Science & Technology archives: March-April 2004

• 30 April 2004
  

  "Several times a day, Dr. Tom Delbanco sits in front of his computer, opens his e-mail and fields questions from his patients. Electronic communications between doctors and patients, he says, may be the next best thing to a home visit. 'People are often more comfortable talking to a computer than they are to a doctor,' said Dr. Delbanco, a professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School and the lead author of an article on doctors and e-mail in the current New England Journal of Medicine. 'In the office, a doctor sits there in a white coat exuding authority, which can be scary. There's evidence that people tend to be more open in front of a computer, especially with tricky stuff like alcohol or sexual behaviors.' In an age of palmtop computers, wireless Internet and instant messaging, more and more doctors are using e-mail to work with their patients. Instead of playing phone tag or answering a deluge of less than urgent phone calls throughout the day, some physicians say, they are redirecting minor questions and concerns to their in-boxes." As doctors face increasing workloads many physicians are using e-mail to correspond with patients. Surprisingly, many are finding that electronic correspondence can be more effective for certain doctor-patient interactions than office visits. Learn more in the New York Times.

• 29 April 2004
  

  "Researchers have developed a vanishingly tiny 'computer' that could someday enable doctors to treat cancer and other diseases from inside the body. The molecular-scale device, which is essentially a liquid mixture of synthetic DNA and enzymes, is designed to sniff out chemical signs of disease and pump out drugs in response. In a new study, researchers say it showed promising results in a test tube...Molecular computers have only been around for a decade. Instead of micro chips and processors, they harness the software-like ability of DNA strands to store information. Enzymes 'read' chemical sequences on the DNA in a way that allows the computer to perform calculations." Scientists have developed tiny "DNA computers" that could revolutionize the way that diseases like cancer are treated. Learn more at CNN.com.

• 28 April 2004
  

  "The U.S. Agriculture Department intends to issue 'premises' identification numbers to ranches, feedlots and packing plants later this year, officials said on Tuesday, a slow start for a leading U.S. response to mad cow disease. Assignment of 'premises'...The White House budget office agreed in the past few days to let USDA use $18.8 million in emergency funding to launch the program. 'We are in the implementation phase of this program now,' said Undersecretary Bill Hawks in a telephone news conference. He said he hoped assignment of premises IDs could begin 'later this year,' followed by assignment of ID numbers to individual animals or groups of animals." In response to the threat of mad cow disease and other diseases that can infect farm animals, the U.S. government is working towards developing an identification system that could track individual animals. Learn more at Yahoo News.

• 27 April 2004
  

  "The United Nations is harnessing nuclear technology to try to eradicate the mosquitoes whose bite transmits malaria, a deadly disease devastating the African continent. Bart Knols, a Dutch entomologist at the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), estimates there are 'three to five hundred million cases of malaria every year on a world-wide scale, 90 percent of which occur in sub-Saharan Africa.'... One African child dies of malaria every 20 seconds. People in poor, remote villages are usually unable to get treatment and so Knols's research aims to nip the problem in the bud by destroying the mosquito that transmits the malaria parasite. The IAEA is best known for its inspections of countries like Iran and Iraq who are suspected of building atomic weapons. But the agency has already used its expertise to wipe out the dreaded tsetse fly, which can transmit fatal sleeping sickness, from the island of Zanzibar." Learn more about how the United Nations is hoping to use nuclear technology to eradicate malaria in today's Yahoo News.

• 26 April 2004
  

  "When NASA's Spirit and Opportunity probes landed on Mars recently, they were carrying some of the most sophisticated technology ever sent to that planet. But they might also have been carrying some illicit stowaways: microbes. That is what John Rummel worries about every day. He is NASA's planetary protection officer, a sort of cosmic border guard, and his job is to keep the planets safe from each other's contagions: to prevent Earth from being infected with extraterrestrial bugs and to make sure Earth bugs don't stow away on space probes and infect other planets....In a little more than 10 years, Mr. Rummel will face his biggest task when NASA launches a probe that is to bring a chunk of Martian soil to Earth, a contamination risk so significant that exobiologists — people who study life outside the atmosphere — say that NASA will need the decade to build a facility airtight enough to handle the sample." As we send more probes to Mars some specialists worry that we run the risk of introducing microbes to another planet--or bringing alien microbes back to Earth. Learn more in the New York Times.

