Seeing further: the story of science & the Royal Society — MARTIN REES

1. 1. Science is an unending quest; as frontiers advance, new mysteries come into focus just beyond them.
2. 2. The search for alien life will be one of the most exciting scientific frontiers in the next fifty years.
3. 3. A synthesis of quantum theory and general relativity into an overarching theory is unfinished business for the 21st century.
4. 4. The phrase 'theory of everything' is hubristic and misleading; such a theory would offer zero help to 99% of scientists.
5. 5. Simple underlying rules can govern seemingly complex phenomena, as illustrated by John Conway's Game of Life.
6. 6. Astronomy is far simpler than the human sciences; stars are simple because their content is broken down into simple atoms.
7. 7. By mid-century, the entire solar system will have been explored by flotillas of tiny robotic craft.
8. 8. Moral issues will arise as robots become perceived as intelligent beings; we may have duties to them.
9. 9. There will be an ever-widening gulf between what science allows and what is prudent or ethical to do.
10. 10. By 2060, the world population is projected to reach around 9 billion, with Asia concentrating the world's physical and intellectual capital.
11. 11. Humans are causing a sixth mass extinction, with extinction rates a thousand times higher than normal.
12. 12. Scientists should engage as 'citizen scientists' in public debate, resisting ethically dubious applications of their work.