Mathematical truth is timeless, it does not 
come into being when we discover it.
                                                      Erwin Schrödinger (1)

If someone were to say to you that your great grandchildren will be the first immortal generation, no doubt you would laugh out loud. So did most sensible folk when they said that people would fly.

The scientific method has proved to be the most reliable form of knowledge that we possess. From demonstrating that you can't fall off the end of the world because it isn't flat, to proving that gravity is the result of the curvature of spacetime, science has shown that our senses as a source of knowing the world are highly unreliable. Science is undoubtedly the most successful enterprise ever undertaken by humanity, yet it is based on the foundation of something that applies throughout the universe to the furthest galaxies, but is also outside both space and time. It is in fact magic. But a magic that is real.

Science has given us voyages to the outer planets and beyond our solar system, terrestrial telecommunication, the discovery of DNA, radar, satellite navigation, C.D.'s, the Internet and mobile phones. The mapping of the human genome, one of the most complex joint enterprises every undertaken was completed ahead of schedule, and the proteome project to identify the function of every protein in the human body - a much more difficult task than discovering the Genome - is hoped to be complete within four years.

This will mean curing heart disease, the biggest killer; as well as degenerative problems like Alzheimer's, arthritis and mental illness. Genetic diseases that are the result of one or two genes in cases like cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and haemophilia are already being cured. By understanding the genetic make up of tumours science will be able to design drugs that will make them self-destruct so that most cancers will be a thing of the past. Increasing computer capacity will allow the construction of synthetic molecules which can combat any new mutations that occur in bacteria and viruses. One of the most exciting areas of research has shown that human stem cells, including Brain Stem Cells can be grown to repair stroke damage to the brain, and paralysis from severed nerves, as well as to provide replacement of vital organs without the risks of rejection by foreign implants. Soon it may even be possible to grow new hearts, kidneys and limbs.

By the year 2030 it will be possible to put your personal DNA on C.D. which your G.P. can put in his P.C. and tell what diseases you are prone to and prescribe action to avoid them. With the current rate of progress many scientists are alarmed that the future will overtake us. Arthur Caplan from the Centre for Bioethics, University of Pennsylvania is quoted as saying that the...(next)