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In a spellbinding narrative that skillfully
weaves together cutting-edge research among today's foremost
scientists, theoretical physicist Michio Kaku -- author
of the bestselling book Hyperspace -- presents a
bold, exhilarating adventure into the science of tomorrow.
In Visions, Dr. Kaku examines in
vivid detail how the three scientific revolutions that profoundly
reshaped the twentieth century -- the quantum, biogenetic,
and computer revolutions -- will transform the way we live
in the twenty-first century. The fundamental elements of
matter and life -- the particles of the atom and the nucleus
of the cell -- have now been decoded, closing one of the
great chapters of scientific history. But this is just the
preface to an every more far-reaching scientific revolution,
as we make the transition from being passive observers of
the mysteries of nature to becoming masters of nature, able
to manipulate matter, life, and intelligence to remold the
world around us.
In the first part of Visions, Dr.
Kaku discusses the cyber future, when millions of microprocessors
are scattered throughout our environment; when the iron
principle that has ruled the computer industry, Moore's
Law, finally collapses, forcing scientists to adopt startling
new designs like DNA computers and quantum computers; and
when artificial intelligence systems finally arrive.
In the next section, Dr. Kaku shows how
the decoding of DNA will allow us to conquer devastating
genetic diseases, defeat many cancers at the molecular level,
synthesize new medicines using virtual reality, grow new
organs, conquer aging and reshape our genetic inheritance.
Finally, he explores how quantum physicists
will perfect new ways to harness the cosmic energy of the
universe -- from molecular machines to supermagnets that
may energize a second industrial revolution, to powerful
fusion engines that one day may take us to the stars.
What makes Michio Kaku's vision of the future
of science so compelling and authoritative is that it is
based on the groundbreaking research already underway at
leading laboratories around the world. Weaving interviews
with over 150 scientists -- several of them Nobel laureates
-- into a rich, inspiring narrative, Dr. Kaku reveals the
growing consensus among key scientists about how science
will likely evolve through the early, middle, and late years
of the twenty-first century.
An intimate, thrilling tour through the
next century of science, Visions is a riveting, essential
map to how scientists will reshape our future.
Michio Kaku is the Henry Semat Professor
of Theoretical Physics at the City College of New York.
Cofounder of string field theory, he is the author of the
critically acclaimed and bestselling Hyperspace,
as well as Beyond Einstein (with Jennifer Thompson),
Quantum Field Theory: A Modern Introduction, and
Introduction to Superstrings. He hosts an hour-long
weekly radio science program that is nationally syndicated.
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