I was just reading an article in The Times magazine, called Solutions and sub-headed Fifteen scientists are tackling the world's most pressing problems. So what are the answers?

(Pedantry demands that I point out the 'the world' has no problems, only people do).

What are these problems? Number one is 'How can nuclear waste be made safer?' Dr Kenji Nishihara, a theoretical nuclear physicist, is trying to reduce the time that radioactive waste from nuclear power stations needs to be stored before it is safe.

Why?

No, really. Why? You pack it up and chuck it into a subduction zone, it'll be sucked under the mantle and emerge a few million years later no more radioactive than anything else that comes out of the core. Really. Job done. Problem not 'solved' but 'non-existent'. There is no problem.

What a stupid waste of time, money and resources.

There were one or two that were interesting and useful things being developed, but not really problems – just technical issues with making something cool happen. Like star trek style 'replicators' without star trk style voodoo science. Cool.

Another was a 'problem' with carbon trading. Well, I have a ...ing problem with carbon trading all right, but it doesn't concern how to make cap and trade work!!