Though it was touch and go for a little while, the future of the world is starting to look a little more positive. No sector of society looks more promising than that of science. With new innovations and inventions seemingly in the news every day, it’s hard to imagine that the human race is clawing itself back from a pandemic of epic proportions.
In fact, the role of science has most recently been seen in the combat of the Covid-19 pandemic. In a haste to come up with a swift and strong solution, vaccines—which usually take years to develop—took mere months to be taken to final stages. This shows that when scientists are given more free reign to take on a project, great things can happen. Let’s look at some other ways in which the future of science is looking bright.
Protein Expression
Protein expression is a highly complicated form of gene therapy, using enzymes to encourage the growth of a particular protein of interest. Through a robust expression system, these proteins can be altered to encourage specific characteristics or induce higher yield. The benefits of this to the food and pharmaceutical industries are significant—more consumables can be created, minimizing the number of people that go hungry. For vast portions of the United States, where farming is reliant on the environmental factors, having protein expression as a back-up plan can ensure that no harvest is a bad one. Plus, the implications are obvious. Given time, protein expression to increase the yield of crops can help in the combat against poverty on the world stage.
One company to watch out for is BioTech Resources. Their protein expression and purification service exist on an industrial scale, and they act as an outsourcing company for their scientific expertise. Whilst they have extensive expertise, the science behind protein expression and purification is still relatively new, and brings new breakthroughs all of the time.
Renewable Energy
It’s fair to say that the human impact on the environment, particularly since the industrial revolution saw the burning of fossil fuels accelerate on a massive scale. Since then, there has been much made about the effects that greenhouse gases on the Earth’s atmosphere and how it traps harmful rays close to the surface, heating the planet and destroying vast ecosystems by changing the climate.
What we have is a conundrum—the very fuels that we rely on as a species for everything from communication to power and transportation are irrecoverably damaging the planet. On the other hand, we can’t just stop using them either. Research into renewable energy to combat climate change is a large step towards recovering from the damage that has been done and preventing it from happening again. There are many projects ranging from electric-powered motor vehicles to widespread wind farming. The transition is coming, but the science behind renewable energy is worth keeping an eye on.
Robotic Surgery
Though robotic surgery sounds like the plot of a Philip K. Dick novel, it is actually more accurate to describe it as robotically assisted surgery. Clinical trials have thus far been promising. Surgeons are using robotic technology to perform more difficult surgical procedures in the operating room. Through the use of robotic arms at the control of the general surgery staff, smaller incisions can be made, allowing for less invasive procedures. A robot surgeon has a greater precision, and with less to heal, patients can potentially have faster recovery and shorter hospital stays.
Self-Driving Cars
Though it’s still some time away, automatic cars can soon be dominating the roads. Designed to remove human error from the driving experience (driver fatigue is not possible with a driverless car) these futuristic automobiles are still in the testing phases. Science is delivering safety, as well as solutions.
