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Posted on 10/02/2002 2:01:02 AM PDT by chance33_98
Atomic memory developed
Information can be stored at the atomic level
By Dr David Whitehouse BBC News Online science editor
Imagine a CD with a storage capacity not of 650 MB but 650 million MB. Such a storage capacity is theoretically possible because of experiments using individual atoms to store data. But don't expect it soon, the gap between theory and practice is wide.
In 1959 physicist Richard Feynman pointed out that all the words written in the history of the world could be contained in a cube of material one tenth of a millimetre wide - provided those words were written with atoms.
Now scientists have done just that, creating an atomic-scale memory by using atoms of silicon in place of the 1s and 0s that computers use to store data.
Proof of concept
The research is reported in the journal Nanotechnology. Scientists say it represents a first crude step toward a practical storage device in which atoms represent bits of information.
"This is proof of concept of what Feynman was saying 40 years ago," says Franz Himpsel of the University of Wisconsin.
The memory created by Himpsel provides a storage density a million times greater than a CD-ROM.
Atoms may be among the smallest physical things that can be used to store binary data. Their small size provided the awesome storage capacity, for example a grain of sand contains about 10 million billion atoms.
The new memory was made on a silicon surface by lifting out single silicon atoms with the tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope, gaps that represent the bits of data storage were created.
Conventional data storage uses millions of atoms per bit.
But while theoretically it is possible to use single atoms as storage bits in practice it may take decades to make a practical version of atomic memory.
This is because of the problems of working with individual atoms at room temperatures and the data rate at which information is put into the atomic memory, and subsequently read out again, is far too slow to be of any use at the moment.
Dna data
Researchers say that an intriguing aspect of the latest work is that memory density is comparable to the way nature stores data in Dna molecules.
The Wisconsin atomic-scale silicon memory uses 20 atoms to store one bit of information, including the space around the single atom bits. Dna uses 32 atoms to store information in one half of the chemical base pair that is the fundamental unit that makes up genetic information.
"Compared to conventional storage media, both Dna and the silicon surface excel by their storage density," says Himpsel.
It would seem like total magic to them.
I just wonder how developed tech will be a century from now (all things remaining constant). It should be amazing (again all things remaining constant).
Shoot! My grandparents were born in the 1890s. They experienced seeing their first car and being frightened into hiding to watching men land on the moon on TV.
The technology boom of the 20th century still has me amazed. And to think what 21st century technology boom may be. Scary when we read what the eggheads are talking about trying.
Clarke's Third Law
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
As to the "and"? Where religion rules consciousness, any religion, this falls short. Beyond that, and as to gauging which societies are ridden by (and riven by) religion, I won't go here. Yet it gives food for thought.
All I note is this: I, personally, would far prefer it if the astronomy and more general science threads outnumbered the prayer-request threads ...
Same here. When I think of the technological changes that occurred in their lifetimes - from the first flight to landing on the moon - it astounds me. We can no more imagine what changes the next 100 years will bring than they could.
memory mammary
If you watch 'The Mists of Avalon', the movie about Avalon, Merlin, King Arthur and the rest if his ilk, you will notice that one of the reasons (the main one) that causes Avalon and magic in the world to disappear is the attrition of the notion of magic by religion.
And if you look at real life you will notice the logic progressions through the ages. First it was pure tribal superstistition (aka flok lore and magic), however once christianity started proliferating in Europe this magic was substituted with Religion and what happened is that what was called good magic was now 'miracles and grace from above' while bad magic became the work of evil and the devil (and by the way it seems superstition through the centuries that can be linked to Christians was actually worse than anything tribal magic and folklore could do ...the Christian brand of superstition, eg witches and views on disease, killed myriads of people).
I guess technology is going to be the new 'religion-magic.' Once technology reaches its true apogee you will notice that religion will start to suffer from attrition once humans start doing what was thought to be the sole ability of God.
Imagine what would happen if all disease can be cured, and food/water shortages are tackled at last (this might seem impossible for now, but a century ago so was flying to the moon). Such an even would seriously erode the role of a deity for most people apart from those who truly see God through unabated faith! the reason is for most people God is in direct correlation to how much they need him, how much they feel they need some 'higher power' to ensure everything is ok. The moment science can take the part of a 'higher power' and tackle the most pressing needs then the 'need' for religion will fall.
In essence it will become like yoga, reflexology and acupuncture! Something that people do, and in large numbers (like yoga) , however something that is done for mundane spirituality, esoteric healing, and internal development ......but not out of worship or spiritual devotion.
