World Futures Fall 2021

"What sounds like sci-fi is now becoming a reality, and as these minute cameras pass through your body, they take two pictures per second checking for signs of cancer and other conditions like Crohn's disease." This new technology is a less invasive and more convenient alternative to current practices. The ease of this care provides a more comfortable experience for those who would have needed a traditional endoscopy.

I've swallowed the pill camera before to check an issue in my gut. It was 14 hours of video!!!

The article notes some hesitation and confliction between wireless monitoring of patients from false alarms and disconnect between patient care vs ease and accessibility to spread care to underserved communities.

"Dozens of microchips scattered over the cortical surface might allow researchers to listen in on thousands of neurons at the same time." These microchips will work to record brain activity and may also "stimulate neurons...to to explore for treating brain disorders like epilepsy and Parkinson's or restoring brain function lost to injury" Currently this system is being tested on rats but there are still challenges to overcome such as how to get the chips across and in the human brain with the goal of being a less invasive alternative and how to organize and collect all the data that could be transmitted.

We have all heard of citronella, commonly known to be a natural mosquito repellant. "Biopesticides are substances or mixtures of biological substances used to prevent, destroy, kill, control, or mitigate pests." This article is short but provides a valuable list of biopesticide plants that can be used as the basis for research.

After the departure of the last Acting Comptroller of the Currency, who was looking to aggressively coordinate regulators and crypto companies, US regulators appear to be at odds with crypto and distributed ledger approaches. In Russia, on the other hand, Sber is purportedly working with Russia's central bank to register its digital assets platform, "which would pave the way for the launch of the digital assets trading platform in Russia." If the US appears hostile to crypto and Russia appears accommodating, Russia may be in a much stronger position as a world financial player if crypto continues to emerge.

A flurry of recent announcements and ventures from Sber reflected on MarketScreener are just a few of the ventures that suggest Sber is working hard to establish itself as an international player at the intersection of finance and tech. The agile effort has apparently produced the following results: "product introductions increased more than fourfold, while the average time to market (from idea to implementation) decreased more than sevenfold." For a few of the more peripheral spinoffs, see: https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/PJSC-SBERBANK-6494829/news/PJSC-Sberbank-Currency-exchange-rates-at-SberBank-branches-now-on-2GIS-maps-36465221/ or https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/PJSC-SBERBANK-6494829/news/PJSC-Sberbank-Amazing-creatures-from-deep-sea-now-on-SberBank-Online-36463962/ or https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/PJSC-SBERBANK-6494829/news/PJSC-Sberbank-Sber-opens-multimedia-fountain-in-Lipetsk-36463963/

In 2020 Europe saw a great reverse migration, as those who had sought work abroad returned home. Exact numbers are hard to come by. An estimated 1.3m Romanians went back to Romania-equivalent to three times the population of its second-biggest city. Perhaps 500,000 Bulgarians returned to Bulgaria-a huge number for a country of 7m. Lithuania has seen more citizens arriving than leaving for the first time in years.

Article explains peoples concerns about the rapd implementation of facial recognition technology and other biometric screening and the effect it has on minorities.

Biological, non-toxic and able to create a "healthy" current in the body (think heartbeat.)

Basically - bacteria will find a way around, even silver nanoparticles. "The results are promising for being able to tune particle properties for a desired response, such as high efficacy while avoiding resistance."

The size of a dust mite, many we don't need be chipped, we will be injected.

I have been hearing about injectable robots the size of a dust mite that repair your cells but I can't remember where. Very interesting!

Using this new paint to cover a roof area of about 1,000 square feet could result in a cooling power of 10 kilowatts. "That's more powerful than the air conditioners used by most houses," Ruan said.

"SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO DEVELOP VIABLE TECHNOLOGIES TO PRODUCE CONCRETE-LIKE MATERIALS ON THE SURFACE OF MARS, BUT WE NEVER STOPPED TO THINK THAT THE ANSWER MIGHT BE INSIDE US ALL ALONG"

"While we don't expect to be delivering a full Star Trek holodeck experience in the near future, we're already boldly going in new directions to add additional functions to the system. Soon, we expect to be able to modify the temperature of the airflow to allow users to feel hot or cold surfaces. We're also exploring the possibility of adding scents to the airflow, deepening the illusion of virtual objects by allowing users to smell as well as touch them."

Talks about using nanotechnology for detection of zoonic viruses (transmitted from animals). Nanotech allows the rapid identification and subsequently a rapid cure for the virus.

Article talks about use of nanotechnology in growing crops with more nutrients (much of what we grow today doesn't have the nutrient value it once did) for healthier eating (H2)

Kind of a general article on how nanotechnology will be used in the future in medicine. (H3)

Another article about nanotechnology and plants--only the plants would be grown to be edible vaccines. Instead a shot in the arm, you could eat a salad.

Assassination of Iran's top nuclear scientist appears to have been carried out by what the New York Times calls "a high-tech, computerized sharpshooter kitted out with artificial intelligence and multiple-camera eyes, operated via satellite and capable of firing 600 rounds a minute." This and unmanned drones might herald a more expansive and ongoing set of targeted killings by state entities but also by networks, organizations, or even individuals and perhaps complicate traditional forensics in connecting actors with actions.

Federal Bank regulators are struggling to figure out how to handle electronic assets in order to maintain the stability and security of the financial system while also allowing innovation and progress.