• 23 April 2004
  

  "The Chinese Health Ministry has reported two confirmed cases of SARS, one in the eastern province of Anhui and the other in the capital, Beijing, a spokesman for the ministry said. The ministry spokesman also said that the mother of the confirmed case in Anhui died on April 19 and may have had SARS. Health officials are investigating that and another suspected case in Beijing, the spokesman said. The spokesman said 171 people who have had close contact with the confirmed case in Beijing have been quarantined, and another 88 people have been quarantined in Anhui. The latest cases are a setback to authorities who have been working to try and avoid another SARS outbreak." Chinese authorities are reporting two cases of SARS, raising concerns over the possibilities of another outbreak. Learn more at CNN.com.

• 22 April 2004
  

  "It's the holy grail of translation, a goal one researcher has called 'more complex than building an atomic bomb.' Smooth, immediate translations between people speaking different languages would be a remarkable achievement of enormous economic and cultural benefit. Some suggest that it won't happen until computers can express true artificial intelligence - something like C-3PO of 'Star Wars' fame, whose knowledge extends far beyond mere vocabulary to an understanding of customs and cultures. Still, researchers are chipping away at the problem. Universal translation is one of 10 emerging technologies that will affect our lives and work 'in revolutionary ways' within a decade, Technology Review says." In an increasingly interconnected world, translating languages is more and more important and today researchers are developing technologies that they hope might break down language barriers. Learn more in the Christian Science Monitor.

• 21 April 2004
  

  "Cloned babies. Embryo farms. Miracle cures. Shoot the TV if you want to avoid hearing the buzzwords of stem cell politics this year. You might want to aim for the radio, as well. An annual Senate debate has hit the road, moving to 33 state legislatures considering 100 bills that alternately condemn, condone or fund embryonic stem cell research. The legislative battles culminate in a California voter initiative in November that would, if approved, pump nearly $3 billion over 10 years into such research...Three years after President Bush severely limited federal spending on stem cell research, private institutions are figuring out ways to do end-runs. And onlookers in legislatures, on church councils and in the scientific community are raising a ruckus on all sides of the debate." Many state legislatures are passing laws that affect stem cell research. Beyond complicating an already thorny issue, many worry that these different laws could make it hard for researchers to cooperate. Learn more in USA Today.

• 20 April 2004
  

  "The political consultants discreetly observed from the next room as their subject watched the campaign commercials. But in this political experiment, unlike the usual ones, the subject did not respond by turning a dial or discussing his reactions with a focus group. He lay inside an M.R.I. machine, watching commercials playing on the inside of his goggles as neuroscientists from the University of California, Los Angeles, measured the blood flow in his brain. Instead of asking the subject, John Graham, a Democratic voter, what he thought of the use of Sept. 11 images in a Bush campaign commercial, the researchers noted which parts of Mr. Graham's brain were active as he watched. The active parts, they also noted, were different from the parts that had lighted up in earlier tests with Republican brains." In an ongoing project, scientists are attempting to learn how political commercials physically affect voters' brains--essentially putting "a bit more science in political science." Learn more in today's New York Times.

• 19 April 2004
  

  "The United States could fall behind in using fuel cells because it already has an extensive infrastructure for other energy sources and spends fewer government dollars on alternatives, industry officials and analysts said. Countries like China and India, which have rapidly expanding economies but not large-scale electricity distribution networks, could eclipse U.S. efforts to adopt what is called the 'hydrogen economy,' free of dependence on fossil fuels for electricity and transportation. 'It's a little too early to tell on the U.S.,' said Roger Saillant, chief executive officer of fuel cell developer Plug Power, based in Latham, outside Albany. 'There is a risk we're becoming a laggard.' Fuel cells are battery-like devices that combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity without combustion. Under ideal conditions, they release no harmful emissions." The United States' dependence upon traditional energy sources might allow other countries to take the lead in the development of more environmentally friendly energy consumption. Learn more in Yahoo News (link no longer active).

• 16 April 2004
  

  "As violence boils in Iraq, American troops and allied forces are in danger - not just from local insurgents and militias, but from their own side as well. Despite precautions taken by the G.I.'s, despite the growing accuracy of bombs and other weapon systems, despite an ever clearer picture of the combat zone from surveillance drones and spy satellites, soldiers continue to be killed by fire from their own comrades. But new technologies being tested by the American-led forces have the potential to prevent many of these accidental attacks... Traditionally, mistaken attacks - what the military calls friendly fire - account for 15 percent or more of combat casualties, said Pete Glikerdas, who manages combat identification programs for the Army's Research, Development and Engineering Command. 'Our goal is to bring the friendly fire problem down to less than 3 percent,' Mr. Glikerdas said." By drawing upon cutting-edge technology, the U.S. military is hoping to eliminate the danger of "friendly fire." Learn more in the New York Times.

• 15 April 2004
  

  "The World Anti-Doping Agency will meet Saturday in the Netherlands to create a battle plan for detecting and deterring perhaps the most nefarious doping method yet developed: genetic alteration of an athlete's body. Although experts say the prospects of a genetically manipulated athlete participating in the 2004 Athens Olympics is highly improbable, scientists who advise WADA say it is only a matter of a few years before the high-tech procedures — and their incredible promise of massive improvements of athletic performance — enter the world's sports arenas through a growing international black market...The agency's conundrum is substantial: Although medical therapeutic gene-transfer research has been slowed by the need to ensure the safety of patients after three deaths in human trials, the black market is quickly moving to meet the needs of sports cheaters undeterred by the possibility of catastrophic results." While genetic research holds vast potential for new medical breakthroughs, many worry that the same technologies used to heal could also be used to create genetically modified super-athletes. Learn more in USA Today.

• 14 April 2004
  

  "A line of microprocessors built to keep data locked within a secure 'vault' inside mobile devices was launched by US chip maker Intel on Monday. The chips are designed for use in gadgets such as smart cellphones and PDAs. The PXA27x processor family, also known by the code-name "Bulverde", are touted as a solution to the looming threat of mobile computer viruses and hacker attacks. But they will also make it possible to lock music and video files on mobile devices so that they cannot be copied or forwarded. Other new elements include features designed to boost performance and reduce power consumption....some observers see this as part of a strategy to make personal computers more amenable to anti-piracy measures, at the behest of the entertainment industry." As hackers and spam pose a greater threat to computer security, Intel is fighting back by producing chips that can help keep users' information secure. Yet, some are worried that Intel's chips are going to benefit the entertainment industry more than individual users. Learn more in the New Scientist.

• 13 April 2004
  

  "A University of Illinois research team is working on turning pig manure into a form of crude oil that could be refined to heat homes or generate electricity. Years of research and fine-tuning are ahead before the idea could be commercially viable, but results so far indicate there might be big benefits for farmers and consumers, lead researcher Yanhui Zhang said. 'This is making more sense in terms of alternative energy or renewable energy and strategically for reducing our dependency on foreign oil,' said Zhang, an associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering. 'Definitely, there is potential in the long term.' The thermochemical conversion process uses intense heat and pressure to break down the molecular structure of manure into oil. It's much like the natural process that turns organic matter into oil over centuries, but in the laboratory the process can take as little as a half-hour." At a time when oil and gas prices are so high, new research that might allow scientists to convert animal waste into oil could have tremendous implications. Learn more at Yahoo News (link no longer active).

• 12 April 2004
  

  "On April 12, 1994, a pair of attorneys in Arizona launched a homemade marketing software program that forever changed the Internet. Hoping to drum up some business, Laurence Canter dashed off a Perl script that flooded online message boards with an advertisement pitching the legal services of Canter & Siegel, the law firm he ran with his then wife, Martha Siegel...Ten years after Web surfers began using the spam label to describe intrusive online marketing, junk e-mail has ballooned into an epidemic of massive proportions. But righteous anger over the problem has increasingly been replaced by resignation. With no effective solution in sight, many people now ruefully wonder whether the 'Internet era' might more accurately be dubbed the 'age of spam.'" Although businesses and governments across the globe are working to combat the proliferation of unwanted e-mail, spam problems only seem to be getting worse. Learn more about spam, its history, and its future in this in-depth report written on spam's 10th anniversary at CNET News.

