1998: Predicting the Next MILLENNIUM | Newsnight | Past Predictions | BBC Archive

"The value of the information of a transaction may have now eclipsed the value of the goods or services being transacted." Watts Wacker Jeremy Paxman introduces a guest report by the theoretical physicist and author Dr Michio Kaku, about how technology will shape our future in the 21st Century. In the course of interviewing 150 of the world's most distinguished scientists, Professor Kaku has identified what he feels will be the key scientific developments that will affect the way humans live in the next millennium. Back in the Newsnight studio, Professor Kaku is joined by the futurologist Watts Wacker, whose book considers what the world might be like 500 years in the future, to discuss the probabilities of life in the 21st century - from cloned dinosaurs, designer babies and microchips with everything - with a visibly sceptical Paxman. Clip taken from Newsnight, originally broadcast on BBC Two, 10 March, 1998. 00:00 Introduction 00:44 Michio Kaku at the Millennium dome 01:26 The internet and things, smart clothing and cheap chips 02:22 DNA analysis and genetic manipulation 03:07 Taming the atom, nanobots and the power of a god 03:51 Studio discussion - Jeremy Paxman, Watt Wacker, Michio Kaku 04:00 Do we want to live in a society where we can play god? 04:34 Watts Wacker on the 500 year cycle of truth 06:04 Why are these guys predictions any different to Nostradamus? 06:30 microchips in everything 07:14 Could Bill Gates clone dinosaurs? 07:46 A world organised by the power of capital? 08:13 Will the individual have more or less freedom? 10:04 Who will be in charge? You have now entered the BBC Archive, a time machine that will transport you back to the golden age of TV to educate, entertain and enlighten you with classic clips from the BBC vaults. Make sure you subscribe so that you never miss a single stop on our amazing journey through the BBC Archive - https://www.youtube.com/c/BBCArchive?... You can also dive into plenty more BBC Archive on our website - https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive