Sometimes we hear stuff like “we’re about 6 years away from finding a cure for (blank)” or something like 10 years away from self driving cars being a reliable mode of transportation
How do they know even an estimate of how close or far away we are from these things?
In: Technology
You’re talking about what the popular media says about science.
Actual scientists might say something like, “If conditions A, B, C, and D are met and remain in place for 10 years, we might make significant progress on research that could eventually lead to a major breakthrough in [insert futuristic technology here]. But here are some reasons why conditions A, B, C, and D will almost certainly not be met anytime soon…”
And the media then reports it as, “SCIENTISTS SAY WE ARE 10 YEARS AWAY FROM MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH IN [FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGY]!”
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