 | |
Future Pages: The bookmark collection... frequently updated links to other websites on trends, innovation and the future.
|
 | |
Signs of the Future: The news archive... past postings of items from world media on emerging trends.
|
SCIENCE
Top Stories:
A Novel Approach to DNA Analysis - [Technology Review] In a milestone for the emerging field of comparative genomics, an international team of scientists has carried out a comparative analysis of the genome sequences of 12 different species of fruit flies. Not only did the researchers uncover patterns in the way that genes evolve as species adapt to different environments, but they also developed a new way of identifying the functional elements of the genome -- a discovery with potentially far-reaching consequences.
Australian Researchers Find Hunger Switch - [Reuters] Australian scientists have found how to switch hunger on and off using a molecule that targets the brain -- a discovery which could stop weight loss in terminally ill patients or produce weight loss in the morbidly obese. The molecule, known as MIC-1, is produced by common cancers and targets receptors in the brain that switch off appetite. But Australian researchers found that by using antibodies against MIC-1 they were able to switch appetite back on.
TECHNOLOGY
Top Stories:
Progress Made Toward 'Printing' Organs - [Science Daily] Each year, pharmaceutical companies invest millions of dollars to test drugs, many of which will never reach the market because of side effects found only during human clinical trials. At the same time, the number of patients waiting for organ transplants continues to increase. In the past 10 years, this number has nearly doubled. Now, a new study led by a University of Missouri-Columbia physics researcher might present new solutions to both problems with the help of a very special printer.
50 Greatest Game Innovations - [Business Week] From gameplay, to presentation to input devices, videogames are a hotbed of innovation. Here are some that have already made their impact -- and others that will shape the future of the medium.
BUSINESS
Top Stories:
Latest Additive at Gas Pumps: Google - [Boston Globe]
Lost drivers soon will be able to Google for help at the pump. As part of a partnership to be announced Wednesday, the online search leader will dispense driving directions at thousands of gasoline pumps across the United States beginning early next month. The pumps, made by Gilbarco Veeder-Root, include an Internet connection and will display Google's mapping service in color on a small screen. Motorists will be able to scroll through several categories to find local landmarks, hotels, restaurants and hospitals selected by the gas station's owner.
How Silicon Valley Could Become the Detroit of Electric Cars - [San Jose Mercury News] Silicon Valley is already the capital of the world's high-tech industry. Is it also becoming the Detroit of the electric car industry? The announcement by Shai Agassi, a former SAP executive based in Palo Alto, that he's raised $200 million for a company that will try to revolutionize the electric car industry is the latest sign of the region's growing role in one of the hottest sectors of the automotive industry.
SOCIETY
Top Stories:
Medical Tourism: A Growing Trend - [ABC7News]
Something as simple as washing the dishes can be a challenge for Billie Mae. Four years ago, she fractured her spine in a horseback riding accident. "I went to the hospital a lot in the beginning from pain. I would fall down the stairs of our apartment all the time," said Mae. She learned thoracic spine fusion surgery would cost $150,000, but her insurance won't cover it. "Going to India, just the surgery will be $14,000. Then there's some additional costs, the cost of travel, the cost of lodging, but she will be done for less than $20,000," said Wouter Hoeberechts, WorldMedAssist CEO.
Most Ready for 'Green Sacrifices' - [BBC] Most people are ready to make personal sacrifices to address climate change, according to a BBC poll of 22,000 people in 21 countries. Seventy per cent of people said they were prepared to change their lifestyle -- even in the US and China, the world's two biggest emitters of carbon dioxide.
GLOBAL POLITICS
Top Stories:
Experts Say West Can't Stop Web Radicalization - [Reuters]
Two recent cases are examples of what Western authorities believe is the dangerous and growing role the Internet plays in spreading extremist propaganda and recruiting sympathizers to Islamist militant causes. But can the West censor radical Web sites and, indeed, is it morally right to do so? The perceived threat has prompted much talk from governments of the need for action.
Will Europe Accept China's Cash? - [International Herald Tribune] While exporting remains a foundation of the Chinese economy, the talk of the international business elite is now focused on China's potential as a source of capital -- rather than goods -- flowing into Western economies. In Europe, an enduring Chinese presence at the heart of its economy looks ever more likely, whether in the form of stocks and bonds, new plants and equipment or outright purchases of companies. Already, both the European Union and major European countries, in particular Germany, are pondering how to strike the right balance between encouraging the free flow of Chinese investment without exposing themselves to politically driven decisions from state-owned Chinese companies.
ENVIRONMENT
Top Stories:
Is Space Solar Power Closer Than We Think? - [Business Green] It might be easy to dismiss as a sci-fi fantasy, but a recently published Pentagon report claims that beaming solar power from orbiting satellites to the earth could soon become commercially viable. The National Security Space Office (NSSO) predicts such a service will be in operation between 2017 and 2020. The spacecraft, the report argues, would be equipped with a microwave or laser beam, which could supply energy to remote locations facing high costs to generate or import electricity.
Biofuel Quest, Climate, Urban Flight Endangering Key Staple - [Japan Times] With Asia's recent decades of economic prosperity and rising middle classes, the idea that rice, a staple for billions, may soon be in short supply is unthinkable. But this critically important food faces severe threats both natural and man-made, warns Robert Zeigler, director general of the Philippine-based International Rice Research Institute.
THE FUTURE
Top Stories:
Energy Needs 'to Grow Inexorably' - [BBC] The global demand for energy is set to grow inexorably through to 2030 if governments do not change their policies, warns a top energy official. Nobuo Tanaka, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), said such a rise would threaten energy security and accelerate climate change. He said energy needs in 2030 could be more than 50% above current levels, with fossil fuels still dominant.
Shaping the Workforce of the Future - [Business Week] Three factors -- technology, the increasingly diverse workforce, and ethics -- will help us shape the workforce of the future.
| 
