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Future Pages: The bookmark collection... frequently updated links to other websites on trends, innovation and the future.
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Signs of the Future: The news archive... past postings of items from world media on emerging trends.
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SCIENCE
Top Stories:
GM Wheat Yields Hope for Big Dry - [The Age] Victorian trials of wheat genetically modified for drought tolerance have shown promising results, scientists say, with some producing yields 20% higher than non-GM varieties.
US Start-Up Modifies Bacteria to Produce Oil - [VNU Net] A coalition of Silicon Valley investors is funding a company that modifies bacteria to produce oil. LS9 Inc has genetically modified E. coli so that when it consumes organic products like wood chips or wheat straw it excretes crude oil.
TECHNOLOGY
Top Stories:
"Virtual Man" May Ease Drug R&D Woes - [Reuters] New computing technologies and the evolution of a "virtual man" to predict the effects of new drugs before they enter clinical trials could transform the fortunes of pharmaceutical research, a report said. By 2020, the drug research and development process may be shortened by two thirds, clinical trial costs slashed and productivity increased dramatically, said the report from consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Honda Makes First Hydrogen Cars - [BBC] Japanese car manufacturer Honda has begun the first commercial production of a zero-emission, hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicle. The four-seater, called FCX Clarity, runs on electricity produced by combining hydrogen with oxygen, and emits water vapour.
BUSINESS
Top Stories:
Social Networks Link Workers - [Chicago Tribune] Computer-generated stand-ins of Nortel workers gather in a virtual hall for a meeting. Social networking is expected to make Web collaboration more 'immersive and intimate.'
Intel to Spin Off Assets into a Solar Cell Company - [Boston Globe] Chip maker Intel Corp. said Monday it is spinning off assets to create a company, to be known as SpectraWatt Inc., that will make solar cells.
SOCIETY
Top Stories:
Is Language Dead or Evolving? - [Boston Globe] Doomsday grammarians are not in the mood to LOL. They worry that a language apocalypse is approaching, triggered by a new wave of technological pidgin. For decades, they say, language has been sliding toward increased informality, but as online chatting and cellphone text-messaging have become major channels of communication, they have seen signs of doom.
Internet Advantage Goes to Democrats - [International Herald Tribune] Republicans once held a commanding technological lead over the Democrats. They pioneered techniques like direct-mail messages to voters. Now they are being outspent and outmaneuvered on the Internet. While the Web prowess of the Democrats did not begin with Obama, it is reaching new heights with his campaign.
GLOBAL POLITICS
Top Stories:
Smugglers had Design for High-Tech Nuclear Weapon: UN Draft Report - [CBC] An international smuggling ring may have secretly shared blueprints for an advanced nuclear weapon with Iran, North Korea and other countries, the Washington Post reported.
Quake Could Signal a Social Change in China - [International Herald Tribune] It may seem callous when nearly 70,000 people lie dead to wonder whether anything good economically could emerge from the rubble of the earthquake in Sichuan Province last month. But as well as a short-term effect on economic output as reconstruction begins, there is a chance that the outpouring of civic spirit in response to the disaster may not only reshape Chinese politics but also strengthen its economic foundations.
ENVIRONMENT
Top Stories:
Getting Power From Salty Water - [Forbes] In the quest to tap new sources of renewable energy, scientists are turning to the sun, to the wind, and of course, to a variety of bio-derived fuel alternatives. But in Norway, one company is also turning to salty water.
A Way of Life is Feeling the Heat - [BBC] International development policies are undermining the long term survival of some of the globe's poorest communities, argues Masego Madzwamuse. In this week's Green Room, she says the skills and knowledge needed to survive in the world's harsh drylands are being sacrificed in the name of progress.
THE FUTURE
The Future According to Freescale: 1,000 Embedded Devices Per Person - [EETimes] In the future, embedded processors with on-chip sensors will dominate the IC business, according to Lisa Su, chief technology officer at Freescale Semiconductor Inc. While embedded processors already outnumber those in personal computers today, by 2015 that trend will have redefined the semiconductor industry -- away from PC-oriented chip makers toward embedded solution providers like Freescale, said Su in her keynote to the Freescale Technology Forum.
Dementia Burden 'Could Break NHS' - [BBC] The predicted rise in dementia over the next two decades could destroy the NHS, say top scientists in an open letter. An ageing population means the burden of dementia on the UK will double to £35bn-a-year within 20 years.
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