UK

Archive news

22 May 2008: UK parliament backs hybrid embryo research. Read more

22 May 2008: A process used to roast coffee beans could give Britain's biomass a power boost, increasing the energy content of some of the UK’s leading energy crops by up to 20 per cent. Read more

20 May 2008: British lawmakers back animal-human embryos for research. Read more

8 May 2008: Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowships in Basic Biomedical Science 2008/2009. Read more

6 May 2008: Study confirms link between birth weight, weight gain and heart trouble. Read more

1 May 2008: UK science looks 'incompetent' after funding fiasco. Read more

23 April 2008:  Scientists uncover the potential to control Adult Stem Cells.  Read more

10 April 2008: Fruit and vegetable waste clogs landfills. Read more

3 April 2008: Porsche launched a High Court challenge in London on Wednesday against the mayor's plan to impose hefty pollution charges on high-emissions vehicles entering the city centre. Read more

2 April 2008: Chief scientist revolts over biofuel legislation. Read more  

2 April 2008: Researchers find new clues to risk of Hodgkin lymphoma. Read more

27 March 2008: Evidence of the biggest meteorite ever to hit the British Isles has been found by scientists from the University of Aberdeen and the University of Oxford. Read more

19 March 2008: A High Power Laser Zap to Nanotechnology. Read more

19 March 2008: The 2008 DEISA (Distributed European Infrastructure for Supercomputing Applications) symposium will take place on 28 and 29 April in Edinburgh, UK. Read more

13 March 2008: A major new nuclear research facility is to be built in the north-west of England with the aim of building world-leading research capabilities in radiation chemistry and radiation damage to materials. Read more

12 March 2008: The fourth annual conference of the EU-funded EADGENE project, will be held in Edinburgh, UK, from 9 to 12 June. The theme of the event is 'animal disease genomics: opportunities and applications'. Read more

5 March 2008: The UK Treasury has "continually demonstrated a lack of ambition and imagination" when it comes to green taxes, a report by MPs has concluded. Read more 

5 March 2008: The JRF’s Alcohol Research Committee wish to fund further research on the transmission of drinking cultures. Read more

29 February 2008: The UK's first Energy Saving Day has ended with no noticeable reduction in the country's electricity usage. Read more

27 February 2008: British Petroleum postdoctoral research fellowships open, which are tenable in any Scottish higher education institution, research institute or laboratory. Read more

20 February 2008: Postdoctoral fellowships in health services and health of the public. Read more

20 February 2008: Royal National Institute for Deaf People, UK supports scientific research around the world. Proposals for research grants are invited in the following areas: silencing tinnitus; protecting hearing; and restoring hearing. Read more

20 February 2008: The Chief Scientist Office invites applications for visiting research fellowships in public health and related areas. The purpose of the scheme is to bring experienced researchers into Scotland to encourage an exchange of ideas and to foster collaboration with researchers, practitioners and policy makers based here. Read more

20 February 2008: AICR’s International Cancer Research Fellowship provides support for outstanding young investigators who want to establish an independent research group. The International Fellowships are open to applicants from any country and are tenable in any country. Read more

20 February 2008: Junior research fellowships in humanities and social studies at Wolfson College, Oxford. Read more

14 February 2008: Gliding to gold -- world-beating software could boost British swimming. Read more

13 February 2008: Climate change is having a significant impact on the United Kingdom’s marine environment according to a new report. Read more

11 February 2008: Climate change is leading some British botanists to conclude that winter is disappearing as a distinct season in the United Kingdom. Read more

30 January 2008: UK astronomers have lost their front-row view of the northern sky. Following UK funding cuts to the Gemini Observatory, the observatory's board has refused to allow the country to use the 8-metre Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, US – the only telescope of its calibre in the northern hemisphere that the UK had direct access to. Read more

28 January 2008: Britain is likely to face a shortfall in electricity generation within five to seven years, a report concludes. Read more

24 January 2008: The government is to spend 75 million pounds on a campaign to encourage healthy lifestyles and counter what it calls an obesity epidemic in Britain. Read more

23 January 2008: British researchers have found evidence of a volcanic eruption under the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The subglacial volcano erupted 2000 years ago and remains active, the scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) report in the journal Nature Geoscience. Read more

23 January 2008: Researchers on three continents will join together to catalog the genomes of 1,000 people in an ambitious project that they hope will help determine genetic roots and factors for human disease, the group announced Tuesday. Read more

22 January 2008: UK Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills John Denham has a vision of his country that is 'excited about sciences, values its importance to our economic and social well-being, feels confident in its use and supports a representative, well-qualified scientific workforce'. Read more

16 January 2008: A supercomputer that could help answer some of science's biggest questions will be unveiled on Monday. Read more

16 January 2008: Without the right policies to drive their development, biofuels will not bring about significant cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and could be environmentally damaging, warns a new report from the UK's Royal Society. Read more

14 January 2008: The UK Government has invited companies to submit plans for building and operating nuclear power stations. The invitation is outlined in a Nuclear White Paper, which together with a new Energy Bill, presents how the UK plans to tackle the twin challenges of climate change and securing energy supply. Read more

18 December 2007: The UK's Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) has expressed its dismay at the level of cuts to UK astronomy research recently announced by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). Cuts amount to about GBP 80 million (€112 million) over three years. Read more

18 December 2007: A collaboration of over 50 astronomers, The IPHAS consortium, led from the UK, with partners in Europe, USA, Australia, has released today (10th December 2007) the first comprehensive optical digital survey of our own Milky Way. Read more

