40th Anniversary | Smithsonian Magazine SmithsonianInstiution SmithsonianJourneys SmithsonianStore SmithsonianChannel goSmithsonianVisitors Guide Air & Spacemagazine Smithsonian.com Subscribe Home History & Archaeology People & Places Science & Nature Arts & Culture Travel Photos Videos Games & Puzzles Blogs 1. Sophisticated Buildings Will Be Made Of Mud 2. Coral Reefs Will Be Devastated 3. The Catch of the Day? Jellyfish 4. New Cars Will Be Given Away, Free 5. Industry Will Generate Energy In Space 6. Oysters Will Save Wolves From Climate Change 7. 2,000 New Mammal Species Will Be Discovered 8. It's Curtains For The World's Rarest Dolphin 9. Farmers Will Plant Spinach In Tall Buildings 10. The Nation Will Meet The Tests Of The Century Ahead 11. The Heartland Will Rise Again 12. The Top U.S. Social Problem? Upward Mobility 13. By 2050, One Out Of Three U.S. Kids Will Be Latino 14. World War III Will Begin. In Space 15. Most Americans Fear For The Planet's Health 16. Unless We Conserve, More People Will Go Hungry 17. An Ancient Grain, Fonio, Will Fight Starvation 18. Afghanistan Risks Turmoil For 40 Years 19. Glowing Squid Will Lead To New Antibiotics 20. Health Workers Will Eradicate Malaria 21. Science Could Enable A Person To Regrow A Limb 22. Astronomers Will Discover Life Beyond Earth 23. How Will We Avert The Dinosaurs' Fate? Telescopes 24. Brain Scans Will Illuminate The Infant Mind 25. Artists Will Run The World 26. Novelists Will Need A New Plot Device 27. Everyone Will Make His Own Music 28. Secrets Will Reveal If Young JFK Was "Vacuous" 29. James Cameron Will Still Be Making Movies At 96 30. Stand-up Comedy Will No Longer Kill 31. Native American Youths Will Revive Their Culture 32. U.S.-Muslim Relations Will Improve 33. Evolution Will Continue In Reverse, Humorist Says 34. A Medical Lab Will Fit On A Postage Stamp 35. Viruses Will Help Build Machines 36. Goodbye, Stereo; Hello, Hyper-Real Acoustics 37. Electricity Will Be Harvested From Your Skin 38. Crucial Energy Will Be Generated With Mirrors 39. Your Refrigerator Will Talk To You 40. Reading Will Become An Athletic Activity FEATURED ARTICLES President Barack Obama: Why I’m Optimistic Looking ahead to the next 40 years, President Obama writes about our nature as Americans to dream big and solve problems By Barack Obama Poll: Americans Predict Life in 2050 A Smithsonian/Pew poll finds optimism about science and social progress despite worries about the environment and population growthBy T. A. Frail Charging Ahead With a New Electric Car An entrepreneur hits the road with a new approach for an all-electric car that overcomes its biggest shortcomingBy Joshua Hammer Melinda French Gates on Saving Lives The co-chair of the world's largest philanthropy talks about what can be done to improve global health and povertysBy Terence Monmaney Top Five U.S. Events of the Last 40 Years What events, ideas or developments have had the most significant impact in our lives since 1970?By Terence Monmaney Advertisement Tweet Article Tools RSS Share NextPreviousFeatured on Smithsonian.com Jay Parkinson on Creating Health Through Happiness (02:06) Clay Shirky on Openness in an Online World(03:00) Simon Johnson on Over-the-Counter Derivatives(01:32) Charles Ebinger on Real-Time Energy Pricing(04:36) Bill McKibbon on the Symptoms of Global Warming (01:26) Ben Jealous on the Future of Race in America (03:01) Mark Bittman on Responsibility for What We Eat (01:32) Viktor Mayer-Schönberger on Engagement Through Technology (02:01) Patricia Bloom on Living Longer and Living Better (04:04) Daniel Okrent on the Future of Newspapers, Journalist & Former New York Times Public Editor(02:05) More from the 40th Anniversary Issue AnticipationBy Terence Monmaney From the EditorCurveballs at the Un-MagazineBy Carey Winfrey From the CastleForward ThinkingBy G. Wayne Clough Peak EnergyBy Guy Billout Q&ANina SimonBy Erica R. Hendry Around the MallVaulting Into the FutureBy Logan Ward View full archiveRecent Issues Jan 2011 Feb 2010 Mar 2009 Newsletter Sign up for regular email updates from Smithsonian magazine, including free newsletters, special offers and current news updates. Subscribe Now About Us Smithsonian.com expands on Smithsonian magazine's in-depth coverage of history, science, nature, the arts, travel, world culture and technology. Join us regularly as we take a dynamic and interactive approach to exploring modern and historic perspectives on the arts, sciences, nature, world culture and travel, including videos, blogs and a reader forum. Explore our Brands goSmithsonian.com Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Smithsonian Student Travel Smithsonian Catalogue Smithsonian Journeys Smithsonian Channel Site Map Privacy Policy Copyright About Smithsonian Contact Us Advertising Subscribe RSS Topics Smithsonian Institution Produced by Clickability ✓Thanks for sharing!AddToAnyMore…