Who Gives A Gigabyte?: A Survival Guide For The Technologically Perplexed

Computer scientists are currently working to develop DNA computing. The three-quarters of a pound of DNA in each person's body has the storage capacity of all the computer memory ever built.

A fiber optic communications system has been developed that allows a single fiber to carry as much information as the entire worldwide data traffic on the Internet.

Researchers are developing a growing selection of artificial body parts, a wide range of which are already available.

"Smart materials" that can sense changes in heat, pressure, and light are being used in a range of everyday devices such as exercise equipment, barbeque grills, and downhill skis.

Laser scalpels are being used in a growing range of new surgery, including the "sculpting" of the cornea in the eye in order to correct near- and farsightedness.

Which new technologies will change our lives the most in the years ahead? Introducing today's brave new world of gene therapy, quantum computation, designer drugs, and recyclable cars, "Who Gives a Gigabyte"? surveys the exciting range of technological wonders reshaping our world--as well as those soon to come--and offers simple, engaging explanations of what they are and how they work.

Scientific American senior editor Gary Stix and journalist Miriam Lacob combine their skills to take readers on a wonderfully lucid and fast-paced tour of the most important recent developments in genetics, medicine, cybernetics, telecommunications, robotics, micromachines, environmental cleanup, and more.

Information from the Human Genome Project is being used to develop a new breed of drugs that will be tailored to an individual's genetic makeup and cause fewer side effects. Basedon interviews with today's leading technology developers as well as extensive research of the scientific literature, "Who Gives a Gigabyte?" explains in plain English what the new technologies are, how they work, how they will most likely evolve in the near future, and how they will affect our lives in the next century. Focusing on areas that are most important to today's consumer, the book explores: Computing: venturing beyond the proverbial information superhighway, this $500 billion industry is really just beginning to take flight, as perpetual advancements in object-oriented programming and dataencryption promise to enrich, simplify, and completely transform the whole face of human communication and commerce. Telecommunications: using fiber optics, satellites, and wireless networks to boost Third World countries right into the twenty-first century, the global communications network is considered the world's most costly and important technical achievement to date. Laser beams: finding unforeseen new uses in digital DVD players, surgical instruments, and military surveying equipment, researchers are also discovering ways of using lasers to produce pharmaceuticals and treat infertility. Bioengineering materials: encouraging natural tissue regeneration, supplementing the functions of damaged organs, and replacing worn-out joints, this exciting new area of technology aims to offer remarkable tools against the ravages of aging and disease. Alternative energy sources: responding to the reality of our dwindling natural resources, promising advances for conserving fossil fuels and curtailing pollution include wind turbines, photovoltaic cells, and solar panels.

Readers will be entertainedby vivid descriptions and illustrations, refreshed by the authors' wonderfully jargon-free writing, and intrigued by all of the exciting possibilities revealed. "Who Gives a Gigabyte?" is indispensable reading for careful consumers, forward-thinking investors, and concerned citizens alike.

An exhilarating chronicle of the most revolutionary advancements in recent-and future-technology
Which new technologies are bound to have the biggest impact on our lives in the years ahead? This groundbreaking book looks at the latest technological superstars destined to reshape the upcoming century and offers easy-to-understand, engaging explanations of what they are, how they work, and how they will affect our lives. Written by a senior editor of Scientific American, the world's premier science magazine, and based on in-depth interviews with today's leading innovators as well as extensive research of the latest scientific literature, Who Gives a Gigabyte? takes you on a fast-paced tour into the brave new world of gene therapy, quantum computation, designer drugs, and recyclable cars.
Surveying the wide range of technological wonders, the authors investigate such diverse realms of scientific advancement as computing, telecommunications, laser beams, bioengineering materials, and alternative energy sources. From the Human Genome Project, which aims to spell out every letter of our genetic inheritance, to the implications of altering genes in important agricultural projects, to new strategies for attacking malignant cancer cells without the damaging side effects of traditional treatments, to the startling but still unsuccessful attempts to make computer software more like the human mind, Who Gives a Gigabyte? demystifies the technology of today and provides an enlightening glimpse into the limitless possibilities of tomorrow.
"An enjoyable and rewarding book."-Choice
"An informative overview of new and emerging technologies."-Booklist
"The reward for the readeris a solid grounding in technological literacy."-Scientific American