As part of the DSK Robotics fundraising initiatives, the DSK hosted 500 visitors to join an inspiring and informative evening with the South African scientist, researcher and innovator Dr Adriana Marais, our Robotics team, guest speakers Prof Ulrike Rivett and Rajveer Singh Jolly.
Dr Adriana Marais believes that we are living at a unique point in the history of life on Earth. Developments in science and technology are taking place at an unprecedented rate, and the expansion of our society beyond this planet is within reach. In her presentation she talks about her research in quantum biology and the origins of life, the technology required to sustain terrestrial life on Mars and the various projects aiming to send crewed missions there. She describes how the establishment, and potential discovery of evidence of, life on Mars, would be one of the most profound possible contributions of science to humanity.
Life as we know it requires water to survive. While simple in composition, the H2O molecule in bulk liquid form enables the complex chemistry required for organisms from bacteria to humans to function. However, as the pace of change of our technological development accelerates and shifting weather patterns and a growing population place increasing pressure on our freshwater resources, a deeper appreciation and better management of this most vital resource to our existence need to become a priority.
We’re bringing information and devices online at an unprecedented rate, raising one of the fundamental questions of our time: how do we represent ourselves in this digital world that we are creating? And more importantly, how do we secure our identity in a digital world? We’ve heard about blockchain for currencies and smart contracts, a compelling and crucial application is in securing online identity.
Over the past few hundred thousand years, a new species has emerged – one that is rapidly and inexhaustibly producing huge volumes of data of their own: humans, says Adriana Marais, head of innovation at SAP Africa.
Dr Adriana Marais talks about space travel with Indira Sovakar, senior vice president of HR in the Delhi, India, office of Genpact, a global professional services and IT firm.
