April 2003 Predictions

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe."
- Carl Sagan

[YOUR FUTURE - INVENTIONS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE]
A Japanese scientist could soon become stinking rich with an invention to be ready by 2005 that would use Panda poop to create electricity.

Foreign visitors arriving in the United States by air and sea will be tracked by a new system that verifies their identities through fingerprints or newer technologies such as iris scans or digital photos.

Contact lenses made of an experimental material might help diabetics monitor their blood-sugar levels - without having to stick themselves with needles.

Advanced bandages that are being used in combat may end up some day in your medicine cabinet.

An inventor is trying to create the flying car of the 21st century.

Designers have come up with a web-enabled toilet cubicle, complete with print-offs on toilet roll.

A US company has come up with a refrigerated microwave that can be controlled over the internet.

Scientists develop a petite fuel system that could lead to fuel cells that replace common batteries for handheld electronics.

Mobile ads could be coming to a cellphone near you - Advertisers could soon be dumping e-mails as a way of marketing and honing their efforts on cellphones and other wireless devices.

[HOT TRENDS]
One in four Americans say they do not go online and have no intention of doing so, a study finds.

Two million people die each year (5000 each day) worldwide from work-related diseases and accidents, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said.

Millions of people could be at risk of bioterrorist attacks if scientists are not 'policed', an expert has warned.

Fewer than four in 10 are worried about catching the acute respiratory disease, known as SARS, a new ABCNEWS poll shows.

War, terrorism fears and the shaky economy are scratching at the casino industry's usually tough exterior, and gamblers are noticing thinner crowds.

A U.S. study has found a startling level of despair among obese children, with many rating their quality of life as low as that of young cancer patients on chemotherapy.

Travel to Asia is off by 35 percent as international health officials issue warnings about the spread of SARS.


[ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS]
During a proposed lunar mission in 2007 called Polar Night, a lunar orbiter would fire instrumented missiles towards the surface of the Moon. Tests have been carried out in New Mexico on ground penetrating missiles using 'bunker buster' technology that could be fired into the depths of dark lunar craters to look for ice.

For the first time ever astronomers have watched a star explode just when they predicted it would. Before this, scientists could not predict the explosion of a supernova to an accuracy of better than a few million years.

A satellite that relies on solar power to put it into orbit around the moon was unveiled by the European Space Agency, which plans to use the spacecraft in Europe's first attempt at a lunar exploration. The craft will be launched in July for a two-year mission orbiting the moon to look for water, believed to be hidden deep in craters on the lunar surface. The satellite will also gather evidence to test the theory that the moon was created when a giant asteroid struck the Earth during the early days of the solar system.

British scientists are planning to send a swarm of miniature spacecraft beyond Mars to study the origin of asteroids that might pose a threat to the Earth. The mission, known as Apies (Asteroid Population Investigation and Exploration Swarm), is in its early stages, and would not be possible for perhaps a decade.

[BIOLOGY PREDICTIONS]
Scientists in the United States say hundreds of attempts to clone monkeys have ended in failure. They think the biological make-up of the eggs of primates, including humans, makes cloning almost impossible. The obstacle appears to be something to do with the way genetic material is parcelled up as a cell splits into two during embryonic development. Cells end up with too much, or too little DNA, and cannot survive.

Fish can feel pain, with their behaviour changing in response to stimuli, UK scientists say.

Some insects it seems are not related to other insects - they are much older - and should be a new evolutionary line, say scientists.

Man's two closest relatives in the animal kingdom, gorillas and chimps, will be on the edge of extinction within a decade, according to a new scientific study.

Australia's humble red-back spider seems poised for world domination, authorities have warned. They are closely related to the notorious black widow spider in the United States. A red-back spider bite can be lethal to children, the elderly or adults with pre-existing medical conditions.

[HEALTH PREDICTIONS]
The deadly virus Sars may have a less serious effect on young children compared with teenagers and adults, research suggests.

The biggest recall of medical products in Australian history is continuing, with full page advertisements in the nation's newspapers warning consumers against a range of suspect products. Australia's medicine watchdog suspended the licence of Pan Pharmaceuticals for six months and ordered the immediate withdrawal of 219 of its products following a series of safety and quality breaches. They are warning that the number of products recalled could be several thousand in coming days. Pan first came to the attention over its travel sickness tablet Travacalm, which was recalled in January. In some cases people attempted to jump out of planes or off boats because they were experiencing severe hallucinations.

