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Surprising Truths About the Future of Databases For decades, the easiest metaphor for a database has been the digital filing cabinet —or perhaps a super-powered spreadsheet . It's a place where we neatly store structured information , organise it into tables, and retrieve it when needed. This model has been the backbone of modern IT, a passive utility for holding the clean, orderly data that powers our applications. That traditional view is being completely upended. Driven by the explosive demands of AI , big data , and cloud computing , the database is undergoing a radical, counter-intuitive transformation. The database is no longer a passive container; it has become an active, intelligent, and highly specialised engine at the core of our digital infrastructure. This article will reveal the most surprising truths about the modern database landscape and what they mean for the future of technology. "NoSQL" Doesn't Mean "No to SQL" One of the biggest misconcep...

During a recent conversation I started to think about the various types of databases now available. What types are there? What are they used for? In a later article I will explore developments in databases. Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) Relational databases model data using rows and columns organised into a series of tables. This architecture became dominant in the 1980s. The design involves splitting data into a set of normalised tables, or relations , which aims to ensure that each elementary "fact" is stored only once, thereby simplifying update operations and helping to maintain consistency. The vast majority of these databases use Structured Query Language (SQL) for querying and writing data. Compared to non-relational databases, RDBMSs typically provide strong consistency (also known as immediate consistency). Examples of Use: Relational systems dominate large-scale data processing applications. Specific implementations like PostgreSQL are often ut...

CRISPR: The Tiny Tool Changing Everything Every now and then, a scientific breakthrough comes along that feels like it’s been plucked from science fiction. For the past decade, that breakthrough has been CRISPR . At its core, CRISPR is a gene-editing tool—short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (yes, a mouthful). It started out as a defence system in bacteria, but scientists figured out how to repurpose it for editing DNA. Imagine having a pair of molecular scissors that can snip, tweak, or rewrite the genetic code. That’s CRISPR. And it’s powerful enough that its discoverers, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna , were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry back in 2020. CRISPR Gene Editing: Molecular Toolkit How Does CRISPR Actually Work? Think of CRISPR as a tag-team: A guide RNA , like the GPS coordinates, tells the system where to go. The Cas9 protein , acting as scissors, makes the cut in the DNA. Once the cut is made, the cell rushes in...

Dispelling the Myth that China Does Not Innovate The idea that China is merely a "copycat" nation, lacking originality, is increasingly outdated. While its economic rise did involve adapting foreign technologies, this narrative ignores both a long history of invention and a present-day transformation into a global innovation leader. Historically, China produced world-changing inventions such as paper-making , printing , gunpowder , and the compass —the "Four Great Inventions." These were not isolated breakthroughs but part of a sustained tradition of technological advancement. Other contributions, including the wheelbarrow , umbrella , abacus , and cast iron , highlight a culture of ingenuity that predates modern globalisation. In recent decades, China has shifted from imitation to independent innovation , driven by a deliberate, government-led strategy for technological self-reliance. The country has massively increased research and development (R&D) funding, ...