>And ulcers did eventually turn out to have a bacterial origin - so you just never know.
However, highlighting the odd relationship between bacteria and the human body some research now points to the fact that the drop in number of people infected with Heliobacter pylori is directly related to the increase in people suffering reflux as the bacteria helps regulate the strength of sotmach acid.
The Economist -subscription required
So you do just never know...!

Heh, the headline is also wrong. Instead of:
North Korea Launches "Communication Satellite" Rocket

It should read:
North Korea "Launches" "Communication Satellite" "Rocket"

...or scientist coated in a white lab (the mind does boggle a bit)

That there is nothing you cannot solve with some judicious use of duct tape.

Indeed. I remember an interview of his where he discussed his ideas around satellites. The amusing thing to him was in fact how wrong he had been. He had imagined them as (relatively) enourmous, crewed space stations. A limitation of the technology at the time he was envisaging them, where you only had unreliable vacuum tubes (or whatever they would have been) which needed constant replacing, and hence a human crew. Also a salutory lesson out there for all the people who like to predict what the future holds technology wise. It is just impossible to know what is going to come along out of the blue and knock your world view on its head.