17 December 2007: Schoolchildren in the UK have been set the challenge of designing an experiment that can be flown on a small satellite. The winner will work with a UK company to develop the flight hardware so that the experiment can take place. Read more

14 December 2007: The UK and the Netherlands have launched a new study that will help developing countries adapt to climate change. The Dutch Development Minister Bart Koenders, and UK Environment Minister Phil Woolas, made the announcement at the UNFCCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) conference taking place in Bali, Indonesia. Read more

12 December 2007: The UK has announced that it is to double funding for research aimed at reducing and replacing the use of animals in experiments. Read more

5 December 2007: The UK Government has announced a new fellowship and alumni initiative to encourage international researchers to go to the UK, and support collaboration between UK and overseas scientists. Read more

4 December 2007: Wellcome Trust researchers have identified a key gene involved in the disease Lupus, which affects around 50,000 people in the UK, mostly women. Read more

30 November 2007: Research Councils UK (RCUK) has expanded its international reach with the launch of a new office in Washington DC. Read more

28 November 2007: A team of researchers from NASA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation and the British Antarctic Survey unveiled a newly completed map of Antarctica today that is expected to revolutionize research of the continent's frozen landscape. Read more

23 November 2007: The UK and China have launched a common initiative to help joint research teams commercialise their research results. Read more

23 November 2007: Britain is to build the biggest biomass plant in the world, Business Secretary John Hutton said after giving the green light to the renewable energy project. Read more

21 November 2007: A collaboration between researchers in Switzerland, the UK and France has led to the solution of the first crystal structure of a member of the Rhesus protein family and thereby shed new light on a group of proteins of great importance in human transfusion medicine. Read more

20 November 2007: An international conference entitled 'Our Addictions: the Pleasure and the Pain' will be held on 30 November at the University of the West of England in Bristol, UK. Read more

13 November 2007: The UK has launched a huge, country-wide campaign to bring universities closer to the general public. A GBP 9.2 million (€13.1 million) scheme has created six 'beacons' around the UK (Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, London, Cardiff and Edinburgh), each of which comprises a collaborative network of institutions. Read more

12 November 2007: Britain must try to prevent a European Union satellite navigation system from going ahead until its costs, risks and benefits have been thoroughly assessed, lawmakers said on Monday. Read more

7 November 2007: The UK has strengthened its scientific and academic links with China with the opening of a Research Councils UK (RCUK) office in China - the first of its kind outside of Europe. Read more

7 November 2007: Researchers from France, the UK and Austria have modelled the SNARE protein complex that acts as a catalyst in the fusion of two membranes, using the processing power of the Distributed European Infrastructure for Supercomputing Applications (DEISA). They hope to open up new opportunities for pharmaceutical development. Read more

1 November 2007: A conference on nanotechnology for security and crime prevention will take place in London, UK, on 17 January. Read more

30 October 2007: The world's first commercial Brushless Doubly-Fed Generator (BDFG) is to be installed on a 20kW turbine at or close to the University of Cambridge Engineering Department's Electrical Engineering Division Building on the West Cambridge site by early 2008. Read more

30 October 2007: UK Science and Innovation Minister Ian Pearson has said that private equity can boost the country's ability to turn scientific and technological advances into new products, but that it has been 'unfairly maligned' in the past. Read more

29 October 2007: An information event on opportunities for industry-academia collaboration under the Marie Curie actions of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) will be held in Birmingham, UK, on 12 November. Read more

25 October 2007: Scientists at UCL (University College London) have developed a more reliable test for detecting vision loss in people with age-related macular disease (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in the UK and US. Read more

19 October 2007: Australia and other owners of the Antarctic territories may be ill-prepared to face a major environmental challenge to the continent. Read more

17 October 2007: A study that has already proven the damage that nitrogen pollution inflicts on grassland biodiversity in the UK is now providing evidence that the effect is in fact Europe-wide. Read more

17 October 2007: A British expedition plans to walk, and even swim, a 2000 kilometre journey to the North Pole as part of an attempt to draw up an accurate prediction of when the Arctic ice cap will disappear. Read more

15 October 2007: The UK Government has announced the first social sciences project to receive funding under the new Large Facilities Capital Fund. Read more

12 October 2007: The GBP 2.8 billion (EUR 4 billion) invested annually by the UK Government in its research councils generates considerable economic benefits for the country, a new report reveals. Read more

11 October 2007: Researchers from Germany, Portugal and the UK have developed an interactive role play game which helps children to cope with bullying at schools. Read more

2 October 2007: A study from the University of Cardiff in Wales reveals that the after-effects of acid rain in the 1970s and 1980s can still be felt today. Many streams in Scotland's Galloway, the Scottish Highlands and Wales are still highly acidified, and biological recovery of the ecosystem has been particularly poor. Read more

28 September 2007: Britain unveiled plans on Thursday to phase out energy-wasting traditional light bulbs by 2012 to cut the equivalent of a coal-fired power station's carbon dioxide emissions. Read more

26 September 2007: The UK Government has announced GBP 20 million (EUR 28.7 million) for research to develop new low carbon vehicles that could be on the road within five to seven years. Read more

24 September 2007: Scientists at the UK's University of Manchester are busy developing technologies for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a giant telescope that the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) described as 'a machine that transforms our view of the universe'. Read more

19 September 2007: A second project conference on infrastructure and vehicles for sustainable mobility transport will take place on 21 September in London, UK. Read more

