Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Leonardo da Vinci
FUTURE OF SCIENCE
Science is our Future
We’re taking into account the environmental aspects and the development of new worldwide ideas, especially the upcoming second industrial revolution. At present we are witnessing an uncertain view of the future, because a lot of ignorant people argue that there is not much scope for invention, but this view is totally wrong.
PRC Institute has its own base of at least 150 global innovations for the development of new products in the field of textiles, food, energy, automotive, medical, environmental, waste and other industries.
Nowadays we are dedicating our precious time to the research and the development of usage of new materials, which will overtake the new understanding of involved industry. Let’s highlight a few examples:
Water Resources
We are still depended on the conventional water resources although it was noted that there’s broad river water, large as about 700×9.000 km, located in the upper layers of our atmosphere. Its water flow is a phenomenon, even more than the Amazon River for example.
Our groundwater supplies are slowly decreasing. This remains a global problem due to various reasons such as: over-exploitation of it for commercial purposes (selling and bottling services), insufficient water management (poor and decrepit network systems, leak of systems, etc.), excessive water consumption in the western world approx. 150 liters /day /habitant, the usage of drinking water in all types of ineligible purposes (toilets, washing cars, etc.). Supplies of fresh drinking water are actually decreasing so dramatically that it has already endanger national security of many countries where the water is already more expensive than e.g. gasoline.
It is crucial to invest more in science, as its main priority is to provide careless future. Science offers several solutions, which in the past were poorly accepted because the water in underground “reservoirs” was simply a cheaper solution.
In Africa we have recently installed the first Multi-Module Reverse Osmosis System – MMRO for the production of 400.000 m³ /day of clean and mineralized water. The system exploits seawater, which is then purified through a special procedure. This source is practically endless. The advantages of this system are extremely low running costs (approx. 0.1 euros /liter) and the whole plant is cheaper than conventional plumbing system. With the potential usage of such systems we would be completely independent of conventional systems.
In the past a lot of different ideas have emerged, solving problems with water until now. An inventive solution, with a branch of various industrial applications would provide 100.000 new jobs all over the world.
Textile Industry
Overall, this branch of industry still uses conventional methods for treatment of natural or synthetic materials. In the past few years the process of industrialization has not changed much. A new branch of Nano materials was prepared in different shapes and colors but still no real breakthrough in “new generation” of clothing was made.
We maintain our long-standing position that while the textile industry wants a comprehensive agreement, any agreement must be in the industry’s best interest. No deal is better than a bad deal.
Auggie Tantillo
The future of clothing, which is predicted in the exploitation of scientific knowledge, is in the field of new materials. Existing materials allow us to heat and cool the body. So far none of the industry branches have exploited those advantages. Based on the known results of the research a new series of clothes will lead the global market.
Clothing must be vented; it must hold heat and keep away cold e.g. dry fit. The organic memory unit to store warmth at night, automatic drying, color-changing, inflatable items, with indicators of bodily functions, etc.
10 years ago we offered an American company a new material with aluminum threads. Now the company produces annually 900 million U.S. dollars worth of clothing based on our revolutionary idea. Since then more than 800 people have received employment.
Science already offers a range of solutions. We have participated in the development of dresses that offer everything necessary for the development of new branches of industry and could indirectly provide 100.000 new jobs.
The Paste, Present & the Future ?
Overall, this branch of industry still produces most of the old engines using fossil fuels even though the perfect engine running on water was presented in 1975. In the last few years we have also been witnessing some inventive solutions for a variety of improvements (kinetic-magnetic actuators, wireless electrical units) but we got stuck at the level of these hybrids. Hybrid car production is not the least cost effective because the production uses a lot more energy for production comparing it with conventional drive unit. Modern LCA analysis in these cases is extremely negative. Cars of the future will be powered by electricity only. Today’s question is an appropriate power supply.
People can have the Model T
in any colour so long as it’s black.
Henry Ford
Industry is preparing a series of new obsolete solutions, which do not sound logic. Few years ago, we have found some appropriate and fully functional systems, which have not seen the light of day.
Revolution on the roads
Expect to see many rapid improvements in vehicle fuel efficiency using petrol and diesel, and many new ultra-efficient hybrid vehicles. Even if we only saw 30% energy saving in 30% of vehicle miles driven in developed nations over the next decade, we would save at least 9% in motoring energy use (at today’s rate of miles driven a year). That would be the same as cutting today’s global emissions by more than 1%.
Greening of the world car fleet is happening rapidly. JD Power Consultancy estimates that a third of emission cuts by 2020 will come from improving petrol and diesel engines, and 14% from miles driven in electric vehicles. If all vehicles in America were hybrids, and half were plug-in hybrids (larger batteries), US imports of oil would fall by 8 million barrels a day or by 80% of daily consumption.
Electric cars
Electric vehicles are one of the most important ways to reduce motoring costs, reduce carbon use in transport, improve air quality and reduce global warming. Expect battery-powered vehicles to be 10% of the market by 2020. Models like Nissan’s Leaf and Chevrolet’s Volt have led the way.
