In 1964, the British science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke made a predictionA guess about the future. about the 21st Century.

"The most intelligentHaving a great ability to reason and understand things. inhabitantsPeople or animals that live somewhere. of the new world will not be men, but machines," he said, seeming to predict AIA computer programme that has been designed to think. .

Not all of Clarke's predictions have come true. But by 2024 Clarke would surely not be disappointed in our progress. Here are four key pieces of science news from 2024:

1. Miracle shot. In 2015, the UNUnited Nations. An intergovernmental organisation based in New York that aims to maintain international peace and security. made a goal to end AIDSAcute Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It interferes with the immune system, leaving sufferers more vulnerable to common diseases. Around the world, almost 40 million people are believed to be living with the disease. by 2030. But it still kills 630,000 people every year. A new miracleSomething amazing or wonderful. It is a very unusual event. drug has now changed everything. Named lenacapavir, it is an injection that protects its patients from getting HIVA virus that damages your immune system., which causes AIDS, for six months at a time.

2. Quantum multiverse. Google has unveiled a new microchipA very small piece of material containing electric circuits that hold lots of information. which it says can solve problems that would take the world's current fastest supercomputers 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (ten septillion) years... in five minutes.

3. Smart sample. There are over 55 million people living with dementiaA syndrome associated with memory loss and other declining brain functions.  worldwide, with Alzheimer's diseaseA progressive disease that causes brain damage over time. It is a common cause of dementia. the most common form. Doctors have long been searching for a cheap way to diagnoseWhen a doctor is able to say what condition a patient has. Alzheimer's. This year, scientists in Sweden have found that a blood test that can find Alzheimer's disease before people have symptomsCovid-19 causes coughing, a high-temperature, and shortness of breath..

4. Baby planet. This year, scientists found one of the youngest planets ever discovered. The giant planet is believed to be about three million years old - or around two weeks old in human years.

Is progress speeding up?

Yes! Look how far we have come just in the last 100 years. Arthur C Clarke could hardly have imagined this amazing progress. And we continue to find out new things every day.

No! In fact, the number of years people can expect to live is actually falling. What is the use of studying space and technology if it does not help us to live longer, better lives?