Future Tense

When the consumers of power also become its generators a whole new level of complexity opens up. The transition from fossil fuels means completely rethinking our traditional systems of energy storage and distribution. Also, the new Australian battery that could put an end to our dependence on lithium.

Many commentators bemoan the adolescent nature of modern society. Adults, they suggest, are acting like juveniles and thereby eroding our culture and destroying our politics. We hear two arguments to the contrary. Also,  philosopher  William MacAskill on his new book “What We Owe The Future”.

The way we are getting around cities is changing. There’s strong developer competition in the flying taxis market; the overall size of vehicles is getting smaller as we transition from petrol to electric; and on-demand public transport is on the rise.

Abuse facilitated by digital technology is on the rise. Abuse is abuse, no matter who commits it and what form it takes, but we need to better understand the peculiarities of this specific kind of abuse. New research in Australia suggests that many of us are the perpetrators as well as the victims. Also, regulating rocket launches and minimising space pollution – low Earth orbit may be reaching a tipping point.

As food security issues increase across the world, expenditure on agri-food research and development is going the other way – in fact, funding in some western countries is now back at 1980s levels. We also hear about a refrigeration initiative in Rwanda that could help increase food nutrition levels in the developing world and significantly cut food wastage.

Data breaches are on the rise, and it seems social media is a growing point of vulnerability. The consequences aren’t just financial, in some cases lives are at risk.

People are also becoming increasingly wary about corporations gathering their personal data - as seen by the fate of Google's envisaged futuristic smart city development in Toronto.

Around two billion air conditioners are currently in use across the globe but the amount of electricity they use is not sustainable, so what are some alternatives?

Public money is being used to bankroll already wealthy private corporations. So, is there any real benefit to taxpayers?

They’re small, robotic in nature and formed from living frog cells. Xenobots could play an important part in future health care treatments.  But whether or not they represent a new form of life is open to debate. And also, how young people access news content – it’s complicated! We hear about the latest research from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

Unlike animals, trees don't have a biological clock, under ideal conditions they can live for thousands of years. Scientists say understanding how ancient trees have survived could help us protect forests from the ravages of climate change. But working out how to propagate them is the tricky part.