Future Waves

January 2022 Issue

A body lies calmly on the ocean waiting for the next wave. Will it ride it with exhiliration to the shores or be crushed by its rippling pressures? Kary Mullis, the inventor of the PCR, has the idea of this new technology come to him while surfing. Later that night in the mid80s, he said "“It was difficult for me to sleep with deoxyribonuclear bombs exploding in my brain." Preparing for future waves is what we naturally do, aiming for realistic predictions, avoiding resurgence and attenuating the risks. What will come next and how will we face? This issue explores how we wrap our heads around our uncertain futures and the measures we take accordingly individually and together.