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SCIENCE
China
Looks to the Stars with Space Plans - [Red Nova] Buoyed
by the success of its first ever manned space flight, China
said it will launch an unmanned lunar landing program in
2004, with a lunar satellite sent up by 2007.
One
Tenth of Stars May Support Life - [New Scientist] One
tenth of the stars in our galaxy might provide the right
conditions to support complex life, according to a new analysis
by Australian researchers. And most of these stars are on
average one billion years older than the Sun, allowing much
more time, in theory, for any life to evolve.
Gene
'Raises Heart Attack Risk' - [BBC] Researchers in the
United States say they have found a link between a gene
called ALOX5 and atherosclerosis.
Adult
Stem Cells Produce Treatment Breakthroughs - [Washington
Times] Debate continues over human embryonic stem cell research,
but medical breakthroughs have been made using adult stem
cells and other body cells.
Ancient
Site Hints at First US Settlers - [New Scientist] Stone-age
people lived in the lands north of the Arctic Circle before
the peak of the last Ice Age -- much earlier than had been
thought, suggests new findings.
Topsy
Turvy: In Neutrons and Protons, Quarks Take Wrong Turns
- [Science News] Physicists peering inside the neutron are
seeing glimmers of what appears to be an impossible situation.
The vexing findings pertain to quarks, which are the main
components of neutrons and protons.
Next
Stop, Interstellar Space - [Science News] The venerable
Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched 26 years ago and now 90 times
as far from the sun as Earth is, either has reached or will
soon enter a turbulent region near the solar system's final
frontier.
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TECHNOLOGY
New
Robot Brain Takes to the Skies - [ABC] A new robot 'brain,'
based in part on the workings of the human inner ear, has
enabled the production of the world's first small robotic
helicopter that can see and think for itself, say Australian
researchers.
"Futuristic"
Cancer Scans Near - [Better Humans] An examination of
imaging tools used to detect tumors has shown that noninvasive
scans for rapidly diagnosing and treating cancer are near.
Copy
Protection: Consumers vs. Copyright Holders - [CNET]
Digital rights management took significant strides toward
being accepted by mainstream consumers and businesses in
2003, but hackers and critics maintained their attacks on
the technology in the name of fair use and information freedom.
Finally:
2004 Will See In-Flight High-Speed Connectivity - [TMCNet]
In 2004, a new chapter in the history of travel will be
written when airlines begin offering real-time, high-speed
Internet, intranet and e-mail access in flight for their
laptop-toting passengers.
Cyber
Threats Risk Net's Future - [BBC] The hunger in poor
nations for going online is not without danger. With improved
access, comes the threat of ever more internet security
violations.
Smart
Assistant Will Cut Driver Distraction - [New Scientist]
A smart assistant is being developed to help drivers cope
with the increasing number of electronic devices in cars.
When complete, the assistant will decide when it is too
dangerous for a driver to be disturbed, and will divert
phone calls to voicemail, hide arriving emails and lock
the controls of the satellite navigation system and CD player.
Space
Technology Goes Down To Earth To Support Mining - [Science
Daily] Space exploration and underground mining both take
place in extreme environments -- so perhaps it is not too
surprising that technology developed for one field is now
being applied to the other.
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BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Israel
Suspends Microsoft Purchases - [International Herald
Tribune] The Israeli government has suspended acquisitions
of computer software from Microsoft, citing price issues
and the company's refusal to sell individual programs from
its standard software package.
Not
Quite the World’s Silicon Valley - [Business Standard]
India is not on its way to becoming the Silicon Valley of
the world, but the relationship between India and Silicon
Valley is maturing.
Greenspan
Defends Himself on '90s Bubble - [Miami Herald] Federal
Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan defended himself against
a criticism of his tenure, saying policy-makers would have
damaged the economy in the late 1990s had they tried to
burst that era's speculative stock market bubble.
China-US
Trade Surplus '$53.2bn' - [BBC] China says its trade
surplus with the US was only $53.2bn (£29.7bn) for
the first 11 months of 2003, according to new official figures.
The trade imbalance is smaller than official US estimates
that 2003 will show a record shortfall of $120bn.