• 9 April 2004
  

  "An unmanned spacecraft should test ways to deflect a threatening asteroid, two astronauts have told the US government. Rusty Schweickart and Edward Lu said a mission of this type could be launched to an asteroid in 2015. In February, Earth was almost placed on impact alert because of an asteroid then thought to be on an impact course. Testifying before an investigation into the threat from asteroids to the Earth, Apollo astronaut Russell L Schweickart called for a new mission to develop the technologies needed to protect the Earth...'A known threat that can potentially destroy millions of lives and can be predicted to occur ahead of time, and prevented, cannot responsibly go unaddressed,' he said." After a recent asteroid scare, two prominent astronauts are calling for a space mission that could test possible ways to deflect asteroids headed towards Earth. Learn more at BBC.com.

• 8 April 2004
  

  "A microorganism too small to see with the naked eye may be the answer to one of the U.S. Department of Energy's largest environmental problems: hundreds of billions of gallons of groundwater contaminated with uranium and other toxic chemicals. The microorganism, called Geobacter sulferreducens, has a unique metabolism—it passes electrons onto metals to get energy from its food in the same way that we humans breathe in oxygen to break down our food...'Basically what that allows us to do is to take uranium dispersed in a large area, filter it out from the water, and capture it in a discreet zone so that it is easy to excavate or otherwise extract,' said Derek Lovley, a microbiologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst." Ongoing research of a tiny microorganism may help scientists clean groundwater that has been contaminated by nuclear and chemical waste. Learn more about this exciting research in National Geographic News.

• 7 April 2004
  

  "In the popular imagination, the technologically altered human being is a cross between RoboCop and the Borg. The hardware that would make such a mating of humans, silicon chips and assorted weaponry a reality is, unfortunately, still on back order. Many people, however, have already made a different kind of leap into the posthuman future. Their jump is biochemical, mediated by proton-pump inhibitors, serotonin boosters and other drugs that have become permanent additives to many human bloodstreams. Over the past half century, health-conscious, well-insured, educated people in the United States and in other wealthy countries have come to take being medicated for granted. More people shift to the pill-taking life every year, to the delight of pharmaceutical manufacturers." In today's world there are drugs that purport to cure almost any ailment, from baldness to depression. Yet, some scientists and medical professionals worry that the prevalence of prescription drug use may have unintended consequences on public health and perhaps even the environment. Learn more in the New York Times.

• 6 April 2004
  

  "Scientists are divided about the use of the Moon as a base to develop ways to travel to Mars, according to reports given to the US government. Some have said the possibility of water-ice existing at the lunar poles would allow a moonbase to use the ice as rocket fuel for a Mars mission. Others contend that it would be too difficult to extract. And there is disagreement about whether the moon is a good alternative to space as a base for advanced telescopes...As the US prepares for its new direction in space a series of testimonies presented to it at a hearing entitled 'Lunar Science and Resources,' shows how opinion is divided when it comes to using water-ice discovered at the lunar poles as rocket fuel, and even in the value of the Moon as a base for scientific research." Since the dawn of the Space Age, travel to the moon has been a goal of space programs--and many are talking about returning. Yet, while many countries are talking about sending missions to the moon, some are questioning whether there is any value to such missions. Learn more at the BBC.com.

• 5 April 2004
  

  "It took more than 44 years to build, was canceled seven times, and is considered by some scientists to be the most technically difficult mission NASA has ever undertaken. Yesterday, the space agency announced that Gravity Probe B is finally ready for launch on April 17. Its goal is to help prove one of the most confounding concepts in physics: the strange twist in space-time predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity. Despite the modest name, Gravity Probe B carries a payload of superlatives. It has taken longer to finish than any other project at NASA. It is armed with some of the most precise instruments ever built. And in a space agency known for its delays and cost overruns, the $700 million project remains singular in its ballooning schedule and budget, some observers say." After one of the lengthiest development programs in the organization's history, NASA has announced that it has finally finished work on a probe that will actually test Einstein's theory of general relativity. Read more in the Boston Globe.

• 2 April 2004
  

  "In an election year, only vote-getting legislation seems to get Congress' attention. So I suppose it comes as no surprise that an important House bill, the Genetic Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance & Employment Act, has quietly been shunted -- once again -- to the bottom of the agenda. The bill, sponsored by Representative Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), would, as the name suggests, forbid employers from using genetic information to make hiring decisions or insurers from denying coverage or raising premiums. It's time, at long last, to take action. A comparable Senate bill, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, passed 95 to 0 last October...Yet even with 237 congressional reps as co-sponsors, the powerful Energy & Commerce Committee still hasn't slated the bill for a vote." Learn more about the fierce political battle over whether companies should have access to individuals' genetic information, in Business Week.

• 1 April 2004
  

  "Astronomers estimate about half the planetary systems so far discovered in our galaxy could contain Earth-like worlds. And they say that space telescopes will be capable of observing these planets and investigating them to see if they support life in about 15 years' time. Scientists have recently discovered more than 100 stars other than our Sun with planets circling about them. But they are all giant planets like Jupiter that cannot sustain life. Planets more like the Earth should, in theory, exist too. But they are too small to be seen using current technology. Research work by the UK's Open University suggests there are perhaps 50 or so of these small, rocky bodies on which there is liquid water and possibly life." A recent study suggests not only that life may exist on planets other than our own, but that it might be remarkably common. Learn more in the BBC.com.

• 31 March 2004
  

  "The California Rice Commission on Monday approved a biotech company's request to grow the state's first crop genetically modified to contain a drug. The rice commission narrowly passed the proposal by a 6-5 vote. The commission advises the California Department of Food and Agriculture, which has the final decision on whether Ventria Bioscience of Sacramento can plant its pharmaceutical crop. If the agency approves, the company could be the first to commercialize such a product. The rice is genetically modified to produce two human proteins that fight infection: lactoferrin and lysozyme. Some rice growers and environmental groups oppose the project, saying the rice could contaminate regular crops and damage the export market." In a controversial move a California rice company received permission to grow genetically modified rice containing drugs. Learn more in Wired News.

• 30 March 2004
  

  "Nanoparticles cause brain damage in fish, according to a study of the toxicity of synthetic carbon molecules called 'buckyballs'. The soccer-ball-shaped molecules show great promise in nanotechnology. But the preliminary study raises the possibility that nanomaterials could cause significant environmental harm, although much further work is needed to establish the extent of this risk. Eva Oberdorster of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, US, who led the study, found modest concentrations of buckyballs in water caused significant harm to two aquatic animals. Water fleas were killed by the addition of the tiny carbon balls, and fish showed up to a 17-fold increase in brain damage compared with unexposed animals." Although Oberdorster admits that her study is not conclusive, this recent study of the environmental impact of certain nanoparticles has troubling implications. Learn more at the New Scientist.

• 29 March 2004
  

  "Finding life on Mars has proved an elusive dream for decades. But scientists now believe they may be able to do it for themselves - by turning the Red Planet into a blue world with streams, green fields and fresh breezes and filling it with Earthly creatures. The idea - known as terraforming - sounds like science fiction. But turning Mars into an Earthly paradise is being taken seriously by increasing numbers of researchers. They believe that, billions of years after its last seas and rivers dried up, Mars could be restored to its ancient glory thanks to human ingenuity. Its craters would become lakes and its red, parched hillsides would be covered with forests, ultimately providing mankind's teeming ranks with a new home." While some scientists are exploring the possibility of transplanting life on Mars, others worry that the plan is unethical. Learn more in the Guardian.

• 26 March 2004
  

  "In the war against malaria, public health officials have drained swamps, sprayed mosquito-killing insecticides, and doled out medication in an attempt to reduce the disease's toll. Now, researchers are looking for ways to enlist the buzzing mosquito itself in the fight. They are experimenting to see if the creature's genes can be changed or controlled in ways that destroy the malaria parasites it carries before it can pass them on to people. Researchers say an important step along this path has been taken by a team of scientists in Europe. They've discovered three mosquito genes that appear to govern how the insect's immune system responds - or fails to respond - to the parasite's presence." Read more about the ways in which scientists are hoping to genetically modify mosquitoes in order to fight malaria, in today's Christian Science Monitor.

  
  
• 25 March 2004
  

  "Vaccinating chickens may be the only way out of the bird flu nightmare in Asia. But it could also lead to the evolution of new strains, the latest research shows, increasing the risk of a human pandemic. Only intensive surveillance can stop this happening, but experts say the countries affected do not have the necessary systems in place. Last week China declared its bird flu outbreaks had ended. Health officials are vaccinating millions of the birds that escaped slaughter...But the H5N1 virus is almost certainly still circulating among the vaccinated birds, and the fear is that in this abnormal setting it may evolve into a form that is not only fatal to people, like the current one, but can also spread from person to person." While some Asian countries are vaccinating birds in an effort to curb the spread of bird flu, many scientists worry that the vaccination programs actually increase the risk of a deadly pandemic. Learn more in the New Scientist.

• 24 March 2004
  "Scientists who trained a monkey to move a mechanical arm using thought alone said on Tuesday that experiments in Parkinson's disease patients show the technique may work in humans, too. Electrodes implanted in the brains of Parkinson's disease patients transmitted signals that might someday be used to operate remote devices, the team at Duke University Medical Center reported...The researchers are also getting funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, presumably with secret military applications in mind. But experimenting on people is tricky." Read more about ongoing research into technology that could allow humans to move robotic limbs through brain signals in Yahoo News (link no longer active).

• 23 March 2004
  "Despite the advances of modern medicine, diseases like malaria, dengue fever and even plague still afflict millions of people each year, crippling some while proving fatal for others. Many of the diseases are spread through infected, bloodsucking mosquitoes, which can cause widespread epidemics by feeding on people or animals then flying to another target. But scientists are hoping to stem future outbreaks--or at least reduce their severity--using not just medicine, but also Earth-watching satellites capable of identifying potential disease hotspots before an outbreak has time to spread." Learn how scientists are hoping to use satellites to monitor the outbreaks of deadly epidemics in today's USA Today.

• 22 March 2004
  

  "People in central Africa who hunt monkeys and apes for food and trade are being infected with animal viruses and researchers fear their transmission could spark a future epidemic similar to AIDS. Scientists who documented the transmission of a monkey virus to humans in Africa, called Friday for measures to end the hunting of wild primate populations to lessen any potential threat of new diseases in humans. 'It is in all our interests to put into place economic alternatives to help people move away from hunting and eating these animals,' said Dr Nathan Wolfe, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland." Recent findings indicate that African hunters who come into contact with primates are being infected with a retrovirus similar to AIDS. Learn more at Reuters (link no longer active).

• 19 March 2004
  

  "The Earth may be on the brink of a sixth mass extinction on a par with the five others that have punctuated its history, suggests the strongest evidence yet. Butterflies in Britain are going extinct at an even greater rate than birds, according to the most comprehensive study ever of butterflies, birds, and plants. There is growing concern over the rate at which species of plants and animals are disappearing around the world. But until now the evidence for such extinctions has mainly come from studies of birds... Now there is concrete evidence that insects - which account for more than half the described species on Earth, are disappearing faster than birds." A troubling British study indicates that the planet may be facing a mass extinction similar to that which wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Learn more in the New Scientist.

  
  
• 18 March 2004
  

  "Genetic engineering might offer a way of reducing the impact of global warming on indigenous species of plants and trees, a scientist said on Tuesday. Simon Thornton-Wood, head of science at Britain's Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), told Reuters that genetic modification (GM) could offer a solution to the steady rise in temperatures...Scientists predict that average temperatures could rise by around two degrees centigrade over the next half-century, pushing temperate growing zones steadily northwards. Thornton-Smith said that while such a change appeared on the surface to be minimal, it would actually have a potentially catastrophic impact on growing conditions for all types of plants from fruits to flowers." Learn how scientists are hoping to utilize genetic engineering to protect plants in Reuters (link no longer active).

