Technology in 2020

Technology in 2020

In 2020 A cure for malaria will come. A pill is now available offering a completely effective cure for malaria. With a single dose, it eliminates all strains and blocks transmission from person to person. In 2012, an extensive screening campaign looked at 6 million compounds and selected the most promising from the series to be optimised and retested. A molecule known as MMV390048 was identified as suitable for preclinical development. When tested on animals, it showed potent activity against multiple stages in the malaria parasite's life cycle. Animals given a single dose orally were completely cured, with no reported side effects. Human clinical trials, beginning in late 2013, achieved similar success.
This new treatment offers a major improvement to global health. In 2010, there were 216 million documented cases of malaria. Around 655,000 died from the disease - about 2.2% of all deaths worldwide - and it was responsible for a quarter of child deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. The actual number of deaths may have been significantly higher as precise statistics for all rural areas were unavailable, with many cases going undocumented.Malaria has long been associated with poverty, especially for countries in Africa. The eradication of this disease is giving a major boost to economic development. In addition to the pill, genetic modification of mosquitoes is also playing a role in finally consigning malaria to history.* Other methods have been developed too. In modern buildings and hospitals, for instance, automated laser systems can track and kill the insects.

 

The 2020 Olympic Games are held from 24 July – 9 August 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. The other candidate cities had been Madrid and Istanbul. Prior to Tokyo's selection by the Japanese Olympic Committee, Hiroshima expressed an interest in hosting, but later withdrew their plans to bid. Tokyo had previously hosted the games in 1964 and its National Olympic Stadium is once again used for the main venue – this time with a $1 billion upgrade and redesign by renowned architect Zaha Hadid.

In August 2013, the Governor of Tokyo, Naoki Inose, stated that the 2011 nuclear accident at Fukushima would not pose a threat to Tokyo's ability to host the Games. He stated that "the water in Tokyo is safe, and we have released this data on our website" and that "radiation levels are no different than in London or Paris." A letter of assurance over the issue was later sent to the IOC members. Tokyo becomes the first Asian city to host the Olympic Games twice. Its slogan for the event is "Discover Tomorrow".

hanks to exponential growth in computing power, video game characters now achieve a truly lifelike appearance when played with the latest graphics cards. Advances in 3D modelling techniques have allowed programmers to recreate the subtlest of facial features, expressions, movements, lighting and other physical effects. Complex interactive scenes featuring entirely computer-rendered people are becoming indistinguishable from reality. This is raising a number of ethical issues - due to the sheer level of realism now available, combined with ongoing advances in AI technology. Meanwhile, Google Earth has become so advanced that users can browse and move around in a smooth, photographic-quality 3D environment with moving cars and day/night cycles.