改變人類未來的五大科技
1. Biotech
1.生物科技Since the early 2000s, the cost of sequencing a human genome — determining the precise order of nucleotides within DNA molecules that defines who we are — has dropped sharply. A genome that cost $100m to sequence in 2001 can today be sequenced for roughly $1,000.
自本世紀初以來，人類基因測序（確定DNA分子內部核苷酸的確切排序，這一排序決定了我們是誰）的價格已大幅下跌。2001年基因測序的價格高達1億美元，如今僅爲1000美元左右。This plummeting cost, along with the shortened timescales for sequencing DNA, has led to a revolution in biotechnology: gene hacking, or the ability to turn genes on and off, and to manipulate biology to our advantage.
價格下跌再加上DNA測序所需時間縮短，帶來了生物技術領域的革命：基因黑客技術，能夠開啓和關閉基因、操縱生物學讓其爲我們所用。
The most radical branch of this new technology is “gene editing” — a process by which our DNA code can be cut and pasted using molecular “scissors” for a variety of applications, including curing diseases such as cancers and HIV. Until recently, swapping the code was an arduous process. A new DNA cut-and-paste tool known as Crispr has made the process unexpectedly simple.
這種新技術的最激進分支是“基因編輯”：利用分子“剪刀”剪切和粘貼我們的DNA編碼的過程，其用途很多，包括治癒癌症和艾滋病等疾病。直到不久前，DNA編碼交換曾是一個困難的過程。名爲Crispr的新的基因剪切與粘貼工具讓這個過程變得意外地簡單。Crispr has been used to create disease-resistant strains of wheat and rice, alter yeast to make biofuels and reverse blindness in animals. Ultimately, it could be used to edit defects out of human embryos.
Crispr用來創造抗病的小麥和大米品種、改變酵母菌以製造生物燃料並治療動物失明。最終，它或許可用於消除人類胚胎中的缺陷。2. Artificial intelligence
2.人工智能Artificial intelligence is not science fiction: it is already embedded in products we use every day. Apple’s Siri assistant, Amazon’s book recommendations, Facebook’s news feed and Spotify’s music discovery playlist are all examples of services driven by machine learning algorithms.
人工智能並非科幻小說：它已經嵌入到我們每天使用的產品中。蘋果(Apple)的Siri助理、亞馬遜(Amazon)的圖書推薦、Facebook的新聞推送以及Spotify的音樂發現列表都是由機器學習算法驅動的服務的例子。This decades-old science is enjoying a renaissance today because of the deluge of data created by smartphones and sensors, and the supercomputing power that is available to crunch that data. According to technology research firm Tractica, the AI market will grow from $643.7m in 2016 to $36.8bn by 2025.
這門擁有幾十年歷史的科學如今正經歷復興，因爲智能手機和傳感器創造了大量數據，並且如今我們有了能夠處理這些數據的超級運算能力。根據科技研究機構Tractica的數據，人工智能市場的規模將從2016年的6.437億美元擴大到2025年的368億美元。Techniques such as deep learning and neural networks supposedly mimic the human brain: they spot broad patterns in enormous data sets in order to label images, recognise voices and make decisions.
據說，深度學習和神經網絡等技術會模仿人腦：它們會識別大量數據集中各種大的模式，以實現對圖片的歸類、識別聲音和做出決定。The next step is artificial general intelligence: an algorithm that will not have to be taught a specific skill such as a game of chess or a new language, but will acquire it through trial and error, just as a child does. Companies such as London-based DeepMind, owned by Google, and others are working to make this a reality.
下一步是通用型人工智能：這種算法不需要被教授具體技能（例如下棋或一門新的語言），而是會通過試錯法來習得技能，就像兒童所做的那樣。總部位於倫敦的DeepMind（由谷歌(Google)所有）等公司以及其他公司正致力於讓這變爲現實。3. Renewable energy
3.可再生能源World leaders last year ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change.
世界各國領導人去年批准了《巴黎氣候協議》(Paris Agreement)。This aims to keep the global average temperature from rising more than 2C above pre-industrial levels and to attempt to keep the increase under 1.5C. Keeping this promise will require more renewable energy research over the next decade.
該協議旨在阻止全球平均氣溫較工業時代以前的水平升高2攝氏度以上，並試圖將升溫幅度控制在1.5攝氏度以下。兌現這一承諾將需要在未來10年加大可再生能源研究。In energy, researchers are trying to build a nuclear fusion reactor that would tap the same process that causes the sun to give off light and heat to create a source of clean energy. An intergovernmental partnership is building a $19bn fusion reactor, ITER, in France. Other innovations include artificial photosynthesis to make hydrocarbons in laboratories to power cars, and high-altitude wind power that involves kites and hot-air balloons acting as aerial wind turbines.
