The Futures - No. 56

India’s expanding global influence / Living materials can self-heal / Gene therapy restores hearing

May 21, 2024

In this issue

The Quantumrun team shares actionable trend insights about India’s rise to the global stage, scientists using cells to create programmable materials, the baby who could hear after gene therapy, and South Korea launching a Ministry to tackle its alarming birth rate.

Future signals to watch

18-month-old Opal Sandy, the first patient in a global gene therapy trial, responded to sound within four weeks of treatment. Born deaf due to auditory neuropathy, she is the youngest and first British patient to receive this type of gene therapy.
The world's largest plant for capturing carbon from the atmosphere began operating in Iceland, run by Swiss company Climeworks. Named "Mammoth," it is ten times bigger than its predecessor and can extract 36,000 tons of carbon annually (equivalent to taking 7,800 gas-powered cars off the road).
Foundation works have started on the NeuConnect project, a £2.4 billion energy grid link between the UK and Germany.
The International Energy Agency reports that global solar manufacturing is now at 50% utilization, with significant capacity growth of 550 gigawatts in 2023.
The Moroccan National Company for Strait Studies (SNED) announced it is conducting feasibility research on a 40-year-old train project to connect Europe and Africa via a 28km underwater tunnel between Spain and Morocco by 2030.
Indian political parties are expected to have spent over USD $50 million on AI-generated campaign material for the April election, with synthetic media companies working hard to meet the demand while sticking to their ethical guidelines on creating deepfakes.
Finnish tech firm Metroc uses prison labor for data labeling to train a language model, paying prisoners 1.54 euros an hour due to the shortage of affordable Finnish-speaking workers.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced plans to create the Ministry of Low Birth Rate Counter-planning to address the low birth rate crisis, which he called a "national emergency." The country has the world's lowest fertility rate, which dropped to 0.72 in 2023 from 0.78 the previous year.

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Culturally // Trending

YouTube → Wicked // X → King Charles’ new portrait // Reddit → This Iguana haircut // TikTok → Deinfluencers/Anti-haul // Instagram → This Furiosa outfit // Spotify → “Not Like Us”

India’s rise as the next global power

India is emerging as a significant global power, driven by a combination of economic growth, technological advancements, and strategic investments. Investors and global financial leaders are increasingly optimistic about India's potential, particularly its expanding middle class, strong economic growth, and rapid digitalization. India's gross domestic product, although only a fifth of China's, is bolstered by a young population and rising consumer demand, providing ample room for multi-decade growth. Additionally, the country has political stability and extensive infrastructure development.

A major contributor to India's rising status is its ambitious renewable energy initiatives that aim to position the country as a leader in global clean energy efforts. Adani Green Energy Limited is spearheading one of the world's largest clean energy projects, the Khavda Renewable Energy Park in Gujarat, which is set to exceed a capacity of 30,000 megawatts by 2029. This solar farm, spanning 538 sq km, is expected to produce 81 billion units of clean electricity annually, powering approximately 16.1 million households. The project incorporates advanced technologies like bifacial solar photovoltaic modules and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven control centers.

Furthermore, India's strategic role in the global supply chain is expanding, partly due to shifts in global manufacturing dynamics. Companies like Apple are increasing their production in India, leveraging the country's competitive advantages and favorable investment climate.

India's digital and financial sectors are also thriving, benefiting from the nation's large domestic market and multilingual technical capabilities. However, this growth comes with challenges, including the need for effective policy management to handle increased foreign investments and maintain economic stability. As India navigates these complexities, it is poised to play a more prominent role in multilateral institutions and global economic affairs.

Actionable trend insights as India continues to develop into a global power:

For entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs can utilize India's rapidly expanding digital ecosystem to reach Indian consumers economically. Platforms like JioMart, Flipkart, and Amazon India offer opportunities to enter the e-commerce market. Likewise, they can explore importing fintech solutions to offer innovative financial products, considering India's growing digital payments market facilitated by UPI (Unified Payments Interface).
Likewise, for entrepreneurs to succeed, they must identify and cater to niche markets within India's diverse consumer base. For example, health tech, ed-tech, and agritech are booming sectors. Developing products tailored to regional tastes and preferences, leveraging local languages and cultural nuances, adds difficulty but also opportunity when engaging in the Indian market.

For corporate innovators

Larger corporations can explore public-private partnerships to participate in India's massive infrastructure buildout and digital transformation projects.
- For example, investments in India's renewable energy sector, like the Khavda Renewable Energy Park project, present opportunities for large-scale involvement in clean energy initiatives.
Agriculture companies could invest in large-scale smart agriculture projects that incorporate the Internet of Things and AI to optimize farming practices to support India’s growing population. They can also establish agro-processing units that add value to raw produce, enabling farmers to earn higher incomes.

For public sector innovators

Government agencies will need to expand energy and digital infrastructure investments in rural areas to support economic growth and connectivity. Initiatives like setting up internet hubs and providing affordable internet access can enable rural entrepreneurs to access global markets and resources.
- Similar continued investments in enhancing transportation networks and smart city initiatives will remain crucial for the next two decades.
- As will promoting green infrastructure projects to align with global sustainability goals and attract environmentally conscious investors.

Trending research reports from the World Wide Web

Noema discusses the high entropy in today’s world order, driven by geopolitical conflicts, economic challenges, and climate change.
The Global Electricity Review by think tank Ember predicts the planet is nearing a crucial clean energy turning point. Fossil fuel generation is expected to decline slightly in 2024 and more significantly in the following years.
A study comparing the social intelligence (SI) of AI models (ChatGPT-4, Google Bard, and Bing) to human psychologists found that ChatGPT-4 and Bing demonstrated superior SI, suggesting AI's rapid development in understanding emotions and social behaviors can significantly aid psychotherapists.
The European Space Policy Institute released a report discussing four potential scenarios that can influence European space exploration by 2040-2060 - from shifting world powers to economic challenges.

🧪 Programmable living materials are poised to change biomanufacturing and construction

Programmable living materials, embedded with living cells, can grow, self-repair, and adapt to their environment. In May 2024, researchers from China demonstrated the use of 3D-printed bioink containing genetically modified tobacco plant cells. This approach created complex shapes like grids and snowflakes that could produce proteins and pigments as dictated by their modified DNA. The potential applications are vast, ranging from cellular factories that produce pharmaceuticals to eco-friendly building materials that repair themselves over time.

The process of transforming cells into programmable materials

In 2023, there were several advancements in engineered living materials (ELMs). In April 2023, a group of Chinese scientists developed fungi-based ELMs, which can maintain their structure under low pH conditions and can be genetically modified to produce colored pigments in response to environmental stimuli.

This adaptability could be pivotal for creating self-sustaining building materials and biosensors for industrial applications. According to the study, these living materials remain functional even after three months of storage.

Meanwhile, in September 2023, researchers at the University of California, San Diego, created a seaweed-based polymer combined with genetically engineered bacteria. This living material can decontaminate water by breaking down pollutants like indigo carmine, a dye used in the textile industry. The bacteria are programmed to self-destruct after their job is done, ensuring they do not remain in the environment.

This innovation showcases the broader potential of living materials to address environmental challenges. By harnessing these technologies, industries can move towards more sustainable and adaptive production processes.

Actionable trend insights as programmable living materials are incorporated in manufacturing and construction: