Posted on 07/02/2005 3:23:31 PM PDT by Asphalt
SCIENCE has come a long way since Thomas Edison founded the leading research journal of that name in 1880. But many of the greatest scientific mysteries, from the nature of the cosmos to the secrets of the human genetic code, still baffle us.
To mark the 125th anniversary of Science, its editors have compiled 125 “big questions” that show the extent to which humanity still struggles to understand our Universe. Although the list is not meant to be exhaustive, it offers an insight into the fields that will be illuminated over the next 125 years.
All are subjects already under investigation, and at least some are likely to produce compelling answers in the foreseeable future.
Science examines 25 of the questions in particular detail in today’s edition. There is no league table, but pride of place goes to the issue of what the Universe is made. Current thinking is that the visible matter so far detected makes up just 5 per cent of the Universe’s mass, with the remainder composed of mysterious “dark matter” and even more elusive “dark energy”.
Other prominent posers include the biological basis of consciousness, a question that troubled the philosopher René Descartes in the 17th century, and for which scientists are little closer to supplying a definitive solution. Many of the questions involve genetics: how genes affect a person’s susceptibility to disease, and how so few human genes can account for such intricate biology.
It was originally thought that human beings have about 100,000 genes, but the mapping of the human genome has shown this estimate to be four times too high. Our 25,000 genes are fewer than both the puffer fish and a tiny plant called Arabidopsis thaliana.
The journal wants to know whether the two greatest theories in physics — quantum mechanics and relativity — can ever be unified. The former makes supremely accurate predictions at the smallest of scales, and the latter at the largest, but they appear to be incompatible under current knowledge.
Other questions include whether it is possible to prolong human life routinely beyond 100, and whether there is an upper limit; which genetic changes made people human; how altruism evolved; and how memories are formed and stored.
Issues with immediate political relevance include how hot the world will get under the influence of global warming, and whether an effective HIV vaccine will be developed.
Perhaps most intriguing of all are the matters of how life on Earth began, and whether we are alone in the Universe. There are plenty of theories, but no firm answers.
Donald Kennedy, editor-in-chief of Science, said: “Today, science’s most profound questions address some of the largest phenomena in the cosmos and some of the smallest. We may never fully answer some of these questions, but we will advance our knowledge and society in the process of trying.”
Science is the world’s best-selling research journal and is considered, with its British-based rival Nature, to be the most prestigious. Its first issue, on July 3, 1880, featured articles on the potential of electric trains and advice to science teachers on studying animal brains.
TOP 25 QUESTIONS
What is the Universe made of?
What is the biological basis of consciousness?
Why do humans have so few genes?
To what extent are genetic variation and personal health linked?
Can the laws of physics be unified?
How much can human life span be extended?
What controls organ regeneration?
How can a skin cell become a nerve cell?
How does a single somatic cell become a whole plant?
How does Earth’s interior work?
Are we alone in the Universe?
How and where did life on Earth arise?
What determines species diversity?
What genetic changes made us uniquely human?
How are memories stored and retrieved?
How did co-operative behaviour evolve?
How will big pictures emerge from a sea of biological data?
How far can we push chemical self-assembly?
What are the limits of conventional computing?
Can we selectively shut off immune responses?
Do deeper principles underlie quantum uncertainty and non-locality?
Is an effective HIV vaccine feasible?
How hot will the greenhouse world be?
What can replace cheap oil — and when?
Will Malthus continue to be wrong?
"Will Malthus continue to be wrong?"
My favorite question.
The answer, of course,is yes - as long as man continues to be free.
If the world is run the way liberals want it, the predictions of malthus will come true in a most unpleasant manner.
I'll start working on these now, I'll get back to you....
How hot will the greenhouse world be?
What can replace cheap oil — and when?
Will Malthus continue to be wrong?
Do I detect just a tiny wee bit of politics???
This is going to require large quantities of beer before I reach any conclusions.
the one they missed is will genetic engineering bring about any new advances in the treatment of disease. Most notably cancer, AIDS, HIV, ALS, you name it....
My thermos. It keeps hot things hot. It keeps cold things cold. How do it know?
LOL
They got the first two items wrong.
#1 Where did my other sock go?
#2 Why is everything in the last place I look?
Can the liberal gene be identified?
How come water is blue, yet snow is white?
And where did all that water come from anyway? It can't be easy to combine hydrogen and oxygen like that.
Who says these are the top 25? And only 25? Something tells me we haven't even scratched the surface. A touch of politics? Indeed. A professed fascination with the laws of the cosmos with a peculiar lack of interest in the Source of all law. Like a blind man stumbling into the ditch while thinking he's nearly got the way figured out.
(drum roll........)
I'm sure you know there is always a political side to anything involving three or more people.
If you do as I do and use Jim Beam, the quantity is very much reduced.
How did Kerry get nearly 50% of the vote with no substantive alternative solutions, just bellyaching and vague platitudes?
>How are memories stored and retrieved?
This one has always fascinated me...
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