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Asked by mollysimmons to Claire, Kate, Matt, Rob, Sam on 21 Jun 2013.
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Robert Woolfson answered on 21 Jun 2013:
Potentially yes. If we can ever build a quantum computer, we’ll be able to study all kinds of systems that we just can’t at the moment. One example is the brain, which is far too complex to model properly with even the highest powered supercomputer.
A quantum computer works in a fundamentally different way, which would allow us to possibly study how the brain works in a much more accurate way. This would allow us to try and make cures for diseases like Alzheimers and other diseases rooted in the brain.
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Sam Geen answered on 21 Jun 2013:
Not directly. But studying space helps us figure out how things work on Earth. For example, nuclear fusion was discovered because it’s how stars produce heat and light. If we could build a fusion plant, it could help generate clean, safe energy and replace fossil fuels, which would help save the planet from global warming. So astronomy doesn’t directly save lives, but things that astronomers have found out could one day help people.
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Kate Husband answered on 21 Jun 2013:
Not really no. But all of the techniques we learn and develop for photographing stars can be adapted to medical imaging i.e. looking inside the body. And that could help save lives.
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Matthew Pankhurst answered on 22 Jun 2013:
Yep 🙂 That’s the ultimate aim of the work I’m doing – to be able to give people warning that the volcano they live near is about to erupt, and how (explode, dribble out, collapse). We can’t stop volcanoes erupting, but we hope to understand them in much better detail that we do right now – check out this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Ruapehu#2007_lahar
to see that we can save lives! If it wasn’t for the early warning systems and great work by the New Zealand volcanologists lots of people could have died… -
Claire Lee answered on 26 Jun 2013:
Well – not necessarily directly, but there are spinoffs. For example, MRI machines that hospitals use for imaging were a result of nuclear physics. The worldwide computing grid, driven by us for analysing data, now also is used by the medical field for 3d image processing, data analysis, etc.
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