Predicting which scientific discoveries will change the world is, arguably, a fool’s game. Who knows what the future will bring? Yet every year a handful of developments—say, the arrival of the quickest, cheapest genome-editing tool yet—get us so excited that we cannot help ourselves. This year those breakthroughs include tools for reprogramming living cells and rendering lab animals transparent; ways of powering electronics with sound waves and saliva; smartphone screens that correct for the flaws in your vision; Lego-like atomic structures that could produce major advances in superconductivity research; and others. Read about them now, then pay attention in the coming years to see what they do. The Gene Genie Reprogrammable Cells Transparent Organisms Spit-Fired Cells Vision-Correcting Displays Atomic-Scale Legos Ultrahard Recyclable Plastics Wireless Charging with Sound Waves Batteries that Capture Low-Grade Waste Heat Video Cameras for Nanoparticles
The Gene Genie
Reprogrammable Cells
Transparent Organisms
Spit-Fired Cells
Vision-Correcting Displays
Atomic-Scale Legos
Ultrahard Recyclable Plastics
Wireless Charging with Sound Waves
Batteries that Capture Low-Grade Waste Heat
Video Cameras for Nanoparticles
