How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100
January 10, 2011
Kaku (Physics of the Impossible), a professor of physics at the CUNY Graduate Center, gathers ideas from more than 300 experts, scientists, and researchers at the cutting edge of their fields, to offer a glimpse of what the next 100 years may bring. The predictions all conform to certain ground rules (e.g., "Prototypes of all technologies mentioned... already exist"), and some seem obvious (computer chips will continue to get faster and smaller). Others seem less far-fetched than they might have a decade ago: for instance, space tourism will be popular, especially once a permanent base is established on the moon. Other predictions may come true—downloading the Internet right into a pair of contact lenses—but whether they're desirable is another matter. Some of the predictions are familiar but still startling: robots will develop emotions by mid-century, and we will start merging mind and body with them. Despite the familiarity of many of the predictions to readers of popular science and science fiction, Kaku's book should capture the imagination of everyday readers.
January 15, 2011
Optimistic, scientifically sound forecasts of wonders in store for us.
Physicist and science writer Kaku (Theoretical Physics/City Univ. of New York; Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel, 2008, etc.) divides his chapters into "near future" (until 2030), "mid-century" (2030 to 2070) and "far future" (2070 to 2100). Each begins with familiar technology and ongoing research. The near future of computers will give us self-driving cars and computers cheap enough to be disposable. Mid-century will see universal translators, and by 2100 thinking will control computers, producing instant, person-to-person communication and the ability to manipulate our environment, including malfunctioning body parts. Doctors already cure rare genetic diseases by inserting a single healthy gene into a patient's cells. Correcting complex genetic defects (e.g., diabetes, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's) and growing artificial organs is a matter of decades; vastly increasing longevity will come later. Genuine artificial intelligence will arrive later this century. It will take longer for machines to attain self-awareness and become smarter than us, writes the author, but it's inevitable. Ditto for fusion energy, laser-powered rockets and high-tech cures for global warming, but in this case readers may be more skeptical—computer and genetic-engineering marvels seem reasonable because we're used to dazzling progress; other technologies have moved more slowly. Because Kaku is old enough to remember post–World War II forecasts that 2000 would bring interplanetary travel, the conquest of disease, world government and flying cars, he cherry-picks a few home runs from these old prophecies but understandably passes over futurology's dismal success rate.
The author's scientific expertise will engage readers too sophisticated for predictions based on psychic powers or astrology.
(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
February 1, 2011
Kaku hosts popular-science programs on the Science Channel (Sci Q), the Discovery Channel, and the BBC, among others. He is best known academically for his work as a cofounder of the string field theory. His previous book, Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel, was well received and helps demonstrate how scientific discoveries have changed how we view the world. Here, Kaku looks closely at current research and trends and offers fact-based predictions on how the world may look ten to 100 years in the future. He discusses a wide range of topics from Internet-enabled contact lenses to the future of robots and artificial intelligence. His strength is translating potentially difficult concepts into easily understandable information and exciting stories of the future that can be embraced by lay readers. VERDICT This work is highly recommended for fans of Kaku's previous books and for readers interested in science and robotics.--Eric D. Albright, Tufts Univ. Health Sciences Lib., Boston
Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 1, 2011
Following in the footsteps of Leonardo da Vinci and Jules Verne, Kaku, author of a handful of books about science, looks into the not-so-distant future and envisions what the world will look like. It should be an exciting place, with driverless cars, Internet glasses, universal translators, robot surgeons, the resurrection of extinct life forms, designer children, space tourism, a manned mission to Mars, none of which turn out to be as science-fictiony as they sound. In fact, the most exciting thing about the book is the fact that most of the developments Kaku discusses can be directly extrapolated from existing technologies. Robot surgeons and driverless cars, for example, already exist in rudimentary forms. Kaku, a physics professor and one of the originators of the string field theory (an offshoot of the more general string theory), draws on current research to show how, in a very real sense, our future has already been written. The books lively, user-friendly style should appeal equally to fans of science fiction and popular science.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)
January 15, 2011
Optimistic, scientifically sound forecasts of wonders in store for us.
Physicist and science writer Kaku (Theoretical Physics/City Univ. of New York; Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel, 2008, etc.) divides his chapters into "near future" (until 2030), "mid-century" (2030 to 2070) and "far future" (2070 to 2100). Each begins with familiar technology and ongoing research. The near future of computers will give us self-driving cars and computers cheap enough to be disposable. Mid-century will see universal translators, and by 2100 thinking will control computers, producing instant, person-to-person communication and the ability to manipulate our environment, including malfunctioning body parts. Doctors already cure rare genetic diseases by inserting a single healthy gene into a patient's cells. Correcting complex genetic defects (e.g., diabetes, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's) and growing artificial organs is a matter of decades; vastly increasing longevity will come later. Genuine artificial intelligence will arrive later this century. It will take longer for machines to attain self-awareness and become smarter than us, writes the author, but it's inevitable. Ditto for fusion energy, laser-powered rockets and high-tech cures for global warming, but in this case readers may be more skeptical--computer and genetic-engineering marvels seem reasonable because we're used to dazzling progress; other technologies have moved more slowly. Because Kaku is old enough to remember post-World War II forecasts that 2000 would bring interplanetary travel, the conquest of disease, world government and flying cars, he cherry-picks a few home runs from these old prophecies but understandably passes over futurology's dismal success rate.
The author's scientific expertise will engage readers too sophisticated for predictions based on psychic powers or astrology.
(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
March 1, 2013
Popular science readers will be fascinated by the potential future of science and technology in our lives to come, from robotic limbs and magnetic cars to new sources of energy and routine space travel, as put forth by physicist and best-selling author Kaku. (LJ 2/1/11)
Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.