Since I Was Born [Rik's Treehouse]

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====== Since I Was Born ======

The world's spinning fast.  Sometimes I forget about how much science and technology have progressed in my lifetime.  Here are some advances to help remind me.

Since I was born...

  * 1971 - The [[wp>Stanford prison experiment]] was conducted.
  * 1974 - Start of Dauphin Manitoba's [[wp>Mincome]] project (until 1979).
  * 1975 - The term [[wp>fractal]] was coined.
  * 1975 - The world population reached [[wp>World_population_estimates|4 billion people]].
  * 1976 - [[wp>General relativity]] was [[wp>Gravity Probe A | tested and confirmed]] to an accuracy of 0.0000007%.
  * 1976 - A [[wp>Viking 1 | spacecraft]] successfully(([[wp>Mars 3]] landed on Mars in 1973 but died after 15 seconds.)) landed on Mars.
  * 1976 - The first known [[wp>Ebola virus disease | Ebola]] outbreak occurred.
  * 1979 - [[wp>Smallpox]] was eradicated.
  * 1980 - I saw my first [[wp>Automated teller machine | bank machine]].
  * 1980((Estimated.)) - I first used a wireless [[wp>remote control]] and a [[wp>microwave oven]].  The dawn of the age of "action at a distance"?
  * 1981 - I first played a [[wp>Atari 2600 | video game console]] at a friend's house.
  * 1981 - First launch of a [[wp>Space Shuttle]].
  * 1981 - Warmest year on record((Reliable temperature records began in 1880.)) with a global average temperature [[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/global/globe/land_ocean/12/12/1880-1981 | 0.32°C above]] the 20<sup>th</sup> century average.
  * 1982 - I first heard of a new disease, [[wp>AIDS]].
  * 1983 - [[wp>Pioneer 10]] space probe crosses [[wp>Pluto | Pluto's]] orbit.
  * 1983 - I wrote my first computer program, in [[wp>BASIC]].
  * 1983 - [[wp>Polymerase chain reaction]] was invented.
  * 1983 - Warmest year on record((Reliable temperature records began in 1880.)) with a global average temperature [[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/global/globe/land_ocean/12/12/1880-1983 | 0.36°C above]] the 20<sup>th</sup> century average.
  * 1984 - [[wp>Prion | Prions]]((Prion = infectious protein.)) were confirmed.
  * 1985 - The wreck of the [[wp>RMS Titanic | Titanic]] was discovered.
  * 1985((Estimated.)) - I first heard about the [[wp>Ozone_depletion#Antarctic_ozone_hole|Antarctic ozone hole]].
  * 1986 - The space station [[wp>Mir]] was launched.
  * 1986 - I bought my first computer, an [[wp>Apple IIc]]((My Apple IIc had a 1MHz CPU, a 320kB floppy disk, and a 9" monochrome monitor.)).
  * 1986 - The [[wp>Chernobyl disaster|worst nuclear power plant accident]] to date occurred.
  * 1987 - The world population reached [[wp>World_population_estimates|5 billion people]].
  * 1987 - Warmest year on record((Reliable temperature records began in 1880.)) with a global average temperature [[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/global/globe/land_ocean/12/12/1880-1987 | 0.38°C above]] the 20<sup>th</sup> century average.
  * 1988 - The first confirmed [[wp>exoplanet]]((Exoplanet = extrasolar planet.)) was discovered.
  * 1988 - I sent and received my first email.
  * 1988 - Warmest year on record((Reliable temperature records began in 1880.)) with a global average temperature [[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/global/globe/land_ocean/12/12/1880-1988 | 0.39°C above]] the 20<sup>th</sup> century average.
  * 1990((Estimated.)) - I saw a [[wp>Mobile phone | cell phone]].
  * 1990 - Warmest year on record((Reliable temperature records began in 1880.)) with a global average temperature [[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/global/globe/land_ocean/12/12/1880-1990 | 0.45°C above]] the 20<sup>th</sup> century average.
  * 1992 - The Atlantic northwest cod fishery [[wp>Collapse of the Atlantic northwest cod fishery | collapsed]].
  * 1993 - I browsed the [[wp>World Wide Web]] for the first time.
  * 1994 - [[wp>Fermat's Last Theorem]] was proved.
  * 1994 - [[wp>Green fluorescent protein]] was successfully used as a fluorescent marker.
  * 1995 - Warmest year on record((Reliable temperature records began in 1880.)) with a global average temperature [[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/global/globe/land_ocean/12/12/1880-1995 | 0.47°C above]] the 20<sup>th</sup> century average.
  * 1996 - [[wp>Dolly the sheep]] was cloned.
  * 1996 - I got [[wp>Internet service provider | Internet service]] at home((Dial-up internet service @ 56kbps until 1999, then broadband thru cable.  See [[babbling_in_binary:trends_in_computing:start]] for performance history.)).
  * 1996 - A [[wp>Sinosauropteryx | feathered dinosaur]] was discovered.
  * 1997 - A [[wp>IBM Deep Blue | computer]] beat a chess [[wp>Garry Kasparov | grandmaster]] in a match.
  * 1997 - I started my own website((My website received 100 visits in the first 3 months; 1,000 in the first 10; 10,000 in the first 22.)).
  * 1997 - Warmest year on record((Reliable temperature records began in 1880.)) with a global average temperature [[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/global/globe/land_ocean/12/12/1880-1997 | 0.52°C above]] the 20<sup>th</sup> century average.
  * 1998 - It was observed that the [[wp>Accelerating universe | expansion of the universe is accelerating]].
  * 1998 - Warmest year on record((Reliable temperature records began in 1880.)) with a global average temperature [[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/global/globe/land_ocean/12/12/1880-1998 | 0.65°C above]] the 20<sup>th</sup> century average.
  * 1999 - The world population reached [[wp>World_population_estimates|6 billion people]].
  * 2001 - [[wp>Wikipedia]] was launched.
  * 2003 - The human genome was [[wp>Human Genome Project | mapped]].
  * 2003 - I bought my first cell phone.  (Held out as long as I could.)
