And now for the next 50 years...

This year's linkurl:annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology,;http://www.ascb.org/meetings/ the 50th, featured talks and displays marking the last 50 years in the field -- what scientists have learned, overturned, etc.

Attendees' predictions
Image: Alison McCook

But tucked away into one part of the Philadelphia Convention Center was a much less polished, but equally interesting display -- a once-blank sheet of paper now filled with handwritten predictions from attendees of what the next 50 years in biology would bring.Some attendees refrained from taking the task too seriously -- such as the entries "Favre retires permanently" (sorry, that's not until 2020-2030), "better salaries for postdocs," and "better security at airports so I don't get felt up."But there were a few honest answers. See below some of what cell biologists expect to witness in the coming decades.2010-2019 Epigenetic cancer drugs Identification of what "junk" DNA does 1 nm resolution light microscopy High content screening Digital displays for posters Full human delivery of siRNA2020-2029 HIV vaccine Cure for ADD/ADHD Bioartificial organ Protein folding solved First human clone Nanocrystalline buildings from cells Drug that replaces need for sleep2030-2049 Organ regeneration Algae as biofuel for automobiles Cure for the common cold (antivirals) Plant life that can be fully sustained during extreme climates ? no more world hunger Human blood factories Limb regeneration for amputees2050-2060 Memory mechanisms Artificial life in laboratory Key molecule that causes sudden death in aged individual Ability to scientifically model and predict human behavior Computer small enough to be implanted in your brain
**__Related stories:__***linkurl:Best cell bio images of 2010;http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/57860/
[13th December 2010] *linkurl:Top 7 papers in cell biology;http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/57854/
[6th December 2010] *linkurl:The dangers of predicting science;http://www.the-scientist.com/2009/11/1/28/1/
[November 2009]