November 19, 2012

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Come Hang Out with Some World Changing Ideas

By Mark Fischetti

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Oil that cleans water. Pacemakers powered by our own blood. Drones that can spy on you in your backyard. Scientific American has chosen these and seven other innovations as the leading developments in 2012 that could ultimately change our world. The radical ideas are not pie-in-the-sky notions but practical breakthroughs that have been proved or prototyped and are poised to scale up greatly.

If you’d like to hear more about the 10 innovations, ask questions or add your opinion about their potential, join me and Google Science Fair in a Google+ video Hangout on Tuesday, Nov. 20, at 2 p.m. Eastern time. Google’s Hangout team, myself and guests will be visible on your computer screen as we discuss and debate the intriguing developments.

If you’d like to join the event, please go to the hangout page to sign up. Or just tune in on Nov. 20 if you already have a Google+ page. And if you’d like to read, ahead of time, the Scientific American print article that reveals the 10 innovations, it’s online free until Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. Hope to see you!

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Mark Fischetti was a senior editor at Scientific American for nearly 20 years and covered sustainability issues, including climate, environment, energy, and more. He assigned and edited feature articles and news by journalists and scientists and also wrote in those formats. He was founding managing editor of two spin-off magazines: Scientific American Mind and Scientific American Earth 3.0. His 2001 article “Drowning New Orleans” predicted the widespread disaster that a storm like Hurricane Katrina would impose on the city. Fischetti has written as a freelancer for the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Smithsonian and many other outlets. He co-authored the book Weaving the Web with Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, which tells the real story of how the Web was created. He also co-authored The New Killer Diseases with microbiologist Elinor Levy. Fischetti has a physics degree and has twice served as Attaway Fellow in Civic Culture at Centenary College of Louisiana, which awarded him an honorary doctorate. In 2021 he received the American Geophysical Union’s Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism. He has appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press, CNN, the History Channel, NPR News and many radio stations.

More by Mark Fischetti

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