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Ten Things You Need to Know about the Future

Hannah Fry delves into the data we have today to provide an evidence-based vision of tomorrow. With some expert help, she investigates questions we want answered about the future.

This episode looks at the issues that will change the way we live our lives in the future. Rather than relying on the minds of science fiction writers, mathematician Hannah Fry delves into the data we have today to provide an evidence-based vision of tomorrow. With the help of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's science experts - and a few surprise guests - Hannah investigates the questions the British public want answered about the future.

Hannah tries to discover whether we could ever live forever or if there will ever be a cure for cancer. She finds out how research into the human brain may one day help with mental health, and if it is possible to ever ditch fossil fuels. Hannah and her guests also discover the future of transport - and when, if ever, we really will see flying cars. She discovers whether a robot will take your job or if, as some believe, we will all one day actually become cyborgs. The programme predicts what the weather will be like and discovers if we are on the verge of another mass extinction. Hannah's tenth prediction is something she - and Horizon - are confident will definitely happen, and that is to expect the unexpected!

59 minutes

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:33

    Reso

    Aethra

  • 00:39

    KATO & Sigala

    Show You Love (feat. Hailee Steinfeld)

  • 00:40

    Laura Mvula

    Kiss My Feet (Glastonbury 2016)

  • 00:42

    Agnes Obel

    It's Happening Again

  • 00:46

    Bonobo

    Gypsy

  • 00:56

    Johann Strauss II

    Blue Danube

  • 00:59

    John Dankworth

    Tomorrow's World

Data Sources for 10 Things You Need To Know About the Future

Horizon: 10 Things You Need to Know About the Future used data about today to predict the trends of the future.Β 

Here is where we got the data from:

Life Expectancy
Life Expectancy by time
Source: Office of National Statistics

Average Age by time
Source: Office of National Statistics

Mapping the Brain
Cost of mental health conditions
Source: A report by the World Economic Forum and the Harvard School of Public Health (using data from WHO) TABLE 15

Disease burden by category
Source: By 2030 mental health problems will cause the largest burden of disease worldwide;
WHO

Climate
Temperature change by time
Source: A Reconstruction of Regional and Global Temperature for the Past 11,300 Years.
Science 08 Mar 2013: Vol. 339, Issue 6124, pp. 1198-1201

Energy
Electricity generation in the UK by different technologies
Source: UK Government - Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

Extinction
Decline in wildlife
Source: Living Planet Report 2016
Produced by WWF in collaboration with ZSL, the Stockholm Resilience Centre, the Global Footprint Network, The Stockholm Environment Institute and Metabolic

Transport
Motor traffic by category by time
Source: Department of Transport

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Hannah Fry
Presenter Helen Czerski
Presenter Kevin Fong
Presenter Teena Gade
Presenter Peter Gibbs
Presenter Michael Mosley
Presenter Adam Rutherford
Presenter Zoe Williams
Presenter Giles Yeo
Presenter James Young
Series Editor Steve Crabtree
Director Peter Leonard

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