在能源領域，研究人員正試圖建造一個核聚變反應堆，利用與太陽發光發熱原理相同的過程，創造出一個清潔能源來源。一項政府間合作計劃正在法國建造一個190億美元的核聚變反應堆ITER。其他創新計劃包括：人工光合作用，在實驗室中製造碳氫化合物爲汽車提供動力；高海拔風電廠，把風箏和熱氣球作爲空中風力渦輪。Iceland is investing in geothermal technology, drilling for heat energy underground. Thirty years ago it started by using geothermal resources to heat towns and cities. Now, the entire country’s electricity and heating systems are powered almost fully by renewable energy, including geothermal and hydropower.
冰島正在投資發展地熱技術，通過鑽探開採地下熱能。30年前，該國開始利用地熱資源爲城鎮供暖。如今，整個國家的電力和供暖系統幾乎全部依靠可再生能源，包括地熱和水電。4. Connectivity
4.網絡接入技術WiFi — a household staple that modern children take for granted — turned 25 last September. As more objects connect to the “internet of things” — an estimated 50bn of them by 2020, according to estimates from technology company Cisco — the future of WiFi lies in reducing the power it drains from internet-enabled devices.
WiFi是現代兒童眼中理所當然的家庭標配，去年9月，這項技術度過了25歲生日。隨着更多設備與“物聯網”相連（根據科技公司思科(Cisco)的估計，到2020年，聯入物聯網的設備將達到500億臺），WiFi的未來取決於降低其在聯網設備上消耗的電量。One innovation, invented by students at the University of Washington in Seattle, is known as “passive WiFi” which its inventors say consumes 10,000 times less power. It is currently slower than regular home broadband, but would work well for applications such as smart thermostats or lightbulbs. The WiFi community is also looking to develop higher-frequency bands that would be used over a limited range, such as in a house or car.
位於西雅圖的華盛頓大學(University of Washington)的學生髮明瞭一種創新技術，名爲“被動WiFi”。發明人稱，耗電量僅爲以前的萬分之一。目前速率低於一般的家庭寬帶，但應用於恆溫器或燈泡等設備效果很好。WiFi界還計劃開發更高的頻段，用於覆蓋有限的範圍，例如家中或車裏。Ultimately, WiFi itself could be replaced by a new superfast alternative called Li-Fi, which uses light to beam information through the air, instead of radio waves. Lightbulbs would act as routers for this technology. A pilot study earlier this year found that a Li-Fi prototype could send data 100 times faster than WiFi, allowing dozens of movies to be downloaded in minutes.
最終，WiFi可能會被另一種新的超高速連接技術Li-Fi取代，這種技術利用光通過空氣（而非無線電波）傳輸信息。燈泡將作爲這項技術的路由器。今年早些時候的一項試驗研究發現，Li-Fi樣機的數據傳輸速度是WiFi的100倍，幾十部電影可以在幾分鐘之內下載完畢。
5. Smart appliances
5.智能家電Almost two-thirds of the human population is connected to the internet via smartphones, but these devices are not the only portal to the web. In 2016 there were 6.4bn connected things — excluding PCs, phones and tablets — in use worldwide, up 30 per cent from the previous year, according to technology analyst Gartner. The internet of things, as it is known, is this universe of objects — everything from cars to printers, lightbulbs to thermostats — that are no longer “dumb”, static things: they can learn your habits and be controlled remotely using an app.
全球近三分之二的人口通過智能手機連接互聯網，但智能手機並非唯一的互聯網接入門戶。技術分析機構高德納(Gartner)的數據顯示，2016年，全球有64億個使用中的聯網設備（不包括個人電腦、手機和筆記本電腦），較上一年高出30%。物聯網正是這些聯網設備的集合，從汽車到打印機、燈泡到恆溫器，它們不再是“愚笨”、靜止的物體：它們可以學習你的習慣並通過應用遠程控制。The stereotypical smart appliance is the self-stocking refrigerator that replenishes your milk automatically. This innovation will replace a lot more than the sniff test. Cars are now computers, running more lines of code than the Apollo 11 spaceship on its way to the moon. As these computers become more intelligent, cars will drive themselves, potentially reducing traffic-related fatalities. Smart sensors can also transform industry, for instance by monitoring goods during transport, helping utility companies to measure energy usage and logistics companies to track vehicles over long distances.
典型的智能家電是可以自動備貨的冰箱，能夠自動補充牛奶。這種創新帶來的方便遠不止是不再需要靠嗅覺來判定食品是否變質。汽車現在變成了電腦，運行的代碼行數比阿波羅11號(Apollo 11)宇宙飛船飛往月球時還要多。隨着這些電腦變得更爲智能，汽車將實現自動駕駛，可能會減少交通事故導致的死亡。智能傳感器還能徹底改造業態，例如，通過監測運輸過程中的商品，幫助公用事業企業衡量能耗以及幫助物流公司遠程追蹤車輛。
