mmm.bbb sends us a link to an Economist article on a report issued on the future of science over the next 14 years. Among other things it claims that computer science is bringing about a scientific revolution. Computers, the report says, need to be integrated into every field science and become more than just tools. Intelligent computers "will soon play a role in formulating scientific hypotheses and designing and running experiments to test them." More news on the report can be found in a Techworld.com article. The report itself, titled Towards 2020 Science (PDF format) was created by a panel of scientists brought together by Microsoft Research Cambridge, so perhaps it's no suprise it calls for scientist everywhere to buy more computers. In addition to the report, a roadmap of challenges (PDF format) that computer science must meet by 2020 was also created. For a quick summary of the 82 page report's 7 main findings, read on.

The 82 page report provides a one page summary of their seven greatest findings but even the summary reads like a it was produced by one of those Dilbert memo generation scripts.

1. The transition of computers from a tool that supports scientist to a machine that 'does' science represents a revolution in science.

2. Computing has become as important to biology as math is to physics.

3. Computer science "concepts and tools" forms a "golden triangle" with "math and statistics" and "computing platforms and applications" that will accelerate key breakthroughs in science.

4. It is "vitally important" to integrate conceptual tools from computer science into all sciences.

5. Computers will lead to a "transformation of the scienctific communication paradigm"

6. Better understanding of biological systems will result in new developments in computer science.

7. All scientists should be computer literate so more money should be spent on computers and computer training.