A leading theoretical physicist has tapped the
best scientific brains of the age to provide a startling vision of
the future. Roger Highfield reports
...Prof Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith Director, UK Fusion Programme
"Between 15 and 20 years from now, we will be ready to start
building a fusion power station that will produce electricity [from
nuclear fusion, rather than fission, the reaction that drives
existing nuclear power stations]. After that, before the middle of
the century, we hope to have large-scale fusion power."...
Electricity from Plant life
Dr Andreas Mershin, Centre for Biomedical Engineering, MIT
"Plants have developed this amazing ability to capture
sunlight and create chemical energy and store it. Now we can grab
the machine – the protein inside the plant called photosystem, which
is responsible for generating energy for the plant – and hijack its
function to create solar electrical power. Our goal is to provide an
alternative to regular silicon-based solar panels. What we're
trying to do is produce a material that you can paint on a metallic
surface, expose to light and have some electricity."
...
"We will have the power to animate the inanimate, the power
to create life itself," says Prof Kaku. "We will have the
power of gods. But will we also have the wisdom of Solomon?"...
Source: Future of science