• 17 March 2004
  

  "Once the undisputed leader, America is now under assault from countries worldwide. How did this happen, and will the U.S. be able to fight back? In the history of the U.S. technology industry, 2004 will be remembered as the year that outsourcing hit home. Consultancy Gartner Group figures that U.S. tech companies will send 500,000 jobs overseas this year--and indeed, hardly a week goes by without a major U.S. tech outfit announcing a new R&D center in Asia. As outsourcing has begun to hit high-salary jobs in programming and tech services, the trend is giving rise to a wider fear--that U.S. dominance in high tech is starting to wane." Learn why some are worried that the United States is losing its role as the world's leader in technological development in Business Week.

• 16 March 2004
  "Nanotechnology is a total mystery to most people, an opinion poll reveals. The BMRB survey shows just 29% of the public claim to have heard of it, while only 19% are able to give nanotech a definition, whether accurate or not...Of those who are able to offer a definition of nanotechnology, the survey found 68% said it would make things better in the future. The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering have also jointly published the results of two workshops conducted by BMRB with the public to explore their views in more depth. These found that people responded both positively and negatively when the concept of nanotechnology was explained to them." While many scientists believe that nanotechnology has tremendous potential, a recent poll in the United Kingdom suggests that most people don't know anything about this new technology. Learn more at the BBC.com.



• 15 March 2004
  "General Electric will acquire the major assets of the largest American-owned maker of solar equipment, in a move the solar power industry sees as a major vote of confidence in the business. A federal bankruptcy court judge in Delaware yesterday approved G.E.'s plan to buy the bulk of AstroPower for $15 million in cash and an estimated $3.5 million in debt, along with other liabilities to be settled when the deal closes at the end of the month. It would be the most decisive step yet by G.E. into the so-far unprofitable business of generating electricity from sunlight, a technology that G.E. researchers have dabbled in for nearly half a century." The acquisition of a solar power products maker by a corporation as large as General Electric could carry profound implications for the future of energy production. Learn more in the New York Times.



• 12 March 2004
  "There is certainty in the thought that an asteroid or comet loitering in deep space has Earth's name on it. While a civilization-snuffing impact is a low probability, it is not zero....The technologies and techniques to defend Earth from such malicious cosmic interlopers were tackled at The Planetary Defense Conference: Protecting Earth from Asteroids held here February 23-26, and sponsored by The Aerospace Corporation and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)." After a recent scare when astronomers thought that an asteroid might be headed towards Earth, scientists are working especially hard to devise ways to defend the planet against such threats. Learn more in USA Today.



• 11 March 2004
  "The waste you flush down the toilet could one day power the lights in your home. So say researchers at Pennsylvania State University who last week revealed they have developed an electricity generator fuelled by sewage. Even better, the device breaks down the harmful organic matter as it generates the electricity, so it does the job of a sewage-treatment plant at the same time. Penn State's microbial fuel cell (MFC) harnesses chemical techniques similar to those the body uses to break down food - but diverts the electrons liberated in the reactions to produce electrical energy." Penn State's development of a microbial fuel cell has some hoping that a new, highly efficient form of energy production might have been discovered. Learn more at the New Scientist.



• 10 March 2004
  "The Cold War might be over, but a red army of monster crustaceans-marshaled by Soviet-era leaders-is threatening to invade Western Europe, according to environmentalists. First introduced to the Barents Sea off northern Russia in the 1960s, red king crabs (Paralithodes camtschaticus) are now spilling down western Norway by the millions. Some fear these massive crabs, native to Alaskan seas and the North Pacific, could reach as far south as Spain and Portugal, devouring almost everything in their path." Originally introduced to the Barents Sea under a Stalinist plan to provide a new food source to the Russian people, the shocking prevalance of the red king crab demonstrates what can happen when scientists interfere with natural ecosystems. Learn more in the National Geographic.



