What does the future of science hold? Who is making the discoveries that will help shape this future? What areas of research show the greatest promise? Find definitive and insightful answers to such questions as these in the three volumes of Visions of the Future: Astronomy and Earth Science, Chemistry and Life Science, and Physics and Electronics. Representing a careful selection of authoritative articles published in a special issue of Philosophical Transactions — the world's longest-running scientific journal — the chapters explore such themes as:

The Big Bang

Humankind's exploration of the solar system

The deep interior of the Earth

Global warming and climate change

Atoms and molecules in motion

New materials and processes

Nature's secrets of biological growth and form

Understanding the human body and mind

Quantum physics and its relationship to relativity theory and human consciousness

Exotic quantum computing and data storage

Telecommunications and the Internet Written by leading young scientists, the timely contributions convey the excitement and enthusiasm that they have for their research and a preview of future research directions. J.M.T. Thompson is Professor of Nonlinear Dynamics and Director of the Center for Nonlinear Dynamics at University College London. Professor Thompson has published widely on instabilities, bifurcations, catastrophe theory and chaos. He was a Senior SERC Fellow, served on the IMA Council, and, in 1985, was awarded the Ewing Medal of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Currently, he is Editor of the Royal Society's Philosophical Transactions (Series A) which is the world's longest running scientific journal.