Finishing up the book Abundance by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler, I could not help but note that the authors devoted a lot of their book to discussion of two things that have become centerpieces of the Obama administration. In the throes of a great depression, the administration sought and secured passage of the Affordable Healthcare Act. Diamandis views universal access to healthcare as one of those essential ingredients to a civilization. Having watched developments in nanotechnology for the past 10 years, I have no doubt he is correct in saying costs will come down and it will be due in large part to new devices that make detection and treatment far less expensive. The work by Ido Bachelet, previously of Harvard’s Wyss Institute and faculty member at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, is breathtaking close to deploying nano robots in the fight against cancer. “No, no it’s not science fiction; it’s already happening,” said Bachelet to a somewhat incredulous audience member at a London event late last year. Bachelet said DNA nanobots will soon be tried in a critically ill leukemia patient. The patient, who has been given roughly six months to live, will receive an injection of DNA nanobots designed to interact with and destroy leukemia cells—while causing virtually zero collateral damage in healthy tissue. (Credit: Jason Dorrier/Singularity Hub). According to Bachelet, his team have successfully tested their method in cell cultures and animals and written two papers on the subject, one in Science and one in Nature. In recent days, President Obama announced a plan to extend free higher education to a large segment of the population. While the $58 billion is a small commitment by comparison to other government programs, it could be applied strategically and effectively. Firing up education is a resounding theme these days that spans talks by educators, futurists, corporate leaders, authors and politicians. Obamas plan models programs in Tennessee and Chicago. Tennessee is offering two years of free community college drawing funds from the state lottery. It is a great start. Higher education addresses the fundamental need for an intelligent population that will be inclined toward a more democratic government. The public today needs a booster shot aimed at greater understanding of science and technology. And the need to fill tech jobs that increasingly require specialized education is growing. Even more pressing is the challenge of shifting a large segment of the population to new careers when jobs disappear for good. The year 2030 could find half of the Western world unemployed. Futurist Thomas Frey of the DaVinci Institute talks about MOOCs - Massive Open Online Courses - and his contribution to the changing learning landscape. The micro college offers instruction designed to address the growing needs of employers in high tech. impactlab.net/2015/01/16/can-massive-open-online-courses-change-the-way-we-teach/
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 18:05:54 +0000
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