14 September 2007: London Authority (GLA) takes radical steps, one of which could be the removal of all cars from both inner and outer London, according to a report published today. Read more

14 September 2007: Less than 3 per cent of UK 11 year olds are taking enough exercise, suggests research published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. Read more

13 September 2007: UK Confirms New Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak.  Read more  

12 September 2007: Soft drink consumption has increased in both the USA and the UK over the years and this has often been blamed for a rise in childhood body mass index (BMI). However, many of the review methodologies investigating the alleged links have been flawed. Read more

11 September 2007:The STFC funds researchers in universities directly through grants particularly in astronomy, particle physics, space science and nuclear physics. Read more

11 September 2007:A Postdoctoral Research Fellow is needed at the University of Birmingham, School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences, to work on the NERC-funded project TRAPOZ — Total Radical Production and Degradation Products from Alkene Ozonolysis. Read more

11 September 2007:The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has decided to allow scientists to create human-animal embryos for use in research. Scientists wishing to use these embryos will still need to make individual applications to the HFEA. Read more

6 September 2007 : Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infects up to 500,000 people in the UK alone, many of the infections going undiagnosed. It is the single biggest cause of people requiring a liver transplant in Britain. Read more

27 August 2007: The UK Research Office (UKRO) will hold an information event for those applicants for a European Research Council (ERC) 'Starting Independent Researcher Grant' that have been invited through to the second stage. The event will take place on 3 September in London. Read more

23 August 2007: Neuroscientists at University College London in the UK and Ghent University in Belgium have found the brain circuit involved in thinking twice and controlling impulsive behaviour. Read more

23 August 2007: An information event on economics and social sciences in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) will take place on 11 October in London, UK. Read more

16 August 2007: New statistics from Cancer Research UK reveal a worrying increase in cancers related to lifestyle factors such as sun exposure, a... Read more

10 August 2007: A conference on the objectives and challenges of the second information society technologies (IST) call for proposals under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) will take place on 10 and 11 June in Hertfordshire, UK. Read more

10 August 2007: Three universities in the US, Italy and UK have recently commercialised their research into biological methods for cleaning up polluted soil and water. Read more

8 August 2007: An international meeting on 'Natural complexity: data and theory in dialogue' will take place in Cambridge, UK, from 13 to 17 August. Read more

7 August 2007: An international conference on biology and synchrotron radiation will take place from 13 to 17 September in Manchester, UK. Read more

7 August 2007: 'The world has the technology to cure, the science to heal, the medicine to save lives,' said UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown when he spoke at the United Nations (UN) on 31 July, calling for the creation of the 'greatest coalition of conscience in pursuit of the greatest of causes'. Read more

6 August 2007: The European Union is to ban British livestock and meat exports after the discovery of a case of foot and mouth disease in southeast England, the government and the European Commission said Saturday. Read more

6 August 2007: The Institute of Nanotechnology in the UK is organising a special guest lecture on 'Chemistry and molecular nanotechnology for tomorrow's world', which will be given by the renowned chemist, Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart in London on 13 September. Read more

6 August 2007: A layer of ruthenium just a few atoms thick can be used to fine-tune the sensitivity and enhance the reliability of magnetic sensors, tests at the National Institute of Standards and Technology show. Read more

6 August 2007: Britain's Department of Transport has launched a Web site designed to let new car buyers choose the most environmentally friendly vehicle for their needs. Read more

3 August 2007: The 'UK e-Science 2007 all hands' meeting will take place from 10 to 13 September in Nottingham. Read more

31 July 2007: Research Councils UK (RCUK), the body which brings together the country's seven research councils, has launched its first international strategy covering all research disciplines. Read more

27 July 2007: Swansea University has attracted more public and private sector funding for collaborative research with industry than any other university in the UK, according to a new survey. Read more

26 July 2007: Starting this summer, British consumers won’t toss their old electronic equipment out with their everyday trash. Read more

24 July 2007: The Chevening Scholarships program is funded by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and administered by The British Council. The programme offers outstanding graduates and young professionals the opportunity to study at UK universities. Read more

23 July 2007: The world's richest corporations and finest minds spend billions trying to solve the problem of carbon emissions, but three fishing buddies in North Wales believe they have cracked it. They have developed a box which they say can be fixed underneath a car in place of the exhaust to trap the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming -- including carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide -- and emit mostly water vapor. Read more

23 July 2007: A letter asking the UK Government not to abolish the Parliament science and technology select committee has been signed by numerous renowned UK academics. Read more

23 July 2007: British and Irish consumers may have to eat paler breakfast sausages and burgers after the European Union banned the use of a red food coloring, Red 2G, in the European Union due to concern it could cause cancer. Read more

20 July 2007: A study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, of community renewable energy projects in Britain has found that so far, projects are largely based in the countryside, some quite remote. From wind turbines to shared heating systems, small-scale renewable energy doesn't just help in the fight against climate change. It can also bring people together, revitalise local economies and help alleviate poverty. Read more

19 July 2007: The UK has increased its international scientific collaboration by 50% over the last 10 years. Although collaboration between the country and its European neighbours has grown significantly, China is by far the UK's preferred international partner, according to a report published by the UK's Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Read more

16 July 2007: A new worldwide scientific portal has gone online, offering researchers and interested members of the public free access to more than 200 million pages of international research information. Read more.

