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Tag: Michio Kaku

  • Hawking: Earth Doomed, Humans Must Explore Space

    Stephen Hawking made a career out of investigating and explaining the cosmos to the layman. Now the renowned physicist is telling us that we need to get off the planet and (relatively) fast.

    The AP reports that Hawking was recently touring the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where research on steam cells is being conducted. At the event, the physicist said that humans won’t survie another 1,000 years on Earth unless we escape “beyond our fragile planet.”

    Noted scientists have taken the same stance, though not as extreme, over the years arguing that humanity as a species should explore the cosmos not only to preserve the species, but for economic purposes as well.

    Here’s Bill Nye arguing that we should be exploring space for economic benefit:

    Here’s Michio Kaku talking about the chances of mankind destroying itself in the next 1,000 years:

  • Kaku Explains the Future of Computing Power

    Moore’s Law says that computer Power doubles every 18 months. However this “guideline” is in the process of breaking down. The limits of silicon technology are becoming apparent and new technology will need to be developed in order for computing power to progress.

    As theoretical physicist Michio Kaku says, computing power simply cannot continue at the exponential rate Moore’s law predicts. Sooner, rather than later, pentium chips won’t get any smaller. Once they get down to about 5 nanometers, they overheat, and dual and quad cores will eventually not be enough.

    He predicts these limitations on silicon do not necessarily mean the end for Moore’s Law. Eventually non-silicon computing will take-over and the rapid growth of processing power will continue.

    Kaku puts his money on using optical, three dimensional, and parallel chips in the near future (in the next ten years), and other technologies in the future. This ten year span will hopefully be enough to lay the groundwork for a switch over to post-silicon technologies.

    He continues to expound on what he thinks will happen in the post-silicon era. Molecular computing and eventually quantum computing will take over as Moore’s Law breaks down. Apparently, to Kaku, protein and DNA computers are not in our future, since some of the basis for molecular computing is already in existence.

    [Source: Big Think via Gizmodo]