Anyone see last nights Horizon about this?

The Longitude Prize

Are those the 6 most pressing scientific issues of our time? Which one gets your vote?

For me there’s still the overarching challenge of unification – nutrition, health, care of the vulnerable, education, climate etc are all interlinked and our longer term future needs joined up thinking on all of them. Thats probably not a scientific problem though, more social political and ethical.

I read about it this morning, but felt a bit underwhelmed by the challenges, considering they are supposed to “help solve one of the greatest issues of our time”

eg, The Dementia Challenge is to invent something to help people live with dementia. That doen’t really solve the issue of dementia.

I think perhaps the water desalination one is the best. It seems more focused and more achievable than the others.

The problem, imo, is that in 2014, these issues are no longer the limit of technology, but the lack of social or political will……

I think perhaps the water desalination one is the best. It seems more focused and more achievable than the others.

Having worked on the desalination plant on the Thames, I’d disagree, but then maybe I’m biased.

I thought that the antibiotics challenge was achievable and was likely to have the most benefit.

A lot of the others highlighted the fact that the real problem is the rapidly increasing population.

I’ve voted for antibiotics but the flight one would be worthy also, but there should be enough profit driven motive to solve that one…

natrix is right about population control

If you vote online you can vote 3 times per registered account.

I didn’t see this. How many of these 6 most pressing scientific issues of our time related to wheel size in terms of bringing trails alive?

I sit in enough medical meetings to be concerned about the issue of antibiotics. At present things are not moving in a positive direction and it’s an issue that needs addressing. The main problem of antibiotics is that they cure people – a disaster for the drug industry second only to killing the patient. Drug trials are phenomenally expensive to run, I’ve been involved in dozens of them, running meetings for clinical trials, trials that have cost millions and I’m not sure any of the trials I’ve been involved with have ever resulted in a drug coming to market. Given the costs what you really want to develop is a drug that manages a life long condition so you have a chance to make your money back. A drug that cures in a 2 week course is not going to offer much of a return on investment and won’t until we start dying in the West like we did 100 years ago. Just think how many more wounded soldiers would have survived WW1 had there been antibiotics. In 1850’s Manchester only one in five children lived to 5 years old and a high percentage of those deaths were due to infectious disease. And today with higher populations living in denser concentrations and relying on factory farmed animals and with mass travel we have something worth being very concerned about. Again though it’s as great a social and political challenge as a technical one.

A dull, but worthy, list IMO – won’t inspire many people’s thinking. As noted, they’ve bottled out of listing the population elephant.

Think I’d vote for dementia – our understanding of things like Alzheimers is very immature – that doesn’t seem to be the stated focus of the prize, but there is potential for breakthrough here at the level of fundamental science.

Very good points although the big difference between 1850 and now is that we have a clear understanding of how bacteria spread and how to prevent infection, even though we may not always succeed.

The problem, imo, is that in 2014, these issues are no longer the limit of technology, but the lack of social or political will……

It may take a tad more than £10million to eradicate religion, which does seem to be the cause of a lot of war and associated problems, globally.

Yes we do have a better understanding of how bacteria spread but we also have a world where they have the potential to travel further and faster than ever before.