July 2003 Predictions

"The memories which lie within us are not carved in stone."
- Primo Levi

[YOUR FUTURE - INVENTIONS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE]
Scientists are developing a wheelchair which is steered by brainpower and could help people with severe disabilities.

The beer of tomorrow may be freeze-dried, laced with nicotine or even asparagus. Take a look at some strange brews.

A new type of walkway in the Paris metro may change the way we travel in and around big cities.

'Smart' hip could treat itself - A replacement hip joint that could detect a bacterial infection and release antibiotic drugs is under development by scientists.

American scientists plan to build a hypersonic aircraft which could bomb anywhere in the world within two hours.

North Americans could soon be able to buy soft drinks from a vending machine using their cellphones.

Bar codes on products will be replaced by tiny computer chips this year in the U.S., allowing manufacturers to keep track of their goods and of consumer's buying habits.

Advertising has gone to the hen house in Quebec where eggs are now sporting ads.

[HOT TRENDS]
Experts preparing to celebrate the 25th anniversay of the first test tube baby say that eventually, everyone will be able to become a parent. The most important determinant of success currently is the mother's age.

One of Australia's deadliest spiders, the Redback, is evolving and could be on its way to becoming an international pest.

Tattooing inks may be poisonous - most chemicals used in tattoos were industrial pigments originally used for other purposes, such as automobile paints or writing inks. Two deaths caused by tattooing or body-piercing have been reported in Europe since the end of 2002. A report says that as well as the risk of catching diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, or bacterial infections from dirty needles, tattooing could cause skin cancer, psoriasis, toxic shock syndrome or even behavioral changes.

New data shows the world's biggest rainforest in the Amazon is being cleared at a dramatically increased rate.

Cancer cases in the developing world will reach 10 million a year by 2015 without better access to radiation therapy, say experts.

Shoppers in the U.S. remain uncertain about the future thanks to the lack of new jobs, but consumer spending is still going up.

Analysts fear U.S. consumer spending is set to slip as the unemployment rate soars to 6.4%.

One species in five presently found in south-east Asia could be extinct within a century, scientists believe.


[ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS]
Australian scientists say there are 10 times more stars in the visible Universe than all the grains of sand in the world.

Russia will launch a European space probe towards the planet Venus in 2005.

The Universe may be teeming with starless galaxies inhabiting its most isolated regions.

The north pole of Mars has even more water than the south, raising the possibility that life once evolved on the planet.

The pentaquark - A new type of subatomic particle has been discovered that will have far-reaching consequences for our understanding of matter.

A twin to our solar system has been found - A planet like our Jupiter is circling a star like our Sun.

Strange events on Pluto - Pluto's atmosphere is getting thicker even though it is moving away from the Sun, say astronomers.

A distinguished group of Americans joined together to send a unique request to Congressional leaders - a request that preparations be made to deal with the prospect of Earth being slammed by an asteroid or comet.

The Chinese say they may launch their first astronauts into space within 100 days (October).

[BIOLOGY PREDICTIONS]
A University of Manitoba study warns against planting genetically modified wheat because it poses an "unacceptable risk" to the environment.

A pollutant is causing oysters to develop into hermaphrodites, which cannot breed, say British scientists.

The 12-metre wide remains of a sea creature found in Chile could be those of a giant octopus, the first washed up on land for over a century.

Tasman Sea produces freaky species - Hundreds of new underwater species, including sharks and a giant sea spider the size of a dinner plate, have been discovered by scientists in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand.

The first genetically modified pet to go on sale is a zebra fish that glows green in the dark thanks to jellyfish DNA.

More than half the world's oldest family of seed-bearing plants are at risk of extinction, botanists say.

[HEALTH PREDICTIONS]
Scientists claim that the first human baby could be born from a transplanted womb within three years.

Breast cancer may use similar tools to a word processing computer program to re-arrange a key gene and wreak havoc in the body, a study suggests.

Adjust your attitude and avoid a cold? New research suggests that happy, positive people have an increased immunity to the common cold.

Scientists have developed a blood test that appears to be the first reliable way to predict whether patients with neurological problems such as tingling or blurred vision will soon develop the debilitating disease multiple sclerosis.

A sensor designed to help in oil explorations turns out to have potential for early diagnosis of lung cancer.

Two cheap blood tests could help multiple sclerosis patients predict if they are at risk of having a relapse.

Chemical disaster warning - Human health and the environment are not being protected against the potential harm caused by synthetic chemicals, a UK think-tank says.

Is there a superpill that could solve most of your medical problems? Maybe, say researchers. Others worry it might be too much of one-size-fits all.

An experiment in the United States has created a mixed-sex human embryo to investigate abnormalities.

Cells from human embryos have been used to make paralysed rats walk again, giving hope to humans with spinal injuries.

A glimpse of a man's cheek may be enough to tell women if he is attractive and has good genes, a study suggests.

Women who have endometriosis appear to have a higher risk of developing several different kinds of cancer, say researchers.

Long-term stress may cause illness by prematurely ageing the immune system, research suggests.

Spanish researchers show that complex or heated conversations while driving significantly impair a driver's ability.

A new study reports that almost one in three doctors sometimes withhold information on medically useful treatments to patients who are not covered for them.

The company that makes anti-wrinkle treatment Botox is misleading patients over the risks of the treatment, say the US authorities.

Taking a school bus on a regular basis, and driving or working on trucks could pose a cancer risk because of the constant exposure to diesel exhaust fumes, new research suggests.

Flu could be a far more dangerous bioterror weapon than smallpox or anthrax, scientists warn.

Suggestions that SARS came from outer space were unbelievably implausible, one of the world's leading authorities on the virus says.

Scientists have discovered an uncanny similarity between the minds of humans and flies, and say comparing the two could open new doors to understanding disorders such as schizophrenia.

Some experts say the deadly Sars virus may re-appear later this year and urge public health officials to be prepared.

One in 10 HIV patients who have never taken drug treatments are already resistant to them.

A study has revealed that eating pizza on a regular basis could help stave off certain forms of cancer.

Surgeons in Austria have successfully transplanted a tongue on a human.

[LONG-TERM CLIMATE PREDICTIONS]
Satellite images show ozone gas was disappearing less quickly from Earth's upper atmosphere, NASA said, in a sign that the ozone depletion could be stabilising.

Coral reefs across the Caribbean have undergone a decline of 80% within the last three decades, scientists say.

What to do about the increasing levels of carbon dioxide gas produced from fossil fuel use? Researchers are literally looking into burying greenhouse gases.

A unique Antarctic community of giant worms and other seabed curiosities may not survive climate change.

[MOVIES AND TV]
Is it really possible for the Incredible Hulk to stretch into a giant monster? Producers for the new movie learned it could be … if he were a sea cucumber.

[ODDITIES]
The most extensive sonar survey of Loch Ness ever undertaken shows no sign of the legendary monster.

A man has regained consciousness after 19 years in a coma, greeting his mother who was waiting at his Arkansas bedside.

Dozens of orange lobsters near Prince Edward Island puzzle islanders and scientists.

The Sci Fi Channel in the U.S. is campaigning to persuade the Government to be more forthcoming and aggressive in investigating UFO sightings.

[POLITICAL PREDICTIONS]
The economic impact of HIV/Aids may cause some African countries to collapse, a report warns.

A leading American expert on infectious diseases says China and India face a potential Aids disaster.

Indonesia warned the United States that Osama bin Laden was plotting the September 11, 2001 attacks three years before they occurred, the country's spy chief said.

The Pentagon said it could not confirm or deny rumours that Saddam Hussein had already been captured by U.S. forces.

[SEASONAL WEATHER PREDICTIONS]
Anecdotal evidence that the world's weather is getting wilder now has a solid scientific basis in fact following a dramatic global assessment from the World Meteorological Organization. The world is experiencing record numbers of extreme weather events, such as droughts and tornadoes, with global warming the cause. The WMO normally confines itself to issuing scientific reports and statistics compiled from climate data. However, the weather events of 2003 had proved so remarkable, officials say the organization felt compelled to issue a generalized warning of the emerging pattern.

Mice can foretell earthquakes - Lab mice become agitated when exposed to electric and magnetic fields similar to those sometimes detected before earthquakes.

[SPIRITUAL PREDICTIONS]
Creative genius and crime both express themselves early in men but both are turned off almost like a tap if a man gets married and has children, a study says. The data remarkably concur with the brutal observation made by Albert Einstein, who wrote in 1942: "A person who has not made his great contribution to science before the age of 30 will never do so."

Fake alcohol can make you tipsy - Just the belief that you are drinking alcohol can lead to poor judgement and impaired memory, say psychologists.

After a dying boy says he saw angels, photos show strange shapes swirling around him. Three different cameras, using three different kinds of film, developed at three different places, all had the same transparent white shapes.