  * 2003 - My first [[wp>Wi-Fi|wireless]] access to the internet.
  * 2005 - [[wp>Same-sex_marriage_in_Canada|Same-sex marriage]] legalized in Canada.
  * 2005 - Warmest year on record((Reliable temperature records began in 1880.)) with a global average temperature [[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/global/globe/land_ocean/12/12/1880-2005 | 0.67°C above]] the 20<sup>th</sup> century average.
  * 2009 - [[wp>Bitcoin]], the first digital [[wp>cryptocurrency]], is released.
  * 2010 - I started buying digital music when some digital stores started selling unencumbered [[wp>MP3]] songs.  Previously, music was encumbered by [[wp>Digital Rights Management]] in Canada.  
  * 2010 - Warmest year on record((Reliable temperature records began in 1880.)) with a global average temperature [[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/global/globe/land_ocean/12/12/1880-2010 | 0.73°C above]] the 20<sup>th</sup> century average.
  * 2010 - The [[wp>SpaceX#Achievements|first privately funded company]] to successfully launch to orbit and recover a spacecraft.
  * 2011 - Cancelled my TV service -- strictly Internet since.
  * 2011 - A [[wp>Watson_%28computer%29#Competing_on_Jeopardy.21 | computer]] won a natural language quiz show against two of the most successful past human contestants.
  * 2012 - The world population reached [[wp>World_population_estimates|7 billion people]].
  * 2012 - The [[wp>Higgs boson]] was (probably) discovered.
  * 2012 - A [[wp>Voyager 1 | man-made object]] first left the [[wp>heliosphere]]. 
  * 2012 - I digitized my entire research library (about 10 linear feet -- or 30,000 pages -- of books and papers) -- strictly electronic from then on.  Also switched pleasure-reading from paper((By 2012 we had accumulated 90-100 linear feet of paper books.)) to e-books.
  * 2013 - The [[wp>Association_for_Molecular_Pathology_v._Myriad_Genetics#Decision_of_the_Supreme_Court |US Supreme Court ruled]] that naturally occurring DNA cannot be patented.
  * 2013 - A nuclear fusion plant [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24429621 | produced more energy than it absorbed]].  (Not as much as it consumed, though, due to losses.)
  * 2013 - I switched from incandescent to LED light bulbs at home.
  * 2014 - Cells from the [[http://www.bbc.com/news/health-29645760 | olfactory bulb are transplanted to the spine]] to restore some sensation and function in a paralyzed man's legs.
  * 2014 - A [[wp>Philae (spacecraft) | spacecraft]] successfully landed on a comet.
  * 2014 - Warmest year on record((Reliable temperature records began in 1880.)) with a global average temperature [[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/global/globe/land_ocean/12/12/1880-2014 | 0.74°C above]] the 20<sup>th</sup> century average.
  * 2015 - I first heard about [[wp>CRISPR]], the most successful gene editing tool to-date, through the [[http://motherboard.vice.com/read/what-is-crisprcas9-and-why-is-it-suddenly-everywhere | news media]].
  * 2015 - I first heard about [[wp>deep learning]], a recent improvement in [[wp>artificial neural networks]], through the [[http://www.wired.com/2015/05/remaking-google-facebook-deep-learning-tackles-robotics/ | news media]].
  * 2015 - An [[wp>Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa]] killed 11,000 people -- more than all previous ebola outbreaks combined.
  * 2015 - A [[http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/ebola-vaccine-trial-proves-100-successful-in-guinea | vaccine for ebola]] was developed.
  * 2015 - Quantum mechanics' [[http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/quantum-spookiness-passes-toughest-test-yet/ | spooky action at a distance]] is supported in a rigorous experiment.
  * 2015 - The first time somebody close to me bought an [[wp>Nissan Leaf | electric car]].
  * 2015 - Warmest year on record((Reliable temperature records began in 1880.)) with a global average temperature [[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/global/globe/land_ocean/12/12/1880-2015 | 0.93°C above]] the 20<sup>th</sup> century average.
  * 2015 - I first saw an operating [[wp>wind farm]].
  * 2016 - The international [[http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2015/12/can-we-hope-after-the-paris-agreement/420174/ | Paris Agreement]] on climate change goes into effect.
  * 2016 - Warmest year on record((Reliable temperature records began in 1880.)) with a global average temperature [[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/time-series/global/globe/land_ocean/12/12/1880-2016 | 0.99°C above]] the 20<sup>th</sup> century average.
  * 2017 - I first bought a car with some ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_car#Classification | Level 1]]) autonomous driving capabilities (adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist).
  * 2017 - I started using voice-activated navigation while driving (using [[wp>Android Auto]]).
  * 2018 - Recreational cannabis use is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_in_Canada | legalized in Canada]].
  * 2019 - First [[https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1907/ | image of a black hole]] is taken.
  * 2020 - [[https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/04/811461486/in-a-1st-scientists-use-revolutionary-gene-editing-tool-to-edit-inside-a-patient | Gene editing]] is performed [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vivo | in vivo]] in a person.
  * 2020 - The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%9320_coronavirus_pandemic | COVID-19 pandemic]] sweeps the world.
  * 2021 - Received my first [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RNA_vaccine | mRNA vaccine]] (for [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19 | COVID-19]]).


