From ‘superhumans’ to sequencing: how the next 50 years of science could shape our world

Our world has been transformed over the past 50 years through scientific discoveries that were once thought impossible.

Developments such as the rise of the Internet, the decoding of the human genome, and rapid advances in artificial intelligence have changed the way we understand the universe.

But what comes next?

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of quirks and quarksCBC Radio’s science show host Bob Macdonald spoke to six of Canada’s leading scientists in front of a live audience at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario.

Their mission was to imagine what the next 50 years of science might bring. From new ways to grow food to understanding the mysteries of the universe, here’s what he said is pushing new frontiers.

modernization of agriculture

Being able to feed everyone without pushing the planet past its breaking point will be “one of the grand challenges of the generation,” said Evan Fraser, director of the Arel Food Institute at the University of Guelph.

According to the United Nations, the current world population is more than 8 billion and is projected to reach 10.3 billion by the mid-2080s.

He pointed out that food and agricultural systems are responsible for about a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. They emit CSome relate to different stages of food production, including raising livestock, growing crops, waste treatment and transportation.

So, after 50 years of focusing almost exclusively on “producing more food per acre,” Fraser said the next era of agriculture must take a broader lens – one that emphasizes not just production, but also sustainability, nutrition and climate mitigation.

That change is already underway. On some Canadian farms, drones are being used to scan fields just hours after weeds emerge, Fraser said. This is followed by a second drone, which sprays “a minute amount of herbicide.”ICH cut CHImical uses and protects crops.

He said that innovation is also taking place in soil. Some new fertilizers use microorganisms to help plants make their own nitrogen, reducing the huge energy costs of traditional factory-made fertilizers.

Meanwhile in the lab, “precision fermentation” is taking hold. Just as yeast turns sugar into alcohol, the engineered microorganisms can produce proteins such as milk, pork fat and whey, Fraser said. This method uses less land, water, and energy than traditional agriculture to produce the same product, and it helps promote food security.

beat climate change

When it comes to climate change, it’s easy to paint an “apocalyptic picture,” said Laura Tozer, an assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of Toronto Scarborough.

But he said, the reality is more promising, because many of the tools needed to fight climate change already exist.

She says the way forward includes abandoning fossil fuels and leaning toward renewable energy. Wind and solar power provide what she calls free fuel, but unlocking their full potential means modernizing the power grid to better support clean electricity.

“A lot of them need innovation to become cheaper, easier, smaller and more accessible,” Tozer said.

She envisions a future where clean energy is seamlessly integrated into the homes of all Canadians, with both rural farmhouses and suburban apartment buildings powered by solar energy.

Another revolution in genetics

Yvonne Bombard, a scientist and genomics health services researcher at Unity Health St. Michael’s Hospital, said the progress made in the field of genetics has been “abundant.”

Bombard says this rapid progress has ushered in a new era of personalized medicine – where treatments, especially for complex diseases like cancer, can be tailored to an individual’s unique genetic code.

The future lies in making such testing part of everyday health care, Bombard said. Doctors may one day use a patient’s genetic profile to fine-tune drug dosages or recommend specific lifestyle changes, which may help catch or stop a disease before it starts.

But he also said that most of the existing genetic data comes from people of European descent, meaning results are often less accurate for other populations.

“We need the full participation of society so that (all) societies can benefit from the realization of genomic medicine,” said Bombard, who is also the Canada Research Chair in Genomics Health Services and Policy.

bionic human

Ana Luisa Trejos says future robotics could make people “superhuman”.

Trejos works on wearable exoskeletons, which are robotic systems designed to support or augment the human body, and conform to the individual.

According to Trejos, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Western University, some of these exoskeletons will use brain implants to detect a person’s movement intentions, making the prosthetics feel more like natural limbs. She also says that future devices can replace any part of our body.

The next step, she says, is to power these systems using the wearer’s own energy. She envisions soft, sensor-filled clothing that not only aids movement but enhances it.

“It can also enhance our performance (so as to) go beyond our natural abilities and create a superhuman that allows us to perform even beyond that,” Trejos said.

origin of the universe

According to the European Space Agency, we still don’t know what 95 percent of the universe is made of.

This mystery fuels the work of Katie Mack, a theoretical astrophysicist at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario.

At the heart of the unknown, he said, are two mysterious forces: dark matter and dark energy.

“It looks like[dark matter]is holding the galaxy together,” Mack said. “This seems to be the foundation on which every case we see is built.”

According to Mack, dark matter accounts for about 85 percent of the mass of the universe. Even though it is invisible, its presence is manifested by the way it affects the star’s motion and bends light.

Still, scientists have yet to figure out what it’s actually made of.

Then, there’s dark energy, Mack said, a force thought to be behind the rapid expansion of the universe.

From deep underground laboratories to giant particle colliders, scientists around the world are racing to solve the mystery, said Mack, who is also the Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication.

“I really think we’re going to find something amazing,” she said.

What about AI?

Luke Stark, assistant professor in the faculty of information and media studies at Western University, said artificial intelligence is “so in vogue right now,” from their integration into cars and phones to talkative chatbots like Fridge and ChatGPIT.

Still, he suspects that machines with human-level reasoning and problem-solving abilities will emerge in the next 50 years.

Although tools like ChatGPT may seem manual, this is no accident. Stark points out that companies like OpenAI intentionally design these systems to speak in the first person and mimic natural conversations.

He says that over the next 50 years, there will be many discussions about who has the right to develop and control AI, and who has the right to decide what role these devices will play in our society.

“The people who make it often want us to think it’s like science fiction, right?” Stark said.

“I think the question is, ‘Can we pay attention to how these devices are disrupting things, and can we make sure that they’re disrupting things in a way that’s positive for everyone?'”