APRIL 2000

FEATURES

Evolution revolution: Where is the human race heading?
Annabel Wood asked three scientists for their vision of the world to come, and found that the future may not be entirely rosy.

Ulcer bug to face the breathalyser
Can you catch an ulcer off your partner? Gastroenterologist Barry Marshall is trying to find out using a simple breath test and pieces of string. Ros Dilworth reports.

Fabrics treated to control germs
Robert Moore describes an invention that could halt the spread of bacteria in hospitals and prevent asthma attacks due to fungi in the home.

Who ya gonna turn to? Fraudbuster!
Stephen Luntz speaks to Brynn Hibbert about his crusade against pseudoscience.

The search for extraterrestrial us
Alan Marshall takes a critical view of the methods used to search for extraterrestrial intelligence and says we need not look to deepest space to find intelligent life.

Hospitals Without Walls
Laurie Wilson describes how the recovery of elderly patients can be monitored from their homes.

BIOSPHERE

Legacy of Maralinga lingers
Peter Pockley traces four decades of contamination of Australian desert from British nukes until it was declared "clean" last month. But, there are sceptics.

Seeing the wood from the genes
Genetic knowledge of commercial crops has typically been derived from model species with short generation times. Rowland Burdon and Tom Richardson explain that advances in DNA technology now enable large forest trees to be used in this way.

INSIGHT

Silver lining for science enrolments
While enrolments in traditional science degrees have generally waned this year, John McKenzie points to flourishing demand in specialist science courses.

Reading between the lines
Scientists are generating vast amounts of "knowledge" but have done little to improve "understanding", writes Nicholas King.

SERIAL

Journalism & science: Can communicators bridge the gap?
Gael Walker discusses the role of public relations consultants and finds distrust of spin doctors paid to promote vested interests.

UPDATE

Sunspot cycle could disable satellites and power grids

A chip off the old gene

Pall of smoke over R&D concession schemes

First stage of gravity wave detector opens

Search for the cradle of life moves to PNG

Biomolecules sprout at new institute

Diet the key to DNA damage

Food flies at forum on GM

Robots take to target practice

Citizen Gadget in 2020

Bee vision to aid robotic navigation

Solar energy puts wind in boat’s sails

Sea change for prawn fisheries

Exponential growth in aquaculture predicted

Worm business is glowing

Flood risk data for properties is flawed

Two years in clink for dinosaur footprint theft

Bee vision to aid robotic navigation

BRIEFS

Reducing desease in child care centres

Ecosystems are cheaper to fix

Racism peaks at 5 years of age

Test for skin cancer risk

Cholesterol drugs induce muscle weakness

Fishy fossil brain case found

Waxflowers resist fungus

The end was nigh