16 July 2007: The UK Government has announced that it will provide more than GBP 40 million (€59 million) towards developing environmentally-friendly engines. Read more

16 July 2007: A workshop on the technological spin-outs from space will be held in London, UK on 18 July 2007. Read more

16 July 2007: Fellowship by Examination at Oxford. Due: Monday 8^th October 2007. A Fellowship by Examination is intended to support the holder for full-time research. Read more

13 July 2007: Fossilised midges have helped scientists at the University of Liverpool identify two episodes of abrupt climate change that suggest the UK climate is not as stable as previously thought. Read more

10 July 2007: Fossilized midges have helped scientists at the University of Liverpool identify two episodes of abrupt climate change that suggest the UK climate is not as stable as previously thought.  Read more

3 July 2007: The BES has committed £100,000 a year until further notice to fund approaches to the BES that fall outside the current remit of the existing Grants Portfolio, and other funding streams but that clearly will contribute to the strategic aims of the society. Read more

3 July 2007: The company pledged to recycle cooking oil used in its restaurants to make environmentally-friendly biodiesel, with aims to use the fuel in all its 155 vehicles in the UK by next year. Read more

29 June 2007: The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health aims to enable paediatricians from any part of the Commonwealth to spend up to twelve weeks in the UK, meeting British paediatricians and seeing something of their work. Preference will be given to those recently established in an academic career. Funding amounts will vary dependent on the proposal. read more

28 June 2007: Global warming is such a threat to security that military planners must build it into their calculations.Risks that climate change could cause weakened states to disintegrate and produce major humanitarian disasters or exploitation by armed groups had to become a feature of military planning. Read more

28 June 2007: UK scientists say the discovery of a new type of stem cell should aid research into cures for disease. read more

27 June 2007: The annual national meeting and international symposium of the UK's Royal Entomological Society will be held in Edinburgh, Scotland, from 16 to 18 July.  The challenges facing aquatic insects will be the focus of this year's Ento '07, where international speakers will cover topics including adaptations to extreme conditions, dispersal, vision and cannibalism. Read more

27 June 2007: A unique study by researchers at the University of York and Hull York Medical School has confirmed a link between depression and low levels of folate, a vitamin which comes from vegetables. Read more

27 June 2007: The UK food industry has been focusing on improving the nutritional value of its wares, and the reduction of salt, used as a preservative and flavour enhancer, has been one of its key targets. Read more

26 June 2007: British Airways offers return flights for postgraduates or individual researchers aged under 35 conducting conservation-related research or field work outside the United Kingdom. Two bursaries are awarded each year, with each candidate receiving one free return flight. The applicant may be from any nation, but must be either registered with or an active researcher in a UK higher education institute. read more

22 June 2007: Representatives from the UK organic sector have today urged the UK environment minister David Miliband not to allow organic food to be contaminated by genetically modified organisms (GMOs). read more

20 June 2007: Climate change is pushing Northern Gannets to the limit, by forcing the large seabirds to search further and further afield for food for their young, according to new research. The work, which was funded by the EU and the UK's Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), is published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series. read more

19 June 2007: Drink and drugs fuel UK "sexual health crisis". Cases of chlamydia have increased by 300 percent over the past 12 years, with gonorrhoea up 200 percent, HIV by 300 percent and syphilis by 2000 percent. read more

19 June 2007: The Breast Cancer Campaign’s Scientific Advisory Board will consider applications for small pilot grants to allow established scientists to investigate and develop new ideas in the field of breast cancer research. Scientific innovation forms the framework for all Campaign research; small pilot grants therefore will be awarded if it can be clearly identified that support is for a new direction of research for researchers to test hypotheses for up to a year to provide sufficient data for a full application to Campaign. It is expected in general that a small pilot grant will be used to fund a discrete piece of research and will not be supplemented from other sources. read more

19 June 2007: The Actuarial Profession offers grants to fund research aimed at the development or application of actuarial techniques. The research may be original in nature or may involve a review of existing techniques and a demonstration of their application to new problems. read more

18 June 2007: Doctors believe overfeeding children is abuse – BBC. Survey of about 50 consultant paediatricians around Britain. read more

18 June 2007: The overall body of science does not support the view that organic food is more nutritious than conventionally grown food, says a new review from the British Nutrition Foundation. read more

14 June 2007: Reacting to the shortage of physics, chemistry and mathematics in the UK's secondary schools, the Campaign for Science and Engineering in the UK (CaSE) has made a number of recommendations and set targets for the Government. read more

14 June 2007: Britons happy to pay for carbon cuts – survey. Even those who do not think climate change is a big problem are willing to pay up to 15 pounds a year more on their bills. read more

12 June 2007: Britain sees sharp drop in dioxin levels in soil. After emissions' limits were imposed on major industries in the late 1980s, dioxin levels are back to where they were 50 years ago. read more

7 June 2007: A 'science and society' symposium on biology and language will take place on 21 June in Cambridge, UK. read more

6 June 2007: British scientists plan to use stem cells to cure a common form of blindness, with the first patients receiving test treatment in five years. read more

1 June 2007: The UK Research Office will hold its annual conference in London on 5 and 6 July 2007. read more

1 June 2007: In a bid to push processors and other manufacturers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, the UK government yesterday unveiled a proposal to put "carbon footprint" labels on all products. read more

30 May 2007: A number of the colleges of the University of Durham offer Visiting Fellowships. The fellowships are open to candidates from all subject areas, but the university has a policy of recommending only candidates in subjects taught at the university. This excludes medicine, pharmacy, history of arts, agriculture, and a number of other subjects. read more

