{"id":2953,"date":"2024-12-30T16:17:29","date_gmt":"2024-12-30T16:17:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=2953"},"modified":"2024-12-30T16:17:29","modified_gmt":"2024-12-30T16:17:29","slug":"from-brain-maps-to-living-bridges-the-innovations-set-to-reshape-life-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2953\/from-brain-maps-to-living-bridges-the-innovations-set-to-reshape-life-in-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"From brain maps to living bridges: the innovations set to reshape life in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

From solar energy beamed from space to genetic brain maps and live self-repairing bridges, research in 2025 is promising. And we may see more changes that make cities greener and cleaner.<\/p>\n

By<\/em> Anthony King<\/p>\n

Whoever thinks research is not exciting might be in for a surprise. In 2025, we could witness genetic decoding of the human brain, collect solar energy in space, and walk across a bridge built of electronically controlled fungi.<\/p>\n

Cracking the brain\u2019s genetics with AI\u2019s help\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Detailed maps of the human brain drawn up by the EU-funded\u00a0Human Brain Project<\/a> are ready for prime time and should start to come into their own in 2025.<\/p>\n

These maps will help scientists and doctors navigate towards new treatments for patients with brain disease, according to Prof.\u00a0Katrin Amunts, a German neuroscientist at\u00a0the University of Dusseldorf and Forschungszentrum J\u00fclich in Germany.\u00a0She led the landmark 10-year exploration of the human brain that has generated the human brain atlas \u2013 the most detailed maps of brain areas and their cellular architecture ever made \u2013 with new developments on the way to help exploit their full potential.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI is helping us with the brain. The brain has 86 billion nerve cells, each with up to 10\u00a0000 connections to other cells, so it is an unbelievably complex network. Our biggest computers today struggle to deal with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2025, we will have enormous computation power when one of the biggest AI machines \u2013 JUPITER \u2013 starts up in J\u00fclich. By bringing data together with AI, we will be able to run virtual expert scenarios on the effects of certain therapies on the brain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI really want the brain atlases we developed to benefit more patients.\u00a0I would really like them to be a useful instrument for informing diagnosis and surgery, for example, about the locality of a tumour.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur colleagues in France just finished the first clinical study on epilepsy surgery, using it to predict where surgeons could remove the tissue from patients.\u00a0Surgeons want to remove as much as possible to have a seizure-free patient, but as little as possible to avoid unnecessary damage.\u00a0We now wait for the results. These new developments really excite me. This is why I studied medicine \u2013 to help people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne breakthrough I would like to see is in understanding how the brain functions on a cellular level.\u00a0We know about many of the cell types, molecular profiles and their genes, but not in each of the 86 billion nerve cells.\u00a0Sometimes we see the trees, but we do not see the forest.\u00a0I hope that in 2025, we can close some of the gaps between our knowledge of the relationship of brain cells, their genes and diseases at different scales, from cells to networks, to the entire brain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read: Mapping the mind \u2013 EU-funded research unlocks secrets of the human brain<\/a> and\u00a0Brain gain: Europe\u2019s big advances in neuroscience<\/a><\/p>\n

Solar energy gets a helping hand from space<\/strong><\/p>\n

Combining satellite data with AI is offering surprising new opportunities where the \u201csky is the limit\u201d, says\u00a0Effie Makri, an electronic engineer and vice president of Research and Innovation at the Greek tech company Future Intelligence.<\/p>\n

Makri leads the EU-funded\u00a0RESPONDENT<\/a>\u00a0project, which combines the power of AI, satellite observations and mini-weather stations to boost predictions of energy going to the grid from a solar farm.\u00a0Makri predicts that 2025 will see greater use of satellite data, sometimes in unexpected areas of our lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Galileo and Copernicus satellite programmes are incredible, and Europe should be very proud of these technologies.\u00a0There are so many areas where we will make future use of satellite data.\u00a0They are there to be used, from agriculture to energy, to banking, or leisure.\u00a0We hope to adapt our own technology solution to wind power.\u00a0Satellite data can also be used to select where best to install a photovoltaic solar park.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMore data collected in real time will be combined with historical data to better train AI models.\u00a0This can then help faster process imaging from satellites and, for instance, better track climate change.\u00a0We will better monitor glaciers or deforestation, or improve our predictions of the spread of forest fires.\u00a0The sky really is the limit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother potential development I foresee is space-based energy.\u00a0This would see the collection of solar energy in space, which would then be wirelessly transmitted to Earth [via microwaves or lasers]. That is a field of energy that will probably become increasingly interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want AI to be used for good, however. There have been a lot of mixed feelings regarding AI.\u00a0I\u2019m very excited to see new developments that provide benefits to society, but I would not like to be involved in a technology that is exploited for harm.\u00a0The European Commission has been fantastic at keeping these things in mind and developing regulations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read: Satellite oversight: ensuring Europe\u2019s renewable energy security from above<\/a><\/p>\n

Self-repairing, living structural materials<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have limited resources and will need to be mindful of the impact we\u2019re having on the climate, says Dr Kunal Masania, an engineer at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and part of the EU-funded\u00a0AM-IMATE<\/a> project.<\/p>\n

