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Signs of the Future... recent articles
SCIENCE
Top Stories:
Scientists Build Bacteria-Killing Organisms From Scratch - [Wired] By hacking a virus with artificial DNA, researchers at MIT and Boston University created a bacteria-killing machine that demonstrates the potential of synthetic biology. The original virus -- called a bacteriophage, as it targets bacteria -- was modified with plug-and-play DNA sequences that made it produce enzymes that kill e. coli and break down the protein layers secreted by bacterial colonies.
One Man's Junk May Be A Genomic Treasure - [Science Daily] Scientists have only recently begun to speculate that what's referred to as "junk" DNA -- the 96 percent of the human genome that doesn't encode for proteins and previously seemed to have no useful purpose -- is present in the genome for an important reason.
TECHNOLOGY
Top Stories:
Nanoglue Sticks Underwater - [Technology Review] Bandages might stay put even after a swim, thanks to a new adhesive developed by researchers at Northwestern University. The glue not only works well on wet surfaces, but it can also be pulled off and reused more than a thousand times.
Pentagon Plots Digital "Crystal Ball" to "See the Future" in Battle - [Wired] Darpa, the Pentagon's way-out research arm, is looking to design a software suite that predicts the future for battlefield commanders. At the heart of the package: A digital "Crystal Ball" that forecasts how a mission is going to turn out, before it's done.
BUSINESS Top Stories:
Nokia Starts Global Positioning Service - [Reuters] Nokia launched a service which it said would cut the time a GPS-enabled cellphone takes to pinpoint its whereabouts, opening new opportunities for location-based online services. Nokia hopes the service, available for users of its flagship N95 phones, will cut the startup time to one minute, from up to three minutes currently. The slowness has so far hampered takeup of cellphone navigation.
Time to Prepare for the Coming M&A Wave - [China Daily] The continuous economic boom that has taken place in China over the last 28 years makes it a powerhouse of global prosperity. And now the country has become involved in the newest development of economic globalization. The wave of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) among international businesses that has swept across the globe will ensure the rise of global corporations in the 21st century. China is seeing its own boom in M&A activity.
SOCIETY Top Stories:
Let Your Alter Ego Fly Off on a World Tour Second Life Whisks You Away Via the Internet - [Associated Press]
With no tickets required, no money spent and no need to leave your seat, touring in the virtual world of Second Life holds a certain appeal for travelers willing to delve deep into the Internet to find their escape.
Cellphones May Take Banking to the Rural Poor in the Third World - [International Herald Tribune]
In many third world countries, where bank branches are few and far between, the development that finally may make financial services practical for the rural poor fits in the palm of a hand. Mobile devices like cellphones have the potential to effectively bring financial markets to the countryside, allowing banks and other lenders in urban areas to provide services like loans and savings accounts to a new population, according to a report by Vodafone and Nokia.
GLOBAL POLITICS Top Stories:
Water Find 'May End Darfur War' - [BBC] A huge underground lake has been found in Sudan's Darfur region, scientists say, which they believe could help end the conflict in the arid region. Analysts say competition for resources between Darfur's Arab nomads and black African farmers is behind the conflict. More than 200,000 Darfuris have died and 2m fled their homes since 2003.
In the New, Anxious World, Leaders Must Learn to Think Beyond Borders - [Guardian Unlimited] Economic globalisation, climate change and the terrorist threat are reinforcing fears and inequalities the world over. People everywhere cry out for reassurance and a change in course. John Kenneth Galbraith was right when he wrote: "All the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership." Meeting the needs of the anxious people waking up in a new world -- in the world risk society -- is the great political challenge of our time.
ENVIRONMENT Top Stories:
Australia to Build Climate Corridor - [Reuters] Australia will create a wildlife corridor spanning the continent to allow animals and plants to flee the effects of global warming, scientists said. The 2,800-kilometre (1,740 mile) climate "spine", approved by state and national governments, will link the country's entire east coast, from the snow-capped Australian alps in the south to the tropical north -- the distance from London to Romania.
Plug-in Hybrids Could Slash Emissions - [Boston Globe] If motorists used rechargeable "plug-in" hybrid-electric vehicles in large numbers, the United States could see a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of the century, according to a study. Researchers estimated that with a market share of about 60 percent or more plug-ins, the vehicles could help eliminate approximately 450 million metric tons in greenhouse gas emissions a year by 2050. The reductions would be the equivalent of removing 82 million passenger cars, or about one-third of the cars currently on the road.
THE FUTURE Top Stories:
Green Future Demands a Radical Shift in Lifestyles for British - [The Scotsman] Meat-free menus, battery- operated cars and an end to affordable flights. These are among the radical visions outlined in a report which says Britain could be carbon neutral within 20 years -- but only if major steps are taken to change our lifestyles.
In Freeman Dyson's Biotech Utopia, Say Goodbye to Darwinian Evolution - [Wired] Futurist extraordinaire Freeman Dyson bets that within fifty years, biotechnology will suffuse everyday life just as computer technology does now.
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