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In Hong Kong, astronomers who want to observe the stars and planets must travel to a remote village in the dead of night. Some have rented top-floor apartments in Hong Kong?s New Territories so they can gaze at the stars.

A huge amount of outdoor lighting makes the night can appear like day. ?The light, it lights up the sky so we cannot see a lot of the stars,? says Yeung Chi Hung, of the Hong Kong Astronomical Society.

To solve this problem, astronomers are trying to change the way buildings are lit. Often the light source is at the base of a building, with a beam that points upward. Experts say it should be the other way around.
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Jack Githae believes Africa could defeat its AIDS epidemic if it would embrace the healing powers of herbs. The Kenyan healer is one of a growing number of African herbalists who believe that ancient wisdom could help cure this modern disease. ?To me this is a natural pharmacy,? says Githae. ?We have seen such miraculous cures from this natural pharmacy in the last 30 years that I don?t tell anybody ?you are going to die.??
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More than 2.7 billion people will face severe water shortages by the year 2025 if the world continues consuming water at the same rate, the United Nations warns. A new report says that another 2.5 billion people will live in areas where it will be difficult to find enough water to meet their needs. The crisis is being blamed on mismanagement of existing water resources, population growth and changing weather patterns.

The areas most at risk are in semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. But at least 120 million people living in Europe — one in seven people — still do not have access to clean water and sanitation. The UN says wasted water is costing Europe around $10 billion a year.
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Talking on a mobile phone while driving is more dangerous than being over the legal alcohol limit, even if you?re using a hands-free phone. Driving simulator experiments by researchers at the Transport Research Laboratory in the U.K. found that drivers talking on cellphones had 30 per cent slower reaction times than those who had been drinking, and 50 per cent slower times than sober drivers.

?In addition,? the TRL report says, ?drivers using mobile phones missed significantly more road warning signs than when drunk. The distraction caused by making or receiving a call can be visual, auditory, mental (cognitive), or physical (biomechanical). A hand-held mobile phone call could involve all four forms of distraction at the same time.?
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