To be honest with you if science reaches is true apogee there is a good chance religion could take a serious hit and partly become functionally obsolescent! This is not to say that i think there will be no more church goers! No, there will be many. However they will be split as follows: Church goers who go to church to worship God out of their respective faiths (and mean it) .....and those who go to church out of tradition because their parents go to church. (Actually a survey was done recently that showed most people who go to church and write in questionnaires that they are 'Christian' are only so because their parents were Christian. In essence they are Christians by default but an introspection into their lifestyles would show they are technically not what Christ intended).
Christianity will survive but it will be a schism between a small bunch of 'true christians' and a larger branch of 'default christians.' And religion in general will be come like Yoga ......spirituality distilled. However for this to happen science has to reach its apex (and i know some will say that is not possible ...but again remember a century ago the world was totally different in every strata from what it is today).
This should be quite interesting. I am happy that science is continuing to develop, but i feel sorry for those who find things like cloning 'problematic.' Trust me, there are things coming that will make the debate over cloning seem like child's play!
You could say developments will happen that will take the domain of man to true celestial levels, and once that happens to many the sole prominence of religion will begin to ebb as scientists start doing this that religion insisted for centuries only God can do.
For example just last Thursday i saw a report saying that scientists are re-starting the control of weather that they had tried in the late seventies and early eighties (but failed). Now they say they have the technology and ability to do i, and in the process be able to start a gentle weather alteration to severe climatic changes .....even altering hurricanes. Who knows how long it will take before this becomes a weapon of war? Imagine sending a typhoon to rout out terrorists hiding in the jungles of the Phillipines? The Norse thought only Thor and some of the other Asgardian gods could do that!
Science will become super-science. Religion on the other hand will become one of two things: 1) True faith to a few. 2) Psuedo-faith to the rest in which religion becomes in essence a yogic exercise with priests instead of yogis!
While I know we don't know what's in store for us in the next 100 years, I wonder if the period from around 1890 until now could ever be topped. We went from a virtual agrerian existence to an almost complete suburban. Everything we use on a daily basis -- and can't live without -- cars, computers, phones, faxes, even hair dryers, were either not in existence or only in their infancy then. If you assume that the Palm, for example, is simply a handheld computer (foreseen or not during the 1970s), isn't the progress we've made in the last few years simply an add-on to what we did in the early and middle part of the last century?
Does anyone here think that we will have and use, in 100 years, something completely unheard of today? Or will it be better cars, better phones, better computers, etc. I honestly don't know, and I would like to hear what you all think.
Yes, absolutely. Take transistors and lasers - it took decades before we started seeing real applications. So now we start talking about atomic memory, nanotech and other such things - but we're only beginning to imagine applications.
Consider the computer! Prior to about 1970, there wasn't any such thing for the ordinary consumer - but in a mere 30 years, it has sparked a revolution in communication, commerce, and so forth.
And then there's life science. OK, we've recently built a polio virus from chemicals - fairly impressive, right? But suppose we really knew - deeply and in detail - all the implications of the various genomes and the proteins it creates. Now suppose that we can change them to get the results we want. You want your child to be 6'6", IQ 200, and live to 100? No problem, that's this week's special.
And what of robotics? What would it be like to have several personal assitants to take care of the details for you?
We're on the verge of an exciting time. You and I will see part of it - but the children and grandchildren of our generation will view us much as we look at the tribesmen of centuries past.
I wonder what those who are against cloning will say to genetic designer kids? Personally i see nothing wrong in 'designing' a child to possess qualities that are deemed favorable (eg a high intellect quotient, amazing looks, good height, genes without any hidden timebombs like cancer, a great personality etc). I see nothing wrong in that ....however i am sure there are many who would fight tooth and nail to ensure such science is banned and vilified!
Anyways that should be interesting. The current Stem Cell debate is going to disappear (as in even if it is banned in the US it will go at full steam in Europe, and due to competition among the medical industry players once it becomes fully established in Europe it will just be a matter of time before it is allowed in the US since US firms without Stem Cell research ....true cell stem research not the pseudo-study of a limited number of cells .....will not be able to compete with European medical firms). Hence Cell Stem research is here to stay even though currently thereis a whole brouhaha over it. Commerce and Capitalism will accomplish for Cell Stem research what Nancy Reagan, Christopher Reeves and others have failed.
However if genetic designing of kids happens then the outcry (from the same people who were against cloning) will be immense. But yet again capitalism and competition will ensure the practice becomes established.
It will be a Brave New World.
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