30 May 2007: The Centre for Ethics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs offers visiting fellowships to scholars engaged in an area of philosophy relevant to the work of the centre (this requirement is broadly interpreted). Fellowships are open to all suitably qualified people, but are intended primarily for professional philosophers and social or political theorists on study leave from their own institutions. Fellows are expected to take part in centre activities that take place during their tenure of the fellowship. In addition, fellows will participate in and contribute to research seminars in the Department of Moral Philosophy. read more

30 May 2007: The School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HuSS) at the University of Exeter is pleased to offer four full studentships in History or Classics, Ancient History, Politics and International Relations, Sociology, Philosophy, Theology and Arab and Islamic Studies. Innovative interdisciplinary awards are particularly welcomed given the close academic synergies supported throughout the School. read more

30 May 2007: The School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia invites applications for an academic fellowship in the area of stable isotopes and their application to palaeoclimate and/or modern climate change. The team is seeking someone with proven high-level laboratory expertise in stable isotope mass spectrometry who is working in the (palaeo) climate area - or will adapt their knowledge to interface with other palaeoclimate or climate scientists. read more

30 May 2007: Renewable energy could boom in Britain under planning and energy policy changes announced last week, making it the second most attractive country for investment in clean energy, analysts at Ernst & Young said. read more

29 May 2007: Two people have been infected with the bird flu virus after an outbreak on a farm in North Wales, tests have confirmed. read more

29 May 2007: Scientists may have found a way of combating the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu that has claimed hundreds of lives around the world. The research, funded by Britain, successfully used antibodies from survivors of the virus to stop the full-blown disease from developing in mice. read more

29 May 2007: THE famed US-UK axis seems to have run into a spot of bad weather. America doesn't subscribe to the world view on climate change and Washington will articulate its stand ' which seems to be radically different from London's ' at the G-8 summit in Germany next month. read more

28 May 2007: Cheese processors in the UK have been handed tougher guidance on hygiene, following EU claims that the country's food safety authority was not doing enough to protect consumers. read more

25 May 2007: Success or failure in tackling climate change, by reducing carbon dioxide emissions and ensuring secure, clean and affordable energy, will impact upon almost every aspect of daily life and economic performance, begins a new White Paper from the UK Government on energy. read more

24 May 2007: A symposium on biology and language will be held in Cambridge, UK, on 21 June 2007. read more

23 May 2007: A summit entitled 'Beyond best practice: taking new knowledge rapidly to market' will be held in Cornwall, UK on 4-5 July 2007. read more

22 May 2007: Britain gives nod for animal-human hybrid embryos. Scientists want to use the hybrid embryos to find cures for illnesses such as Parkinson's, stroke and Alzheimer's. read more

22 May 2007: British experts vote for folic acid in food. But it decided that more research should be carried out into whether folic acid, a synthetic compound of vitamin B, should be added to just bread, or to flour. read more

21 May 2007: The "Environmentally Beneficial Nanotechnologies: Barriers and Opportunities" (http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/nanotech/policy/pdf/envbeneficial-report.pdf), a new report by the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), was published today. read more

18 May 2007: British food experts agreed on Thursday that folic acid should be routinely added to either flour or bread in an attempt to reduce birth defects. read more

17 May 2007: Over 1,300 food safety incidents were investigated by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) last year, according to report published yesterday. read more

17 May 2007: The UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) has today announced the start of a review of its own guidance, which aims to make regulations easier to understand and follow for firms. read more

16 May 2007: Alzheimer's drugs currently being denied to some NHS patients may have a dramatic impact on the pathology of the brain, research in the UK indicates. read more

15 May 2007: UK and Swiss researchers have shed new light on the way in which the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis invades human cells. Their findings, reported in the latest edition of the EMBO Journal, could pave the way for new therapeutic strategies to fight the disease. read more

14 May 2007: The future success of the UK's knowledge economy will rely on skills and better education, a new report by the UK's Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has found. The report by the Information Age Partnership's i2010 Working Group, a joint DTI and industry forum, outlined the UK's contribution to the i2010 initiative, part of the EU's Lisbon Strategy to become the most competitive knowledge based economy in the world by 2010. read more

8 May 2007: GMO crop rules should also weigh pluses - UK report. Time for a more balanced and holistic approach to regulation. read more

7 May 2007: A conference to explore the relationship between diet and cancer will take place in Surrey, the UK, on 18 and 19 June. read more

4 May 2007: UK doctors test gene therapy to treat blindness. The new experimental procedure to treat Leber's congenital amaurosis, involves inserting normal copies of the faulty RPE65 gene into cells of the retina using a harmless virus or vector. read more

3 May 2007: The world's first clinical trial to treat childhood blindness with gene therapy has got underway in the UK. The trial, which was partly funded by the EU, involves adults and children who have an inherited retinal disease called Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA). The disease is caused by a mutation in a gene called RPE65, which controls the production of an enzyme responsible for recycling retinol, a chemical which is needed to capture light. If the retinol is not recycled correctly, the eye's light-sensitive cells run out of supplies and stop working. Patients with the condition suffer from severely impaired vision from a very young age. Currently, there is no effective treatment available. read more

1 May 2007: The School of Biological Sciences, University of Exeter, invites applications for PhD studentships starting immediately. read more

