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Combating Disease
Despite all the revolutionary medical advances in the 20th century, great challenges lie ahead
in our fight against disease. Heart disease. Cancer. Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic
diseases of aging. Infection with the AIDS virus. Antibiotic-resistant microbes. And those are
just a few of the challenges. Fortunately, chemists and other scientists are determined to launch
new revolutions in medicine — revolutions that enable us to prevent disease more effectively,
diagnose earlier, and cure more often.
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New Fuels: Part 1.
Biofuels
Concerns about high gasoline prices and global warming are fostering a world-wide scientific
quest for new fuels. They are seeking alternatives to conventional petroleum, natural gas, and
coal. At the head of the line are biofuels, fuels that can be produced in a sustainable fashion
from plants. Future fuels include not-new sources of ethanol produced from biomass that do
not require strain the food supply. And watch for esoteric new fuels like “green gasoline” and
“designer” hydrocarbons.
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New Fuels: Part 2.
Fuels from Ice, Water, and Sunshine
Ice that burns? Yes, indeed. Gas hydrates are icy cages filled with methane, the main ingredient
in natural gas. They are among a suite of new energy sources that may power society in the
years ahead. Scientists are developing these new energy sources to supplement the coal and
conventional natural gas now used to produce electricity for heating, cooling, and lighting.
They hold special promise as sustainable energy sources that help combat global warming.
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Providing Safe Foods
Every Thanksgiving, family and friends gather to celebrate round dinner tables heaped high
with roasted turkey and other traditional dishes. There’s praise for the food, of course, and
thanks for the year’s blessings. For good health. For the love and support of family and friends.
Maybe we should add a word at Thanksgiving for the scientific advances that are helping to
keep our food supply safe from a host of threats that can really spoil a meal.
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Providing Nutritious Foods
Blueberries, raspberries, and grapes bursting with flavor. A luscious, silky morsel of chocolate
melting into a mouthful’s rush of pure pleasure. Fresh, ripe tomatoes. Years ago, people ate
for that gratification. Food also provided the calories for people to work, and drove away
hunger pangs. Today, people in industrialized countries are selecting food not just for taste and
sustenance, but also for its potential effects in promoting good health.
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Promoting Public Health
Life expectancy in the 20th Century rose by about 30 years. Advances in protecting the public
health were responsible for about 25 of those precious years. Vaccination programs. Improved
sanitation to better control infectious diseases. The development of antibiotics. Better prenatal
care. And much more. Scientists are making strides toward sustaining that progress by
fostering continued improvements in the health of the population as a whole.
