Greetings, dear friends! Today I will tell you about 12 significant events in the field of IT technologies and science in general, which will take place in 2021.
Deploying Exascale Computers
Exascale computing are hypothetical supercomputers with a performance of more than one exaflops (one million trillion, or one quintillion) operations per second. For a long time, this remained just a fantasy, because since 2008 humanity has only had systems of the petaflops class, which is a thousand times less than an exaflops.
But in 2021, Intel and Cray are planning to create an exascale Aurora system. The deployment of such a supercomputer would mark the beginning of a new leap in computing and mark the end of the constant slowdown in computer technology that we have seen since the second half of the decade.
The Chinese are also planning to join the Americans, who will present a new supercomputer Tianhe-3 with a stable performance of more than one exaflops.
The Perseverance rover will arrive on Mars in February 2021
In July 2020, NASA launched a rocket towards Mars carrying the Perseverance rover. Its main purpose is to search for evidence of the existence of life on the Red Planet in ancient times, and then return samples to Earth in 2031. The second most important task will be the development of the latest technologies for the colonization of Mars.
Compared to the Curiosity rover that arrived on Mars in 2012, Perseverance is superior in every way. He has 23 high-quality cameras, more optimal wheels and tread for Martian soil, microphones for sound recording and all the equipment necessary for geological research. Perseverance also has a solar-powered drone called Ingenuity that will test the planet's ability to fly and calculate the best route for the rover to move.
Perhaps one of the most important tools is MOXIE, which must test the ability to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen for human breathing and fueling rockets.
Perseverance will arrive on Mars in February 2021 and should descend into Jezero Crater north of the equator. This place was chosen because earlier, according to scientists, there was a lake here, and therefore life could exist.
James Webb Space Telescope Launch
The Hubble Space Telescope was launched on April 24, 1990 and is still providing scientists with many interesting discoveries. But it is already seriously outdated, so on October 31, 2021, James Webb will replace it. Its equipment is many times superior in resolution to the technology of the Hubble and the telescopes before it, and the collecting area is six times larger and is 25 square meters versus four and a half.
The magnifying power of James Webb is a hundred times greater than that of Hubble, allowing scientists to see the very first generation of stars, formed just two hundred million years after the Big Bang. In addition to "boring" scientific research on the formation and evolution of galaxies and stars, "James Webb" will help search for planetary systems with potential life.
Olympic Games to be held in Tokyo
The Olympic Games were supposed to take place in 2020, but the pandemic disrupted those plans. Many feared the insecurity of the games in Tokyo, because the consequences of the 2011 accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant still affect the capital of Japan. However, the Japanese authorities insist that it will be completely harmless: the radiation level is regularly checked and does not exceed that in London or Paris.
Incidentally, this is the first time the Olympic Games have been postponed for a year. Previously, they were only canceled: in 1916 - because of the First World War, in 1940 and 1944 - because of the Second World War. Despite the postponement to 2021, these Olympic Games continue to be called "Tokyo 2020".
Contraceptive pills for men will go on sale
The development of male oral contraceptives has been going on for a long time. Scientists used to try to make men temporarily sterile using testosterone and synthetic hormones, but this method gave too many negative side effects and had a serious impact on health.
Later, scientists discovered a non-hormonal method - the use of the JQ1 compound, developed back in 2012. It affects the testis-specific BRDT protein, which is required for normal fertility. Suppression of this protein allows for low sperm motility. It is important that this is a completely reversible process that does not negatively affect hormones and fertility.
In 2013, after a successful trial in mice, human tests began, which also confirmed the effectiveness of the method. After passing all clinical trials, the tablets will become available in 2021.
Production of the first fully artificial kidneys begins
Kidney disease is becoming more common due to ecology, lifestyle and genetic predisposition. End-stage renal disease alone (which can cause complete kidney failure) affects about two million people worldwide. Such people are confined to dialysis, and each of them needs an early transplant.
Donors are sorely lacking, but scientists have found a solution - completely artificial kidneys. The prototype was created in 2010 at the University of California, San Francisco. Clinical trials began in 2017, and it is planned to launch the production of artificial kidneys in 2021. With the help of nanotechnology, scientists have been able to imitate almost all of the vital functions of the kidneys. Moreover, such organs do not depend on electricity and pumps, working on the blood pressure of the human body. And these kidneys have an unlimited lifespan.
Flying car production launch
And although humanity was a little late for the time described in the movie "Back to the Future - 2", we were finally able to create a real working flying machine. It is the Terrafugia TF-X, a fully autonomous, swing-rotor hybrid vehicle. The car has artificial intelligence, which will independently navigate the way to a given point, identifying obstacles on the way and bypassing bad weather conditions.
Manual control will also be available, but only for a small correction of the route and in the event of an accident or an unforeseen situation. The Terrafugia TF-X is an electric vehicle and has a claimed range of 800 kilometers.
EU will cancel daylight saving time
And although our country did this a few years ago, a similar practice still operates in the European Union. Previously, the introduction of daylight saving time helped to save energy, which reduced the costs of states for servicing power grids and the costs of enterprises, but now it only has a negative impact, for example, it introduces confusion in the workflow.
After the cancellation of daylight saving time, all countries on the European continent will live according to a single time standard.
The construction of the Great Egyptian Museum will be completed
The Grand Egyptian Museum was originally slated to open in 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic has made adjustments.
The complex is located about two kilometers from the Giza pyramids on an area of about 480 thousand square meters and should become the largest archaeological museum in the world. Artifacts of Ancient Egypt will be exhibited here, including a complete collection of items from the tomb of Tutankhamun (over five thousand). Many of the ancient artifacts will be shown to the public for the first time.
The museum will combine most of all archaeological finds found in the country.
Costa Rica will be the first fully carbon neutral country
The Central American country of Costa Rica will become the first country in the world to achieve zero carbon dioxide emissions in transport, energy,industrial production and agriculture due to competent waste processing and the introduction of alternative energy sources. This means that now Costa Rica will not produce greenhouse gases, which will bring humanity one step closer to preserving the climate and ecology on the planet.
Costa Rica also bans the manufacture of disposable plastic products in 2021, which, coupled with carbon neutrality, will make this place one of the cleanest on the planet.
COVID-19 vaccine will be available
According to WHO, as of October 2020, there were about 150 vaccines in preclinical trials in the world. Many vaccines are currently being tested for side effects, and some are in the human trial phase.
Many countries and companies are announcing the start of production of the coronavirus vaccine as early as 2021. Among them are both foreign (from BioNTech, Pfizer and AstraZeneca), which, according to research results, show an efficiency of at least 90%, and Russian - EpiVacCorona and Gam-KOVID-Vak.
A massive coronavirus vaccination will help stop the pandemic and tackle economic recovery.
The first digital population census will be held in Russia
This event was supposed to take place in 2020, but was postponed due to the coronavirus. The 2021 census will take place at a new technological level using computers, unlike previous ones, when only live polling was used to collect information. The main innovation will be the ability to independently pass the census on the "State Services".
With a live survey, all data will be entered into tablets with special software. Since most of the census costs have always been the salaries of census takers, the current format will save a lot of money and more accurately compile a social portrait of the Russian population.
