OCTOBER 2002 PREDICTIONS

[YOUR FUTURE - INVENTIONS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE]
A transparent computer processor has been printed directly onto a glass screen, which suggests ultra-thin computers, televisions and other gadgets could be built.

Cooks may soon find themselves free of tears when they chop onions. Japanese scientists say they've found an enzyme responsible for producing the pungent, irritating chemical that causes tears.

Prototype "smart houses" can monitor elders' health and even detect if they've fallen.

Available exclusively at Sears, The Whirlpool® Polara™ is an oven AND a fridge. Prepare meals a day ahead just by setting time and temperature.

Scientists are developing underwater "gliders" that uses the power of the ocean to explore for months at a time.

Mini fuel cells could replace rechargeable batteries - Several companies are vying to produce viable alternatives to rechargeable batteries to juice up cellphones, laptops and other portable gadgets.

Israeli scientists are testing a device that may be able to zap cancerous tumors with laser-like beams of concentrated sunlight.

Bacteria could be behind the next fad in blue jean rinses. Scientists have found a way make indigo using specially engineered bugs.

[HOT TRENDS]
Coonsumers face high heating costs this winter.

"Dr. Seuss Finger Puppets" and the "GeoSafari Talking Microscope" are two of the top toys selected for 2002 by 'Today's Parent' magazine.

Hundreds of millions of people remain hungry in the world and progress to reduce those numbers is stalling, says a United Nations report.

Researchers have developed a new way to inject human genes into pig sperm, creating the possibility that pigs' organs could be transplanted into humans.

An unusually powerful electronic attack briefly crippled nine of the 13 computer servers that manage global internet traffic this week, officials disclosed. One official described the attack as the most sophisticated and large-scale assault against these crucial computers in the history of the internet. The origin of the attack was not known. Richard Clarke, President George W Bush's top cyber-security adviser and head of the protection board, has warned for months that an attack against the internet's 13 so-called root server computers could be dramatically disruptive.


[ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS]
HighLift Systems has developed a plan to build a space elevator out of yet-to-be-constructed ultra-lightweight carbon ribbon. Current plans call for the elevator to stretch 62,000 miles straight up from a platform in the Pacific Ocean and have it tethered to a satellite. Electric lifts would clamp onto the ribbon and ferry cargo, including satellites, into orbit and beyond. If all goes well, the project could become reality within 15 years. The main thing slowing the project is the cost, which is estimated to amount to billions of dollars. NASA has contributed $570,000 to the effort.

NASA reveals a new plan for the Moon, Mars & outward.

While NEOs (near-Earth objects ) present only a small chance of devastating the planet in the next few centuries, the danger is significant enough to warrant action. However, it remains unclear what the best line of defense might be. Currently, both professional and amateur astronomers around the world search for NEOs and e-mail their finds to the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center in Massachusetts. But is this sufficient to warn against and protect us from "the worst known class of natural disasters?"

Once every decade, the world's space community assembles to take stock of the present and chart new directions for humanity's next ten years in space. Read the latest reports from the World Space Congress 2002 in Houston, Texas.

The Moon is soon to be on the receiving end of a volley of robotic probes launched by multiple nations. Spacecraft from Europe, Japan, India, China, as well as the United States are expected to spark a 21st century renaissance in lunar exploration.

Upgrades to boost SETI@home alien search - The world's most popular ET-hunting program for home users is about to get upgrades of both its software and the telescope that feeds data into it.

That haunting image from science fiction movies showing astronauts hibernating during long space voyages may not be as far-fetched as it seems. Learning how squirrels hibernate could lead to medical miracles.

[BIOLOGY PREDICTIONS]
Can you be identified by your walk? Scientists are working toward a biometric system that recognizes people by the way they shuffle along.

Is there a difference between a normal brain and the brain of a serial killer? Scientists say yes, killers brains show a different pattern.

The genetic quirk that makes red hair red may also make red-heads harder to knock out - in the operating room, that is.

The northern forests of Canada, Alaska and Russia, the high plateaus of Tibet and Mongolia and the Amazon River Basin are among the Earth's few remaining wild areas available for conservation, scientists warned . Humans are leaving a big footprint on planet Earth.

Scientist are baffled by the huge sockeye salmon run jamming British Columbia's Adams River.

We know giraffes are vegetarians and defy gravity with their necks, but scientists now believe that, with the help of infrasound technology, they can talk.

[HEALTH PREDICTIONS]
Almost 20 per cent of the food we eat has traces of pesticides, many from chemicals that have been banned for decades, according to a new report. A typical diet would contain 60 to 70 daily doses of toxins such as DDT, dioxin and dieldrin. Adults who are eating a well-rounded diet may be ingesting up to 90 times the acceptable limit for exposure.

A simple, six-step formula is more accurate than ultrasound in predicting the birth weight of an unborn baby, says new Duke University research.

Aspirin may protect against pre-term labor.

Cancer survival rates are better than what was thought.

Reused water bottles can lead to serious stomach infectionsif they're not washed properly say health authorities.

A federal science panel is calling for a crackdown in the use of antibiotics on farm animals. The panel says antibiotic-resistant bacteria is developing in humans because of what we eat.

Could the virus that causes AIDS cure Parkinson's and other diseases?

Does your job make you sick? The alternative could make you even sicker. A new study says people who lose their jobs often see signs of depression and poor health.

Genetic tests for everything from obesity to skin complaints could soon be available in the United Kingdom.

Researchers report that eating fish or seafood at least once a week can lower the risk of developing dementia.

Additives in popular snacks can cause hyperactivity and tantrums in young children, a study suggests. These were the artificial food colourings tartrazine (E102), sunset yellow (E110), carmoisine (E122), and ponceau 4R (E124), and the preservative Sodium Benzoate (E211). Over 200 children's foods and drinks, contained at least one of the additives used in the study.

The West Nile virus killed more than 100 people and spread coast to coast this summer. Could it be even worse next year?

A new study shows that the popular pain relievers ibuprofen and acetaminophen may increase a woman's risk of high blood pressure.

Head lice in the U.S. are becoming resistant to treatment shampoos and lotions, making them harder and harder to get rid of.

[LONG-TERM CLIMATE PREDICTIONS]
The world's mountains are under growing threat from human numbers and other pressures, says the United Nations.

[ODDITIES]
Monster watch - Reports of a giant plane-sized bird with a 14-foot wingspan in Alaska, bigfoot believers flock to Pennsylvania, Mothman, and the hunt for the Loch Ness Monster.

Alaskan residents claim to have spotted a plane-sized bird with a 14-foot wingspan. No bird this big has appeared on earth in 100,000 years.

[POLITICAL PREDICTIONS]
Should children get the smallpox shot in anticipation of a possible terrorist attack? The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending limited smallpox vaccinations only after the first case occurs, due to their serious potential side effects and the lack of testing on children.

What biological scourges do we have to fear in the future? Smallpox is probably the biological threat that causes the most concern among public health officials — because it is highly virulent, kills one-third of its victims, and can leave survivors scarred and seriously ill. Anthrax remains a scare. Then there's West Nile. Though spread primarily by mosquitos, at least one prominent lawmaker suggests the real cause of West Nile may be something more ominous - a planned bio-terror attack. Plus, other potential biological threats exist that can be used to serve terror, scientists say.

Intelligence officials warn that al Qaeda may be going after less defensible targets as two U.S. Marines were shot in a training exercise, and evidence mounts that a weekend tanker explosion may have been a terror attack.

A new report from U.S. intelligence agencies says Iraq may have nuclear weapons by 2010.

[SPIRITUAL PREDICTIONS]
An inscription on a burial artifact that was recently discovered in Israel appears to provide the oldest archaeological evidence of Jesus Christ, according to an expert who dates it to three decades after the crucifixion.

"Everything's connected: the attacks on America last year, the New York State lottery, the collapse of WorldCom, the Bush Administration's proposed war against Iraq, the death of quarterback Johnny Unitas, and many other private events. To top this off, Arthur C. Clarke anticipated some of these incidents decades ago."

[STOCK MARKET PREDICTIONS]
Consumer confidence has posted a big drop.

Can Sin Make You Rich? One man thinks so. If you're an investor looking for an attractive return, try investing in so-called vice stocks like tobacco, alcohol, gambling and weapons.

What virtually guarantees the next economic boom? The immutable law of speeding semiconductors . Three examples of the coming evolution.