Can a greenhouse decide when to vent?
Humanity’s Wishlist
A catalogue of practical ambitions.
Each one is a gap between what people need and what science can currently deliver.
A sweetener that behaves like sugar in the kitchen without the trade-offs.
Where we are
Stevia, monk fruit, allulose and erythritol each solve part of it.
What is missing
Taste, baking performance, cost and approval in one ingredient.
Storage that is cheap, safe, long-lived and made from abundant materials.
Where we are
Lithium chemistries improve steadily but depend on constrained supply chains.
What is missing
Energy density and cycle life without scarce inputs or fire risk.
Surfaces that last decades and shed fewer particulates.
Where we are
Resurfacing is a permanent public cost; tyre and road wear rival exhaust pollution.
What is missing
Durable, lower-carbon binders proven under heavy freight.
Goods that arrive intact without a disposable box.
Where we are
Reusable crates work in closed loops only.
What is missing
Open-loop returns and protection built into the vehicle.
Clean drinking water produced close to where it is used.
Where we are
Desalination and atmospheric harvesting both work, at a price.
What is missing
Low-energy condensation and safe storage at household scale.
Materials that perform like plastics and end like plants.
Where we are
Barrier performance and compostability still pull against each other.
What is missing
A compostable barrier that holds moisture and pressure for years.
Practical skills that survive beyond a video tutorial.
Where we are
Knowledge is abundant; transfer of craft is not.
What is missing
Ways to carry hands-on expertise forward as its holders retire.
Journeys that are calmer, more predictable and more cooperative.
Where we are
Vehicles broadcast almost nothing about intent.
What is missing
Shared standards and a commercial reason to signal.
Sometimes the idea is right and the science simply isn’t there yet.
That is not failure. It is a date we haven’t reached.
