Science is on the brink – of either a stunning breakthrough or the abyss of defeat.  For centuries, science has progressed from superstition to discovery, and current predictions include the promise of solving nature's greatest mysteries.  New discoveries, it is said, will lead to dramatic advances in technology that will usher in the dawn of the age of Star Trek.  Flying cars, miracle cures, and servant-robots are just some of the astonishing changes that are expected – changes that will revolutionize our lives beyond our present ability to imagine.  Could the earliest cavemen have imagined the impact that the discovery of fire would portend?  Could they have imagined nuclear power? But not all the predictions include Scotty beaming us up.  There is a principle of diminishing returns, less additional profit for each additional dollar of investment.  That principle may apply as mercilessly to...(Read Full Post)