I wish I could remember...

  * When did I first hear of [[wp>global warming]]?
  * When did I eat my first [[wp>genetically modified food]]?
  * When did I first see GPS in action?


====== Will they or won't they? ======

Here are promising avenues of research.  Will these discoveries turn out to be golden or just fool's gold?

  * 2013 - A [[http://science.slashdot.org/story/13/08/16/1313220/new-treatment-from-australia-for-all-cancers | chemotherapy that targets cytoskeleton proteins unique to cancer]] is developed.
  * 2013- [[http://phys.org/news/2013-09-synthetic-mrna-self-repair-regeneration-infarcted.html | Synthetic mRNA, modified to evade the immune system]], triggers a pathway to stimulate new growth in a damaged organ (in this case, the heart).
  * 2013 - A [[http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/07/health/cohen-cancer-study/ | new cancer immunotherapy]] removes T-cells, inserts genes that target the cancer, and re-introduces them to the body where they multiply and attack cancerous cells.
  * 2014 - A [[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2689273/Have-scientists-cure-Professor-Stephen-Hawking-Potential-cure-motor-neurone-disease-discovered.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490 | new gene therapy]] shows promise in animal models of curing ALS.
  * 2015 - Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have developed a new procedure to [[http://www.gizmag.com/telomere-extension-aging/35816/ | increase the length of human telomeres]]. 
  * 2015 - A [[http://www.sciencealert.com/potential-new-vaccine-blocks-every-strain-of-hiv | protein that blocks HIV]] is discovered.  Will it prove safe and effective in humans?  Will the researchers succeed in their ambitions to insert it into a host via gene therapy?  If not, will it come to market as a drug?
  * 2015 - [[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11280504/Has-Stanford-University-found-a-cure-for-Alzheimers-disease.html | Has Stanford University found a cure for Alzheimer's disease?]]  They found a protein called EP2 interferes with [[wp>Microglia| microglial]] function and that inhibits "clean-up" in brains.  Blocking EP2 reversed Alzheimer's symptoms... in mice.  Will this pan out?
  * 2017 - A [[http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/03/molecule-kills-elderly-cells-reduces-signs-aging-mice| treatment that induces senescent cells to undergo apoptosis]] is developed.  It increases health and prolongs life in mice.  Can it be made to work in humans?
  * 2018 - A new [[https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2018/04/11/Researchers-find-genetic-cause-for-Alzheimers-possible-method-to-reverse-it/4661523454194/?utm_source=sec&utm_campaign=sl&utm_medium=2 | gene therapy fixes apoE4 genes]] that are implicated in Alzheimer's disease.
  * 2018 - Researchers develop [[https://vancouversun.com/health/local-health/ubc-researchers-have-found-a-way-to-make-all-donated-blood-universal| a way to efficiently strip antigens from blood]] to make it universal (type O-negative).  Is it economically viable?
  * 2019 - [[https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/05/gut-bacteria-may-contribute-autism-symptoms-mouse-study-finds | Gut bacteria are implicated in autism]].  Will further research bear this out?  If so, what kinds of treatments will emerge?
  * 2019 - [[https://www.newscientist.com/article/2191814-we-may-finally-know-what-causes-alzheimers-and-how-to-stop-it/ | A bacterium that causes gum disease]] is implicated in Alzheimer's Disease.
  * 2020 - Researchers develop [[https://interestingengineering.com/scientists-develop-potentially-vital-nasal-vaccine-for-treating-alzheimers | a nasal "vaccine" against tau protein]] to fight Alzheimer's Disease.
  * 2020 - Researchers [[https://ucalgary.ca/news/research-team-discovers-breakthrough-potential-prevent-reverse-alzheimers | find a drug used for high blood pressure]] (carvedilol) may be effective against Alzheimer's Disease.
  * 2021 - Researchers [[https://www.ibtimes.com/new-class-drug-reverses-paralysis-mice-3336131 | develop a bioactive therapeutic scaffold]] to promote neuroregeneration after spinal injury.


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