Articles
Can the stars' power be harnessed on Earth?
Crucial experiments are about to begin on the world's most advanced nuclear fusion reactor, the Joint European Torus (JET) near Oxford, England.
Market crash? He saw it coming
In a quiet corner of Switzerland, a team of scientists has been forecasting global financial meltdowns for 15 years. Using formulas based on the concept of 'self-organisation', the Financial Crisis Observatory can predict economic bubbles with unerring accuracy,Robert Matthews reports
We are all made of comet dust
Mankind owes a lot to chunks of rock and ice floating through space.
Can’t you beam me up, Scotty?
Star Trek's technological feats are ahead of the times - dreamt up almost half a century ago, much of its technology is today a reality.
Peace is finally getting its chance
In light of endless reports of wars, terrorism and atrocities, the very suggestion that people are steadily being nicer to each other seems preposterous. Yet the evidence has been accumulating for centuries.
Ripples from another dimension
Have scientists lost their nerve in the face of a truly mind-boggling discovery? The European Space Agency (ESA) has just unveiled the cosmic findings of Planck, its orbiting observatory that has been peering into deep space for nearly four years.
Calorie count does a fat lot of good, scientists say
New research puts paid to the weight loss mantra: 'fewer calories in, more calories out'.
Hydrogen still on the back burner
Hydrogen has the potential to fuel the world's cars, despite fears generated by airship disasters such as the Hindenburg in the 1930s. The problem is unlocking its potential cheaply. Using a chemical 'midwife', methanol may provide the answer, as Robert Matthews reports
Planets may affect our lives after all
Astrology is rightly regarded as hokum, but recent work by astronomers seems to show that the other planets in our solar system can have a significant effect on the Earth’s climate and, thus, our history.
New tactics needed in war on cancer
A permanent cure for some cancers may be impossible. But that doesn't mean the situation is hopeless.
Heart disease: Is sugar the real killer?
As the link between fat, cholesterol and heart disease has fallen apart, ever more studies are linking heart disease to carbohydrates - and specifically sugar.
Why gold is out of this world, and fake diamonds can look real
Mankind has long been drawn by the lustre of gold and the sparkle of diamonds, but only recently have scientists been able to establish the extraordinary genesis of the precious metal and create in a laboratory diamonds that look like the real thing.
Abu Dhabi prepares to host Jane Goodall and Daryl Hannah
World Future Council convenes in Abu Dhabi this week, pondering the issue of environmental security.
Forecasting weather or financial markets all begins with a cauliflower
Scientists now believe that the geometrical entities known as fractals may hold the answers to a variety of problems. That's why they are studying one vegetable in particular.
Economic forecasts are economical with the truth
Prof Gerd Gigerenzer, a leading risk expert at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, found that the forecasts were seriously wrong in nine of the 10 years covered.