Fighting cancer could be helped by a strain of mice breed by scientists which appears to be able to resist the disease.

Having meningitis as a baby can lead to teenage behavioural problems, researchers have suggested.

A disease carried by dogs that can harm eyesight in humans can be picked up by simply stroking the animal, say researchers.

Scientists believe Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease may have a common cause.

An ingredient in anti-bacterial soaps could turn into dangerous toxic dioxin when exposed to sunlight, according to a new study.

A daily application of sunscreen can significantly slow the development of sun-related skin lesions, a widely recognised risk factor for skin cancer, an Australian study has found. The study showed that volunteers who slapped on factor 16 on a daily basis developed the lesions at a rate 24 per cent slower than that of volunteers whose sun-care routine was less consistent.

Having one risk factor for heart disease, like high blood pressure, is bad enough. But when you cluster multiple risk factors together, you get a condition that significantly raises your chances of heart attack or stroke.

The Epstein-Barr virus is known to cause mononucleosis. But it's also linked to more serious diseases, ranging from multiple sclerosis to cancer. A look at what the connection tells us about prevention and treatment.

Patches normally used by women to relieve menopausal symptoms could help men with prostate cancer as well.

A test for tuberculosis has been developed that may help eradicate the highly infectious disease.

New cancer cases are expected to grow by 50 per cent over the next 20 years, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). They blame the way we eat.

SARS - severe acute respiratory disorder -How does it spread? Who's at risk? What are the symptoms? Is there a cure? Answers to questions about this mysterious illness.

Combining foods such as chicken and broccoli or salmon and watercress could help fight cancer, researchers have suggested.

Scientists have created a drug which they say could protect people from the effects of a nuclear attack

The cult behind the 1995 sarin attack in Tokyo still poses a danger, Japan's justice minister warns.

Scientists say developing a vaccine against the deadly Sars virus will be difficult as it is constantly changing and is mutating rapidly.

[LONG-TERM CLIMATE PREDICTIONS]
A major quake is likely to strike the San Francisco Bay region between 2003 and 2032 - new research concludes that there is a 62% probability of at least one magnitude 6.7 or greater quake, capable of causing widespread damage, striking the San Francisco Bay region before 2032. Major quakes may occur in any part of this rapidly growing region.

[MOVIES AND TV]
The rescue of Private Jessica Lynch, who was held captive in Iraq, is to be turned into a film, a report says.

[POLITICAL PREDICTIONS]
The Iraqi regime will fall within two weeks, a former aide to President Saddam Hussein, who claims to be in daily contact with senior Iraqi officials, has said.

The war unfolding in Iraq is a horrific conflict and a far cry from the almost surgical high-tech confrontation predicted by some of its backers, the French Prime Minister has said.

Households, schools and child-care centers within 10 miles of nuclear power plants should keep potassium iodide pills on hand to protect children from an accidental or intentional radiation release, the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending. The pills protect people from getting thyroid cancer.

Nerve agents like VX and sarin gas are scary terrorist threats, but a top federal official is more worried about chemicals that travel the nation's highways every day. They are just as lethal.

The accuracy of United States' bombs and missiles is as overrated as it was in the Gulf War and is taking a horrific toll on Iraqi civilians, according to an Australian clergyman in Baghdad.

Global poverty could be cut in half by 2015 if rich countries lowered trade barriers and increased foreign aid, the World Bank has said.

The concrete-and-steel sarcophagus containing the damaged Chernobyl nuclear reactor in Ukraine is in danger of collapsing. International donors have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars to build a new shelter but construction is not expected to start before next year.

[SPIRITUAL PREDICTIONS]
A Cambridge University professor says many of the Bible miracles can be explained by science.

[STOCK MARKET PREDICTIONS]
Like in previous downturns, many tech executives are now making predictions of doom and gloom for the future of technology. But they forget that the next big innovation is always lurking around the corner.

Is a rude awakening in store for the economy? Economists warn of a faltering economy and recession, masked by news of U.S. success in the Iraq war.