|
 A magazine of forecasts, trends, and ideas about the future September-October 2006 Vol. 40, No. 5 |
|
Online Indexes:
|
Tomorrow
in Brief
Source: Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1530 P Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005. Web site www.ciw.edu. Portable Education via Podcast
Source: North Carolina Central University, News Office, 1801 Fayetteville Street, William Jones Building, Durham, North Carolina 27707. Web site www.nccu.edu. Dancing Eases Mental Problems Young people with mental disorders such as hyperactivity, depression, and self-destructive attitudes could benefit from a physical approach to treatment, such as dance therapy. A dance therapy research project at Sweden's Karlstad University found that boys with hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder became calmer and played better with their peers after sessions of dance therapy, and depressed girls felt more in control and less depressed. Researchers speculate that the disciplined movement of dance demands focused attention. It also provides an outlet for expression for patients who are silent or afraid to speak about their problems. Source: The Swedish Research Council, Regeringstgaton 56, 103 78 Stockholm, Sweden. Web site www.vr.se. Helping Dentists Detect Cancer A new optical device promises to make it easier for dentists to determine whether a mouth sore is benign or an early sign of cancer. The Visually Enhanced Lesion Scope (VELScope) emits light that stimulates molecules in the sore, which re-emit the light as fluorescence: Pale green is normal, while dark green to black signifies a potential tumor. Since most people see their dentist more frequently than their doctor, a patient with a suspicious sore could be sent more quickly to get it biopsied. Approximately 20,000 Americans were diagnosed with oral cancers in 2005, and more than 5,000 died. VELScope was developed by a team of researchers led by cancer biologist Miriam Rosin of the British Columbia Cancer Research Center, where a larger follow-up study is now under way. Rosin believes the same technology could eventually be applied to cervical, lung, and other cancers. Source: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892. Web site www.nidcr.nih.gov. Use of Ecstasy Declines in U.S. One of the top party drugs of the late twentieth century appears to be losing popularity in the United States. Use of the pharmaceutical MDMA, better known as Ecstasy for the effects it has on users, has declined by nearly two-thirds since 2001, according to the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy. Enforcement efforts have increased seizures of the drug, both domestically and in major exporters such as the Netherlands. Also, parents, communities, and law enforcement have been working together to educate young people on the dangers of drug use. The proportion of high-school seniors who perceive Ecstasy as harmful has nearly doubled since 1997, to more than 60% in 2005. Source: U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, The White House, Web site www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov. To order the print edition of the September-October 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). |
Planting more forests to help absorb carbon
dioxide (a greenhouse gas) may not be the best strategy to reverse global warming,
according to Carnegie Institution researcher Ken Caldeira. In fact, "if we are not
careful, growing forests could make global warming even worse," he reports. The
reason is that, though all trees absorb carbon dioxide, they also warm the surrounding
air. In the middle latitudes, trees do not release as much cooling moisture as do those in
tropical forests. Planting more trees in the temperate regions would help decrease carbon
dioxide and offset warming only in the short term. Over the long term, oceans would
release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and diminish the trees' cooling effects.
Caldeira notes that forests serve many other significant ecological purposes, such as
providing habitats for a vast array of plant and animal species. But improving energy
efficiency and finding new, clean sources of energy are better strategies for reducing
global warming than planting new trees in old forests, he argues.