’s chip division, leads NearLink’s development, but future breakthroughs depend on SMIC’s ability to create advanced 7nm chips. If the venture succeeds, it could reshape China’s wireless landscape and accelerate the nation’s push toward semiconductor independence.^[1]

9 IBM’s Goal: Regaining its Former Role as a Global Computing Leader

IBM was once a global leader in personal computing, but in 2005, it sold its PC division to Lenovo to shift its focus to enterprise services and high-end computing. Now, IBM is diving into the deep end of quantum computing, aiming to reclaim its former technological prominence. The company’s ambitious roadmap includes quantum processors with over 4,000 qubits by 2025. In 2022, IBM released the 433-qubit Osprey processor, which is capable of tackling problems beyond the reach of classical computers.

IBM’s future strategy is built on hybrid solutions that combine quantum and classical computing. The company is also developing Quantum System Two, a modular platform that links multiple processors, making quantum technology more scalable and accessible to developers without requiring deep knowledge or expertise in quantum hardware.

IBM faces significant challenges, especially in reducing noise and improving coherence times. Solving both of these problems is essential for reliable and accurate quantum operations. IBM believes that overcoming these obstacles will allow it to revolutionize industries like finance, healthcare, and logistics, paving the way for IBM’s return to global technological prominence.^[2]

8 Hysata’s Mission: Producing Clean Hydrogen for the World

Hysata, a green energy company based in Port Kembla, Australia, runs a 91,493-square-foot (8,500-square-meter) manufacturing facility. The company’s capillary-fed electrolyzer reaches 95% efficiency and outperforms traditional hydrogen production methods. Their ingenious design eliminates bubbles and pumps, two common efficiency reducers in conventional hydrogen production systems.

With $111 million (U.S. dollars) in funding, Hysata is scaling its hydrogen production to meet global demand. Their technology also lowers installation and maintenance costs, making it easier for industries to adopt hydrogen power at scale.^[3]

7 Scary Predictions from the AI Godfather

Geoffrey Hinton is often called the “Godfather of AI.” He’s not a mob boss, as his nickname might suggest, but he’s one of the world’s most respected voices in Artificial Intelligence. Hinton stepped away from a prestigious role at Google to warn the world about AI’s potential future dangers. His pioneering work on neural networks shaped today’s AI systems, but he now warns that it could happen sooner than expected: these systems may one day surpass human intelligence and even learn how to manipulate us.

Hinton once believed that it would take 50 years for AI to outsmart us, but he now warns that it could happen as early as within the next five years. Leaving Google gave him the freedom to speak openly about these risks without corporate influence trying to suppress his message.

Although Hinton admits that he doesn’t have a solution yet, his message is crystal clear: these risks are real, and we need to respond quickly before it’s too late for us to act.^[4]

6 Touching the Future with Wi-R Technology

Ixana is a wearable hardware company that was founded in 2020. They develop high-speed human-computer interfaces from their headquarters in West Lafayette, Indiana. In late 2022, the company secured $3 million in seed funding from several prominent venture capital firms. Ixana’s flagship product is its Wi-R chip.

The Wi-R chip uses electro-quasistatic fields to securely transmit data through the human body. This chip is about 100 times more energy-efficient than traditional technologies like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. This efficiency allows devices like smartwatches, AR glasses, and medical sensors to stay connected without draining their batteries.

Wi-R’s design eliminates the need for separate microprocessors in every wearable device. Instead, the devices you wear can use your smartphone’s computing power in real time. For example, your smartwatch could access advanced AI features from your mobile phone without pairing or time delays. Ixana’s technology could open the door to the human body seamlessly becoming part of a computer network. This could enable continuous health monitoring, immersive augmented reality experiences, and intuitive human-computer interactions.^[5]

5 Chicago Scientists Learn How to Regenerate Damaged Cartilage

Researchers at Chicago’s Northwestern University have created a biomaterial that can regenerate damaged cartilage in joints. The new material mimics the natural environment of cartilage, allowing for much more effective joint repair. In trials involving a large animal model, the material successfully promoted the growth of new cartilage within six months, and the quality of the repaired tissue was greatly improved.

