|
|
   |
|
2016 China passes the USA in PPP Under Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), China's economy expanded from $11.2 trillion in 2011 to $19 trillion in 2016. Meanwhile, the size of the US economy rose from $15.2 trillion to $18.8 trillion. This has reduced America's share of the world output to 17.7%, its lowest in modern times. China's share has reached 18%, and is continuing to rise.*
Euro 2016 is held in France The 2016 European Football Championship is hosted by France. This year, the tournament is expanded in size from 16 to 24 teams, following a plan unanimously agreed by senior officials of all 53 UEFA member nations. The format of the final tournament consists of six groups of four teams, followed by a round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. The top two from each group will qualify in addition to the four best third-ranked sides, the same system as was applied in the World Cups from 1986 to 1994. This format generates a total of 51 games, compared with 31 prior to 2016, played over a period of 29 days.
Rio de Janeiro hosts the Olympic Games Rio becomes the first South American city to host the event.
Apple Inc. achieves a market capitalisation of one trillion dollars Since it entered the market in the late 1970s, Apple has continually supplied the consumer electronic industry with innovative and revolutionising products. From the original Macintosh, released in 1984, to the latest generations of handheld devices, Apple has been at the forefront of advancing the technology available to consumers. Recently, the company's devices had begun to set the curve for new markets. The iPhone, released in 2007, triggered an explosion in touch-screen smartphones that spawned countless models by other companies, each more impressive than the last. In 2010, the iPad began the now-booming tablet market, acting as the middle-ground between smartphone and personal computer. Indeed, by the time competitors introduced their own models, Apple was already releasing its generation two tablet, the iPad 2. This dominance over innovation in the industry, together with strong loyalty from its customers, greatly raised the value of the company. Despite lagging behind in the PC market, Apple's market cap surpassed that of Dell in 2006, its stock price having jumped from $6 to over $80 since 2003. By 2010, Apple's stock shares were valued at a record-high $300 dollars, with the company itself valued at almost $280 billion. Stock maintained an average growth rate of 59% up to 2011. Despite the departure of founder and long-time CEO Steve Jobs, who was largely credited with Apple's success, the company continued a period of rapid growth, just at a slower rate.* Affecting this was the worsening global financial crisis. However, the demand for and quality of products pushed the company's value to sustained record high levels. By 2016, Apple reaches a market capitalisation of over $1 trillion,* becoming only the second to do so after the oil giant PetroChina briefly achieved it in 2007.* Global economic depression has taken hold, finally putting the brakes on Apple's growth somewhat. The corporation remains at the top of the value list for several more quarters, however, and continues to produce innovative new products and technologies for years to come.
US vehicles are becoming more fuel-efficient New standards enacted by the Obama administration have boosted the fuel efficiency of light duty vehicles (cars, crossovers, SUVs, vans and pickup trucks) to an average of 34 miles per gallon (MPG).* This will reduce CO2 emissions by almost 1 billion metric tons and conserve 1.8 billion barrels of oil. In addition, the average buyer is saving around $3,000 over the lifetime of the vehicle - even after the higher initial purchase costs are taken into account. These efficiency gains have come from smaller, more efficient engines with direct injection and/or turbochargers; more sophisticated automatic and dual-clutch transmissions (DCTs); hybrid-electric systems; clean diesel engines; tires with lower rolling resistance; more aerodynamic vehicles and lighter-weight materials. The US still lags behind the rest of the world, however, and has lots of catching up to do. New vehicles in Europe and Japan, for instance, are reaching 50 MPG on average, and the majority now feature "start-stop" technology.
India's first manned space flight
The
first hotel in space
The Juno probe arrives at Jupiter
Juno's mission concludes in October 2017, after a total of 33 orbits.* Like its predecessor, Galileo, it is crashed into the outer atmosphere of the gas giant, where it compresses and then melts as it falls.
