A Noah for the 21st
Century
Scientists predict that, in the next thirty years, a quarter
of the World’s Mammal species will face extinction. Recent
news reports have shown that this statistic is as bad or worse for
fish species and it’s a pattern that is repeated throughout
the animal kingdom. The Frozen Ark is a unique project. Designed as
a research resource for future generations of scientists it will
ensure access to stored material that can give them real insight
into species for many generations to come. (more on
this story)
Researchers Offer
Breakthrough Flu Protection
Researchers have been working on what is known as an interfering or
protecting virus; a natural anti-viral produced by the virus
itself. The researchers have been able to show that the protecting
virus can help to shield animals against various strains of flu and
could offer protection against the full range of influenza A
infections, including H5N1 and any new pandemic or epidemic strain
infecting humans. Early tests show that the Protecting virus is
also able to counter an actual influenza A infection and offer
protection, if given up to 24 hours after first infection (more on
this story)
Old News is of Growing
Importance!
They’ve taken the by product of paper re-cycling, that would
normally be discarded as landfill, and turned it into a peat
substitute – with quite remarkable results. Peat is
used by many growers, both commercially and domestically, as a
plant medium because it provides a clean, uniform material; but
this cleanliness also makes it particularly susceptible to quickly
spreading plant diseases, such as forms of root rot. Research shows
that compost made from paper waste has similar disease suppressing
effects as green compost from plant waste. (more on this story)
Follow that
Fish!
400 million years ago, in a river that ran in the region that is
now on the border between England and Wales, strange fish known as
cephalaspids swam in a freshwater river running through a
semi-desert landscape. Researchers at the University of the West of
England in Bristol have discovered the oldest fossilised fish
trails ever recorded at this site, offering a new
perspective on one aspect of life from the very dawn of existence.
(more on this story)
Showdown at Red
River!
Scientists at the University of Teesside, in the northeast of
England, are finding new ways to deal with polluted mine water that
has become a major problem in the area, once a major iron and
steel-producing region of the world. Now research from the Clean
Environment Management Centre has found ways of extracting and
recycling the pollutants for new uses in concrete manufacture,
recordable tapes and discs, and even pottery glaze! (more on this story)
Taking the Lab to the
Riverbank - A New Pollution Detection Device
Researchers at the University of Birmingham's School of Geography,
Earth and Environmental Sciences have discovered and developed a
new method of detecting pollution in water within seconds. This
method uses ultraviolet light to examine the fluorescence given off
by different substances. (more on this
story)
Men Are Definitely Not From
Mars!
Is there life on other planets? And if so, are they the little
green men of science fiction? Professor Ian Stewart, from the
University of Warwick, thinks there is life on other planets and
while it could be little and green, it is highly unlikely to be
anything we would recognise as men. (more on this
story)
Sex and Death in a British
Orchard!
Codling Moths cost fruitgrowers millions of pounds in damaged crops
each year. Spraying is the common way of dealing with this pest but
the virus degrades in direct sunlight and orchards must be
repeatedly treated to keep the moth in check. Now the University of
Warwick's horticultura arm, Warwick HRI, has developed a device
that allows growers to selectively target the pest with a virus
that kills its larvae without killing other beneficial insects
– an approach that can be adapted to target crop pests around
the world. (more on this story)
Going Nuts in
Africa!
Africa used to account for 10 percent of the world’s
agriculture - now it represents
a meagre four percent. African scientists have
rarely looked to their native crops to provide solutions to their
food needs or offer export possibilities, but a humble groundnut
may be about to start an African agricultural revolution! (more on this story)
Dry Valleys of the
Antarctic
Protected from the ice shelf by the trans-Antarctic mountains, the
Dry Valleys of the Antarctic are cold deserts where scientists are
able to gain access to volcanic rock in a way that isn’t
possible anywhere else on earth. Can we expect another period of
major volcanic activity? Perhaps the answer lies in the deserts of
the Antarctic. (more on this story)
Learning to Live with
Environment Change
Together with the UK's Environment Agency, the University of
Gloucestershire is spearheading a project to involve local
communities in the history and understanding of flooding in the
lower reaches of the River Severn. And at Bournemouth University,
researchers are involved in the nature verses nurture debate to
find a more sustainable means of managing our coastlines. (more on this story)
Managed Flooding and Flood
Management
Is extreme flooding the direct result of climate change? Or does
the way we manage our rivers and other water sources also
contribute to the problem? Scientists at the University of
Nottingham are some of the international experts looking into
solutions to this problem. (more on
this story)
Predicting
Landslides
At a time when we seem increasingly powerless before the ravages of
nature, a team of researchers at Durham University has made great
strides in understanding and predicting landslides. (more on this story)
E-Science - The Future of
Research
Researchers from the UK's University of Nottingham are involved in
an exciting project to widen the parameters of scientific research.