He is creating composite materials made with fungi that could be used in future household furnishings, aeroplane parts, and even in large construction projects such as bridges. Fungi are a renewable resource and some species can be grown on waste products from agriculture or forestry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve made composites with sawdust and pieces of wood, which are bound together by fungi. Engineers already use fibres reinforced by a matrix \u2013 that\u2019s the same way that trees are reinforced.\u00a0But what we\u2019ve missed out on is all the interesting capabilities available when your material is alive. I\u2019m making Lego-like pieces consisting of fungal cells, which are fitted together by a robot to build a small bridge.\u00a0Others from the scientific community are also joining in this goal to make living materials and structures a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe plan to put electrodes in this material, so we can listen out for signals of mechanical stress from the fungi. We also want to signal to the fungi in response to repair damage or locally reinforce certain areas, something that the hyphae [filaments] of fungi can do. Recently a group in the US built a soft robot walker using fungi and signalled to the fungi to control movement. So this is a really exciting area where I expect to see many new innovations in 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n

The advantage of structures made of living organisms could be that the materials are capable of sensing, reporting and adapting to stresses, reinforcing only where material is needed. Imagine a bicycle or a bridge that could repair itself!<\/p>\n

Read: New aerospace and building materials could repair themselves thanks to fungi and bacteria<\/a><\/p>\n

Better future for bees, and nature, in Europe<\/strong><\/p>\n

Honeybees are the most frequent visitor to flowers in natural habitats worldwide and pollinate around half of all crops. Yet they have not been doing well, says Professor Dirk de Graaf, a biologist at Ghent University, Belgium.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pollination of crops and wildflowers by honeybees is more valuable than all the honey they produce \u2013 by some distance. Yet, on average, each year one-third of our colonies in Europe are lost. That means that for some beekeepers, all their bees are dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, by returning to nature \u2013 with the help of technology \u2013 the situation with European honeybees will improve in 2025 and beyond. De Graaf leads an EU-backed project researching honeybees called\u00a0B-GOOD<\/a>,\u00a0which seeks to restore their harmony with nature.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vast majority of honeybees we have in Belgium and northern Europe were imported, so we don\u2019t have the race adapted to our climate.\u00a0Instead, our beekeeping focused completely on bees that were good for honey production and calmness of the bees. In the future, there will be a need to select bees that can better resist parasites such as the varroa mite, rather than relying on chemicals to kill these parasites.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should aim in future years not to interfere as much with our beehives. We can do that by using technology developed in Europe, such as sensors placed on a hive to track activity and temperature from a distance. A recent study found that around 21% of beekeepers across 18 European countries already have automated data collection.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe real added value will be when we develop smarter algorithms that interpret the data and send alerts to the beekeeper, so they spend less time working with the bees, and yet their bees will be healthier.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI predict that take-up will continue to rise, especially among younger beekeepers who are so used to checking their smartphones. They will enjoy checking on their bees remotely and leaving them be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read: The latest buzz \u2013 smart hives and dancing robot bees boost sustainable beekeeping<\/a><\/p>\n

Greener, cleaner cities that benefit all<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our future cities will be greener, generate fewer carbon emissions and be more beautiful, predicts Dr Annemie Wyckmans, an architect at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. As leader of the EU-funded\u00a0CRAFT<\/a> project, she brings together artistic and cultural groups to help kindle sustainable change on city streets. These transformations will be pushed forward mostly by local communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, we have a lot of changes in politics and so much focus in the media is on all the negatives. There\u2019s an energy crisis, a food crisis and a health crisis. It can feel hopeless. Yet lots of people found hope in being able to do something locally and to really make a tangible difference in their own communities, neighbourhoods and cities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an example, we visited many urban market gardens in cities such as Zagreb and Sarajevo. I\u2019d never known about it, but it is a regional strength. It allows people to grow their own fruit and vegetables. This is important because often people might not have enough money to buy healthy, local and sustainable food \u2013 it can be more expensive than fast food and difficult to find in some places. Yet it is easy to give people access to a piece of land to grow their own food, allowing them to meet other people doing the same and to help each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch positive changes often don\u2019t make the news. They don\u2019t cost a lot, do not have to wait for big political decisions and are easily overlooked. I hope that in 2025, this type of movement is going to be too big to ignore, because it will reach a critical mass and burst onto the surface, attracting the attention of politicians, investors and others.\u201d<\/p>\n

The CRAFT team is drawing inspiration from an EU initiative to bring the European Green Deal to the places where people live. Called New European Bauhaus, or NEB, it wants people\u2019s daily lives and living spaces to take inspiration from art and culture, be in harmony with nature and involve social interaction.<\/p>\n

Alongside CRAFT, projects such as Re-Value, Bauhaus Bites and NEB-STAR are working towards the same goals, together involving more than 100 cities and communities in Europe.<\/p>\n

Like the Bauhaus movement in Germany a century ago, the NEB aims to fuse urban design, science, technology, art and community spirit to overcome major societal challenges. Art itself can be a driving force because it\u2019s widely on display in cities and has the power to galvanise people.<\/p>\n

Read: Waterfront cities in Europe set sail for climate resilience<\/a><\/p>\n

and The artistic flair inspiring greener European cities<\/a><\/p>\n

The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. <\/em><\/p>\n

More info<\/p>\n