• 9 March 2004
  "Five bitter years after the start of a national debate, UK ministers say GM crops can - on certain conditions - now be grown commercially in Britain. The Environment Secretary, Margaret Beckett, told Parliament ministers had agreed in principle to the growing of a single variety of GM maize in England. Anti-GM campaign groups are vehement in denouncing the decision, while from the biotechnology industry there is relief." While intense debate over the use of genetically modified crops rages throughout Europe, the recent decision to allow the growing of GM corn in Britain carries profound implications. Read more in today's BBC News.



• 8 March 2004
  "A pinkish liquid splashes inside a clear box as a graduate student named Xu Wu places it beneath a microscope...When Wu, a doctoral student at The Scripps Research Institute, dripped a new chemical he calls Cardiogenol into a similar container last year, something astonishing happened. The cells began to pulse. After several days in the incubator, it appeared, the stem cells had converted to heart muscle. Had he found a new way to repair damaged hearts and avoid organ transplants?...Beyond the debate on stem cells, Wu's discovery also touches a lesser-known controversy. Its implications may prove equally profound." Beyond the debate on the morality of doing research on human stem cells, a new technique for that uses robots to randomly draw from libraries of man-made molecules is arousing debate. Read more in The Palm Beach Post (link no longer active).



• 5 March 2004
  "Your local grocery store may claim its beef is safe, raised humanely, fed quality ingredients, and given no unnecessary drugs. But it can't guarantee it. No one keeps histories of single cows; bad things can happen to good cows. We trust our hamburger with no means to verify...But food doesn't have to work that way. A comprehensive tracking system for livestock and poultry could link an animal's identity to its history. Using sophisticated (but relatively simple to use) DNA-based technologies and smart database management, even the largest meat producers could guarantee quality and safety." In the face of new and increasingly deadly food-borne diseases, some are calling for meatpacking industries to implement new technologies in order to guarantee the quality of meat. Read an insightful essay on the topic by Don Tapscot of Wired News.



• 4 March 2004
  "The White House's policy on research with human embryonic stem cells has been put under new pressure by the dismissal of a leading biologist from the President's Council on Bioethics last week and by the development, announced today, of new stem cell lines by a Harvard researcher. At present, researchers who receive government financing can only work with human embryonic stem lines that were derived from embryos before 9 p.m. on Aug. 9, 2001. This was a political compromise that allowed stem cell research to begin but that also assured opponents of abortion that no more very early embryos would be destroyed." A number of recent developments have put new pressure on the White House's stance on stem cell research. Learn more in today's New York Times.



• 3 March 2004
  "Researchers are reporting new evidence supporting their earlier discovery of an inexpensive 'tabletop' device that uses sound waves to produce nuclear fusion reactions. The researchers believe the new evidence shows that 'sonofusion' generates nuclear reactions by creating tiny bubbles that implode with tremendous force. Nuclear fusion reactors have historically required large, multibillion-dollar machines, but sonofusion devices might be built for a fraction of that cost." Researchers believe that they have produced small-scale "desktop fusion" reactions. Read more about this exciting discovery at Perdue News.



• 2 March 2004
  "Though the technology appears to straddle the line between science and science fiction, the era of quantum teleportation has arrived. It's not the Star Trek — style beaming up of entire landing parties; the process operates at the subatomic level. What does that mean? Quantum teleportation, in short, is the transmission of characteristics — that is, the quantum state of a particular photon, or particle of light — from one place to another. While it falls short of a capability to beam people or objects to remote locations, it's much more than just sending a fax." Although in its infant stages, teleportation technology could soon be put to use. Learn more in this week's Time Magazine.



• 1 March 2004
  "Harvard University plans to launch a multimillion-dollar center to grow and study human embryonic stem cells, the school announced Sunday. The center could be the largest privately funded American stem cell research project to date. It must use private funds to create new lines of stem cells because President Bush, citing ethical considerations, has limited federal funding for embryonic stem cell research to existing lines of cells." Harvard's announcement carries profound political, moral, and scientific implications. Learn more about this story in Yahoo News (link no longer active).

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