Form 10 

Theme: Technologies.

The BBC asked readers for their predictions of life in 100 years time. Here is what futurologists Ian Pearson (IP) and Patrick Tucker (PT) think of the readers’ ideas. Read the predictions and pay special attention to the use of the Future Perfect and Future Continuous tenses

	People will be farming oceans extensively and not just for fish (Jim 300) IP: Likelihood 10/10. We will need to feed 10 billion people and nature can't keep up with demand, so we will need much more ocean farming for fish. But algae farming is also on the way for renewable energy, and maybe even for growth of feedstock (raw materials) or resource extraction via GM seaweed or algae.
	We will be communicating through thought transmission (Dev 2) IP: Likelihood 10/10. Transmission will be just as easy as other forms of brain augmentation. Picking up thoughts and relaying them to another brain will not be much harder than storing them on the net. PT: Synthetic telepathy sounds like something out of Hollywood but it is quite possible, so long as "communication" is understood to be electrical signals rather than words.
	Thanks to DNA and robotic engineering, we will have created incredibly intelligent humans who are immortal. (game_over) IP: Likelihood 9/10. It is more likely that direct brain links using electronics will achieve this, but GM will help a lot by increasing longevity - keeping people alive until electronic immortality technology is freely available at reasonable cost. PT: Good chance. The idea that breakthroughs in the field of genetics, biotechnology and artificial intelligence will expand human intelligence and allow our species to essentially defeat death is sometimes called the Singularity.
	We will be controlling the weather. (mariebee_) IP: Likelihood 8/10. There is already some weather control technology for mediating tornadoes, making it rain and so on, and thanks to climate change concerns, a huge amount of knowledge is being gathered on how weather works. We will probably have technology  to control weather when we need to. It won't necessarily be cheap enough to use routinely and is more likely to be used to avoid severe damage in key areas.
	People will have started to use one single worldwide currency. (Kennys_Heroes) IP: Likelihood  8/10. This is very plausible. We are already seeing electronic currency that can be used anywhere, and this trend will continue. It is quite likely that there will be only a few regional currencies by the middle of the century and worldwide acceptance of a global electronic currency. This will gradually mean the others fall out of use and only one will be left by the end of the century.

 

	We will all be wired to computers to make our brains work faster (Dev 2) IP: Likelihood 10/10. We can expect this as soon as 2050 for many people. By 2075 most people in the developed world will have started using machine augmentation of some sort for their brains and, by the end of the century, pretty much everyone will. If someone else does this you will have to compete.
	Nanorobots will be fixing flowing in our bodies fixing cells, and will be able to record our memories (Alister Brown) PT: Good chance. Right now, medical nanorobots exist only in theory and nanotechnology is mostly a materials science. But it's a rapidly growing field. Nanorobots exist within the realm of possibility, but the question of when they will arrive is another matter
	People will be speaking only three languages - English, Spanish and Mandarin, all other languages will have become extinct. (Bill Walker) IP: Likelihood 8/10: This does look like a powerful trend, other languages don't stand a lot of chance. Minor languages are dying at a huge rate already and the other major ones are mostly in areas where everyone educated speaks at least one of the other three.
	Space elevators will have made space travel cheap and easy (Ahdok) IP: Likelihood 8/10. First space elevators will certainly be around, and although "cheap" is a relative term, it will certainly be a lot cheaper than conventional space development. It will create a strong acceleration in space development and tourism will be one important area, but the costs will not be low enough for most people to try.
	There will be museums for almost every aspect of nature, as so much of the world's natural habitat will have been destroyed  (LowMaintenanceLifestyles) PT:  Pretty close. Earth is on the verge of a significant species extinction event. Protecting biodiversity in a time of increased resource consumption, overpopulation, and environmental degradation will require continued sacrifice on the part of local, often impoverished communities..
	Sovereign nation states will have ceased to exist and there will be one world government. (krozier93) PT: In fact, the trend is in the direction of more sovereign nations rather than fewer. In the coming years, corporations or wealthy private citizens will attempt to use earth-moving technologies to build their own semi-sovereign entities in international waters.

Adapted from http://www.bbc.co.uk

Discussion task:

Look at what other people think about the life in 2100. What is your opinion about these predictions, are they likely to come true? Fill in the empty cells of the table.

	Probability score e.g. 8/10	Prediction	Your comments
		Britain will have had a revolution (holierthanthou)
		Deserts will have become tropical forests (jim300)
		Marriage will be replaced by an annual contract  (holierthanthou)
		Instead of receiving information from the media, people will be downloading information directly into their brains (krozier93)
		People will be growing crops in sand (jim300)
		English will be spelled phonetically (jim300)