1 May 2007: SAMS is looking for a Microbial Molecular Ecologist to study zooplankton and faecal pellets as potential sites of methane production in marine pelagic waters. The work will focus on investigating the role of algal derived compounds in methanogenesis and identifying the main groups responsible for this process using microbiological, biogeochemical and molecular techniques. DNA-based Stable Isotope Probing (SIP) will also be conducted in collaboration with Warwick University. read more

1 May 2007: Reach for the stars, museum urges students. Britain's leading space scientists are hoping that a new exhibition on the final frontier will encourage young people to become astronauts or follow a career in science. read more

1 May 2007: The Lord Kelvin/Adam Smith Scholarships have been established to enable the University of Glasgow to recruit outstanding postgraduate research students to a range of innovative, boundary-crossing research developments. The scheme is intended to create new partnerships between members of staff and will offer scholars the opportunity to be instrumental in the establishment of new research collaborations involving the development of exciting cross-discipline research ideas. read more

1 May 2007: The Royal Society of Chemistry has designed the J.W.T. Jones Travelling Fellowship to promote international cooperation in chemistry. Specifically, the fellowship will enable younger chemists, or those working in a related discipline, to carry out short-term studies in well-established scientific centres abroad and to learn and use techniques and research methods not accessible to them in their own country. The theoretical and practical knowledge or training to be acquired in the foreign laboratory must be beneficial to the applicant’s scientific development. read more

27 April 2007: Applications are invited for Smuts Visiting Fellowships in Commonwealth Studies in association with a Visiting Fellowship at Wolfson College, to be held during the academic year 2008/2009. Fellowships are available for research in the field of Commonwealth studies, including the Commonwealth related aspects of archaeology, anthropology, economics, history, human geography, law, literature, oriental studies, sociology, politics, and social psychology. read more

26 April 2007: UK scientists identify brain's annual biological clock. Show how a pacemaker in the brain coordinates the cells in the body to deal with seasonal and time changes. read more

26 April 2007: The video begins as many tragic reports on HIV might: a young African woman bounces an infant in her lap. The narrator informs us that the baby’s name is Connie, that she is HIV positive, and that the woman caring for her is a nurse at the hospital. Connie’s mother succumbed to the AIDS virus soon after she was born. The video, featured on the homepage of the European Microbicides Project, or EMPRO, serves as an introductory explanation of the scientific aims of the FP6 project, namely the development of novel strategies in the prevention of AIDS. EMPRO, the largest microbicide project worldwide, has moved into an important phase of its development with the commencement of clinical trials. The project studying HIV prevention drugs funded under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) will launch phase one of the trials in the UK. read more

23 April 2007: The Royal Society is calling for a new UK Space Agency to replace the existing British National Space Centre. read more

23 April 2007: The UK has launched a new network to coordinate and promote the country's stem cell research effort. read more

23 April 2007: RXP is British Council's contestable international fund for young researchers. Awards of up to £5,000 are available to fund collaborations between NZ and UK scientists. RXP is designed to help develop new research links between higher education institutions and research laboratories in the UK and other countries. RXP funding can cover travel and living costs for a short-term collaboration of between one week and three months duration. The research link can be in any area of science, engineering and technology, including social sciences and humanities. RXP is open to 'early stage researchers'. This means applicants must either obtained a doctoral qualification or be within twelve months of completing one; have no more than two years full tenure in a university or research institute; have no more than six years overall active researcher experience.See http://www.britishcouncil.org/nz-opportunities-rxp.htm

20 April 2007: UK 'has worst drug problem in Europe'. 50 percent of 16-34 year olds admit to using cannabis. read more

20 April 2007: Harvesting solar energy to produce renewable, carbon free and cost effective hydrogen as an alternative energy source is the focus of a new £4.2 million research programme at Imperial College London, it is announced. read more

18 April 2007: British crop researchers are claiming that they have developed a method to stop transgenic crops from damaging the biodiversity of weeds and seeds. By leaving two rows in every 100 unsprayed with pesticides, enough diversity can be preserved to prevent knock-on effects on birds and other animals, they calculate. read more

18 April 2007: On the eve of the first United Nations Security Council debate on global warming, the UK foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, warned US businesses to invest in carbon-free technology or lose out to Europeans. read more

17 April 2007: Cow TB may spread between people. Six cases of person-to-person transmission of Mycobacterium bovis reported in the UK. read more

17 April 2007: Brain, not heart, causes high blood pressure: researchers. UK researchers to target a protein that causes inflammation in the brain to treat the disease. read more

17 April 2007: The Department for International Development (DFID) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) have announced the third call for their joint research scheme. The third call is reserved for smaller-scale projects only. The fund’s remaining £3 million has been earmarked for allocation to the best applications from this third call. read more

16 April 2007: A report examining the performance of the UK's research base depicts a trend of constant improvement. It finds that the UK's research performance is more consistent than that of competitors, and that the UK manages to a higher output with less investment than other countries. read more

16 April 2007: The Centre for the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine (CHSTM) at the University of Manchester offers PhD studentships in the history of science, technology, and medicine. The award is for a three-year studentship and will cover university fees at the UK/EU rate and maintenance of approximately £5,000 per annum. read more

16 April 2007: The UK’s largest computing grid recently received further funding in the run up to CERN’s launch of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), slated to come online at the end of 2007. The funding is earmarked for the GridPP project building a grid capable of synthesising the enormous amounts of data expected to be generated by LHC. The amount of information generated by LHC will require the close collaboration of experts throughout Europe and the recent grant by the UK’s Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) to the tune of €44 million will help ensure UK physicists stay connected with colleagues on the other side of the Channel. read more

