next technological revolution

in your opinions which do you think will play the main role in the 21st century as the next technological revolution, fusion, cold fusion, zero point energy, electrogravitics/ electromagnitism, etc?

Don't forget nanotech. If they truely accomplish this then everything will change.

My vote would go to Nanotechnology, Bioengineering and Artificial Intelligence. These three things will change the world more than anything in the history of mankind.

A quantum description of gravity, whether it is in the form of superstring theory or alternatives like quantum loop gravity. Not only will this increase our understanding of the universe, but the new mathematical technique developed can also be used in other parts of science.

For my money, fusion becoming the de facto power source across the globe.

All the other suggestions are very interesting, and I think will change life on Earth to various degrees, but fusion power will provide cheap, free energy for all - and if that's not a revolution, I don't know what is.

Amantine, is it your belief that accurately describing gravity in terms of the quantum universe will be achieved only by a monolithic unified field theory, or is it just a subset that will bring us closer to the ultimate rule-set?

There's no doubt this will be the next "Industrial Revolution." The only difference is that this "revolution" will form over just a few short years. Like i've said in other posts, I 'm having to write a 14 page essay on Nanotech... Half on it's potential uses, and half on the potential dangers. Though it will be the next revolution, it will also quite possibly become the most deadly.

"The human lethal dose of botulism toxin is about 100 nanograms, or about 1/100 the volume of the weapon. As many as 50 billion toxin-carrying devices�theoretically enough to kill every human on earth�could be packed into a single suitcase."

Here's the website to other dangers and stuff:
Nanotechnology

Originally posted by DarkHelmet
Though it will be the next revolution, it will also quite possibly become the most deadly.

I don't think that there would really be a problem unless they reach AI and then we are all screwed. There are enough scenerios to keep them in the lab.

Originally posted by Jonna
I don't think that there would really be a problem unless they reach AI and then we are all screwed. There are enough scenerios to keep them in the lab.

If put in the hands of criminals and terrorists... Who knows how long we'd last... See my second post? that's what I'm talking about by deadly.

Originally posted by DarkHelmet
If put in the hands of criminals and terrorists... Who knows how long we'd last... See my second post? that's what I'm talking about by deadly.

My bad, but really any technology could be used in a deadly manor; that is the price that we are willing to pay for advancement.

Yup... All i'm saying is that this will be our most deadly technology. It's easy to spot warheads... but how about warheads the size of a pen that do the same damage? This technology is innevitable. If the government tries to Outlaw this technology, that just creates a black Market for the stuff. I'd feel horribly unsafe living in a world with killing machines i can't even see. But then again, there are to many benefits to turn Nanotech away.

Originally posted by StrangeLands
For my money, fusion becoming the de facto power source across the globe.

All the other suggestions are very interesting, and I think will change life on Earth to various degrees, but fusion power will provide cheap, free energy for all - and if that's not a revolution, I don't know what is.

Amantine, is it your belief that accurately describing gravity in terms of the quantum universe will be achieved only by a monolithic unified field theory, or is it just a subset that will bring us closer to the ultimate rule-set?

I don't know. My experience in the field of quantum gravity is limited to reading some general Arxiv preprints. Actually different theories think about this differently. Superstring is supposed to be a unified field theory, while quantum loop gravity is simply quantum gravity without the extra unifications.

A paper called "How far are we from the quantum theory of gravity?" explains the differences between different approaches quite well, although it can get a bit difficult for the interested layman sometimes.

Originally posted by DarkHelmet
I'd feel horribly unsafe living in a world with killing machines i can't even see.

Not to depress you, but biowarfare.

But then again, there are to many benefits to turn Nanotech away.

And that is why we keep doing it. For some (scientists) it is the process of creating, for some (corporations) it is profit and for others (governements) it is the power that comes with getting there first.

My vote goes to nanotech too. I think the potential of great uses that could come out of it outweight the potential of dangerous and malefic uses that could also appear with it.

Originally posted by rufi0o
in your opinions which do you think will play the main role in the 21st century as the next technological revolution, fusion, cold fusion, zero point energy, electrogravitics/ electromagnitism, etc?

Nanotechnology... if any of this other stuff is going to work and be downsized and used by normal everyday people in normal everyday tasks then nanotech will most likely be the foundation that will enable other technologies to become mainstream.

The convergance of Nano, Bio, Info and Cognitive technologies. or NBIC for short will completely redifine what it means to be human. It's the apex of the post-human condition and our ascention to a true Type 1 civilization. Although near term Nanotech and Biotech is gonna rule the mainstream press.

I'd have to disagree with Amantine. Quantum gravity is cutting edge theory and for the most part that takes a LONG while to reach actual technology in the everyday world. Occasionally there is something that leaps right from theory to use, but that is rare. It will revolutionize physics and our view of the universe, but there is only a small chance it goes strait into use.

I'd say our next big revolution in technology will be the combining of biology and technolgy on a grand scale.

Everything of biological engineering to actual merging of the synthetic and biological.

When companies start to offer implants and augmentations there will be great resistance but as the one that welcome change start to exceed the other those that embrace the merge will dominate those that don't.

I doubt we'll see the cyborgs of sci-fi, but with all the current work on neural-electronic connection we could see removable memory chips (for your brain) as well as a direct computer-human link.

All of these I see happening over the next 100 years rather than 10.

I know a LOT of people on ATS dislike the idea of implants and being tied to technology, but its where we need to go to advance ourselves.

While the paranoid may hide in the woods and stock pile guns and goods, other will be doubling their memory retention, making more money, and funding more political support for the technology.