By taking research out of the laboratory and into the public domain
through the internet, E-Science could well change the ways in which
we communicate, interact, work and play. This is the future –
now! (more on
this story)
Surviving an
Earthquake
Southwest England might not be the first place you'd think of to
look for advice on surviving an earthquake, but scientists at the
University of Bristol, with complementary studies from the
neighbouring University of the West of England, are at the
cutting-edge of research that explores and develops the basic
principles used to protect structures during earthquakes (more
on this story)
Magnetic
Levitation
At the UK's University of Nottingham physicists are levitating
water! While that sounds entertaining, if not particularly
practical, the applications of "Magnetic Levitation"
could have huge impact on industries that are, literally, worlds
apart. (more
on this story)
Cow Heaven
The University of Nottingham's state of the art Dairy Centre has
invested extensively in robotic systems designed to significantly
improve both milk yields and animal welfare. The most
impressive of these are the robotic milking machines that allow the
cows to decide exactly when and how often they want to be milked
during the course of the day! (more on this
story)
For Peat's Sake!
In the UK alone some 100,000 cubic metres of peat is used each year
in commercial mushroom growing. Now the rapid depletion of the
world's peat resources, home to a number of rare plant and animal
species, could be significantly reduced, thanks to a new substitute
product developed by scientists at the University of Warwick's
horticultural research arm, Warwick HRI. (more on
this story)
Astronomy for Today - and
Tomorrow
Durham University is aiming to improve the quality of astronomical
imaging. Using adaptive optics to correct the distortions caused by
turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere, scientists are now able to
obtain much sharper images which could have a huge impact on
telecommunications. (more on this story)
An Electrifying Way to Stay
Dry
With some gas and an electric current, you may never have to get
wet again. Researchers at the University of Durham are developing
super-repellent techniques, an area of plasma chemistry, that are
opening up a wide range of uses, from simple liquidproof textiles
through to new ways of screening genetic material for disease. (more on this story)
Polymers to Go
Researchers at Warwick University are driving new technology for
building designer polymers. This new generation of polymers will
have considerable potential in the pharmaceutical and healthcare
industries. (more on this story)
Fuel of the
Future
Engineers at the University of Birmingham are urgently working
towards a sustainable alternative to the fossil-based fuels we use
to heat our houses and drive our cars - and the answer is most
likely to be hydrogen (more on this
story)
Clean and Green
Water
An environmentally-friendly technique that uses sunlight to destroy
pollution has been developed by academics in the School of
Chemical, Environmental and Mining Engineering at the University of
Nottingham in the UK. The new technology could provide an important
breakthrough for a sutainable way of cleaning up water supplies and
industrial waste water. (more on this
story)
Defusing the waste
timebomb
Mankind is facing a waste timebomb as we run out of space in
traditional landfills. Unless we can find a way to avoid the
damaging and unsustainable disposal methods we have used for
generations, it is only a matter of time before we are faced with
an environmental disaster. (more on
this story)
Risking the Mummy's
Curse!
Canopic jars, part of the ancient Egyptian mummification process,
were used to store the vital organs of a Mummy. The liver, lungs,
intestine and stomach were removed, treated, wrapped in impregnated
linen and stored in four canopic jars that were buried with the
individual. Now, an ancient Egyptian canopic jar, which has kept
its secrets under wraps since 1400 BC, is opened by scientists
at the University of Birmingham in the UK. (more
on this story)
From DNA Structure to Stem
Cells - 50 years of Controversial Research
The most important photo ever taken, the X-ray diffraction
photograph which led to the discovery of the structure of DNA, came
about through a series of lucky coincidences at King's College
London. With one of only two existing UK stem cell research
licences, King's College research is as important to our future
knowledge of human existence as they have been to mapping its past.
(more on this story)
Cardiff University - Still
Fighting the Cold War
The UK is losing between 20 and 25 million work (and school) days
each year to one of nature's own biological weapons - the Common
Cold! The densely populated cities of our modern world provide
ideal breeding grounds for Common Cold viruses - and ideal
conditions in which they can spread. (more on this story)
