Biomedical research policy and news mainly covering UK and EU. Includes reports from government departments and agencies (UK and international), news from UK higher education, Research Councils UK, MRC, BBSRC, Wellcome Trust, research institutes, European Union. Also includes research ethics, major research funding news, scientific prizewinners and major appointments. http://nimri.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/rss http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Mon, 30 Sep 2013 17:41:14 +0100 Mon, 30 Sep 2013 17:41:10 +0100 FeedForAll Mac v2.1 (2.1.0.1) unlicensed version; http://www.FeedForAll.com/ CaSE has published its Annual Review for 2012/13. It gives a summary of CaSE's activities over the year. http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=12937 B7C122CC-1DD5-4F9A-BC93-BAC52501EAF8 Mon, 2 Sep 2013 09:03:14 +0100 Complaints about the effect of impact factors will get nowhere unless scientists change their approach to high impact factor journals. http://www.genetics.org/content/194/4/791.full 35AF3758-2D67-468F-B677-2A0A548AC8D4 Fri, 30 Aug 2013 08:42:33 +0100 The law that has helped medical discoveries in USA make the leap from university labs to the marketplace for more than 30 years needs revising. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1306553 09315D8D-E395-439B-B1FA-D6940FB09F21 Fri, 30 Aug 2013 08:30:41 +0100 A $17 million program of research grants to determine whether extracellular RNA (exRNA) has a communication role in animals has been announced by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). http://www.sciencemag.org/content/341/6149/947.full DA23044B-43B5-4AAA-A347-1AE562B7A752 Fri, 30 Aug 2013 08:18:52 +0100 Two award-winning scientists and an organiser of a science image competition talk about science and art. http://www.labtimes.org/labtimes/issues/lt2013/lt04/lt_2013_04_22_25.pdf 1529F655-8210-4FCD-8D3A-6F30B7DDBFE2 Fri, 30 Aug 2013 08:33:33 +0100 Astrophysicist Amaya Moro-Martín published an open letter to the Spanish prime minister,explaining why she is leaving Spain. http://www.theguardian.com/science/political-science/2013/aug/28/science-policy 7C1348CB-2359-4E29-ACD9-8DC6A2A5C264 Thu, 29 Aug 2013 08:43:56 +0100 Stress, long hours and low morale threaten to scar the activities and careers of US life-sciences researchers, argue Warren Holleman and Ellen R. Gritz. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v500/n7464/full/nj7464-613a.html DD3BD1BA-D770-4848-AD9E-9BDB0175529C Thu, 29 Aug 2013 08:31:56 +0100 Eleven essays have been shortlisted for this year’s Max Perutz Science Writing Award, the MRC’s annual writing competition. http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Newspublications/News/MRC009317 11C970B8-22D4-4435-BF25-E207E31A265E Thu, 29 Aug 2013 08:49:23 +0100 Hugh Huxley, biophysicist at LMB died on 25 July. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v500/n7464/full/500530a.html C9A37616-8C9C-4475-AF54-1911D43C5E5E Thu, 29 Aug 2013 08:30:44 +0100 A spate of successful public offerings has raised ample funding for biotechnology and anxiety about when the good times will end. http://www.nature.com/news/biotech-boom-prompts-fears-of-bust-1.13606 CA734F3E-C2FC-499C-90CB-CCB8C859287A Thu, 29 Aug 2013 08:29:06 +0100 Cooperation and a clear set of aims are essential for Europe to be a front runner in making research freely available, says Christoph Kratky. http://www.nature.com/news/a-coordinated-approach-is-key-for-open-access-1.13610 7F445D0D-C583-40DC-BF36-948935C0B26D Thu, 29 Aug 2013 08:28:31 +0100 Director of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund laboratories who turned the ICRF into a world-renowned organisation. http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/aug/27/sir-michael-stoker A20BB436-09F0-47BD-85EE-6C57ACE9C4CA Wed, 28 Aug 2013 08:59:59 +0100 The EU Joint Programming initiative on Neurodegenerative Diseases has announced funding of more than £16 million for five new projects aimed at identifying factors which make might make individuals more or less prone to developing age-related neurodegenerative disease. http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Newspublications/News/MRC009309 722BDBE6-F510-4A4F-A2D0-24DF95329A55 Wed, 28 Aug 2013 09:02:40 +0100 Thomson Reuters suspends Brazilian journals from its rankings for ‘citation stacking’. http://www.nature.com/news/brazilian-citation-scheme-outed-1.13604 AFD76BFB-F36C-4BDE-AAB2-4C094D2EADA4 Wed, 28 Aug 2013 08:56:33 +0100 The Safe, Successful, Sustainable Laboratories (S-Lab) initiative, which was kick-started with funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, seeks to help UK universities better design and use laboratories, thereby reducing waste and energy consumption and improving collaboration. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/s-lab-initiative-spotlights-laboratory-cost-savings/2006615.article BDCB759E-6E07-4591-9E9F-3F936085D3A2 Tue, 27 Aug 2013 09:29:43 +0100 Scientists like the gag order of the Ingelfinger Rule, says new paper. http://embargowatch.wordpress.com/2013/08/22/scientists-like-the-gag-order-of-the-ingelfinger-rule-says-new-paper/ 4FBADE8B-BBB1-486C-AD3D-B68E434EEA6F Fri, 23 Aug 2013 08:48:04 +0100 How long before search committees stop assuming that the right man for the top university job is a man? http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/features/why-are-there-so-few-female-vice-chancellors/2006576.article#.UhX2QN5b2Bo.twitter 80858BBB-19B0-4797-AFC8-685CD2F16114 Fri, 23 Aug 2013 08:45:44 +0100 Four essays in Cato Unbound about the case for and against public funding of scientific research. http://www.cato-unbound.org/issues/august-2013/who-pays-science D307786E-DF42-4143-9826-B852883BC788 Fri, 23 Aug 2013 08:44:34 +0100 Jenny Rohn contemplates the effect of having children on a scientific career. http://www.theguardian.com/science/occams-corner/2013/aug/22/1 82DB8CD0-66DA-416A-920D-6ED6B63107B5 Fri, 23 Aug 2013 08:40:09 +0100 Analysis of science GCSE results, from CaSE. http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=12914 BE22B973-78D3-494B-AC77-922AB25C498D Fri, 23 Aug 2013 08:36:28 +0100 A diplomatic row between the European Union and the Israeli government could spell a sharp loss in funding for Israeli science as well as the end for countless collaborations with European scientists, as Israeli government threatens to forgo participation in Horizon 2020. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/341/6148/828.full 923C42BB-7CD1-4F87-B442-5809750B9656 Fri, 23 Aug 2013 08:32:06 +0100 The inequality in science funding trends is threatening America's standing in the global scientific community. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/341/6148/820.full 2CB3BEC6-7A42-4A87-94C2-2A31CD6D97E3 Fri, 23 Aug 2013 08:30:59 +0100 The European Union's Horizon 2020 research programme will offer researchers a generous source of funds for projects to resolve the challenges of today's society. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(13)61745-6/fulltext 82CB8CF4-3E0B-41DA-B792-3552833D666C Thu, 22 Aug 2013 07:53:33 +0100 Science and engineering employment in the United States is geographically concentrated in a small number of states and several major metropolitan areas within those states, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2011 American Community Survey. http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf13330/ 7A185A13-11A5-48C5-AEFC-9023A2DCE1FF Thu, 22 Aug 2013 08:04:00 +0100 Alternative measures can yield useful data on achievement but must be used cautiously. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v500/n7463/full/nj7463-491a.html 8B39398C-4D9C-4368-B08B-F3C6A59CC294 Thu, 22 Aug 2013 07:59:07 +0100 Japanese researchers created eggs and sperm in the laboratory. Now, scientists have to determine how to use those cells safely and ethically. http://www.nature.com/news/stem-cells-egg-engineers-1.13582 65A30AF3-BE9A-43B5-B46A-7ED7AE59C37B Thu, 22 Aug 2013 07:57:43 +0100 Search the Internet for any research article published in 2011, and you have a 50–50 chance of downloading it for free. http://www.nature.com/news/half-of-2011-papers-now-free-to-read-1.13577 4685897E-379C-46FE-93D9-2098A48C6B02 Thu, 22 Aug 2013 07:55:06 +0100 Introducing the British Society for the History of Science's online Travel Guide. http://www.theguardian.com/science/the-h-word/2013/aug/22/vacation-holiday-history-science-medicine B6588CAB-FC21-40D9-8D00-C3D84CF2C5F6 Thu, 22 Aug 2013 08:07:31 +0100 A two-tier research system is creating scientific wilderness in US heartland http://www.theguardian.com/science/occams-corner/2013/aug/20/us-science-research-funding-harvard-university?CMP=twt_fd 4AEB1495-0438-4A65-A865-38AB017FBE30 Wed, 21 Aug 2013 08:28:42 +0100 Female experts needed to join a database intended to redress the disproportionate use of male experts by the media. http://thewomensroom.org.uk/getlisted 5650C8BE-8885-4F5A-A0C8-553718D18642 Wed, 21 Aug 2013 08:44:00 +0100 Work between the UK research councils, Indian government and business can be improved by fixing practical barriers to collaboration, a report says. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/india-collaborations-need-to-address-practical-barriers/2006582.article 1BDE3F4E-9CBE-4D78-AD2D-487F4F8ED43D Wed, 21 Aug 2013 08:43:03 +0100 WISRNet is a project that brings historians, archivists and practising scientists together to research women's participation in science and learned societies in Britain since 1830. http://womeninscience.net/ 1FD4D870-2624-487C-935F-33294362F6EF Wed, 21 Aug 2013 08:45:05 +0100 A Washington panel discussion to explore the future of synthetic biology, discussed some of the key science, policy, and societal opportunities and challenges facing the international community with regard to synthetic biology. It was a follow-up to the recent release of a report. http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=08192013 6175C940-A47A-4298-8EEF-A9F7D7D8CC30 Wed, 21 Aug 2013 08:25:23 +0100 The number of girls and women studying the sciences has steadily increased each year, but there is still a gender gap in higher education and the work force. http://www.npr.org/2013/08/16/212613885/the-stem-gender-gap?ft=1&f=1007 E8156873-DAD6-47BE-A119-56C56686560A Tue, 20 Aug 2013 08:35:48 +0100 Routine genome-wide screening of cancers is likely a long way off, a new paper says. http://www.curetoday.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/news.showNewsArticle/id/13/news_id/3780 05CB82C4-9837-4AD3-9E48-5942F785E627 Tue, 20 Aug 2013 08:34:42 +0100 Marcus du Sautoy explains why the fusion of science and theatre is proving an explosive combination. http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/aug/19/science-theatre-west-end-marcus-du-sautoy 2211DAFB-27DF-45D4-9488-721DD44F1BDD Tue, 20 Aug 2013 08:37:36 +0100 James Randi and the skeptics movement. http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2013/08/16/james-randi-the-amazing-meeting-and-the-bullshit-police.html 8EBA8451-3753-4DBE-B866-4C3A88F37B05 Tue, 20 Aug 2013 08:40:45 +0100 http://science-professor.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/imported-talent.html 6320383A-2B8C-4522-A387-9930E94ED777 Mon, 19 Aug 2013 08:46:04 +0100 The REF is a serious business for academics in UK universities. http://occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald/2013/08/15/why-i-cant-write-anything-funny-about-the-ref/ 8DBC2BD2-4F89-444C-BA75-A32CF80B3A1A Mon, 19 Aug 2013 08:42:25 +0100 Attempts to manage the performance of individual university scientists by metrics reflect the misguided belief that universities can be managed from the top. But universities need leaders, not managers. http://www.theguardian.com/science/political-science/2013/aug/16/science-policy 77CB2733-B81A-4E24-9D33-7BB7C8EADDE8 Mon, 19 Aug 2013 08:39:07 +0100 Flies, hox genes and Denis Duboule. http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/aug/18/fruit-flies-embryology-hox-genes B087EB80-97BB-48E8-AF0C-5E1099D4D0DA Mon, 19 Aug 2013 08:37:07 +0100 This summer Imperial staff and students are hosting a series of outreach sessions on campus for more than 1,400 school students. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_16-8-2013-11-56-10 96CAE761-51E9-429B-9068-B642B1929972 Mon, 19 Aug 2013 08:31:34 +0100 The Campaign for Science and Engineering welcomes the continued rise in the number of students choosing to study science and maths subjects at A-level. http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=12878 3429F81F-8683-4362-B4DB-28761F1DF253 Fri, 16 Aug 2013 08:28:59 +0100 The Royal Society has welcomed an increase in the number of students taking science and mathematics A-Levels. http://royalsociety.org/news/2013/2013-A-Level-results/ 257998BC-8722-48A6-8499-C59F617EA34F Fri, 16 Aug 2013 08:28:25 +0100 The Wellcome Trust is pleased to offer two funding opportunities for exceptional scientists who wish to build their independent careers. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2013/News/WTP053634.htm 8B8AFB9C-307F-4A85-981A-3D405595FA9C Fri, 16 Aug 2013 08:30:01 +0100 A US commission on bioethics will meet soon to craft a set of ethics standards to guide the BRAIN project. http://www.nature.com/news/us-brain-project-puts-focus-on-ethics-1.13549 9249A738-F18A-4013-B43E-21897077BAB2 Fri, 16 Aug 2013 08:31:46 +0100 The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) has announced the winners of its second annual BioArt competition. http://www.faseb.org/Scientific-Image-Competition/Winners/2013-BioArt-Winners.aspx#sthash.wWs4BGiQ.dpbs 497DC4E1-5966-4E04-97D6-9388FF77E0E5 Fri, 16 Aug 2013 08:27:08 +0100 NTD research is important for reducing human suffering, but also because studying these diseases present intellectual challenges, and could lead to insights into other types of infectious disease. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/08/15/why-scientists-should-tackle-neglected-tropical-diseases/ 93451DFD-4023-476B-9CED-40C1D50DF2EC Fri, 16 Aug 2013 08:40:26 +0100 Dr Edmund Kelleher of the Department of Physics at Imperial College has been awarded support for his work in next generation short-pulse visible and ultraviolet light lasers and an outstanding contribution to engineering. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_15-8-2013-11-49-43 69BE2B94-4914-4A4C-A08F-95943B6C70A2 Fri, 16 Aug 2013 08:34:18 +0100 For 20 years women in scientific posts in Washington have been meeting to network and exchange information. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/341/6147/707.full CD9FE7A2-A908-4F0C-93EC-1C54A61AF1A5 Fri, 16 Aug 2013 08:24:01 +0100 How fundamental research in fruit flies and fish evolved into a drug that could revolutionise treatment for patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma. http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2012/06/07/high-impact-science-hedgehogs-flies-and-skin-cancer-the-story-of-vismodegib/ B01BEE93-D1F2-4989-BB89-CB7B58BD331F Thu, 15 Aug 2013 09:04:43 +0100 Sequestration Ushers In A Dark Age For Science In America . http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/14/sequestration-cuts_n_3749432.html 4D279C23-0C57-4B47-A3AF-23E365DAE25C Thu, 15 Aug 2013 08:53:51 +0100 If you choose a career outside the lab, are you still a scientist? http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v500/n7462/full/nj7462-369a.html 2AEB9D72-1C52-44D0-95AA-3F123D0DD6CD Thu, 15 Aug 2013 08:28:40 +0100 The Skolkovo Innovation Centre is an ambitious, multibillion-dollar scheme intended to boost Russia’s moribund innovation system. http://www.nature.com/news/russia-pins-hopes-on-science-city-1.13550 A055AA56-7D81-4B02-BCFC-51E3042FF287 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 08:27:14 +0100 The increasing dominance of quantitative research assessment threatens the subjective values that really matter in academia, says Colin Macilwain. http://www.nature.com/news/halt-the-avalanche-of-performance-metrics-1.13553 49AA503D-4112-4C4A-931B-8DD225E0F390 Thu, 15 Aug 2013 08:23:43 +0100 Sylvia McLain highlights a new website - A Chemical Imbalance - with a short film, a book and action points. http://www.theguardian.com/science/occams-corner/2013/aug/13/feminism-women E623162E-EEBC-415F-8605-1FF6333A225A Wed, 14 Aug 2013 08:40:05 +0100 Interview with Francois Guillemot, one of the new editors of Development. http://thenode.biologists.com/an-interview-with-francois-guillemot/interview/ 3CA5A4EB-B8DE-4AB1-87BF-5967299FF0CD Wed, 14 Aug 2013 08:36:27 +0100 Synthetic biology is trucking along, but "more solid science" is needed, Craig Venter tells Bloomberg Businessweek. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-08-08/craig-venter-on-the-hail-mary-genome-and-synthetic-meat A4A2E6EE-0212-4442-AC61-61B9B3B7F3F6 Wed, 14 Aug 2013 08:52:23 +0100 Sequencing of tumors and drugs targeted to mutations found in those cancers are beginning to change how cancer is treated, the Wall Street Journal reports. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323300004578557473861805376.html DEB158ED-298E-4D1C-B44B-4EDD127B63DA Wed, 14 Aug 2013 08:51:32 +0100 The Biologist now has its own dedicated website, providing a much easier way for members and subscribers to access the best of the magazine’s content. http://societyofbiologyblog.org/the-biologist-launches-dedicated-website/ 9C90DB42-4E1D-4705-94A8-B22260E9000E Wed, 14 Aug 2013 08:49:40 +0100 An embarassing mistake or a tip-off to research malpractice? A curious editorial note has brought a recent paper in Organometallics to be closely scrutinized. http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/web/2013/08/Insert-Data-Make-First.html 6E764D71-8998-4A2D-A8A8-A2AF3F388690 Mon, 12 Aug 2013 10:27:28 +0100 Dr Tony Pawson was winner of the 2008 Kyoto Prize and was tipped to win a Nobel prize. Tony started his career as PhD student at ICRF and later moved to Canada. He died on Wednesday last, aged 60. http://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2013/08/08/renowned_toronto_genetic_researcher_dr_tony_pawson_dies.html A566ECB6-EBC8-4874-9360-DC5A70548E37 Mon, 12 Aug 2013 10:23:15 +0100 The National Institutes of Health has announced in Nature that it has reached an understanding with the family of the late Henrietta Lacks to allow biomedical researchers controlled access to the whole genome data of cells derived from her tumor, commonly known as HeLa cells. http://www.nih.gov/news/health/aug2013/nih-07.htm 63AF1ACE-2C12-4DC6-AD46-F121AB38BCF8 Fri, 9 Aug 2013 08:57:39 +0100 Family of Henrietta Lacks agrees to release of genomic data. http://www.nature.com/news/deal-done-over-hela-cell-line-1.13511 28F9F8F6-F085-40F7-B6E6-6BE64D2F6E8D Fri, 9 Aug 2013 08:34:20 +0100 L'Oreal USA has announced the recipients of the 2013 L'Oreal USA Fellowships For Women in Science. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/loreal-usa-announces-recipients-of-2013-for-women-in-science-fellowships-2013-08-06 E0D5E54F-C510-4621-9C4E-151AF87C3583 Fri, 9 Aug 2013 08:53:39 +0100 Spain’s leading cancer-research institution is planning 64 layoffs in an attempt to drastically reduce its growing budgetary problems. http://blogs.nature.com/news/2013/08/spanish-cancer-research-centre-plans-to-cut-13-of-jobs.html 1F0AE791-81DB-4C71-8A44-B61E3F7F8CDF Fri, 9 Aug 2013 08:56:13 +0100 Hazel O'Mullan describes the initiatives taken by the British Pharmacological Society (BPS) to address gender imbalance in pharmacology. http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=12860 580F1802-E94C-4815-BF07-E09E6D54FC97 Fri, 9 Aug 2013 08:50:29 +0100 Access to research data requires that the data be hosted somewhere and managed by someone. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/341/6146/616.full 677C4F90-50A5-46E3-8D25-44F003DD6195 Fri, 9 Aug 2013 08:45:20 +0100 Researchers can get visibility and connections by putting their data online - if they go about it in the right way. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v500/n7461/full/nj7461-243a.html 121B4663-A50F-4566-9739-D398A7CCA660 Fri, 9 Aug 2013 08:39:37 +0100 Maximizing access to research data will greatly benefit science, and users can help to establish universal principles on how to do it, says Martin Bobrow. http://www.nature.com/news/balancing-privacy-with-public-benefit-1.13506 35A44713-D792-4340-A084-E9B26F686E5D Fri, 9 Aug 2013 08:36:35 +0100 The possibility that H7N9 avian influenza may evolve sufficiently to cause a pandemic has scientists turning again to controversial research - they must be careful how they justify the risks taken. http://www.nature.com/news/handle-with-care-1.13505 CF2521C9-69C9-44C7-B0C8-4FF596CC700C Fri, 9 Aug 2013 08:35:32 +0100 A highly decorated water researcher at one of China's leading academic institutions has been ensnared in an unfolding embezzlement scandal. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/341/6146/598.full C275F5A3-AA52-4FFB-961A-8A93E968113F Fri, 9 Aug 2013 08:43:17 +0100 Recently released data from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) shows that King’s College London is equal top in England (with Queen Mary, University of London) for its PhD completion rates with 86.8 per cent of its full time research degree starters qualifying with a research degree within seven years, against a national average in England of 72.9 http://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2013/08-August/Kings-equal-top-for-PhD-completion-rates.aspx 8895C6F5-6C53-494B-8716-B64CE535050D Fri, 9 Aug 2013 08:51:28 +0100 Institutional funding and research support is critical to academics during this time of continued budgetary belt-tightening across government agencies. http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/36737/title/Best-Places-to-Work-Academia-2013/ FD3F560E-00B1-4453-B035-29058C1ADA2D Wed, 7 Aug 2013 16:57:29 +0100 Nominations for the John Maddox Prize for standing up for science 2013 are now open. http://www.senseaboutscience.org/pages/maddox-prize-2013.html 13070957-DAEA-47C7-97B3-10F8852BF983 Wed, 7 Aug 2013 16:57:29 +0100 This year's Edinburgh Fringe has an influx of scientists who have swapped the lecture theatre for the stage. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23571166 148A2F72-118B-455F-BD6E-D84C554FC08F Wed, 7 Aug 2013 16:57:29 +0100 Speech by Margaret Chan, Director-General of the WHO, at a joint WHO/WIPO/WTO technical symposium on medical innovation: changing business models. http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2013/medical_innovation_20130805/en/index.html 319825B8-0B4C-4D77-B0ED-66139CA7DE4D Wed, 7 Aug 2013 16:57:29 +0100 The AllTrials campaign has published a detailed plan on how all clinical trials can be registered and all results reported. http://www.senseaboutscience.org/news.php/338/all-trials-registered-and-results-reported 635537F7-3EF4-467A-9255-1F47474ECC2E Tue, 6 Aug 2013 08:42:21 +0100 The NC3Rs is seeking high-quality research proposals to address genuine technological challenges in preclinical imaging. http://www.nc3rs.org.uk/news.asp?id=1982 F80B76BF-32AB-43FE-A2E6-CC9CF1EABB7F Tue, 6 Aug 2013 08:37:55 +0100 Developmental biologists Alison Woollard will deliver the Royal Institution Christmas lectures. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/05/in-praise-of-alison-woollard F482550F-2A3B-42F0-9B86-73CA1E7489E8 Tue, 6 Aug 2013 08:36:37 +0100 Talks about biosecurity in the life sciences, and the potential for intentional or accidental harm coming from new technologies and discoveries. http://societyofbiologyblog.org/bioscience-to-biosecurity-the-policy-lates-talks/ 444BDE2C-08B1-4D28-9686-8C8CC6ACF70A Tue, 6 Aug 2013 08:29:58 +0100 Looking at the best way to structure the process of communicating science to the public. http://blogs.nottingham.ac.uk/makingsciencepublic/2013/08/04/science-communication-from-filling-deficits-to-appreciating-assets/ 947E99F6-389B-4048-BB46-00B31A844450 Mon, 5 Aug 2013 08:58:26 +0100 State funding helped get Google’s search algorithm, antibody cancer therapies, and DNA sequencing technologies off the ground. We need more of it to boost scientific research, argues Dr Julian Huppert, Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge . http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10213582/Scientific-research-should-get-more-public-funding.html 28A13912-9EB5-4112-BA03-C551AF89C31F Mon, 5 Aug 2013 08:55:31 +0100 Is science as it's currently constituted up to the challenges of the 21st century? http://www.theguardian.com/science/political-science/2013/aug/02/science-policy 294B3E62-E074-406E-BEB4-F72ED729CB9F Mon, 5 Aug 2013 08:51:17 +0100 Reproducibility problems have led the National Institutes of Health to consider verification rules for some experiments. http://www.nature.com/news/nih-mulls-rules-for-validating-key-results-1.13469 BB6CCB1B-0BA5-4B23-8EE5-2B369BEB81A5 Mon, 5 Aug 2013 08:47:27 +0100 If postdocs got paid for overtime, they would all be millionaires! http://www.labtimes.org/editorial/e_435.lasso 083593F0-142F-4607-B8C0-8B1ABFAD67EA Fri, 2 Aug 2013 09:03:10 +0100 Discussion of women in science. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23518071 FA6F03E6-34CE-4402-A578-2EBE0B1A92E0 Fri, 2 Aug 2013 08:47:13 +0100 MEP Andrew Duff argues that it would be a disaster for science in both the UK and Europe if Britain left the EU. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76232/%E2%80%98A-lot-riding-on%E2%80%99-Britain-staying-in-the-EU-%E2%80%93-scientifically-speaking B66F2D84-CA48-4068-9E73-5732296A08E7 Fri, 2 Aug 2013 08:43:32 +0100 An essay on the broken rungs of a modern scientist’s career ladder. http://www.labtimes.org/editorial/e_432.lasso D5F810B2-B2CB-4DB7-952A-D291EB310892 Fri, 2 Aug 2013 09:05:04 +0100 University of Leicester scientists develop innovative educational programme for GCSE and A-Level pupils using live fruit flies. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=133410&CultureCode=en 5C0CCC03-8BB2-4FE3-BBC1-38DE038F82BC Fri, 2 Aug 2013 08:55:55 +0100 A study producing a cryo-EM image of HIV proteins is causing controversy. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/341/6145/443.full A64F3FE3-B5B8-4B10-9F34-B9F8B42AF520 Fri, 2 Aug 2013 08:37:00 +0100 Scientists have long predicted large-scale responses of infectious diseases to climate change. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/341/6145/514.full E3879449-4102-41D9-940B-695FE6A10298 Fri, 2 Aug 2013 08:32:19 +0100 A new book offers diverse testimonies of how female academics at different stages of their careers have juggled the demands of family and work. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/bringing-up-baby-while-climbing-the-career-ladder/2006060.article D693BA27-49F3-4623-A7D8-B3D22933C6F4 Fri, 2 Aug 2013 08:28:09 +0100 Two BBC Radio 4 programmes about the role of public opinion in deciding science issues and science funding. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01l7x3r/episodes/guide 3F65CA78-2630-44FC-AD45-03DA4FF72EAF Thu, 1 Aug 2013 09:01:28 +0100 Results of a survey regarding the incorporation of societal impacts considerations into the peer review of grant proposals submitted to public science funding bodies. http://jbrittholbrook.com/2013/07/26/blue-skies-impacts-and-peer-review-rt-a-journal-on-research-policy-and-evaluation/ 0CE24C78-A8D2-4839-A658-6573096F0716 Thu, 1 Aug 2013 08:53:52 +0100 The Spring Meeting for Clinician Scientists in Training is a unique cross specialty event designed to bring clinical academic trainees together to present their work and network with senior scientists in a supportive and nurturing environment. http://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/p285.html FC91A876-7FE1-4C3C-99B0-165FE0466163 Thu, 1 Aug 2013 08:39:06 +0100 Scientists have to promote their work. But they should fight the pull to oversell it,. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v500/n7460/full/nj7460-113a.html EB43D63E-2FAB-4238-BE8A-4B21E8D3756E Thu, 1 Aug 2013 08:30:53 +0100 Male and female cells can behave differently and it is time that researchers, journals and funders took this seriously. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v500/n7460/full/500023a.html 2209BA83-5736-4450-BA87-12ABA4440F0B Thu, 1 Aug 2013 08:28:36 +0100 Athene Donald asks what really is the role of the mentor and the mentee? http://occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald/2013/07/30/mentoring-getting-personal/ EE712238-90F4-43F0-9768-6B1266CB41A4 Wed, 31 Jul 2013 08:43:47 +0100 Labguru give their top five tips. http://blog.labguru.com/blog-labguru/5-tips-for-forging-successful-scientific-collaborations?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=931724 3FFB234B-02A0-4158-8D72-AC3F75946923 Wed, 31 Jul 2013 08:42:07 +0100 As part of Celebrating Women in Biochemistry 2013 the Biochemical Society sponsored the Women in Science sessions at IUPS 2013. http://biochemicalsociety.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/iups-women-in-science-sessions/ 70818BC9-D905-41DE-A169-446971AB9BCD Wed, 31 Jul 2013 08:41:05 +0100 There are some important dos and don’ts to bear in mind when choosing someone to oversee your doctoral thesis, advises Tara Brabazon http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/features/10-truths-a-phd-supervisor-will-never-tell-you/2005513.article 57047D8B-6E68-4CC9-83C8-BEE1A9FC172A Wed, 31 Jul 2013 08:40:03 +0100 Work to replace and reduce animal use in science and improve animal welfare has today received a £4.8m funding boost with the award of 20 research and technology development grants to universities, specialist institutes and small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=133344&CultureCode=en CDA6F4D4-AB74-4961-BB1C-A159F14B517C Wed, 31 Jul 2013 08:31:37 +0100 The NIHR Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Themed Call has now opened. http://www.nihr.ac.uk/proposals/Lists/NIHR%20Calls%20for%20Proposals/DispForm.aspx?ID=296 07946A9C-B1B2-446C-9C47-653D33E46272 Wed, 31 Jul 2013 08:28:51 +0100 Funding for human microbiome research will scatter across 16 of the 27 centres of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). http://www.nature.com/news/microbiome-research-goes-without-a-home-1.13470 E1919DAA-C68D-4A92-81EE-16A74956A452 Wed, 31 Jul 2013 08:20:40 +0100 Britain spends more than 20 years building a world-class facility for science, then decides to seriously impair its productivity - just to save a few million quid. http://www.theguardian.com/science/occams-corner/2013/jul/29/funding-isis-neutron-muon-facility 0687EB06-EDCC-40AC-8AFD-00402CEF1495 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 08:39:48 +0100 Engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have devised a method to convert a relatively inexpensive conventional microscope into a billion-pixel imaging system that significantly outperforms the best available standard microscope. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/ciot-pmb072913.php 19B70332-5E72-46EA-9962-53A7DEEDD19D Tue, 30 Jul 2013 08:43:39 +0100 Clinical researchers, hospital managers, officials from the Department of Health and many others met to discuss progress made during the first year of operation of the NIHR Rare Diseases Bioresource. http://www.phgfoundation.org/news/14406 450C994F-E93A-4888-A483-5EE28D223E04 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 08:35:33 +0100 Recent prizes have been weighted toward innovations, not discoveries. http://bitesizebio.com/articles/how-to-win-a-nobel-prize-for-biology/ 8ED63B85-C009-4762-80AA-CA7FE790945E Tue, 30 Jul 2013 08:34:30 +0100 Ten emerging labs and PIs who, in our opinion, have recently demonstrated excellence in cancer research. http://blog.labguru.com/emerging-cancer-labs 1D0CC764-1E72-412E-8A83-A7C73D5CE674 Mon, 29 Jul 2013 09:50:21 +0100 A language scientist interacts with an Edinburgh art collective. http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/blog/2013/jul/26/art-science-academic-collaboration-edinburgh 9A04DF73-8003-4A43-83A9-4037841869A6 Mon, 29 Jul 2013 09:32:11 +0100 Scientists from King’s College London have won ‘Video of the Year’ in a national image and video competition run by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/gallery/2013/jul/26/heart-stoppers-british-heart-foundation-competition-pictures A0EADD0E-E656-4282-BDBD-8B39EE08D02B Mon, 29 Jul 2013 09:28:43 +0100 The Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine (CWSEM) has the support of all three US academies, http://www.sciencemag.org/content/341/6144/317.full 9512DBB2-1B26-4804-AEA8-FE4E10BA8462 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 09:29:46 +0100 Boris Johnson is backing plans for a new “Medical City” that would be a major central London research base. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/10192700/Londons-Medical-City-to-seal-golden-triangle-of-UK-research-centres.html 4E154E7D-4FE3-4576-AE65-029EE436074D Fri, 26 Jul 2013 09:56:52 +0100 A career in scientific research is an awfully hard road. http://occamstypewriter.org/notranting/2013/07/25/shame-or-should-that-be-postdocalypse/ 5148A22C-0EEE-4CF1-9BAC-E9E80CB3C53D Fri, 26 Jul 2013 09:54:58 +0100 Scientists willing to take a risk are setting up individual research operations in rented lab space. http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7459-509a 16E9098F-1BD5-4444-8D72-5DA9ADBC5432 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 09:54:02 +0100 Scientists are divided over the label, with some seeing 'boffin' as deeply offensive and others taking it as a badge of honour. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/brain-flapping/2013/jul/26/boffins-backlash-scientists-dont-like-being-called-that 283306B3-A194-4E44-A0DD-3A3FBBAD114F Fri, 26 Jul 2013 09:41:10 +0100 King’s College London has received a transformative gift from the Dr. Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation to establish the Dr. Mortimer D. Sackler Chair in Translational Neurodevelopment and the Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment. http://www.kcl.ac.uk/iop/news/records/2013/July/Sackler-Institute-and-Chair-for-Translational-Neurodevelopment-at-Kings.aspx 798A90E6-65F3-4648-80E4-B86F4757D8CD Fri, 26 Jul 2013 09:38:31 +0100 How universities can have spin-out success. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76217/ACES-advice-The-secrets-to-making-modern-spin-out-creation-work 1E17A070-48B7-4320-899F-62A35D3A16E2 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 09:36:47 +0100 A total of 287 researchers are in line to receive €400 million in the final round of starting grants awarded under Framework Programme 7 http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76219/More-applicants---and-more-female-applicants---as-latest-ERC-starting-grants-are-announced 68E3B1E5-72F4-4D46-857F-23AC228F1329 Fri, 26 Jul 2013 09:36:09 +0100 A post in Guardian science about today's Wikipedia edit-a-thon. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/occams-corner/2013/jul/25/wikipedia-next-generation-women-scientists 4420EAF3-D58F-4551-9905-BD792274CD58 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 08:15:31 +0100 British biophysicist and x-ray crystallographer helped discover DNA's structure but controversially missed out on Nobel prize, celebrated in a Google doodle. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/jul/25/rosalind-franklin-google-doodle 4D6F3316-8DC3-4ED6-830D-47BBDF958DF5 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 08:14:56 +0100 At an event marking 10 years on from the landmark review by Richard Lambert on business-university collaboration a panel reflected on Lambert’s review, and how the UK had progressed in this area since 2003. http://blogs.royalsociety.org/in-verba/2013/07/24/births-deaths-and-marriages/ B6D2C3C0-FD06-4BDB-B203-89B6FAE9199B Thu, 25 Jul 2013 08:55:50 +0100 Studies refute the existence of very small embryonic-like cells endorsed by the Vatican. http://www.nature.com/news/doubt-cast-over-tiny-stem-cells-1.13435 234E98C8-6409-49C5-95F5-F468416A2065 Thu, 25 Jul 2013 08:29:25 +0100 There is no single solution for balancing the gender gap in science. http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/07/21/women-in-science-changing-the-game-for-women-in-science-it%E2%80%99s-not-a-one-stop-shop/ 31832C97-3FAE-49EE-BFEC-605107940259 Wed, 24 Jul 2013 09:01:35 +0100 Less than five percent of promising basic science discoveries that claim clinical relevance lead to approved drugs within a decade, partly because of flawed pre-clinical animal research http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/plos-par071813.php D7FBEC42-10BB-468A-A4D6-78E22B6D193C Wed, 24 Jul 2013 08:59:59 +0100 Refereeing or reviewing manuscripts for scientific journals is at the heart of science, despite its occasional imperfections. http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/36575/title/Opinion--Reviewing-Reviewers/ C4F285B7-9634-4086-BDBD-C2D18A44543A Wed, 24 Jul 2013 08:55:18 +0100 Dr Ruth McKernan, Senior Vice President at Pfizer and Chief Scientific Officer at Neusentis, delivered the Academy’s 2013 Annual Forum lecture on current challenges for the pharmaceutical industry, and the opportunities for change, focusing in particular on precision medicine. http://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/p101.html CD1DFA49-8AD5-4805-ABF7-976DBE0087A5 Wed, 24 Jul 2013 08:46:52 +0100 Phil Ward questions the wisdom of funders moving increasingly to backing big projects. http://fundermental.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/grands-projets-jaccuse.html CF1486B7-BE50-44CC-A7E4-21B893E9153B Tue, 23 Jul 2013 08:32:17 +0100 Cancer Research UK scientists Sir Walter Bodmer and Dr Duncan Odom have won awards from the Royal Society. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/news/archive/cancernews/2013-07-22-Royal-Society-honours-for-cancer-researchers-Sir-Walter-Bodmer-and-Dr-Duncan-Odom?rss=true B2B6F857-9825-4125-84D0-24DC63E12DA0 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 08:46:08 +0100 Brigid Hogan is the Croonian lecturer for 2014. http://royalsociety.org/news/2013/Andre-Geim-Copley-Medal/ 2A29669F-91ED-46CA-99F5-A91F240BCFCC Tue, 23 Jul 2013 08:33:39 +0100 The Government's new Agricultural Technology Strategy, unveiled today, has been welcomed across BBRSC's strategically funded institutes, in particular those which are associated with the UK research and Innovation campuses, which received a £30M boost today announced alongside the new strategy. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/policy/2013/130722-n-institutes-welcome-investment.aspx 7C31ABEB-9AE5-43FC-881D-D7236E6F7512 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 08:48:37 +0100 The second Assemblathon competition saw 21 teams submit 43 entries based on data from three different unassembled bird, fish, and snake genomes sequenced using three different technologies. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=133131&CultureCode=en 1A237159-6E8B-4574-BF3B-ECC0A41A4974 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 08:52:18 +0100 The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), the central, self-governing research funding organisation in Germany, presented a position paper on the future of the German research system. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=133116&CultureCode=en 22AC3004-F5A9-4CE3-B38A-31A3DEBAF2C1 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 08:53:05 +0100 Five tools to help manage a successful lab. http://blog.labguru.com/5-ways-prinicipal-investigators-motivate-their-team-to-deliver 062F1B60-73C1-438F-889A-92B98A9D9563 Mon, 22 Jul 2013 09:11:28 +0100 As the think tank Demos marks its 20th birthday, James Wilsdon looks back at its contribution to science policy. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/jul/19/science-policy 1AC8AEE2-B0A1-48B1-BDB8-6B8A36CFA0C3 Mon, 22 Jul 2013 09:03:37 +0100 The Imperial College Graduate School Summer Research Symposium saw over 100 research students present their work as part of a poster competition. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_19-7-2013-10-21-6 CE97CDF5-6945-4BDC-B96E-576FA77C9DAD Mon, 22 Jul 2013 08:58:13 +0100 http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Utilities/Documentrecord/index.htm?d=MRC009224 A6549CC6-A0F2-430E-8EC6-53130E5F3558 Thu, 18 Jul 2013 11:56:20 +0100 GSK is planning to pay banker-style bonuses to R&D scientists if compounds that they discovered reach the market. http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnlamattina/2013/07/17/will-payments-to-scientists-for-new-drugs-improve-gsks-rd-productivity/ B004A416-A8CE-467D-8AE7-725B0FB0C634 Fri, 19 Jul 2013 09:24:12 +0100 The Science Council are welcoming nomination to single out our great scientists through the compilation of a list of the 100 Top Scientists. http://societyofbiologyblog.org/more-than-one-way-to-be-a-scientist/ 642F8F41-AB41-4FF5-A748-62A9692DD2D5 Fri, 19 Jul 2013 08:59:32 +0100 Sigma-Aldrich Corporation have announced a partnership with The Scripps Research Institute to fund research and provide immediate, day-of-publication access to TSRI researchers’ discoveries for the synthesis and analysis of potential drugs. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=133074&CultureCode=en 41D76B8D-91E9-43F6-A519-210F24870A6A Fri, 19 Jul 2013 09:15:34 +0100 Cancer Research UK has hired games and software development agency Guerilla Tea to build the charity’s first mobile phone game to pinpoint new genetic causes of cancer, accelerating potential new cures. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/news/archive/pressrelease/2013-07-20-guerillatea-citizenscience-mobilegame?rss=true 4113A53A-FF52-4218-9258-BC265CA361F7 Fri, 19 Jul 2013 09:07:23 +0100 A new analysis by the American Institute of Physics (AIP) Statistical Research Center finds that the existence of all-male departments is not necessarily evidence of a hiring bias. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/aiop-apd071813.php 508CBD26-8268-4942-A669-1103FB76F0B5 Fri, 19 Jul 2013 09:17:13 +0100 Looking at the adverbs that scientists use most often. http://nsaunders.