Science in an exponential world

Many predict dramatic changes to the way science is done, and suspect that few traditional processes will survive in their current form by 2020. (…) The wireless sensors that were US$300 a year ago are $100 today, and will be $30 next year. A similar phenomenon occurred with DNA chips and gene sequencers. It is important to recognize this pattern; it is universal. And so although some sub-disciplines may reach a plateau in data generation, other technological innovations will take their place. Scientists in 2020 will continue to work in an exponential world.

Jim Gray, Alex Szalay, Science in an exponential world, Nature , V. 440.23, 23 March 2006. (HTML)