Giftedness and Talent in the 21st Century

D. AMBROSE
Some other examples of the phenomenon come from the galaxy zoo project;
a competition between the world’s greatest chess player and the unpredictably
emergent teamwork of many lesser players around the world; the spontaneous
global networking of contributors to an open architecture project for the design of
innovative buildings in the third world; and an open-source, game-based process
that enables skillful visual thinkers to invent new proteins for attacking diseases.
In the galaxy zoo project, for instance, astronomers realized that they couldn’t
possibly analyze all of the data coming in from powerful new telescopes so they
decided to build a website and invite outsiders to look for patterns in space. The
results have included highly productive discoveries of new types of galaxies and
other space-based phenomena. Nielsen went so far as to suggest that these emergent,
online collaborations very well could represent the beginning of the next scientific
revolution.
Similar, unpredictably emergent, online collaborations are coming forth in other
dimensions of human experience. For example, in the arts, composer-conductor Eric
Whitacre has been pulling together emergent, highly proficient and creative virtual
choirs from around the world (see Webb, 2010).
Example of a Macroproblem/Macro-Opportunity Hybrid
Runaway technology. While electronic networking is advancing, so are other forms
of technology. Rapid advances in digital technologies are promoting unprecedented
levels of economic productivity and creating seemingly boundless opportunities for
innovations in a variety of industries (Brynjolfsson & McAffee, 2014). Developments
in materials science, including nanotechnology, the science of engineering matter at
very small molecular and atomic levels (Interrante & Chandross, 2014; Khan, 2012),
and biotechnology, the science of re-engineering life itself (Carlson, 2010; Harris,
2007; Rose, 2006), are accelerating rapidly. Technological systems for generating
and exploiting green energy are improving and have the potential to replace dirty
energy sources such as coal and oil (Prentiss, 2015). They also could provide strong
opportunities for job creation while reining in environmental destruction and climate
change (Gallagher, 2014). Among other purposes, advances in materials science
such as nanotechnology innovations could revolutionize our development and use of
materials for construction and engineering, giving us opportunities to make stronger,
lighter vehicles, machines, and buildings with smaller carbon emission costs.
Biotechnology could solve some of our most difficult medical and food-shortage
problems. The emerging science of synthetic biology is especially promising
because it provides the potential for transforming our material world (see Bonnet &
Subsoontorn, 2012; Bonnet, Yin, Ortiz, Subsoontorn, & Endy, 2013; Kahl & Endy,
2013). Just one example of many possible applications is the production of new,
exceptionally strong and biodegradable building materials.
Nevertheless, unpredictable events occur in complex systems (Jervis, 1997;
Miller & Page, 2007; Page, 2010; Thompson, 2007) and unexpected, harmful effects
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