A look Ahead in Science... from 1970!

I just wanted to post something that scientists and mathematicians, around 1970, predicted would happen in scientific breakthroughs. I thought this was interesting because we have accomplished some of these things. Other things may not be accomplished any time soon.

I just want to hear what you all have to say about these predictions. If there likely any time soon, if they have been done, without the public knowing, etc.

All of this Information was taken from a book called "Sound and Hearing" from the Science Program, Science Service.

Based on predictions by a panel of experts in a Rand Corporation study by Olaf Helmer (a mathematician) around 1970s.

"In This Time Period... Experts predict these developments!

1972-88, Reliable Weather Forecasts

1975-89, Artificial Organs made of plastic and electronic components

1978-2000, Primitive Artificial Life

1980-2000, Non-Narcotic Drugs for changing Personality

1980-2000, Controlled Thermonuclear Warfare

1980-2000, Mining of the Ocean Floor

1983-2000, Biochemical General Immunization

1983-2017, Psychotic cases treated by Physical or Chemical Therapy

1985-2005, Synthetic Protein for food

1985-2025, Drugs to increase Intelligence

1987-2000, Regional Weather Control

1990-2010, Genetic Engineering to control some Heredity Affects

1990-?, Direct Electromechanical interaction, brain and computer

1995-2025, Biochemicals to stimulate growth of new Organs and Limbs

1995-2025, Chemical Control of Aging

1995-?, Education by recording of the Brain

2000-2018, Economic Ocean Farming

2000-?, Intelligent animals for low grade work

2005-?, Many new Elements from Subatomic Building Blocks

2005-?, Coma to permit a form of Time Travel

2020-?, Extraterrestrial two-way communication

2020-?, Control of Gravity

2020-?, Telepathy and ESP in communications "

Well thats it for now. I'll come back on later with a link to predictions made by Scientists and Mathematicians of the present day.

The problem with alot of that stuff, we do not know if they have done that stuff already.

Thx for the list.

reply to post by andy1033


Very nice ! unfortunately we are still working on most of the mentioned issues. But I guess most of them will be every-day life within 30 years. So the estimation error was.. 100%

[edit on 23-4-2008 by sty]

reply to post by andy1033


Exactly, how are we suppose to know that they didn't do all these things yet. But obviously some are freely shown in public. I guess we won't know for a while. Anyway thanks for the reply.



sty,
Thats an interesting point of view. As we have seen, and guessed, the government hides things from us until they have something better and can keep the earlier one controlled, etc. For example they have been able to switch to fuels that do not pollute the earth. Magnetism is one of them.

remember now days the secret science is ahead 20-40 years.

new laws, new theories, new elements, some old laws added to some made obsolete.

my uncle worked in govt labs and did not say much , but he did say this to me.

He also said if the china russia or even our friends were working on a secret program and we found out about it we would start our own program no matter how far out or stupid.

if the Russians had a program to turn vanilla ice cream into plutonium and we found out about it we would start our own program and spend millions.

it is the highest security that out technology be secret and that no one can advance beyond us.

uncle died of cancer in the 1990's

reply to post by airborne82ndscout


I'm not being rude, but your uncle must have been working through the cold war. Things are MUCH different now. The US no longer has a massive, technologically-superior (in many aspects) enemy to be the bogey man. All this nonsene of trying to figure out how far ahead "secret" science is, as if it's a single entity, is pointless.

Well, the prediction was made for the official science I guess. But I will have to dissapoint you in telling that the commercial science is actually exceding lots of the military technologies. I know for a fact that missles would use microchips made in China , available to anyone and program their chips using C etc..