Agricultural robots are appearing on farms Complex algorithms allow robotic workers to "learn" the longer they are on the job, so they become more adept as time goes on. This helps the computer to recognise a fruit that is partially covered by a leaf or similar obstruction, for example. The grasping tools themselves are based on human movements and are programmed to apply the correct pressure. The advantages of this technology include much greater accuracy in spraying pesticides (cutting its use by 80%), uninterrupted output, and, as the technology improves, greater efficiency and speed. Initially, these robots are present on a small number of farms, often working alongside traditional human workers. However, as the years go by and the technology proliferates, more and more farms begin to adopt robotic workers. By the following decade, entire farms are becoming fully automated. The increased output helps to alleviate the food shortages caused by rising global populations. Despite these gains, agricultural robots prove controversial. They exacerbate the ongoing unemployment crisis, with the potential of putting many thousands of workers out of a job. Mechanisation continues its unending progress, however, as another industry begins to be handed over to machines.*
Laser
guns are in naval use
Holographic
Versatile Disc (HVD) supersedes Blu-Ray The price of storage per gigabyte is plummeting - from around $1 per gigabyte in 2006, to less than 10 cents now. This is an example of the trend of exponential progress (rather than linear) seen in forms of information technology. HVD itself is in danger of becoming obsolete, before it has even been properly established. Solid state flash drives are increasingly being used for digital transfer, some with even higher capacities, along with read and write speeds faster than any optical disc. The new SDXC card format specification has already reached the 2TB mark.
New drug delivery methods for brain-related conditions This development opened the door to numerous advances in the treatment of brain-related conditions. It was also determined that the method could be used in other parts of the body, such as muscles, and could be specialised for an individual patient. Clinical trials begin this year, in which the method proves effective in humans. In the 2020s, radical new treatments for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, brain tumours and other serious neurological conditions begin to appear on the market.*
A pill to prevent sunburn In 2011, British researchers who analysed coral samples from the Great Barrier Reef made a remarkable discovery. Algae living within the coral were found to produce a special compound that was transported to the coral, then modified to protect both the algae and the coral from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays. Not only that, but fish feeding on the coral were also found to benefit, so it was clearly passed up the food chain. After establishing how this compound was created and passed on, it was biosynthetically developed in a laboratory, creating a sunscreen for human use. Following tests conducted on skin samples, this is now available in tablet form and provides sun protection for the whole body. Further research on this compound is underway, as it has the potential to create sun-tolerant plants that could boost world food supplies. Genetically engineering food crops to use the coral's biochemical pathways could make it possible to grow temperate crops, such as wheat and potatoes, at high yields in the tropics.*
Completion of the i5K project i5K is a five year project to sequence the genomes of 5,000 insect and related arthropod species.* It aims to identify the vulnerable regions of insect DNA, which could then be targeted with pesticides and other treatments. This could reduce the $50 billion spent globally each year to control the many diseases transmitted by insects. It could also aid the search for suitable compounds for use as pesticides: ones that kill a targeted pest, but leave the beneficial pollinating insects unharmed. This may help in reversing colony collapse disorder, for example, which has ravaged bee populations for decades. On current trends, honeybees had been expected to go extinct by 2035 - potentially resulting in global famine.* The project could also be useful in combatting malaria, one of the world's most common infectious diseases and responsible for 2.2% of all deaths globally. The costs of genome sequencing have fallen exponentially in recent years - making it feasible to cheaply sequence huge numbers of animals and plants.*
The Strait of Messina Bridge is completed The world's largest suspension bridge - the Strait of Messina Bridge - is completed this year, connecting Sicily with mainland Italy for the first time.* Some 3.3 km in length and 60m wide, the bridge is supported by two 382m pillars, higher than the Empire State Building in New York. There are two motorway lanes and one emergency lane in each direction catering for 6,000 vehicles per hour, a two-track railway for up to 200 trains a day and two independent lanes for service traffic and pedestrians.
