Taking a leaf from the 1714 Longitude Prize, now one worth £10 million is on offer for the public to solve a major scientific problem.
Six potential categories have been announced. The public will be able to vote on the issue they would see as the most important. Voting will take place after Thursday’s screening of Horizons on BBC TV.
The categories:
Flight - How can we fly without damaging the environment?
Food - How can we ensure everyone has nutritious sustainable food?
Antibiotics - How can we prevent the rise of resistance to antibiotics?
Paralysis - How can we restore movement to those with paralysis?
Water - How can we ensure everyone has access to safe and clean water?
Dementia - How can we help people with dementia live independently for longer?
The leading question will be announced on 25 June.
While 300 years ago, the prize stood at £20,000 set by the British government, today’s £10 million is offered by the government-funded Technology Strategy Board and the charity Nesta.
The original 1714 challenge was to pinpoint a ship’s position at sea, crucial for a seafaring economy. Sailors had been using two clocks, one set each day using the height of the sun, and the other back at the port which kept the time.
But conditions at sea, including waves, humidity, and temperature changes, could damage the clocks.
A Yorkshire clockmaker and carpenter, John Harrison, developed a chronometer that tolerated the maritime conditions which ultimately revolutionised navigation and saved countless lives.
It was decades fraught with chicanery before the scientific elite of the day awarded Harrison with the prize he deserved in 1765.