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/interestingly-the-sentence-adverbs-of-pubmed-central/ 1013C99C-EED9-4F10-8A8D-C6A0637C6C98 Fri, 19 Jul 2013 09:28:25 +0100 The French National Assembly has approved a new law that aims to ease regulation of research involving human embryos and embryonic stem cells. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/07/new-law-in-france-loosens-restri.html A0443B11-5B65-418E-A598-FCE30176609D Fri, 19 Jul 2013 09:05:46 +0100 The U.K. government has decided to keep the country's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) as an independent body overseeing assisted reproduction and embryo research. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/07/uk-wont-eliminate-embryo-researc.html?rss=1 610696E2-DA96-4BF4-BF14-7F646EEEB1B7 Fri, 19 Jul 2013 09:03:29 +0100 Spain's flagship research agency is in deep trouble. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/341/6143/225.full 665C34DA-13DD-42C6-A9E7-9573B1C587D0 Fri, 19 Jul 2013 08:52:12 +0100 MRC Open Council is an annual event where stakeholders can meet and put questions to the members of Council and Management Board. The most recent Open Council took place on 10 July at RCOG. http://www.mrc.ac.uk/About/Structure/Council/OM12/index.htm 12C99996-0EE9-41BB-8474-79EDEF16CED3 Thu, 18 Jul 2013 08:51:16 +0100 At the MRC’s Open Council meeting much discussion focused on how the changing environment for the pharmaceutical industry means we need new models for drug discovery, and much closer working between academic and industry researchers. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/07/17/understanding-industry/ DAD78D92-C994-4E56-AB4D-8FE46E46625B Thu, 18 Jul 2013 08:52:10 +0100 Science in the 1970s and 1980s was strident, funny and up for a fight, sometimes with itself. Have we lost its vision? http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/jul/18/beneath-white-coat-radical-science-movement E9786234-9E5D-4FAF-875F-19D310765333 Thu, 18 Jul 2013 08:45:01 +0100 Horizon 2020 looks set to start on time in January 2014. Science|Business poses Frequently Asked Questions about this new R&D programme. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76212/Any-questions-A-guide-to-Horizon-2020 8B6AA2C1-3695-4FF4-B98D-C79374DB6479 Thu, 18 Jul 2013 08:40:53 +0100 The UK government’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is to lead a revision of the country’s model agreement for university-industry collaboration, following evidence that it is too restrictive and does not support open innovation. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76213/UK-plans-to-revise-model-agreement-for-university-industry-collaborations DAB31171-A750-43D4-83C8-0DABD621E343 Thu, 18 Jul 2013 08:39:26 +0100 An evaluation exercise has ranked Italy's universities and research institutes according to the quality of their scientific output. http://www.nature.com/news/italian-universities-get-report-cards-1.13407 4E71BFD4-4430-4531-90C5-955DEBCCE316 Thu, 18 Jul 2013 08:37:11 +0100 The controversy over an unproven stem-cell therapy in Italy highlights the dangers of doing translational medicine in reverse, argues Paolo Bianco. http://www.nature.com/news/don-t-market-stem-cell-products-ahead-of-proof-1.13389 C11A75D3-57D2-4DA8-A6DB-BA73F82BA5F5 Thu, 18 Jul 2013 08:28:46 +0100 The United States and Europe are both planning billion-dollar investments to understand how the brain works. http://www.nature.com/news/neuroscience-solving-the-brain-1.13382 173FB7DC-E0AF-463D-88F5-1104A79C7FF8 Thu, 18 Jul 2013 08:27:23 +0100 A new collaboration between the Royal Society and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) will support early career Royal Society research fellows who are working within EPSRC’s priority areas. http://royalsociety.org/news/2013/EPSRC-fellowships-partnership/ 197EFC69-5903-4604-9359-041B394EDC28 Thu, 18 Jul 2013 08:26:10 +0100 It is vital for scientists to speak out to inform debate with the facts, so as to avoid misrepresentation and confusion. http://societyofbiologyblog.org/stand-up-for-science/ 32B2566C-1CD4-4F92-A62E-A68594C18DA2 Thu, 18 Jul 2013 08:35:44 +0100 The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) has approved the establishment of three new Research Units, on Biomolecules under Pressure, Energy Conversion and Oxide Surfaces. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=132999&CultureCode=en F69CDA41-418B-4996-A5A6-9FEDF7CA3FD1 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 09:24:44 +0100 Professor Peter Weinberg talks about some exciting developments in the Department of Bioengineering, where he serves as Director of Research. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_16-7-2013-16-18-25 9BF47592-738A-421F-83A0-225EF1523CB5 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 09:12:50 +0100 Many animal studies of neurological disease appear to overstate the significance of their results. http://www.nature.com/news/animal-studies-produce-many-false-positives-1.13385 3307F851-FDE0-4208-A45E-3B03C9AC3BD0 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 09:09:44 +0100 The Home Office have published their annual statistics on the use of animals in scientific research. https://www.societyofbiology.org/news/14-news/556-home-office-statistics-on-animals-in-research F0DB23E8-AE24-42C7-8C48-0CBF75A5A808 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 09:03:18 +0100 Last week, scientist Laura Waters wrote a Guardian piece explaining "why I'm an equalist and not a feminist." Molecular biologist and feminist Andrew Holding responds. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-lay-scientist/2013/jul/16/feminism?CMP=twt_gu 3BBC61DE-9C65-4679-8246-E0264F4E2D31 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 09:01:16 +0100 Wendy Barclay writes about H5N1 and biosecurity. http://societyofbiologyblog.org/the-h5n1-influenza-controversy-information-is-power-sharing-information-is-powerful/ 27878B2C-8406-4841-9CC7-3C77819FD1E9 Tue, 16 Jul 2013 08:36:16 +0100 There is a growing focus on the need to make scientific output accessible to a greater number of people, especially in the field of clinical research. http://www.trialsjournal.com/content/14/1/215/abstract 93FC6EDF-F752-49A1-9C7F-92CFACEAC1FD Tue, 16 Jul 2013 09:05:15 +0100 A report has been published which presents evidence to show how public investment in science and research levers additional funding from industry, charities and overseas sources. http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/media/news/2013news/Pages/130715.aspx?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter E526AA1A-9369-48CC-A9FB-2E6684A2A550 Tue, 16 Jul 2013 09:04:11 +0100 Laura Waters is fully devoted to promoting science to women as a great career choice and believes that we need more women at all levels in science, because she is an 'equalist', not a feminist. http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/blog/2013/jul/12/scientist-equalist-not-feminist 96C57D54-3CE3-412C-932F-8B55EB2AEBCA Tue, 16 Jul 2013 08:37:18 +0100 Tim Wilson says that in 10 years the culture in many of our universities has changed from one where university-business collaboration was accepted as a legitimate activity, to one where it is expected to secure credibility. http://blogs.royalsociety.org/in-verba/2013/07/15/2003-lambert-review-a-real-game-changer/ F4069B43-2EEA-4504-BBD7-D8AD7BDF6DE2 Tue, 16 Jul 2013 08:47:32 +0100 From September, the London Borough of Camden will be the first local authority in England to introduce computer programming clubs in all of its 41 maintained primary schools, with help from volunteers from UCL and Google. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0713/130711-UCL-volunteers-help-Camden-introduce-programming-clubs-in-all-primary-schools A39BE073-8834-4AE5-B7F2-1D601B34C250 Tue, 16 Jul 2013 08:52:10 +0100 Innovator of the Year 2014, a prestigious competition from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), is now underway to recognise and reward innovation from BBSRC-funded scientists to deliver real-world impacts. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/people-skills-training/2013/130711-pr-competition-to-recognise-scientists.aspx 950825D5-691A-436D-800B-C74923E0A67B Mon, 15 Jul 2013 09:49:52 +0100 Will the emerging science of designing and engineering new forms of life receive the same hostile reception as genetically modified food and crops? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23274175 932C8F15-8D9F-48DE-A3FA-94FD6728C965 Mon, 15 Jul 2013 09:48:45 +0100 A report by the Academy of Medical Sciences makes recommendations to address barriers to the widespread development and adoption of stratified medicine in the UK, in areas such as clinical development, regulation, and pricing and reimbursement. http://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/index.php?pid=118&pressid=113 D40858BE-2298-4D1F-B6E7-15CF3A75263B Mon, 15 Jul 2013 09:35:00 +0100 Researchers have sequenced DNA from microbes in water and sediment samples. http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/07/how-many-microbes-are-hiding-amo.html?rss=1 40DD0836-83A9-4C82-AD7D-48A7F3FBF6C9 Mon, 15 Jul 2013 09:40:08 +0100 A summary of recent posts in the Political Science blog about the so-called precautionary principle. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/jul/12/precautionary-principle-science-policy 0554FCB1-043F-4D80-A118-DD32ABAF697E Mon, 15 Jul 2013 09:53:44 +0100 Perspective article in Science magazine teases apart the recent US Supreme court decision on gene patents. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/341/6142/137.full 8A0246BA-E7F8-4727-8789-F1AB83B6CBB4 Mon, 15 Jul 2013 09:28:15 +0100 In advance of final agreement on the €70B Horizon 2020 R&D programme, the Commission announced 5 public/private partnerships will get €6.5B, pulling in a further €9.9B from industry. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76203/Commission-unveils-plans-for-%E2%82%AC9B-of-Horizon-2020-budget 5B044C00-457C-4F38-B906-12FDB4C01909 Mon, 15 Jul 2013 09:22:49 +0100 Report of a recent panel discussion. http://blogs.royalsociety.org/in-verba/2013/07/12/full-steam-ahead-all-a-board-for-more-art-in-science/ FCC10286-8738-43B6-AA7E-AE7882998946 Mon, 15 Jul 2013 09:44:42 +0100 Personalised medicine, unmet medical need and faster translation of basic research will be the focus of the second stage of the Innovative Medicines Initiative. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76206/Right-treatment-to-the-right-patient-at-the-right-time-%E2%80%93-the-EU-unveils-%E2%82%AC3.4B-drug-discovery-collaboration 98E879A3-2318-4907-8F13-26752F87BEC4 Thu, 11 Jul 2013 16:51:37 +0100 The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) has now officially launched its 9h Call for proposals.There are four topics which will be of interest to experts working in areas as diverse as medical research, drug development, medicines safety, public health, pharmacovigilance, economics, business models, and more. http://www.imi.europa.eu/content/stage-1-7 8BFE67EB-7998-4642-ABD5-EA82E3F7A684 Thu, 11 Jul 2013 16:52:03 +0100 The Science and Technology Committee has received a response from the Government to the ‘Bridging the valley of death: improving the commercialisation of research’ Report produced by the Committee on 13 March 2013. http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/science-and-technology-committee/news/130708-vod-gvt-response-to-be-published/ A960DF53-5334-41E7-AC77-107FC26E73E6 Thu, 11 Jul 2013 13:23:24 +0100 Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts has announced nearly £1M funding for the UK arm of an international consortium attempting to build a synthetic version of the yeast genome by 2017. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/research-technologies/2013/130711-pr-funding-to-build-worldfirst-synthetic-yeast.aspx 8DBC2AAE-3B8B-4648-B08F-4709A07A1205 Thu, 11 Jul 2013 12:06:41 +0100 A £24 million cash injection for the SynbiCITE Centre at Imperial College will help it provide a bridge between academia and industry to speed up the development of new technologies in synthetic biology. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_10-7-2013-12-14-56 1FC2489A-608B-4ECF-98DB-DD192134DCDD Thu, 11 Jul 2013 12:03:50 +0100 NAO memorandum, prepared for the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, provides an overview of Research and Development (R&D) spending in the UK since 1995, details the flow of funding from public and private sources, and compares R&D spending in the UK with spending in other countries. http://www.nao.org.uk/report/nao-memorandum-research-and-development-in-the/ F12C736F-38CE-4BC1-BE84-7C2A31B11AD4 Thu, 11 Jul 2013 08:33:56 +0100 In a recent Guardian feature, three researchers of three different "generations" gave their views about what it means to be a scientist and a feminist. http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/blog/2013/jul/10/feminist-scientist-three-generations-three-views 8D50E687-349F-43F6-A282-C25EEFCE39F7 Thu, 11 Jul 2013 08:49:29 +0100 The UK was ranked third in the 2013 Global Innovation Index http://blogs.royalsociety.org/in-verba/2013/07/10/in-the-premier-league/ 66EDA740-6249-4C1A-B9C0-2A5407EE62F5 Thu, 11 Jul 2013 08:46:57 +0100 Learn how to make getting away and returning from vacation smooth and stress-free. http://lp.labguru.com/laboratory-vacation-preparation-guide-checklist?utm_campaign=vacation-july-2013&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=700544 032C90B8-C456-4BF1-AABB-12DF59C0A7A6 Thu, 11 Jul 2013 08:59:59 +0100 Meeting up in person is still the best way to make contacts and ease career moves. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v499/n7457/full/nj7457-243a.html 00313654-2149-46C4-9A00-032F97434010 Thu, 11 Jul 2013 08:42:51 +0100 Nature profiles Fiona Fox of the Science Media Centre http://www.nature.com/news/science-media-centre-of-attention-1.13362 B338749E-EEC0-4937-970B-6614124ED936 Thu, 11 Jul 2013 08:39:00 +0100 A new guide developed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) will help physicians appropriately and accurately use laboratory tests for the diagnosis of infectious diseases. