Material World - 01/10/2009

Earthquakes in southeast Asia have caused hundreds of deaths, if not more; Quentin Cooper hears what links them, what differentiates them, and about the continuing seismic threat in the region. President Hu Jintao of China has promised notable improvements in China's carbon efficiency; we hear what this might actually mean in terms of China's burgeoning economy Also, why behaving green appears to give people a license to turn mean, and the spin on spintronics - how electrons' magnetic properties could revolutionise the digital age.