Ethical worries have slowed medical research into applications for stem cells. But scientists like Robert Lanza have developed less controversial ways to derive stem cells from normal body cells rather than embryos and are already launching the first clinical trials. By Philip Bethge Stem cell researcher Robert Lanza hopes to save thousands of lives — […]
Archive | Features
Feeding the Dream Business: Inside the World of the Hollywood Paparazzi
Paparazzi have a bad reputation for bending the rules to satisfy the world’s insatiable demand for celebrity photos. But the business is also incredibly lucrative, something that prompted Bill Gates’ Corbis photo agency to buy the world’s top paparazzi shop. Some in the industry are trying to free it from its sleazy image, but upstart […]
Mushroom Clouds and Everpresent Danger: Surviving Cameramen Recall Nuclear Test Shots
By 1963, the United States had detonated more than 200 nuclear weapons in the atmosphere. Cameramen and photographers working for a secret special unit recorded the acts of destruction. Some of their sensational images have been declassified, and the last remaining eyewitnesses are now sharing their experiences. (-> VIDEO at SPIEGEL ONLINE) The atomic missile […]
Brooke the Immortal: An American Child May Hold Secrets to Aging
Brooke Greenberg is almost 18, but she has remained mentally and physically at the level of a toddler. An American physician is trying to uncover the child’s secret. He wants to give mankind the gift of eternal life. By Philip Bethge It is possible that the key to immortality is hidden in this delicate girl, […]
Oil Disaster in the Gulf Coast: ‘I Have to Keep My Good Spirits’
For as long as he can remember Floyd Lasseigne has been a fisherman on Grand Isle, off the coast of Louisiana. Now he has to stand by and watch as the BP oil spill destroys his life. The oysters lie in the water like silent harbingers of the disaster. A shiny film of oil washes […]
Saving Moon Trash: Urine Containers, ‘Space Boots’ and Artifacts Aren’t Just Junk, Argue Archaeologists
California has named the remains of the Apollo 11 mission a state historical resource — to the delight of the young profession of space archaeologists. They fear that the trash and equipment left behind by the United States’ journeys to the moon could someday wind up for sale on eBay if they aren’t protected. There […]
Modern Day Flintstones: A Stone Age Subculture Takes Shape
A modern-day Stone Age subculture is developing in the United States, where wannabe cavemen mimic their distant ancestors. They eat lots of meat, bathe in icy water and run around barefoot. Some researchers say people led healthier lives in pre-historic times. By Philip Bethge John Durant greets the hunter-gatherers of New York once a month […]
Who Needs Berlitz? British Savant Learns German in a Week
Is it possible to learn German in just days? Linguistic savant Daniel Tammet managed to do so in the course of a week. Using his own special technique, the 30-year-old, who has a mild form of autism, has learned to speak more than 10 languages. Daniel Tammet likes the German language. It’s “like a clean […]