New Voting Systems Assailed: Computer Experts Cite Fraud Potential

The next big thing (is practically invisible) Nanoparticles - objects on a scale of one-billionth of a meter - now turn up in everyday products from tennis balls to sunscreen.

Humongous Fungus A New Kind Of Individual The world's biggest fungus, discovered in Oregon's Blue Mountains in 2001, is challenging traditional notions of what constitutes an individual. The underground fungus--estimated to be between 2000 and 8500 years old--is also deepening our understanding of the ecosystem, with possible implications for the management of Canadian forests, according to a paper by the discoverers. The clone of Armillaria ostoyae--the tree-killing fungus that causes Armillaria root disease--covers an area of 9.65 square kilometres, about the size of 6000 hockey rinks or 1600 football fields.

Is the Earth preparing to flip? It is not just the plot for a far-fetched science-fiction disaster movie. Something unexplained really is happening to the Earth's magnetic field. In recent years, the field has been behaving in ways not previously seen in the admittedly short time it has been monitored. Some researchers think it may presage a geomagnetic reversal when the north and south magnetic poles flip.