Contents of the Current Issue

Back Issues

Online Indexes:
Author Index A-L
Author Index M-Z
Index of News Articles

Reprints/ Permissions

Writer's Guidelines

Send a Letter to the Editor

Tomorrow in Brief
edited by Cindy Wagner

Swimming with Dolphins

Being in touch with nature—by swimming, for example—is good for people's mental health, claim biophilia theorists. But swimming with dolphins may be even better, researchers report in the November 2005 British Medical Journal. Going for a dip with a friendly cetacean was found to help people suffering mild to moderate depression. In a two-week study in Honduras, 30 such patients discontinued their medical and psychotherapy treatments and instead participated in water activities such as swimming and snorkeling—half of them alongside dolphins, and half without. The dolphin swimmers had greater elevations of mood with longer-lasting effects than did those swimming without dolphins. Researchers speculate that the dolphins' echolocation systems and aesthetic qualities contribute to the enhancement of human mood.
Source: "Randomised Controlled Study of Animal Facilitated Therapy with Dolphins in the Treatment of Depression" by Christian Antonioli and Michael A. Reveley, British Medical Journal (Volume 331).

ButterflyNet" Captures Scientists' Field Notes

Scientists conducting fieldwork consider their pens and notebooks indispensable equipment—far more reliable than portable computers that might lose battery power, freeze up, or break down. But in the digital age, data stored on paper is hard to quickly share with other scientists. Now, a software dubbed ButterflyNet has been developed by Stanford University researchers to help bridge the digital gap. The system uses a digital pen and "smart paper" to compile scans of handwritten notes and data gathered from digital cameras, wireless sensors, global positioning systems, and other input. The data is stored in the pen's memory chip until it can be transferred to a computer, but the digital notes and photos can also be viewed in ButterflyNet's browser.
Source: Stanford University, News Service, Stanford, California 94305. Web site www.stanford.edu/dept/news.

Buckyballs May Threaten DNA

The nanomaterials known as buckyballs could deform DNA molecules, interfering with biological functions, warns a team of chemical engineers conducting molecular dynamics simulations at Vanderbilt University. The studies found that, when buckyballs are dissolved in water, the soccer-ball-shaped materials would bind to the spirals in DNA molecules. Further study is needed to determine the possibility of long-term damage if large amounts of buckyballs are released into the environment or ingested by living organisms, according to the researchers.
Source: Vanderbilt University News Service, Baker Building, 110 21st Avenue S, Suite 802, Nashville, Tennessee 37203. Web site www.vanderbilt.edu.

Robotic Treadmill

A new robotic treadmill could help retrain the brains of people suffering partial paralysis from spinal-cord injuries. Tests on patients using the device, called Lokomat, have shown increased brain activity in the cerebellum, the area responsible for muscle movement and motor learning. More importantly to the patients, the treatment also improved their ability to walk. The study, conducted at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, suggests that stimulation of the brain should be a critical part of rehabilitation strategy, says lead author Patricia Winchester.
Source: UT Southwestern, Office of News and Publications, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, Texas 75235. Web site www.utsouthwestern.edu.

Digital Cinema Comes Closer to Reality

Lifelike images of your favorite film stars may soon appear in your living room. With digital cinema, high data-compression technologies will make it possible to see even tiny details in glorious, living color. Work on digital cinema is being conducted by a consortium called WORLDSCREEN, which includes Germany's Fraunhofer Institute and other partners of the European Commission's Information Society Technologies. Entertainment-oriented cinema may be the most economically attractive market driving the development of these data compression technologies, but other applications are expected in any field in which fast and crisp image transmission is critical.
Source: IST Results, 45, Rue de Treve, Brussels 1040, Belgium. Web site http://istresults.cordis.lu

To order the print edition of the March-April  2006 issue of THE FUTURIST ($4.95 plus $3 postage and handling) or to become a member of the World Future Society ($49 per year).

COPYRIGHT © 2006 WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 450, Bethesda, Maryland 20814. Tel. 301-656-8274. E-mail info@wfs.org. Send comments about our web pages to: webmaster@wfs.org. All rights reserved.