Braving a new world: Michio Kaku
If you’ve never heard of Michio Kaku, you probably will soon, as he’ll be bringing his impressive new series Visions Of The Future to our screens, courtesy of the BBC. Felix has sneaked a peek at the first three episodes (The Intelligence, Biotech and Quantum Revolutions respectively) and can highly recommend catching these, and the rest of the series when it airs in November – this author certainly will be.
Although he presented a documentary (Time) on BBC 4 last year, Kaku is probably better known on the other side of the Atlantic, where he is recognised as a prolific and talented populariser of science, despite a background as an academic in some of the more esoteric realms of theoretical physics.
In his new programme, Kaku dons his futurologist hat and takes the viewer on a whirlwind tour of the state of the art in science and technology, and the implications advances in these fields have for the future of the society they underpin.
His central thesis – that the public needs to become aware of the extent of these advances, and to debate the practical, moral and even existential questions they give rise to – is well-served by the structure of the programme. Kaku’s broad-brush approach allows him to expose the interdependence of advances in many disciplines, such as computing and biotechnology.
There’s something in each episode to satisfy a wide range of audiences. Kaku can clearly gain unparalleled access to institutes at the forefront of their fields, and this provides plenty of gee-whizz moments, such as seeing a functioning windpipe, grown from cultured cells on a matrix which can later be absorbed by the body, or when he shows a working example of a metamaterial, an “invisibility cloak” for microwaves.
The science-fiction crowd gets plenty: wild-eyed speculation about the future, often courtesy of gurus such as Ray Kurzweil; philosophising about future technologies will affect our perceptions of the human condition, such as a discussion on how space-elevators built from nanotubes will provide us all with a truly planetary outlook; and occasional barrages of clips from classic films – A for Andromeda and that stalwart workhorse, The Day The Earth Stood Still, amongst others.
Too much of this is guaranteed to repel the average viewer, but Kaku deftly avoids this by including plenty of human-interest stories, illustrating the impact a particular technology has had on someone.
A good example of this is in the second episode: Kaku introduces the well-spoken parents of Alexander Locke, who explain that as a baby he suffered from what was eventually diagnosed as Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID), commonly known as the bubble-boy condition. Those afflicted have no protection against bacterial, viral or fungal infections, and bleak prospects – few outlive their first year. Replacing Locke’s bone marrow, to allow a new immune system to grow was ruled out, as no suitable donor could be found. Fortunately, Locke’s version of the condition was genetic, so their doctor mooted gene therapy as an alternative. Dr. Gaspar explains they cultured bone marrow stem cells from Locke, using a virus to introduce a working version of the gene into the cells, which were then reintroduced into the child. The relief with which the parents explain the dramatic improvement in Locke’s condition is palpable, and makes this case a highly engaging example of how cutting-edge research can affect ordinary people.
Nor does Kaku shy away from discussing the double-edged nature of these advances; he is keen to stress that though many technologies may prove beneficial, others raise concerning issues. As well as inherent risks – nanotechnology and the “grey goo” scenario, he pays close attention to the risks posed to the structure of society.
In a discussion on robots and emotions, and our tendency to project the latter onto the former (“because they listen so well”, as one pundit puts it), Professor Susan Greenfield mentions an experiment she performed on a group of 8 year-old Australians. When asked if they whom they would prefer to keep their best friend or to swap them for QRIO, an all-singing all-dancing humanoid robot, the choice was unanimous. And yet the accompanying footage of QRIO makes one think it wouldn’t always be a bad deal. Certainly not for one’s duller friends.
Greenfield raises another more serious concern later, pointing out that the “problems of colonialism in the 19th century may pale in significance to […] the differentiation of people into the techno-haves and the have-nots.” Although a well-worn argument, and already an issue for much of the world’s population, it gains a new significance when watching this programme: even viewers from techno-Babylons like Imperial could find themselves on the losing side if they do not always submit to the cutting edge of technology – how do you fancy your chances in exams where fellow students have chip-enhanced memories?
The series is not entirely without flaws: gratuitous shots of Kaku walking spring to mind. Even though MIT may be more attractive than Imperial, surely it’s not worth marathon-length perambulations? And rather more irritatingly, the turnover of science footage occasionally borders on the relentless. Surely the public’s attention span is not that poor? Nevertheless, these are minor quibbles; the programme is well-worth seeing. Make sure you do!