13 April 2007: Researchers from the University of Manchester in the UK have succeeded in detecting the electrical signal of a dying yeast cell. The technique is expected to enable scientists to monitor the 'heartbeat' of living cells and develop new ways of testing drugs. read more

12 April 2007: The World Bank needs to set bold new targets to help tackle climate change, UK International Development Secretary Hilary Benn has said. read more

11 April 2007: Britain urged not to ban hybrid embryo research. The Commons Science and Technology Committee said a ban would encourage UK researchers to go offshore. read more

11 April 2007: The Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICS) offers Senior Research Fellowships to distinguished scholars whose work is of relevance to the institute. Senior Research Fellows are expected to take an appropriate part in the institute’s activities. read more

11 April 2007: Principal Research Fellowships are the most prestigious of the Wellcome Trust’s personal awards and provide long-term support for researchers of international standing. The fellowships are particularly suitable for senior researchers currently based overseas who wish to work in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland. read more

10 April 2007: A professional body for knowledge transfer professionals in the UK and Ireland will be launched in London in May. read more

10 April 2007: The University of Edinburgh is calling for applications for three postdoctoral bursaries which it is offering in the broad area of humanities and social sciences. Each award is worth £5,000 and is tenable for a period of three to nine months from 1 September 2007 through 31 August 2008. read more

30 March 2007: UK experts demand more research on nanotech risks. More research is needed on the potential health and environmental hazards of nanotechnology to ensure public confidence in the fast-growing industry, British experts said on Wednesday. read more

29 March 2007: The UK's Food Standards Agency has launched a three-month consultation on ways to reduce saturated fat in the diet and make healthy eating easier. read more

29 March 2007: Without a substantial home research effort the UK will be unable to take part effectively in international research collaborations in the nanoscience and nanotechnology fields, according to a new report from the UK's Council for Science and Technology (CST). read more

28 March 2007: An appeal was launched at the Biochemical Society’s Meeting in December 1982 to commemorate the life and work of Sir Hans Krebs, FRS, by instituting a postgraduate (PhD) scholarship in biochemistry or allied biomedical science, tenable at any British university. The generous response of many of Sir Hans’ pupils, colleagues, and admirers in many countries has provided sufficient funds to allow a scholarship, equivalent to be awarded in alternate years. The scholarship is primarily intended to help candidates who wish to study for the degree of PhD in biochemistry or in an allied biomedical science, but whose careers have been interrupted for non-academic reasons beyond their own control (e.g., outbreak of war, having to flee from country of origin and becoming a refugee, etc.) and who are unlikely to qualify for an award from public funds. read more

28 March 2007: A one-day conference on 'changing expectations of life' will be held in Newcastle, UK on 23 April. read more

27 March 2007: Science can be exciting for some schoolchildren, but mind-numbing for others, especially if teachers' only means of enriching the minds of little ones comes in the form of books and not hands-on experience. However, The University of York's Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP) offers a brilliant alternative thanks to Hidden Worlds-Secret Lives (HWSL), a science outreach project that focuses on the wonder of the microscopic world. While only schoolchildren in Britain were lucky enough to have access to this programme in the past, organisers decided to take it continental. First stop was The British School in the Netherlands. read more

20 March 2007: 'Hollywoodisation' of climate impact criticised by UK scientists. Royal Meteorological Society professors Paul Hardaker and Chris Collier have slammed a recent consensus statement on global warming made by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). read more

20 March 2007: UK and India has joined hands to form a joint NWG ( Nanotechnology Working Group ) to thrust the development and expansion of advanced technologies. The NWG will be formally launched in coming 2 months as a part of British government's move to prop up the nanotechnology sector of UK in the international arena. read more

19 March 2007: Drinking a glass of red grape juice a day could help to protect the body from chronic diseases, new research has found. A study into the properties of fruit juices by the University of Glasgow in the UK has found that purple grape juice contains the highest and broadest range of polyphenols and antioxidants. Antioxidants are believed to be beneficial for preventing diseases such as cancer and coronary heart disease. read more

19 March 2007: The UK Centre of Excellence in Metrology for Micro and Nano Technologies (CEMMNT) celebrates its official launch on Wednesday, May 2, 2007, at the Systems Engineering Innovation Centre (SEIC) in Loughborough, where its Hub offices are located. read more

16 March 2007: The UK Government has awarded funding to 19 schools for projects to inspire black and ethnic minority students to get involved in science, technology, engineering and maths. read more

16 March 2007: Commercially available products whose origins lie in basic research are the focus of a new publication from Research Councils UK, Unico and Universities UK. Products highlighted in the report include a device to cut police paperwork, a chip found in iPods and a contact lens for diabetics. The release of the report, entitled 'Impacts - successes from UK research' is timed to coincide with National Science and Engineering Week. read more

16 March 2007: Three EU grants totalling more than EUR 1 million have been awarded to the Photonics Research Group at Aston University, UK, to research novel ways of using fibre optic cables in engineering, medicine and telecommunications. read more

15 March 2007: Draft British climate bill sets 2050 target. The Climate Change Bill, the first of its kind in any country, aims to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 60 percent by 2050, with an interim target of 26 to 32 percent by 2020. read more

15 March 2007: A UK health pressure group has called on Europe to reform the CAP - for health reasons. read more

15 March 2007: With concern over climate change escalating around Europe, a new report highlights six nanotechnologies that can be used to reduce carbon emissions. The six technologies, identified by the UK-based company Cientifica, are either available now or will be on the market within the next two years. read more