We
Can Shape the Global Economy - [CIO] Economist Lester
Thurow says globalization can have long-term benefits for
all Americans, but only if we move to shape what happens
during the next few years.
Outsourcing:
Look Who's Out of Sorts - [Business Week] Strapped government
agencies are making budget and time demands on their contractors.
Biotech:
A Coming Boom -- or Bust? - [Business Week] Two industry
veterans lay out contrasting views about what the sector
and its investors can expect over the next 12 months.
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SOCIETY AND POLITICS
Foes
See U.S. Satellite Dependence as Vulnerable Asymmetric Target
- [JINSA] Commercial space boom comes with risks, absence
of public debate disturbing.
Diseases
of the Poor Badly Underfunded - [Community Press] For
millions of people in developing nations, battling communicable
and chronic diseases is a daily fact of life.
What
Will the McMenu of the Future Look Like? - [Mercury
News] America's love affair with fast food has hit a rocky
patch. There is litigation in the air.
Generation
Xcluded - [Melbourne Age] The baby boomers had it all.
When they're gone, generation Y will get it. Little wonder
gen Xers ask why their turn never came.
Developing
World Not Found on Web - [Washington Times] Even with
access, the Internet remains meaningless to most of the
world's population -- its Web sites heavy in English and
reflecting a Western tilt.
Anglosphere:
Limits to Globalization - [Global Envision] We have
all become familiar with the ongoing debate about the desirability
of globalization. What we have not seen much of is a discussion
of whether globalization has any limits.
After
the Cold War, We Need to Build a New World Order - [International
Herald Tribune] Contemporary politicians are so preoccupied
with resolving current tensions and conflicts that they
ignore a more ambitious goal, the creation of the new world
order.
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ENVIRONMENT
Ireland
to Protect its Huge Coral Reefs - [IOL] Several huge
cold-water coral reefs deep under the Atlantic Ocean off
the west coast of Ireland are to be given special protection
and listed as "national treasures" by the government.
Deformed
Frog Warning for Australia - [ABC] The number of frogs
with severe limb deformities or extra legs in the U.S. are
increasing, according to a new study, and may be a warning
of things to come in Australia.
EU
Rule Threatens Toxic Waste Chaos - [The Guardian] Britain
is facing a toxic waste crisis which will see hundreds of
rubbish tips closed within six months under new European
rules. Business will be forced to transport millions of
tonnes of dangerous residues hundreds of miles to licensed
sites under the changes, which are predicted to cause chaos
in industry and increase the risk of a hazardous waste accident.
Renewable
Energy a Smart Choice for Farmers and Ranchers - [Science
Daily] By using alternative energy sources such as solar,
wind and biomass, farmers, ranchers, business owners and
homeowners can reduce their utility bills, stabilize electricity
supplies and help reduce America's dependence on foreign
energy supplies.
Endangered
Species Act Turns 30 Years Old - [CNN] Now at the ripe
old age of 30, the Endangered Species Act is still a vigorous
source of debate, although there are signs that the government
and environmentalists are beginning to agree that its future
lies in cooperation instead of confrontation.
Australia
'Facing Hotter Future' - [BBC] There is a warning that
Australia faces a future of higher temperatures, more severe
droughts and raging bushfires, as well as major outbreaks
of tropical diseases.
Is
'Burying' Carbon Dioxide the Cure for Global Warming?
- [Japan Times] As the world's largest emitters of carbon
dioxide -- including Japan -- struggle to find quick and
effective ways of cutting emissions to curb global warming,
projects to store the gas underground are attracting public
attention.
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THE FUTURE
Extreme Engineering [Discovery Channel] - Transatlantic
Tunnel - A magnetically levitated train could theoretically
take you from New York to London in 54 minutes; Pyramid
City - Imagine a three-dimensional city 12 times higher
than the Great Pyramid of Giza "floating" over
Tokyo Bay; Tokyo's
Sky City - Some Japanese architects want to change our
approach to urban crowding. They think we can live in the
sky, and they hope to build a vertical city twice the height
of today's tallest skyscraper.
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