Much of government economic stimulus packages for the auto industry have been linked to green tech, of which a huge proportion is things like battery technology. 16 million new cars a year are sold in EU alone (2.4 million in UK). If we assume that up to 25% of the smallest car market could are electric cars within 10 years that would mean over 1 million sold each year, at an average cost of EU 11.000. Electric car sales would then be worth at least EU 11 billion a year in the EU.
The Essence of Humanity
World belongs to humanity, not this leader, that leader or that king or prince or religious leader. World belongs to humanity.
Dalai Lama
The Seventh World Conference on the Future of Science has been concerned with one of the most and exciting and rapidly-progressing areas of scientific research: the mind. Scientists of international renown have presented the latest findings on the evolution and functioning of mind that uniquely human attribute, still largely mysterious, on which our future depends. Emotions, decisions, the extent to which some animals have minds, the birth of beliefs, biological and artificial intelligence, mirror neurons, the force of memory, sleep and dreams, human language and mind, consciousness, mind-brain illnesses: all have been examined and discussed on the magnificent Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, and 18 – 20 September 2011.
Viruses: The Invisible Enemy
The Sixth World Conference on The Future of Science has explored another theme of major public interest, and subject of intense scientific enquiry: Viruses, those mysterious and invisible agents responsible for so many human diseases. Speakers of international stature have explained how viruses evolved, how man has coped with viruses in the past, how they enter and take over cells, and how they evade host defenses. They have discussed where new viruses come from, and whether it will be possible for a new virus to destroy the human race.
Indecision is a virus that can run through an army and destroy its will to win or even to survive.
Wendell Mayes
The role of viruses in cancer, the prevention and treatment of pandemic flu and AIDS, and their potential role as therapeutic agents have also been examined. Viruses are small and relatively simple forms of life that have developed very complex strategies to survive and disseminate. They are obligatory parasites, since they can only multiply within living cells. Nevertheless, they number among the world’s biggest killers, now as in the past. The outbreaks of highly lethal viral diseases such as Ebola and Hantavirus have caused great public concern. Viruses also cause many important plant diseases and are responsible for huge losses in crop production in all parts of the world. But viruses can also be allies: they are tools for gene therapy and can be made to work as tumor-killing agents. The ultimate aim of the Conference has been to indicate how science and technology can meet global viral threats by developing new vaccines and new antiviral drugs, and by addressing the economic, political and ethical issues related to the prevention and treatment of viral diseases.
The DNA Revolution
The Fifth World Conference on the Future of Science has once again explored a theme that puts science at the center of the social debate: the DNA Revolution. The discovery of the structure of DNA, more than fifty years ago, and the realization that it encoded the genetic information that determines the nature of all living organisms, created a true revolution in our understanding of biology and medicine, whose impact on essentially every aspect of life continues and expands to this day.
At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.
Richard Dawkins
While genome sequencing of multiple organisms, from humans to bacteria, has revealed exciting new information about our genetic make-up and the mechanisms of disease – leading to what has been called the post-genomic era – the function and purpose of much DNA remains to be discovered. The Conference has assessed the impact that the “DNA Revolution” has had and will continue to have on science, technology and the quality of human life. It has focused on the significance of the most recent genetic research to our understanding of evolution and natural selection, health and disease; on how the knowledge provided by DNA research has dramatically changed the practice of medicine, agriculture and the management of biological resources; and on the bioethical issues raised by such discoveries. Major topics to be discussed have been genes and genome evolution, the impact of recombinant DNA on biotechnology and pharmaceutics, the genetics of human diseases, gene therapy, and the molecular genetics of cancer.
The Energy Challenge
In the pursuit of the aim of The Future of Science program, the theme of the Third World Conference has been The Energy Challenge, one of the most important global challenges facing us today that brings science back to the center of public attention and debate. The major themes discussed have been the roles of various energy sources in a sustainable energy scenario; the impacts of energy use on the planet and on individuals; and the ethical, political and economic implications of energy choices.
I think the cost of energy will come down when we make this transition to renewable energy.
Al Gore
The Conference has examined the immense problem of future sources of energy, consonant with the Venice Charter’s declaration that major goals of applied scientific research must include reduced use of fossil fuels and expanded use of alternative energy sources. Following the tradition of past editions, the Conference has lasted three days, gathering together in Venice speakers of international renown from various disciplines, among them two Nobel Prizes.
Evolution
Evolution is a central concept in many spheres of human endeavor, ranging from astrophysics and genetics to philosophy and psychology. Reflection about Evolution is reflection about us, our future and our place in the universe. In pursuit of the objectives set by the First World Conference on the Future of Science, Evolution has been chosen as the theme of the Second Conference – a theme central to science and to society as a whole.
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.
Charles Darwin
The Second Venice Conference has brought together authorities of international renown from various disciplines to contribute with their views and engage in debate with all participants, represented not only by experts but by a wider public. Researchers and experts have been interacting with politicians, economists, managers, teachers and journalists, to reflect about the making of the universe and first forms of life till mankind and to debate the impact of concepts of evolution on our lives and take part in delineating a new role for science in tomorrow’s world. Over the three days Conference have been discussed the evolution of matter, the evolution of life and the evolution of mind. It has been a fascinating survey of the whole existence from its remotest origins to its distant future.