14 March 2007: The British government today revealed its draft climate bill, which sets out plans for a 60% cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. The bill makes Britain the first major economy to lay out a comprehensive scheme for making wholesale greenhouse-gas reductions. read more

14 March 2007: About 900 tonnes of poulty meat passed through a UK farm infected with bird flu and into the food chain during an outbreak of the disease last month, according to the country's public health minister. read more

13 March 2007: The UK needs to double the proportion of people studying science or engineering subjects at university, or risk losing jobs to other countries, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has warned. read more

12 March 2007: A new electronics industry appears to be on the verge of exploding on the scene in Europe, and one company is at the forefront of this pioneering development. Earlier this year, the UK technology start-up Plastic Logic announced that it had secured USD 100 million (€76 million) worth of venture capital to help build the world's first commercial plant for plastic electronics manufacture. read more

9 March 2007: MOBILE phone giant Nokia is investing £40m in Cambridge with the creation of a nanotechnology research centre in the city. read more

8 March 2007: A training course on 'transdifferentiation to beta cells' will take place in Bath, UK, from 26 to 28 June. read more

7 March 2007: A joint British government and business statement listed on Tuesday steps needed to improve the European carbon market, but avoided the most contentious issue of how to curb utility windfall profits. read more

6 March 2007: This funds short-term visits by scholars based outside the UK, the Republic of Ireland, or the Netherlands to one of these countries. Visits under this scheme may be to consult libraries or archives and to exchange views or work with colleagues who have similar research interests. Study or lecture tours, meetings of a professional or vocational nature, workshops, symposia, and international congresses are normally excluded. read more

6 March 2007: The UK's Food Standards Agency has launched a consultation on its draft guidance for compliance with the new EU regulation on voluntary fortification of foods with vitamins and minerals, asking for input from industry on interpretation. read more

6 March 2007: The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) aims to support world-class biomedical and technical research that will benefit people who are deaf or hard of hearing, or who have tinnitus. read more

6 March 2007: Applications are invited for research grants in the field of stroke. The Stroke Association is particularly interested in receiving project applications related to stroke prevention, acute treatment, assessment, ethnic factors, epidemiology, rehabilitation, psychology, and strokes in the young. Grants are limited to a maximum of £60,000 per annum for up to three years (up to a maximum of £180,000). read more

5 March 2007: Two leading research bodies in the UK are to launch a national public debate on stem cell research. read more

2 March 2007: The UK has outlined its commitment to developing environmental labelling for food. read more

2 March 2007: Two leading UK health organisations want the food industry to radically reduce the amount of saturated fat used in its products and to eliminate trans fats altogether. read more

2 March 2007: Codes of practice to help UK farmers reduce the levels of mycotoxins in cereals could improve the safety of the ingredient supply chain. read more

2 March 2007: US climate pact no post-Kyoto answer – Britain. Britain's Special Representative on Climate Change, John Ashton sees little likelihood of cooperation among the six-nation alliance formed to limit greenhouse emissions. read more

1 March 2007: Dementia is costing the UK GBP17 billion (EUR 25 billion) a year and increased funding must be made available for dementia research, according to a new report from the Alzheimer's Society. read mores

28 February 2007: The UK's food advertising unit has welcomed Ofcom's decision to phase in new restrictions on marketing food to children. read more

27 February 2007: The State and the Île-de-France Region are establishing new International Research Chairs to accommodate highly qualified, internationally acclaimed, foreign research scientists in Exact or Applicated sciences, Natural, health and ageing sciences, Environmental sciences, New technologies, human and social sciences. read more

26 February 2007: The UK research councils have reacted with disappointment to the announcement of a GBP 68 million (EUR;101.4 million) cut to their budgets. The cuts are necessary due to 'historic and new pressures', according to the Government's Department for Trade and Industry (DTI). read more

26 February 2007: A conference entitled 'Nanotechnology - products and processes for environmental benefit' will take place on 16 and 17 May in London, UK. read more

26 February 2007: Britain to allow women to donate eggs for stem cell and cloning. Financial incentive to donate eggs a worry, say some stem cell experts. read more

23 February 2007: The Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, the MRC and the Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, are working on the high resolution optical imaging of antibody class switch recombination events in human B cells and seek to recruit a highly motivated and skilled post-doctoral scientist to work on this new MRC-funded interdisciplinary research programme. read more

22 February 2007: Exercise may boost flu shot protection. UK researchers have studied the impact that exercise had on immune responses to influenza vaccination in 60 young, healthy adults. read more

22 February 2007: Blood pressure link to happiness. UK economists rank European countries on the happiness of their citizens. read more

21 February 2007: A pressure group plans to legally challenge the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) over its alleged failure to act over imports of illegal GM rice. read more

20 February 2007: The Collaborative Career Development Fellowship in Stem Cell Research will provide up to three years of specialised training in stem cell research to support fundamental stem cell biology, work towards new stem derived treatments for major diseases and disabilities, investigate the economic and social aspects of stem cell science, or develop underpinning technologies and instrumentation. The fellowship provides the opportunity to spend up to one year in a second UK centre or in UK industry. Exceptionally, applicants may spend up to one year in a recognised research establishment overseas, which will enable researchers to acquire new techniques and skills and transfer these to the UK science base. read more

20 February 2007: A lack of mandatory standards regulating the way businesses report their greenhouse gas emissions has led to massive underestimation in the UK, according a charity-backed report. read more