December 2003 Predictions

Wisdom has two parts:
1) Having a lot to say.
2) Not saying it.

[YOUR FUTURE - INVENTIONS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE]
Digital camcorders that use digital computer memory will let you ditch the videotape.

A vaccine for cancer seems almost too good to be true. But recent developments in scientists' understanding of both genetics and the immune system have suddenly made vaccines for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma a reality.

Scientists have devised an implant that could give you a suntan without spending hours on the beach.

[HOT TRENDS]
What will flight be like in the future?

Checking in to airports could soon be as easy as pressing your finger onto a screen.

At least 10 states are battling a widespread flu outbreak this season. How to avoid getting sick.

A drug industry boss admits most prescription medicines don't work for most people, it is reported.

The U.N. says if fertility levels remain unchecked, the world's population would reach an impossible 134 trillion by 2300.

The Sars virus could be the result of a merger between viruses from birds and mammals, say researchers.

Figures showing a doubling in skin cancer rates have sparked renewed warnings about the dangers of sun exposure.

Women who give birth by caesarean section increase the risk of a subsequent stillbirth, say researchers.

Babies born to women who suffer post-natal depression are more likely to become violent and aggressive children, research suggests.


[ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS]
Measurements taken by Nasa's Mars Odyssey craft suggest humans could survive a mission to the Red Planet's surface.

Astronomers report a series of dust storms on the Red Planet that could create operational problems for the 3 probes heading there.

Two new studies claim life could spread quickly throughout space, from one solar system to another.

A spacecraft is on track to fly through the tail of a comet, collecting hundreds of specks of the primitive material from which the sun, the planets and all living creatures are made, NASA said.

[HEALTH PREDICTIONS]
A device touted as the smallest external hearing aid in the world is to be tested by British patients.

A breakdown of the protective coating around nerve cells may explain some cases of Alzheimer's disease.

A major trial will test if aspirin and an anti-ulcer drug can prevent thousands of cases of cancer of the oesophagus.

A virulent form of tuberculosis, 'Super-TB', was created in the laboratory by experts trying to alter its genetic structure.

Scientists have proof that people who seldom take exercise may be best off avoiding sudden bursts of vigorous physical activity as infrequent strenuous exercise poses a serious risk of a heart attack. It keeps the heart racing for a long period - extending the time when problems could occur. The researchers said it was not only those with known heart problems who should take care.

Artificial corneas have been successfully "grown" in the eyes of partially blind animals, say scientists from the University of Ottawa.

The herbal remedy echinacea is not effective in treating children's colds, researchers have found.

A hi-tech scan can predict at an early stage of pregnancy which women are at risk of miscarriage, say scientists.

A microbeam which fires radiation particles at cancer cells one at a time could improve radiotherapy.

Men living in areas with polluted air may be more likely to develop lung cancer , according to scientists.

A new design of eye implant is being constructed by US researchers that may replace a damaged retina and reverse blindness.

Scientists claim to have found evidence that exercise may be physically addictive to some people.

Green tea could form the basis of a new generation of HIV drugs, say experts.

Micro-needles - needles so small that they're barely visible, could offer painless drug delivery.

As many as 1% of long-haul travellers may develop dangerous blood clots as a result of their trip, say New Zealand researchers.

The chemical which gives garlic its flavor could be used in a "smart bomb" to fight cancer, scientists say. The same chemical, allicin, could treat the hospital superbug MRSA.

[LONG-TERM CLIMATE PREDICTIONS]
Every winter for the last few years there have been reports of blocks of ice mysteriously falling from the sky. Many of them are large enough to crash through the roofs of houses. Many weigh 25 to 35 pounds, but one found in Brazil weighed 440 pounds. Last year an ice block "half the size of a car" crashed through the roof of an automobile dealership in Lawrenceville, Georgia. If formation is linked to global warming, as is suspected, then it is fair to assume that these events may increase in the future.

Gadget-hungry people and shrinking households are creating huge, unnoticed climate problems, a report says. As manufacturers produce increasingly energy-efficient goods to protect the climate, people are simply buying more of them - wiping out green benefits. Switching from a four-wheel drive car to a normal car for a year, a family could save as much energy as it does with 400 years of recycling bottles.

Soot has a greater effect on climate than we realise, and cutting levels could slow climate change, a study says. Soot blocks snow and ice from reflecting sunlight, contributing to up to a quarter of observed global warming over the past 100 years.

A study suggests flying aircraft 6,000 feet below their current altitudes may cut their contribution to climate change.

Global warming could submerge three of India's biggest cities beneath the sea by 2020 unless the crisis was brought under control, an Indian scientist warned.

[MOVIES AND TV]
Joe Millionaire" star Evan Marriott will host the Game Show Network's new relationship show, "Fake-a-Date," which will premiere in March. On "Fake-a-Date", a contestant will date two singles, one looking for love and the other who's hoping to win a luxury trip with his or her significant other. The contestant will decide who is sincere.

[ODDITIES]
Congo health officials are investigating the poison deaths of 64 people, allegedly from a potion used to ward off evil spirits. The Roman Catholic priest who allegedly administered the drink fled the village of Bosobe early last week after people started falling ill.

Author and Skeptic Society founder Michael Shermer answers questions about psychics and the paranormal.

[POLITICAL PREDICTIONS]
U.S. officials fear that socks, and other clothing, could be filled with explosives and smuggled aboard planes.

There is concern that terrorists who have flight training experience have infiltrated foreign flight crews, and the Department of Homeland Security has ordered foreign airlines to place armed marshals on selected flights.

The U.S.- Israeli developed 'Corner Shot' weapon shoots around corners - allowing soldiers to aim and fire a handgun while keeping out of sight.

A U.S. discovery could produce a drug to counter the deadly effects of the anthrax toxin, say scientists.

[SPIRITUAL PREDICTIONS]
Psychologists have found that many of us view our shadows as an extension of our bodies. And the brain's internal map of our body's shape and size includes our shadows.

Why do some people get all the luck while others never get the breaks they deserve? A psychologist says he has discovered the answer. Unlucky people are generally more tense than lucky people, and this anxiety disrupts their ability to notice the unexpected. As a result, they miss opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else. Luck is very often a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[STOCK MARKET PREDICTIONS]
After almost three years of layoffs and meager profits, figures show 2003 was the year the economy began to recover. But many of the workers and businesses hardest hit by the downturn can only visualize the recovery.