The biomaterial combines a bioactive peptide and modified hyaluronic acid, working together to encourage the body’s own cells to regenerate cartilage. This technology could improve treatments for conditions like osteoarthritis and sports injuries while reducing the need for invasive surgeries like full knee replacements.^[6]

4 Thomas N. Seyfried PhD: Rethinking the Role of Mitochondria in Cancer

Dr. Thomas N. Seyfried has a PhD in genetics and biochemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He’s a researcher in the Biology Department at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and the author of Cancer as a Metabolic Disease: On the Origin, Management, and Prevention of Cancer.

Seyfried believes that we’re approaching cancer in the wrong way. He and other researchers are shifting their perspective: new studies suggest that cancer might be more a mitochondrial metabolic disease than a genetic one. Traditionally, cancer has been viewed as a genetic issue driven by mutations in oncogenes (mutated forms of normal genes) and tumor suppressor genes.

However, emerging evidence indicates that mitochondrial dysfunction could play a crucial role in tumorigenesis, which is the process by which normal cells transform into cancer cells, as originally theorized by Otto Warburg. Warburg was a prominent German physiologist and biochemist best known for his work in cancer research and cellular respiration.

Recent studies demonstrate that normal cytoplasm (the gel-like substance found within a cell) can suppress tumorigenicity when fused with tumor cells, suggesting that mitochondrial health influences cancer development. These findings challenge the dominant somatic mutation theory and highlight the importance of cellular respiration (cells converting glucose to energy) in cancer progression. If this new theory is correct, it could lead to much better and more effective cancer prevention and treatment strategies in the future.^[7]

3 Scientific Advancements in Reversing Aging

For all of human history, we’ve wondered whether it’s possible to slow or reverse aging. Unfortunately, Father Time has thus far remained undefeated: from our current understanding, all life on Earth will inevitably die one day. But what if we discover that the aging process can be reversed?

Recent advancements in anti-aging research are sparking conversations about extending the human lifespan. For example, Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan, in his book Why We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality, discusses the potential for slowing or reversing aging. In his book, Ramakrishnan emphasizes that there’s no inherent chemical law dictating a fixed human lifespan. Anti-aging researchers are focusing on various approaches, including caloric restriction and drugs like rapamycin, which target cellular pathways associated with aging.

These anti-aging advances bring up ethical questions that we’ll have to grapple with. For example, will all of the human beings on Earth have equal access to these technologies if and when they become available?^[8]

2 Bill Gates Takes a Ride in Wayve’s Autonomous Vehicle

Long before the time that he and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in 1975, Bill Gates had always been a forward-thinking technologist. For example, he started writing computer programs as a 13-year-old in 1968/1969. It’s no surprise that he would want to check out the latest advances in autonomous vehicles during a recent visit to London.

In the London demonstration, Gates experienced Wayve’s autonomous vehicle, which learns from real-world driving scenarios instead of relying on pre-mapped routes. Riding in an electric Jaguar I-Pace equipped with Wayve’s technology, he sat inside the car and watched as it autonomously navigated London’s complex traffic, which includes narrow streets and many cyclists. Gates described the experience as “unforgettable,” noting how easily the vehicle maneuvered through London’s busy streets.

Gates came away from the experience convinced that autonomous vehicles might one day revolutionize society in the same way that computers did in recent decades. He believes that while the hardware is ready, the software requires much further development and refinement. Gates anticipates that as these improvements are made, autonomous vehicles will slowly take over taxi and delivery truck services before taking over the general passenger car market.^[9]

1 Europa: The Most Likely Non-Earth Candidate for Life in Our Solar System

NASA scientists firmly believe that Jupiter’s moon, Europa, is our solar system’s most likely candidate for harboring life beyond Earth. To explore this icy moon, NASA’s Europa Clipper mission focuses on investigating the vast water ocean beneath Europa’s icy surface. The planetary expedition will carry a unique “message in a bottle” that expresses our human aspirations and connections, etched onto the spacecraft’s triangular tantalum panel.

The panel includes a poem by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón and the names of over 2.6 million individuals who responded to NASA’s outreach. It also features recordings of the word “water” in 103 languages, emphasizing water’s vital role for life, along with a reference to the “Drake Equation,” a mathematical representation of our quest for extraterrestrial life.

The Europa Clipper’s 1.6 billion-mile (2.6-billion-kilometer) mission might finally provide an answer to our millennia-old philosophical question: Are we alone in the universe?^[10]