Feb 14 2008
A three part series on the BBC, Visions of the Future, has seen leading theoretical physicist and futurist Dr Michio Kaku examine the cutting edge science of today, tomorrow, and beyond.
Part one of the series looks at how artificial intelligence will revolutionise homes, workplaces and lifestyles, and how virtual worlds will become so realistic that they will rival the physical world. Robots with human-level intelligence may finally become a reality, and in the ultimate stage of mastery, we'll even be able to merge our minds with machine intelligence.
Part two is about the biotech revolution including how DNA screening could prevent many diseases, gene therapy could cure them and, thanks to lab-grown organs, the human body could be repaired as easily as a car, with spare parts readily available. Ultimately, the ageing process itself could be slowed down or even halted.
The third part is about the revolution of quantum physics including the possibility of metamaterials with properties like invisibility through to limitless quantum energy and room temperature superconductors to Arthur C Clarke's space elevator. Some scientists even forecast that in the latter half of the century everybody will have a personal fabricator that re-arranges molecules to produce everything from almost anything.