What is the Future of Science?
Where will the future of science take us? As we navigate our world, with more and more information accessible, yet higher stakes for sifting through and identifying reputable sources, we ask, what will the future of science be? As prescient as science fiction can be, today we look to our actual engineers and scientists to answer that question. We worked with directorates across the U.S. National Science Foundation to envision the promise of their technology. From computer scientists who explained the need to harness vast amounts of data streaming in, to biologists looking to understand how ecology and genetics intersect, the prevailing theme is connection. How do we break free from our respective domains to learn from one another, and achieve insights that would never be possible within our narrow focus? Perhaps the vision of our scientific future is one that we can aspire to across our society and the larger world. With no future ado, a look at the future
- of computing,
- quantum technology
- Arctic research,
- astronomy advances,
- biology innovations,
- artificial intelligence and robotics.
We love epic science illustrations here at SayoStudio, and especially an entire series of epic illustrations. We worked with the National Science Foundation’s different directorates to visualize their Big Ideas–defining NSF’s long-term research agenda to expand the frontiers of U.S. science and engineering research. In other words, what will the future of science look like?
Future of Computing: Harnessing Data Computing Illustration
We’ve reached a point of information of overload. After years of supporting the basic computing research that led to the internet, apps, and social media that we use today, computer scientists are shifting to the next challenge… How do we harness the influx of information? We are at the cusp of a new era, where innovations will occur when we’re able to truly process and use the incredible amounts of data. Moving beyond one-direction information flow, (computer information science and engineering) CISE and NSF are supporting a future where society and research inform one another. We tend to think in 1-direction. For example, how do we Undoubtedly, part of that answer will be quantum computing
Quantum: Computing and Beyond
Future of the Arctic: A Changing Arctic Illustration
The National Science Foundation supports research across the Arctic, from understand polar ecosystems, to societal change, to the economics of shipping. What will the Arctic look like in 50 years? Our understanding of the Arctic, and what could be, is critically important at this pivotal time, as climate change accelerates change across our globe. Rapid loss of Arctic sea ice will bring new access to the Arctic’s natural resources such as fossil fuels, minerals, and new fisheries, as well as severely threatening indigenous communities and ecosystems. The Arctic is changing quickly, with current simulations estimating summer ice disappearance by 2035. This has vast implications for climate, the environment, and the people who live in and traverse the Arctic. This illustration created for the National Science Foundation shows an Artic fox, a village on the sea, an NSF research vessel, a shipping harbor, and a bowhead whale -the only whale that spends its entire life in Arctic water.
Future of Astronomy: Windows on the Universe, Astronomy Illustration
We look to the skies, peering up at the moon. But every space nerd out there knows, that the truly beautiful photos of nebulas are taken by NASA’s satellite telescopes. So why does the NSF NSF focuses on Earth-based telescopes that are able to observe the universe’s signals beyond our visual spectrum. Observatories, like LIGO, VLA and Ice Cube, detect gravitational waves from colliding black holes, radio waves from pulsars, and neutrinos that have traveled from other galaxies.
Future of Life: Rules of Life Biology Illustration
The Rules of Life illustration was created as part of a series for the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Big Ideas–defining NSF’s long-term research agenda to expand the frontiers of U.S. science and engineering research. In the field of biology, the exciting challenge is understanding how complex systems interact. From biochemistry, genetics, cells, whole organisms, ecosystems, and back again.
Future of Work, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Illustration
Other related content: Future of our Oceans
Free Science Images, What?
You heard that right, all of the illustrations in this post are free for you to use. To do so, just sign up for our newsletter, and then you will have the password to conveniently download any public domain image that we’ve created in our gallery.
