PERREAULT Magazine December 2014 | Page 53

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In September, researchers at IBM announced they had created a new neurosynaptic computer chip capable of sensing, tasting, feeling, hearing and understanding its environment. It is an advance that could usher in an age of new “cognitive computing” by allowing computers to function much like the human brain. And in October, a paralyzed man regained the ability to walk after receiving a cell transplant.

Each development is an extraordinary advance and each heralds a brighter future. Alas, the aforementioned successes are still some years away from widespread adoption. This does not imply that game-changing advances aren’t on the near-term horizon. They are. Here are ten breakthroughs from the past year that figure to “change the game” in 2015:

1 Artificial Intelligence: IBM officially opened its Watson supercomputer headquarters in Manhattan this fall, and everyone from bankers to veterinarians are now employing the technology. The former are using it to create individually tailored portfolios, while the latter are tapping into its immense power to rapidly diagnose the best treatment for your pet. Combined with the fact that Watson is adding a second language (Spanish) to its repertoire and it won’t be long before companies across the globe are embracing machine intelligence to uncover new insights, identify and solve problems as well as improve customer service.

2 Genomic Advances: Due to the relentless improvement (and the growing affordably) of gene sequencing technology, over 228,000 individuals had their genome sequenced in 2014. As a result, Google and others are now analyzing these genomes in the hopes of making new medical discoveries. As the connections between genes and disease are better understood, pharmaceutical companies will need to adjust to a world where personally tailored drugs—and not “blockbuster drugs”—become the new norm. The broader healthcare industry may be even more affected due to promising new advances in the field of genomic surgery. Already, genomic editing has been demonstrated to cure some patients of HIV, and soon single gene diseases—such as sickle cell anemia—may be eliminated because of our ability to perform microsurgery on genes. Interestingly, the latter development may also impact the agriculture industry by making it possible to produce plants that can grow faster. The net result is that in the near future significantly less water, fertilizer and pesticides may be required to produce each pound of food.

3 More Affordable Desalination Technology: Fresh water is in short supply around the world. Two recent advances could turn this shortage into a surplus. Researchers at MIT and the University of Manchester have, independently, discovered how graphene might remove the salt from seawater quickly and affordably. Elsewhere, the creation of a “Seawater Greenhouse” portends a day when fresh water may be conveniently harvested from the ocean using nothing but sunlight. In addition to positively affecting global agricultural output, an abundance of fresh water might also ease geopolitical stress in a number of regions around the world.

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