China completes the largest environmental cleanup in its history The rapid growth of China in recent decades led to some truly appalling environmental conditions in the country, particularly the developing urban areas. Since 2006, China had been the world's largest producer of CO2, a result of coal power supplying 70% of the country's energy. Smog became a major problem in cities, with lung disease affecting many millions of their inhabitants. By 2011, 16 of the world's 20 most polluted cities were located in China, with Linfen, Shanxi Province the most polluted overall.* Numerous rivers and aquifers were being endangered.* To rectify these conditions, the Chinese government in 2011 began an ambitious Five Year Plan to stem the flow of pollutants and clean up the damage done.* A tax was applied to heavy polluters, based on the output of hazardous chemicals and sewage. The goal was to fix the situation caused by the previously unregulated industrial growth, which had first attracted the polluters to the country. The resultant revenue primarily went towards restoring damaged environments. Many non-profit groups aided in the cleanup during this time. New regulations were also introduced, putting a cap on energy use. Targets were set to lower carbon emissions significantly. This went along with China's long term goal of green energy dominance. Though some progress has been made over this five year period, the entrenchment of dirty industry and the explosive growth of the country makes it very difficult to turn the environmental situation around. It will take decades of further work before China has transitioned to a truly green economy.
The East Side Access subway extension opens in New York This major project connects Grand Central Station in Manhattan to the Long Island Rail Road, via underground tunnels. The idea for the East Side Access dates back to the sixties, but the New York fiscal crisis in 1970 halted work for several years. The newly opened route begins underneath the Sunnyside Rail Yard in Queens and connects to the 63rd Street Tunnel. On the Manhattan side of the project, a series of new tunnels are built which connect from the 63rd Street Tunnel to a new platform under Grand Central Station. The new route cuts journey times by up to 40 minutes a day for customers who previously travelled to Penn Station and then took a subway, bus or walk to the East Side. It greatly eases traffic congestion, as it becomes the shortest and most direct route between Long Island and East Midtown Manhattan. The East Side Access reduces major burdens on the metropolitan area, namely overcrowding and over capacity at Penn Station. Overall, trains become more reliable in the area and public transportation is a more realistic option for travellers.*
US presidential election The 58th US presidential election is held in November 2016. This takes place amidst unprecedented challenges - both domestically and abroad - as the global depression worsens.
The
Gotthard Base Tunnel is completed Running directly through the Alps mountain range - at depths of up to 2500m - it cuts the 3.5-hour travel time from Zürich to Milan by an hour, while the journey from Zürich to Lugano is reduced to 1 hour 40 min. Passenger trains operate as fast as 250 km/h (155 mph) through the new tunnels.
|
References 1
World Economic Outlook: April 2011, International Monetary Fund (IMF): 2
Apple VARs adjust to Jobs-less future, TechTarget: 3 "If the average 59% annual growth rate of Apple’s stock continues, the company could be worth $1 trillion in as little as three years. That’s the optimistic case. If you use the analysts more conservative 23% price target for 2011 and apply that going into the future, then Apple will hit $1 trillion in six years." 4 PetroChina tops $1 trillion market cap in debut, MarketWatch: 5
Obama and EPA Launch 34.1-MPG Fuel-Economy Rules for 2016,
Green Car Reports: 6 India announces first manned space mission, BBC: 7 Juno - Unlocking Jupiter's Mysteries, NASA: 8 "The technology is ready, and now we can start seeing this penetrating into the market," said Yael Edan, an engineer and robotics researcher at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. "I would say there will definitely be robots out there in five years." 9 Orange Harvesting, Vision Robotics Corporation: 10
Laser used to shoot down planes, Telegraph.co.uk: 11 "The team expect to begin trials in human patients within five years." 12 "There would have to be a lot of toxicology tests done first, but I imagine a sunscreen tablet might be developed in five years or so. Nothing like it exists at the moment." 13
i5K Insect and other Arthropod Genome Sequencing Initiative: 14
Extract from A World Without Bees, BBC: 15
DNA Sequencing Costs, National Human Genome Research Institute: 16
Strait of Messina Bridge, Wikipedia: 17 The World's Most Polluted Places, TIME: 18 Amazing Pictures, Pollution in China, China Hush: 19 China to impose green tax on heavy polluters, The Guardian: 20 MTA's Official East Side Access Project Page: 21 Gotthard Base Tunnel to be operational from 2016, Alp Transit: |
| |
