Technology Quantum threat to our secret data IT MIGHT seem like an esoteric achievement of interest to only a handful of computer scientists, but the advent of quantum computers that can run a routine called Shor's algorithm could have profound consequences. It means the most dangerous threat posed by quantum computing – the ability to break the codes that protect our banking, … News
Health Comment: Falling on deaf ears EVERY day I read emails sent to APRIL, the charity I founded after the death of my daughter Karen. Many people write of their suspicions that the abrupt onset of what had been labelled a psychiatric illness of a family member or friend was in fact caused by a reaction to prescribed medicines or anaesthetics. … Opinion
Earth The baiji: So long and thanks for all the fish THE FIRST time I went in search of the Yangtze river dolphin, or baiji, was in 1988 with Douglas Adams, author of The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy , as part of a year spent travelling the world in search of endangered species for a book and radio series called Last Chance to See … Features
Review: The Tiger that Isn't by Michael Blastland and Andrew Dilnot ON 12 November 2002, BBC news reported that "for every alcoholic drink a woman consumes, her risk of breast cancer rises by 6 per cent". Many readers will instantly see that this is obviously arrant nonsense. You don't need to reach for the calculator to see that if such a statistic were true, very few … Books & Arts
Feedback Plague of slugs IS GLOUCESTERSHIRE the unluckiest place in the world? A BBC news report suggests that on top of extensive flooding earlier this year, this part of England has been visited with another grievous natural disaster. The article, at www.tinyurl.com/228rhu, tells how the UK's slug population has skyrocketed thanks to the unusually wet summer. … Regulars