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/idso-ltk070913.php 111D6B80-9BCE-4E37-9EB0-9DCD9D359373 Thu, 11 Jul 2013 08:55:02 +0100 Japanese researchers fear that reforms will bring cuts to basic science. http://www.nature.com/news/outcry-over-plans-for-japanese-nih-1.13353 82BC74A4-7472-4C20-989C-2B60805DFBA2 Thu, 11 Jul 2013 08:41:10 +0100 More than 800 journalists, science communicators and scientists from 77 countries, met in Helsinki for the biennial World Conference of Science Journalists. http://www.nature.com/news/headline-message-1.13348 FE69B5D0-13A9-4E25-BA67-436603490E47 Thu, 11 Jul 2013 08:39:46 +0100 The leaders of three top international organisations in Geneva last week discussed synergies in public health and called for increased collaboration and creativity to move medical innovation out of its quagmire of inefficiency. http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/07/08/who-wto-wipo-heads-call-for-more-medical-innovation/ C5FF6045-06C4-4916-BF65-514F77D536EA Wed, 10 Jul 2013 09:05:04 +0100 Two Germans, who made their way to Singapore, talk about their experience. http://www.labtimes.org/editorial/e_429.lasso 1712D136-25DC-45E6-A3C6-356E932DA760 Wed, 10 Jul 2013 09:00:13 +0100 Mitochondrial-replacement procedures would constitute germline modification. If UK grants a regulatory go-ahead, it would unilaterally cross a legal and ethical line on this issue, says Marcy Darnovsky. http://www.nature.com/news/a-slippery-slope-to-human-germline-modification-1.13358 077F559F-8435-4ADC-AAF8-08DB4A828406 Wed, 10 Jul 2013 08:51:52 +0100 With highly rated academic institutions in Imperial College and University College London, teaching hospitals and big investments in new science facilities, the capital’s position as a hub for medical and technological research is in the ascendant. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9781e5ae-e6e1-11e2-aa48-00144feabdc0.html 54759589-F2A5-4D5E-91CA-F236EE12A8DC Tue, 9 Jul 2013 09:19:52 +0100 MRC Open Week (20-29 June 2013) was an opportunity for scientists to open their lab doors or get out into the community to share their science with the public. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/07/05/mrc-centenary-open-week/ 1D234B37-38F0-426F-9F2D-C8B3BCD45A18 Tue, 9 Jul 2013 09:14:51 +0100 Jeremy Hunt will launch Genomics England, a state-owned entity led by Sir John Chisholm, a former chair of the medical research council who made millions from the sell-off of the government defence firm QinetiQ. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/jul/05/health-jeremy-hunt 0DB8375B-14E0-4A5C-8C11-3CBCBED0AD7D Tue, 9 Jul 2013 09:08:50 +0100 NIH is seeing a big increase in compliance with its open access mandate since it announced a crackdown. http://blogs.nature.com/news/2013/07/nih-sees-surge-in-open-access-manuscripts.html 6BFC419E-6073-4BD2-A6C0-E03DB5A53B8A Tue, 9 Jul 2013 09:05:48 +0100 Ultrafast lasers developed for biological imaging by a team in Glasgow is one of the five transformative physics-based products receiving an Institute of Physics (IOP) Innovation Award. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=132755&CultureCode=en 985FC214-9AE7-48ED-91E2-F42B543B4CE4 Tue, 9 Jul 2013 09:15:59 +0100 Biohackers have developed a DIYbio Draft Code of Ethics. Is this enough? http://societyofbiologyblog.org/codes-of-conduct-in-the-amateur-biology-community/ 0DE93A85-1047-413B-B6CD-6BFA4DE308A8 Tue, 9 Jul 2013 09:01:20 +0100 Researchers are using news websites, blogs, and social media to track the spread of infectious diseases. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/ps-idr070113.php 2AD3F080-BBF5-4002-8D41-9097527C4B31 Tue, 9 Jul 2013 09:07:17 +0100 It was ferret flu and The Field magazine that helped MRC scientists discover the influenza virus, after eleven years of dedicated research. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-h-word/2013/jul/08/influenza-virus-discovery-mrc-nimr 73A4A89D-C932-4B90-8A12-9AEB9A437BDE Mon, 8 Jul 2013 11:55:12 +0100 http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/07/08/ferrets-fever-and-flu/ D118DF6B-D656-441E-9554-6831CE8B2523 Mon, 8 Jul 2013 11:54:32 +0100 It is 80 years since the influenza virus was first isolated, by scientists at NIMR. The research was published in The Lancet on 8 July 1933. http://www.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/news/the-flu-virus-an-anniversary/ 0DC27A74-E028-4912-993E-0EF7B8BEEAC4 Mon, 8 Jul 2013 11:53:50 +0100 Paul Nurse, Richard Treisman, Jim Smith ask What is the best way to promote innovative research? http://www.sciencemag.org/content/341/6141/10.full 5ADA919B-5F8B-40A1-A762-804E50CE9078 Fri, 5 Jul 2013 08:50:54 +0100 Anthony Lewis, from the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, discusses the importance of aesthetics to scientific research. http://societyofbiologyblog.org/looking-good-the-value-of-beauty-in-science/ B29BDED9-F3BC-4B7F-A69C-A807A10A0E3A Fri, 5 Jul 2013 09:04:21 +0100 A new analysis suggests that the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) does not yet have pandemic potential. The authors recommend enhanced surveillance, active contact tracing, and vigorous searches for the MERS-CoV animal hosts and transmission routes to human beings. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673613614920 42270E04-C37F-448E-9706-6676CC3D6E4B Fri, 5 Jul 2013 09:00:11 +0100 Poll from Science magazine asks what one change would most improve work-life balance for scientists? http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NextGen8hp 645CAF4F-29AD-4EA5-8532-CAE32EFCD869 Fri, 5 Jul 2013 08:49:48 +0100 Eve Marder is the recipient of the 2013 Neuroscience Prize of The Gruber Foundation. Marder is being honored for her pioneering contributions to the understanding of neural circuits, http://gruber.yale.edu/prize/2013-gruber-neuroscience-prize CD8598DB-CBF2-4C88-A45F-F5BB650DAEED Thu, 4 Jul 2013 09:05:58 +0100 Andre Brown, a researcher at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, needs your help with watching thousands of hours of videos of nematode worms. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/07/03/watching-worms/ 0F70E3E2-D972-4DFA-A7E4-619A84ED236A Thu, 4 Jul 2013 09:00:52 +0100 King’s College London has outlined its intention to open an innovative venue for science and art collaboration in London Bridge following two capital funding awards totalling £7 million. http://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2013/07-July/Science-Gallery-at-Kings-College-London.aspx EB98CE75-7EC5-4725-9D07-A23231A2D3C4 Thu, 4 Jul 2013 08:53:16 +0100 A synthetic biology company has deposited sequences of some proteins it developed into an open repository. http://www.nature.com/news/bioengineers-look-beyond-patents-1.13320 58798C8A-DB04-4026-9BA3-03ADEF51705C Thu, 4 Jul 2013 08:45:32 +0100 Too many data-management projects fail because they ignore the changing nature of life-sciences data, argues John Boyle. http://www.nature.com/news/biology-must-develop-its-own-big-data-systems-1.13299 187D9D53-D431-4878-BEF5-83A35CBA7C60 Thu, 4 Jul 2013 08:44:13 +0100 Nature editorial argues that the Russian Academy of Sciences needs consultation and more time to sort out its problems. http://www.nature.com/news/russian-roulette-1.13315 BFF05FB6-E063-42F0-B34C-F4C46927A1FA Thu, 4 Jul 2013 08:41:23 +0100 The Minister for Science and Universities, Rt Hon David Willetts, has announced that the Medical Research Council (MRC) will invest £20m capital funding in the establishment of a UK health informatics research institute, to be known as the Farr Institute. http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Newspublications/News/MRC009207 E83D22AE-52C1-49C9-BF51-C6CCA4175C79 Wed, 3 Jul 2013 12:58:17 +0100 Paul Nurse says issues such as GM food and fracking are too important to debate without full knowledge of the scientific facts http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/30/science-hard-evidence-rhetoric 8219A0B6-AE81-48CA-B0E7-EC9494FD5169 Wed, 3 Jul 2013 12:56:03 +0100 Huawei and Imperial have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to consider the development of a research and innovation centre. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_2-7-2013-12-58-6 B44CB1E5-9034-44BA-BAF6-1965C0402600 Wed, 3 Jul 2013 12:51:40 +0100 Scientists raise serious concerns about a patent that forms the basis of a controversial stem-cell therapy. http://www.nature.com/news/italian-stem-cell-trial-based-on-flawed-data-1.13329 9DE84A6E-E6B9-4F8D-AF54-CAB26F1E4285 Wed, 3 Jul 2013 12:47:51 +0100 Applications are now open for the Wellcome Trust and National Institutes of Health Four-year PhD Studentships. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2013/News/WTP053045.htm CE604D2E-4D5E-46CB-859E-9B4E253174AA Wed, 3 Jul 2013 12:46:22 +0100 The Academy releases their annual report and financial statements for 2012/2013. http://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/p155.html DD8AF0BB-66C3-4607-BD72-284C344EF925 Wed, 3 Jul 2013 12:44:55 +0100 EUrelations newsletter 06/2013: IMI and SNF are publishing new Calls http://www.eurelations.com/en/?option=com_acymailing&ctrl=archive&task=view&mailid=30&key=bb736fda56c5ab21de95d0218623ff3f&subid=863-996daca5b69de3b78ceec121aa8fbd10&Itemid=48 9E94F5DD-BA2A-48EF-BFC5-3A1B02D76A39 Wed, 3 Jul 2013 12:42:45 +0100 Dr Jan-Michael Peters (50) has been appointed Scientific Director of the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna, effective 1 July 2013. http://www.imp.ac.at/news/press-releases/press-release/press-release-new-scientific-directorate-at-the-research-institute-of-molecular-pathology-in-vienna/ 2A082516-9321-4710-848D-FAB70A6532AB Tue, 2 Jul 2013 09:06:52 +0100 Specially commissioned portrait sketches of female scientists are the centrepiece of a new exhibition, Scientists, which opens on Monday at the Royal Society in London as part of its Summer Science Exhibition. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/gallery/2013/jul/01/scientists-royal-society-women-science-pictures AE775D66-4610-4282-A3C3-88A1FB6AE3EB Tue, 2 Jul 2013 09:01:45 +0100 The House of Lords' Select Committee’s on Science & Technology report, Regenerative Medicine, delivers a stark warning that whilst the NHS makes the UK a potentially attractive place for international investment in regenerative medicine, problems in our regulatory arrangements and a lack of co-ordinated leadership on the issue is holding back the chance to deliver improvements to the quality of people’s lives and generate significant economic benefits for the UK. http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select/science-and-technology-committee/news/regen-med-report-published/ C3C775E9-D040-4C41-B1A9-7D86C8CE2099 Mon, 1 Jul 2013 09:01:04 +0100 The Council of King’s College London has announced that they have made a recommendation to the Office of the Prime Minister, that Professor Edward Byrne should be appointed as the incoming Principal and President from September 2014. http://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2013/06-June/Kings-College-London-appoints-Professor-Edward-Byrne-as-new-Principal.aspx 976E564E-B4AD-456D-81AB-8410CC0B2458 Mon, 1 Jul 2013 08:55:00 +0100 Scientists and research institutes are challenging the idea that uncertainty in research is a reason for people to worry about the reliability of findings. http://www.senseaboutscience.org/news.php/331/making-sense-of-uncertainty-guide-is-launched 4CA923C8-B309-4D7F-9B70-80615BC31A46 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 09:22:50 +0100 Prize-mania is infiltrating science and technology policy and drowning out more important innovation debates. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/jun/27/scienceprizes-science-policy 18D84360-33BA-4F4A-AA15-640152523583 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 09:15:39 +0100 The Wellcome Trust has announced that Dame Kay Davies has been appointed as its Deputy Chairman. Dame Kay, who has been a Governor of the Trust since January 2008, will take up the role on 1 October 2013, taking over from Peter Rigby. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2013/WTP053040.htm 75627BF4-D59E-404C-9BCC-6C1379106E8F Fri, 28 Jun 2013 09:08:35 +0100 Crowdfunding is an alternative platform for scientists to gain financial backing to transform their ideas into a reality. http://societyofbiologyblog.org/is-crowdfunding-a-conundrum/ EFB8C01B-DC79-46BD-8383-87F054326B0B Fri, 28 Jun 2013 09:04:06 +0100 Innovative IVF-based techniques could be made available to patients to help prevent serious mitochondrial disease in the UK, Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies has announced. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/innovative-genetic-treatment-to-prevent-mitochondrial-disease D78EB42D-270A-4BEA-A104-07C6B6876E66 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 08:55:27 +0100 Uncorrected transcript of oral evidence from the Public Accounts Committee inquiry into Clinical trials of Tamiflu. Evidence taken on Monday 17 June 2013 from: Dr Ben Goldacre, Dr Fiona Godlee, Una O’Brien, Sir Andrew Dillon, Professor Sir Kent Woods and Professor Dame Sally Davies. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmpubacc/uc295-i/uc29501.htm 148A17C4-6505-4D04-95DC-A64C5D1F21C3 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 08:43:07 +0100 Working under the umbrella of the Cochrane Collaboration, a global network of scientists reviewing medical evidence, the group says it's not clear that Tamiflu (also known as oseltamivir) can prevent complications from influenza or keep people out of the hospital. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6140/1508.full 60E2EB2C-FF3D-40AA-82E6-B553D4609328 Fri, 28 Jun 2013 08:57:48 +0100 CaSE has produced a briefing paper on the 2013 Spending Review. http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=12743 4BD3521D-957A-478E-BB88-A206355C35E4 Thu, 27 Jun 2013 09:07:24 +0100 A panel of science and innovation policy experts digest the details of George Osborne's spending review. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/jun/26/spending-review-2013-science-innovation E23E5E10-2173-42C8-AE09-133DA8526253 Thu, 27 Jun 2013 09:11:28 +0100 The UK’s budget for science will remain in the deep freeze, the chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne revealed. http://www.nature.com/news/uk-science-budget-stays-frozen-1.13280 E3B6628E-EE0A-458A-9DA8-1C721070B04E Thu, 27 Jun 2013 09:03:37 +0100 UCL has announced the appointment of Professor John O'Keefe as Inaugural Director of the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, a new Research Centre in Neural Circuits and Behaviour at UCL. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0613/26062013-Director-appointed-to-Sainsbury-Wellcome-Centre 69B5F03D-90AA-4861-8555-15C34743156D Thu, 27 Jun 2013 09:08:10 +0100 In 2014 the United Kingdom Science Park Association (UKSPA) celebrates the 30th anniversary of its formation. http://www.scienceomega.com/article/1094/a-new-dawn-for-uk-science-parks E7B9751E-3317-45E9-9545-3E516D3850E4 Thu, 27 Jun 2013 09:02:20 +0100 In 1962, Leonard Hayflick created a cell strain from an aborted fetus. More than 50 years later, WI-38 remains a crucial, but controversial, source of cells. http://www.nature.com/news/a-culture-of-consent-1.13262 CDCECD69-86F1-4E56-A4C1-22BA95CEF586 Thu, 27 Jun 2013 08:54:04 +0100 A last-minute deal on the Horizon 2020 Programme has been reached by the Irish presidency of the European Union (EU) and members of the European Parliament. http://www.nature.com/news/horizon-2020-deal-reached-in-brussels-1.13279 503592AD-4505-4A19-99DF-0F0D55E30069 Thu, 27 Jun 2013 08:46:38 +0100 https://twitter.com/markgfh/status/349861418692120576 479E223C-2545-4BA1-8170-5EE3A29DCD32 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 13:59:32 +0100 Chancellor George Osborne says he intends to keep the country's R&D budget at its current level through to the next election. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23065763 E35D4837-068B-4C52-80D1-2D457FD3B758 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 13:52:28 +0100 Protection for science and research spending will be maintained in 2015-16 while the capital budget will be increased to £1.1 billion, the chancellor George Osborne announced today. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/science-capital-boosted-as-bis-gets-6-per-cent-in-cuts/2005174.article 4C99C247-940A-4A1B-906C-1781DBC023B0 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 13:54:29 +0100 The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee has agreed to hold an inquiry into women in academic STEM careers and seeks written submissions. http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/science-and-technology-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/women-in-stem-careers/ 41434E1C-87C7-4EEE-B160-D48D3791F2CF Wed, 26 Jun 2013 08:32:52 +0100 Medical Research Council (MRC) has awarded the PPU in Dundee approximately £24million core funding over the next five years to enable its researchers to undertake their investigations into the role that phosphorylation and ubiquitylation plays in regulating biology and how disruptions in these processes are linked to disease. http://www.ppu.mrc.ac.uk/news_and_seminars/mrc_unit_news.php 3C0D8AC2-703D-4F68-A0D0-A95EDC7FBB00 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 09:18:15 +0100 The Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine 2013 is awarded in equal shares to Jeffrey C Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W Young for their discovery of molecular mechanisms underlying circadian rhythms. http://www.shawprize.org/en/shaw.php?tmp=3&twoid=94&threeid=219&fourid=369 393B4841-8899-4DFF-ABFF-241AA01868FE Wed, 26 Jun 2013 09:12:43 +0100 David Julius, from University of California, San Francisco is the winner of the 2013 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research. He was chosen for his discovery of the molecular mechanism that controls thermosensation (sensory perception of temperature) and elucidation of the role this mechanism plays in the sensation of acute and inflammatory pain. http://www.pauljanssenaward.com/winners.html#thirteen E7ABD8B1-2301-41B5-A7D4-13CDB405FF9F Wed, 26 Jun 2013 09:09:17 +0100 Turkish scientists have founded an independent academy called Bilim Akademisi, in English, The Science Academy. One of the founders of the new academy, astrophysicist Mehmet Ali Alpar, spoke with ScienceInsider. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/06/leader-of-turkeys-new-science-ac.html?rss=1 035EFD02-1D47-4CD3-9927-AF4377C6D0B3 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 08:51:33 +0100 New issue of the European Research Council's Ideas Newsletter. http://erc.europa.eu/publication/erc-newsletter-issue-22013-june C83D9BE4-1D8B-41A6-98D4-D1F80BB5E19A Wed, 26 Jun 2013 09:07:07 +0100 Anjana Nityanandam shares her inner thoughts, experiences and feelings that come with being a postdoc. http://www.labtimes.org/editorial/e_426.lasso 4B135B34-BC22-4E07-8307-8FCD53ABE621 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 09:04:03 +0100 The National Institutes of Health (NIH) needs to take a stronger leadership role in managing a 7-year-old program designed to translate basic research into clinical therapies, according to a report from the U.S. National Academies' Institute of Medicine (IOM). http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/06/translational-centers-need-more-.html?rss=1 C052CD08-0ECC-407F-B948-2478BC0E96FD Wed, 26 Jun 2013 08:50:32 +0100 The second part of a blog post signposting some of the various current initiatives aimed at increasing the diversity of people studying and working in STEM, focusing on more initiatives to tackling gender inequality in STEM. http://societyofbiologyblog.org/links-day-gender-equality/ 004BFE93-6C3E-422A-9805-BE1210F04C35 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 08:48:26 +0100 CaSE remains concerned about the UK’s slide down the rankings of global science economies. It urges the Chancellor to manifest his commitment as a significant real terms increase in the science budget and not to satisfy himself with ‘protecting’ the science budget with a continued freeze. http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=12714 4AB1D4DC-BB3C-4C3B-A2BE-0E372B808F94 Tue, 25 Jun 2013 08:47:19 +0100 Parliamentary Links Day will bring together policy makers and representatives from the STEM community for talks and discussions about ‘science and diversity’. http://societyofbiologyblog.org/links-day-diversity-in-science/ 69002F52-398B-4190-B7CD-2AD943871C98 Tue, 25 Jun 2013 08:46:09 +0100 ERC takes the issue of gender very seriously and it worries about the statistics surrounding the success rates for women in the various rounds of awards. http://occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald/2013/06/21/gender-issues-in-european-academic-science/ 1EDE0686-2C31-4566-A720-34F64DA3094B Tue, 25 Jun 2013 08:33:23 +0100 The Medical Research Council has been ranked the fourth-highest UK research institution in the global Nature Publishing Index 2012. http://www.researchresearch.com/index.php?option=com_news&template=rr_2col&view=article&articleId=1336383 D9EDD053-ED51-4A5D-AC69-FD26C976EE84 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 09:07:11 +0100 Insight, the MRC blog, has been blogging about the MRC, its research and researchers for the past year. Now they want to know what you, the readers, want from the blog in the future. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/06/21/what-do-you-want-from-the-mrc-blog/ 3A75DDE8-9D3E-4D43-B9C9-6EA1D969A911 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 09:01:10 +0100 Female scientists are twice as likely as their male counterparts to turn down an invitation to talk in slots reserved for presenting original and important work. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/06/study-finds-women-biologists-mor.html?rss=1 FAA2F785-2D0C-4CB9-98E5-DEA416DCBE1E Mon, 24 Jun 2013 08:54:47 +0100 2014 winners of the Colworth Medal and other prizes from the Biochemical Society. http://www.biochemist.org/bio/03503/0035/035030035.pdf 6CEC34AA-4BA8-48F0-9A1B-08B3CC3BB5E9 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 08:53:03 +0100 Ministers urged to launch nationwide careers service and work with schools to encourage girls to study science A-levels http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/jun/21/national-push-women-sciences 096084CB-3C94-45D4-86C1-EFD0EF09BB8F Fri, 21 Jun 2013 09:03:21 +0100 Europe needs a better framework for translating biological research into new drugs and treatments. It’s essential to collaborate and share best practice said experts at a workshop on advancing translational medicine at the Medical University of Warsaw. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76169/Call-to-create-stronger-mechanisms-and-structures-for-translational-medicine 615A7019-C4EE-4FAF-AEE0-8805E1A5F89A Fri, 21 Jun 2013 09:01:01 +0100 Richard Grant writes about leakage from academic careers to other careers in science. http://occamstypewriter.org/rpg/2013/06/19/on-leakage/ E84B49BD-422E-4E8F-BB04-DA50AEAD8C7B Fri, 21 Jun 2013 08:53:55 +0100 A blogger writes about her experience of leaving a science career. http://beangirls.blogspot.ca/2013/06/on-leaving-science-stories-we-tell.html 75C2356E-ACC6-4EE0-9A71-ADE2FF818A86 Fri, 21 Jun 2013 08:55:15 +0100 Over half of people in the UK (51 per cent) don’t know their taxes fund medical research in the UK, according to a YouGov survey by the Medical Research Council (MRC). http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Newspublications/News/MRC009190 EA3BB922-19C2-4419-95AA-DF5F5D73F9CC Fri, 21 Jun 2013 08:51:24 +0100 Support from the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation will help a centre at Imperial in its mission to spark school students' interest in science. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_19-6-2013-14-49-57 C2E5F431-655F-458A-8028-2CAC26148F84 Fri, 21 Jun 2013 08:50:11 +0100 A national agency that oversees data privacy in Iceland has rejected a request from deCODE to allow it to apply computational methods to the country's genealogical records to estimate the genotypes of 280,000 Icelanders who have never agreed to take part in the company's research and link the data to hospital records. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6139/1388.full 92C16FC1-74A7-47BF-BC2C-28C96DBA4C70 Fri, 21 Jun 2013 08:47:34 +0100 Government funding has powered U.S. research universities to global preeminence. With that support now shaky, can philanthropy help them maintain their lead? http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6139/1394.full D08BFA21-56FE-4008-8608-A6ACE16276F8 Fri, 21 Jun 2013 08:43:28 +0100 A passion for science will bring job offers when you are in the position to solicit them. But to just follow blindly a path that you love without any serious analysis of the job market and research about your options can be a shortcut to disaster. http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2013_06_21/caredit.a1300128 0D5BDC58-6EF5-4B87-9E0E-BD6C3D2A24F4 Fri, 21 Jun 2013 08:45:12 +0100 Times Higher article says that the MRC's impressive medical record captures the public heart and state wallet. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/mrc-100-years-of-gratitude/2004881.article CC470348-1814-4B15-8786-E9C10766BBF8 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:16:13 +0100 Women are underrepresented at the top of highly-competitive professions because they cannot reconcile the amount of time needed for such careers with the time they want to spend raising children. http://incubator.rockefeller.edu/?p=1256 F3339148-BF60-4DA6-998E-36D1B3105ACE Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:40:41 +0100 Staff at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology welcomed the announcement that AstraZeneca would be their new neighbours on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. http://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/mrc-laboratory-of-molecular-biology-welcomes-astra-zeneca-to-cambridge-biomedical-campus/ EABCC409-54FE-48F1-BE36-97491A852D23 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:37:12 +0100 Imperial College London has purchased 11.5 acres in White City to expand its new campus, Imperial West. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_19-6-2013-9-54-26 5CC7F1B5-BAA3-47E0-861F-6CFEEC00249B Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:33:26 +0100 Japan's Expert Panel on Bioethics of the Council for Science and Technology Policy has recommended changes to the guidelines governing stem cell research that mixes human and animal material. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/06/japan-to-relax-ban-on-chimeric-e.html?rss=1 6DB7FB64-6AD7-440A-99C1-8BBBAD0D345C Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:30:14 +0100 Head of a Glaxo­SmithKline neurodegenerative-disease research unit in Shanghai has been sacked after doubts about a paper he published. http://www.nature.com/news/china-drugs-head-fired-over-article-row-1.13228 AB92CFD9-2E22-493D-B8BC-8CA0E885807A Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:20:57 +0100 Letter in Nature encourages early career researchers to become involved in public engagement. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v498/n7454/full/498299d.html 8F91F82F-3E9D-4E44-9383-6666C0FF17BA Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:23:18 +0100 Biologist who won a Nobel prize for insights into cell structure. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v498/n7454/full/498300a.html 174BC2F3-D654-4C34-B529-CF5289F58390 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:25:50 +0100 Meeting attendees can use apps to network and ease logistical hassles. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v498/n7454/full/nj7454-395a.html 7D08238D-2B59-4C75-AD80-2A1277492CD6 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:27:00 +0100 Ben Martynoga talks to Paul Nurse, president of the Royal Society, and gets a tour of his official residence in London. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/6320115c-c916-11e2-bb56-00144feab7de.html#axzz2WZdIzBHo 81CF2F38-FA0A-446A-8289-F2F584E35238 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:29:23 +0100 Shankar Balasubramaniam, the founder of Solexa, writes in the FT to explain why he thinks science cuts are a false economy. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9edb5b8c-d75f-11e2-a26a-00144feab7de.html#axzz2We2VUfXW 3F1917DD-EF48-4E93-B685-2B6D6209E972 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:26:28 +0100 The National Institutes of Health has awarded $12.7 million to match nine academic research groups with a selection of pharmaceutical industry compounds to explore new treatments for patients in eight disease areas, including Alzheimer’s disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and schizophrenia. http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jun2013/ncats-18.htm 3ACA7920-4498-41AE-A286-B65095496F21 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:52:56 +0100 King’s College London has received a major endowment from the Peter Sowerby Foundation to establish the first Chair in Philosophy and Medicine with the purpose of building on the University’s groundbreaking work on the relationship between philosophy and medicine. http://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2013/06-June/Peter-Sowerby-Foundation-endows-Chair-of-Philosophy-and-Medicine-.aspx 6082076C-228C-4418-86F7-D89741CDFFC3 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:51:52 +0100 The 2013 Academic Enterprise Awards are proof that Europe has the ingredients to create the best of high tech start-ups, while their founders are inspiring entrepreneur role models. But more support is needed to help others learn from, and build on, these exemplars. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76160/Capture-and-build-on-the-best-examples-of-entrepreneurship 1BF84D8B-F409-4426-BD4C-4823444668A1 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:50:06 +0100 The US Supreme Court ruling on gene patents is a welcome boost to efforts to increase the free exchange of scientific information, says Colin Macilwain. http://www.nature.com/news/sharing-information-is-preferable-to-patenting-1.13222 DB2B1C5A-35EA-4494-BA96-81352E6275BB Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:45:42 +0100 http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2013/News/WTP052932.htm D133985A-E94F-4D66-B3DD-0C82FB83BCE2 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:39:05 +0100 http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/why-i-accepted-an-obe/ BB5AE601-714A-4F72-954F-9428E4EF35F0 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:27:58 +0100 Fellows of the Academy were recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2013. http://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/index.php?pid=297 BF95B7C9-0D2A-40E4-97EE-7B1BFC513B04 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:36:45 +0100 The Queen’s Birthday Honours List includes a knighthood for Eric Thomas, the University of Bristol vice-chancellor and Universities UK president. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/knighthoods-go-to-bristol-and-ucl-v-cs/2004824.article 69575C14-4281-42C1-86EA-26480A44D4E2 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:40:17 +0100 Wellcome Trust is changing the way it communicates, taking a 'digital first' approach. This means that 'Wellcome News' is being discontinued, as they concentrate efforts on a new digital publication with a broader focus and wider reach. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2013/News/WTP052944.htm 22ECAE0A-7E2D-41F9-B2CF-7362DA801776 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:37:43 +0100 Images of the inside of a domestic fly taken at the University of Granada using a microtomograph has won the prize for Best Film of 2013 at MicroCT Meeting 2013, an international conference in microtomography. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=132158&CultureCode=en 82D28E21-4FFB-495D-A67E-CB7B88301CB8 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:56:13 +0100 Science Is Vital's report on how the 2010 cash freeze has affected UK scientists. http://scienceisvital.org.uk/2013/06/17/legacy-of-the-2010-science-budget-cash-freeze-final-report/ 6E7D6412-BB67-45D6-9FAC-7D4E9D08C369 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:49:04 +0100 Athene Donald defends the Royal Society project to explore the business case for diversity. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/occams-corner/2013/jun/17/government-royal-society-moral-imperative-equality 36AADB12-13E0-481D-9242-71D79E2D3E49 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:43:16 +0100 Research Councils UK (RCUK) has unveiled its Statement of Expectations for Doctoral Training, which sets out common principles for the support of all Research Council-funded students. http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/media/news/2013news/Pages/130617.aspx 81944EEF-B8DB-4EC8-8108-D617F6263D4B Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:46:13 +0100 Professor Sir David Lane, an internationally recognized and respected cancer researcher widely known for his discovery of the p53 tumor suppressor protein, joined the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research as its Scientific Director, commencing June 1, 2013. http://www.licr.org/index.php//professor_sir_david_lane_named_scientific_director_of_LICR/ 938621D3-3A29-48DC-B255-6C1994E9CA70 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:39:12 +0100 As the staff of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology settle into their new building in Cambridge, its director Hugh Pelham explains the challenges of living up to its prestigious past. http://elife.elifesciences.org/content/2/e00856 00303A39-6632-4776-8996-78D42270CDE1 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:29:30 +0100 Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society, responds to a statement from the G8 science ministers, which was issued following the first joint ministers and science academies meeting to be held under the G8. http://royalsociety.org/news/2013/response-to-G8-science-minsters/ DBCCE021-DF24-49E8-A06C-6AA77F6FBC79 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:23:29 +0100 The UK government is putting up a £1m prize for what it calls a new "grand innovation challenge". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22892443 2B90EA36-0DCD-45B7-8252-D430CC71C507 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:27:23 +0100 Alice Bell describes the over-use of the Galileo gambit. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/jun/13/david-nutt-science-galileo-complex 2FA27426-EAAC-49AA-AB7C-47BCBE74A0E7 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:46:34 +0100 Fiona Fox, chief executive of the Science Media Centre (SMC), has said that the views of some of the UK's leading experts are not being heard. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22845865 7567FC21-7A3C-463C-AAC7-B60DF0B8D9A5 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:23:44 +0100 A new member has been appointed to the Council of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) by the Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts. Two members have also been reappointed. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/people-skills-training/2013/130613-pr-bbsrc-announces-new-council-members.aspx 49ECA26C-4544-44C4-ACE5-C952616EF770 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:24:10 +0100 Unique NIH-Smithsonian collaboration unlocks the present and future of genome science. http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jun2013/nhgri-13.htm 58558F28-E558-4423-A564-28F57A53C55A Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:25:47 +0100 King’s College London will be taking part in a series of events to celebrate the centenary of the Medical Research Council (MRC). http://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2013/06-June/Kings-celebrates-MRC-centenary-.aspx 874EE2D0-DE9A-44D5-911E-ED27BCA5D6A9 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:54:40 +0100 The U.S Supreme Court has ruled that "naturally occurring" human genes cannot be patented because they are a "product of nature," meaning that they cannot be claimed as a human invention. It permitted patents based on laboratory reconstructions of human DNA, known as complementary DNAs, or cDNAs. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/06/us-supreme-court-strikes-down-hu.html?rss=1 D0527678-8926-4A3D-9E61-7B42DCF34D9F Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:52:34 +0100 The Campaign for Science and Engineering are devastated to learn of the death of the former Director of CaSE, Nick Dusic, at the age of 35. http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=12673 FB61C06D-5B15-42C9-9451-2AE78A9FA6DE Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:51:03 +0100 A report was presented to the UN Human Rights Council on the meaning and application of the right enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6138/1291.full 4528D83D-83DB-47AF-97BA-655D9C6EF544 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:39:59 +0100 Marc Kirshner says that the scientific community must create leadership with the courage and independence to take control of the structure of its training, the peer-reviewing of its journals, the organization of grant review panels, and the overall priorities that are set, and must challenge the assumption that translation, rather than fundamental understanding, is the choke point of progress in the application of science to societal problems. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6138/1265.full FB7E7170-AA54-44F9-BDCC-0E8E9736F7F6 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:33:24 +0100 As genome sequencers churn out terabytes of new data daily, researchers are increasingly turning to cloud computing. http://www.sciencemag.org/site/products/lst_20130614.xhtml C7098184-81D0-44E5-9A6F-BECADBB548FD Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:41:58 +0100 The Royal Society played host to the first ever G8 joint science ministers and national science academies meeting. http://royalsociety.org/news/2013/science-ministers-and-national-academies 2A865B02-691B-4109-A985-821F709588A1 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:31:12 +0100 Representatives from the governments that support the Human Frontier Science Program have confirmed a financial framework for the continuation of the Program from 2014-2016. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=131966&CultureCode=en 2DA61C15-362B-4E4C-97CD-42C63B460526 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:30:27 +0100 On 26 June, George Osborne is set to unveil the next comprehensive spending review. http://www.nature.com/news/uk-scientists-fear-further-cuts-1.13180 E7CA997E-7092-46C2-8ED2-7CA638B7B296 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:30:26 +0100 Nature carries an article on the rekindling of the ethical debate over human cloning and urges researchers to stay in the debate. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v498/n7453/full/498159a.html 929E8FE4-0E55-440F-95C8-2A2F2DDE765A Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:23:05 +0100 Nature examines whether the new mega-prizes which are making some researchers millionaires are the best way to promote fields of science. http://www.nature.com/news/science-prizes-the-new-nobels-1.13168 7E5F3227-EB40-4F58-916C-91C3FA35A513 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:20:47 +0100 Steven E. Brenner warns that it is only a matter of time before confidential genetic data from research databases gets released in name of open science. http://www.nature.com/news/be-prepared-for-the-big-genome-leak-1.13173 5F7E38E5-43A3-48E1-9F9F-D6FB9FF62752 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:16:51 +0100 A report finds that the genomics effort has added one trillion dollars to the US economy. http://www.nature.com/news/economic-return-from-human-genome-project-grows-1.13187 2AB0B0D9-ADF9-41FD-8DCD-C4B613F3D440 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:15:16 +0100 The private Woods Hole Marine Biology Lab has affiliated with University of Chicago to prop up its ailing finances. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/06/marine-biological-lab-joins-forc.html A9889887-88B9-471C-BDBE-EF76AC9A2FB2 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:07:26 +0100 Voinnet is professor of RNA biology at ETH Zurich. The CHF 200,000 research prize has been awarded for his groundbreaking discoveries in molecular and cell biology. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=131999&CultureCode=en 87DEE9DD-225C-433D-8661-93C47C8C70E6 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:04:36 +0100 Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts has opened new facility at the Babraham Research Campus, a hub of bioscience innovation at the heart of the Cambridge cluster. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/research-technologies/2013/130610-n-minister-opens-new-facilities-babraham.aspx B8F5F7A0-14F8-400A-94B1-A779B0ECAA4B Tue, 11 Jun 2013 08:48:30 +0100 Researchers are taking part in a series of events across Italy to protest against an antiscientific attitude in Italy and widespread "misinformation" about science in the media. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/06/around-italy-researchers-rally-t.html?rss=1 A16AF2E3-E904-40AE-BF2C-9666BFCDCD07 Tue, 11 Jun 2013 08:41:07 +0100 The European Union and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have today pledged to work together to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other poverty-related diseases that together affect more than 1 billion people worldwide. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-517_en.htm C9D721C5-C325-41F3-89D9-785C3AA4425A Tue, 11 Jun 2013 08:39:10 +0100 The European Commission has accepted the Court of Auditors report on the shortcomings of Framework Programme 7 and says they will be addressed in Horizon 2020 http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76151/We%E2%80%99ve-got-all-problems-of-FP7-covered-in-Horizon-2020%2c-says-Commission BEDA727A-DFD7-4238-99B4-88CFD95E8BC5 Mon, 10 Jun 2013 09:53:52 +0100 Dame Athene Donald, Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge, will give Imperial’s annual Athena Lecture, celebrating the achievements of women in science, technology and medicine, on 13 June. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_6-6-2013-17-57-52 DB195A95-ABF6-4488-8580-9D45ACC89153 Mon, 10 Jun 2013 09:57:02 +0100 Presidents of the four national Academies had an early breakfast with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, along with other representatives from business and academia, to discuss funding for research, and the contribution of knowledge and innovation to stimulating the UK’s economy. http://blogs.royalsociety.org/in-verba/2013/06/07/george-paul-johns-and-adam/ A635A3EE-DBBF-46D1-8DEC-EBF144FD814B Mon, 10 Jun 2013 09:54:41 +0100 CaSE welcomes the clear statements of intention from the Chancellor in advance of the Spending Review. http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=12651 6E250D4D-07DD-40F8-B7F3-9B42348FA4EA Mon, 10 Jun 2013 09:56:01 +0100 The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) has selected Bruce D. Roth, vice president of discovery chemistry at Genentech, as the winner of the 2013 Perkin Medal. http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/web/2013/06/Bruce-Roth-Awarded-2013-Perkin.html 4C94D2D8-B243-4C61-B99F-5CB021FF423A Mon, 10 Jun 2013 09:59:47 +0100 This year’s $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize goes to Angela M. Belcher, the W. M. Keck Professor of Energy in Materials Science & Engineering & Biological Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/web/2013/06/Lemelson-MIT-Prize-Angela-Belcher.html F2C0D2B1-5848-44C1-ABBE-1B51C846CC96 Mon, 10 Jun 2013 09:58:29 +0100 Summer issue of MRC's quarterly magazine. http://www.mrc.ac.uk/consumption/groups/public/documents/content/mrc009177.pdf DAF5AB61-66BB-4A52-BDEE-C7CB23C8385F Fri, 7 Jun 2013 09:06:48 +0100 Katherine Nightingale explores how a chat over a coffee can lead to unexpected discoveries. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/06/06/the-great-coffee-breakthrough/ E9638910-9E4C-4A5F-A20E-D88B568201D9 Fri, 7 Jun 2013 09:05:55 +0100 UCL has been awarded £11.1 million from the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) towards the cost of the new UCL Institute for Immunity and Transplantation at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0613/06062013-UCL-awarded-11m-for-Institute-of-Immunity-and-Transplantation FEE13C5A-F298-428A-96C5-B9EE4B18D111 Fri, 7 Jun 2013 08:59:57 +0100 The Max Planck Society, one of Germany's main research organizations, has elected Martin Stratmann as its new president. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/06/chemist-elected-new-max-planck-p.html?rss=1 FAE8951D-87BA-429D-BB1E-E9731940CB34 Fri, 7 Jun 2013 08:58:48 +0100 A special issue of science presents exciting advances in understanding morphogenesis, or the development of body shape. http://www.sciencemag.org/special/morph E1084358-4C02-4762-8643-F08412574C01 Fri, 7 Jun 2013 08:55:35 +0100 Paul Nurse, director of the Francis Crick Institute, tells Nature about the centre's scientific strategy. http://www.nature.com/news/london-biomedical-hub-sets-its-research-agenda-1.13143 551F3367-329F-48FD-8178-B194837D1014 Fri, 7 Jun 2013 08:51:09 +0100 The Crick has unveiled its strategy, as a topping out ceremony was held to celebrate the completion of the highest construction point of the institute's new building. http://www.crick.ac.uk/news/news-archive/2013/06/06/strategy-launched-at-crick-topping-out-ceremony/ 0AE84D2F-2332-4DFD-9709-1A626E28B239 Fri, 7 Jun 2013 08:49:30 +0100 An introduction to the systems, processes and technologies that make laboratories 'smart'. http://content.yudu.com/A26vsx/BASL2013/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl= 65A21055-B915-4D58-98C1-5A4423A8F9D2 Fri, 7 Jun 2013 08:33:59 +0100 Medical school heads have written to George Osborne to say that 'it is absolutely imperative that medical education funding remains with the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and is not moved to the Department of Health'. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/medical-schools-urge-osborne-not-to-move-funding/2004332.article AF8EBEF2-56D2-4044-93F6-B5781DB35421 Thu, 6 Jun 2013 08:51:10 +0100 The UK scientific community has issued a broadside to the government, warning it not to cut the science budget.. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22784524 6CDE0A15-BC4A-4253-8B14-070C878CFB77 Thu, 6 Jun 2013 08:41:52 +0100 The MRC-NIHR Phenome Centre, a collaboration between King’s, Imperial College London and two analytical technology companies, has opened. http://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2013/06-June/New-centre-will-decipher-roles-of-nature-and-nurture-in-human-health.aspx 68CB315B-436C-4B94-9C82-BF292EC8FC49 Thu, 6 Jun 2013 08:33:59 +0100 International organization aims to promote exchange and linking of DNA sequences and clinical information. http://www.nature.com/news/geneticists-push-for-global-data-sharing-1.13133 BF2BE0D6-28C5-4AF1-8568-2EBD91490AA8 Thu, 6 Jun 2013 08:30:03 +0100 A call for research studies to be pre-registered in journals, to improve the reporting of results. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2013/jun/05/trust-in-science-study-pre-registration 22D9FC84-3695-4DEA-AEF8-6441EC5C053F Thu, 6 Jun 2013 08:44:59 +0100 The Science|Business Innovation Board has released two reports, one examining the success factors behind university spinouts and the other exploring views on a European grace period for patents. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76150/Two-studies-released-on-the-innovation-potential-of-Europe%E2%80%99s-universities ACE125BF-10BE-4E4E-BD26-76F67786CE65 Thu, 6 Jun 2013 08:32:43 +0100 US should rethink its approach to government-supported health and pharmaceutical studies, says Arthur J. Ammann. http://www.nature.com/news/us-clinical-research-system-in-need-of-review-1.13126 CE908A98-EDD4-4559-B2A4-052ADDA0A5DB Thu, 6 Jun 2013 08:27:39 +0100 The Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts, has announced the appointment of Dr Jackie Hunter CBE as the next Chief Executive of BBSRC. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/people-skills-training/2013/130604-pr-next-chief-executive-announced.aspx FABCD6E2-548F-49A1-B677-F187FF42771D Wed, 5 Jun 2013 08:32:21 +0100 Reforms increase flexibility and shift spending towards non-communicable disorders. http://www.nature.com/news/agency-gets-a-grip-on-budget-1.13134 F2CDE165-4728-446D-B100-7273E706EB30 Wed, 5 Jun 2013 08:22:05 +0100 Some previous winners of the Max Perutz prize recall their motivations for entering. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/06/04/why-should-you-enter-the-max-perutz-award/ 832AFE99-2EE7-4BE3-B670-7C781F348737 Wed, 5 Jun 2013 08:38:54 +0100 A celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics (CARA), the body dedicated to supporting and saving academics at risk of persecution worldwide. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0613/04062013 45A65B58-90CD-48A4-9D63-F96A1668FAE3 Wed, 5 Jun 2013 08:28:24 +0100 The US National Institutes of Health (NIH), which distributes the majority of federal funding for stem-cell research, prohibits research on cells taken from embryos created solely for research. http://www.nature.com/news/us-scientists-chafe-at-restrictions-on-new-stem-cell-lines-1.13114 2ABC2E27-1DAB-4269-944D-7E3BD6B36CA8 Wed, 5 Jun 2013 08:22:47 +0100 Programme Development Grants provide a mechanism to support the completion of the necessary preparatory work to suitably position the research team to submit a competitive Stage 2 Programme Grant application. http://www.ccf.nihr.ac.uk/PGfAR/PDG/Pages/default.aspx 9E31CE38-5E74-4638-B20A-0FD4746FFF1B Tue, 4 Jun 2013 08:36:58 +0100 Priorities for CaSE include spending reviews, the Scottish referendum, European and General Elections, which CaSE will use to embed science in political debate. http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=12629 99335769-57D3-4534-8C94-2C9EF8AFEF6D Tue, 4 Jun 2013 08:29:21 +0100 Oswald Avery's research was crucial to our current understanding of DNA. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2013/jun/03/oswald-t-avery-genetic-science-dna 12C49C25-5AE5-4063-AEC8-8995F3D7A7DC Tue, 4 Jun 2013 08:32:25 +0100 The Wellcome Trust and Editorial Intelligence this week launch the first ever Science Commentator award as part of the 2013 Editorial Intelligence Comment Awards. Nominations are now open for the awards. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2013/WTP052767.htm E9251256-DB62-4C50-84A2-BD4F676834DE Tue, 4 Jun 2013 08:28:45 +0100 The January 2014 start date for the Horizon 2020 programme has been put in doubt after EU research ministers rejected a demand from the European Parliament for a 100 percent reimbursement rate for research projects. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76143/MEPs-threaten-to-take-Horizon-2020-to-second-reading-as-Council-rejects-full-cost-reimbursement 4837BA1C-BE5E-4544-B702-8657C0398B70 Tue, 4 Jun 2013 08:26:20 +0100 Report of a debate to discuss what the MRC’s research priorities should be for the next quarter of a century. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/05/31/foundation-for-the-future-the-next-25-years-of-mrc-research/ EFB339DD-9098-4040-A712-2474BADD3C88 Mon, 3 Jun 2013 08:58:46 +0100 A project called RIOXX is a new Metadata Application Profile and Guidance that can be used to track research outputs across multiple systems. http://exquisitelife.researchresearch.com/exquisite_life/2013/05/a-new-way-to-follow-the-research-trail.html 7C60B24A-8838-45A9-89B7-76F9A3914C58 Mon, 3 Jun 2013 08:46:09 +0100 FundRef is a collaborative project of scholarly publishers and funding agencies that supports a standard way of reporting funding sources for published scholarly research. http://info.scival.com/research-initiative/fundref 32EAAA1C-8F68-4E56-B6B5-EC0324AE7DFA Mon, 3 Jun 2013 09:03:02 +0100 Why do women feel they must abandon their female identity in order to work in science, technology, engineering or maths? http://www.guardian.co.uk/women-in-leadership/2013/may/28/women-stem-ownership-of-being-female E74D60D3-2EAA-4A68-9614-B442BB8B1E20 Fri, 31 May 2013 09:09:52 +0100 Ten top European life sciences institutes have launched a new alliance to help themselves become more competitive and have a strong, unified voice in European science policy. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/05/top-european-life-science-instit.html F24CE1E6-EA30-4CC0-AC01-8A525DBCC4AD Fri, 31 May 2013 08:39:34 +0100 Applications are invited for a Daphne Jackson fellowship, fully sponsored by the Biochemical Society. http://www.daphnejackson.org/fellowships/Current%20Opportunities/biochemical_society_sponsored_fellowship.pdf 82976051-730A-403C-AAD4-0990FF53C4CC Fri, 31 May 2013 09:08:50 +0100 Nature Publishing Group has reported a big increase in papers authored by Chinese researchers. http://www.researchinformation.info/news/news_story.php?news_id=1264 8DD03DBB-388F-41C0-A1EB-F4E11B6C16B0 Fri, 31 May 2013 09:07:47 +0100 European Inventor Award 2013 goes to outstanding inventors from Austria, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain and the US. http://www.epo.org/news-issues/press/releases/archive/2013/20130528.html 6BC9BCE2-A1EA-4642-BFD9-B8F4CC8E21E7 Fri, 31 May 2013 09:06:23 +0100 Participation in genome-enabled research into the determinants of health is an important form of participation in society and a secure way to ensure the constant improvement of healthcare delivery. http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v45/n6/full/ng.2665.html 64CA2339-20AE-4A12-A5FE-D17C86DC1B1E Fri, 31 May 2013 08:55:19 +0100 Mass spectrometry has established itself as a bona fide clinical tool. Now a new application is heading to the clinic, mass spec imaging. http://www.sciencemag.org/site/products/lst_20130531.xhtml DDAFADA2-7A76-43B0-9E25-7838B97ADEEC Fri, 31 May 2013 08:47:28 +0100 The NIHR seventh annual competition for Senior Investigators has opened. http://www.ccf.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/SIComp7.aspx 1941E693-753B-4479-91D4-FF4F89BCEB2E Thu, 30 May 2013 09:33:38 +0100 The Global Research Council (GRC) endorsed an action plan to move more rapidly toward open-access scientific publishing and also agreed on a list of principles for encouraging and strengthening research integrity. http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i22/Global-Plan-Open-Access-Research.html 6657F13C-9641-4D47-B755-7889BAD7C7A9 Thu, 30 May 2013 09:29:11 +0100 Science academies from around the globe issued joint statements today to call world leaders' attention to the role science, technology, and innovation can play in the pursuit of sustainable development, and to raise their awareness of the emerging threat of drug resistance in infectious agents including tuberculosis. http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=05292013 9E108FDE-1EFA-482A-8642-0F5DE2C6E24C Thu, 30 May 2013 09:26:58 +0100 Jonathan Adams analyses papers from the past three decades and finds that the best science comes from international collaboration. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v497/n7451/full/497557a.html 5900B06A-75A0-48CF-A492-1A0452EAFE51 Thu, 30 May 2013 09:19:01 +0100 Research-tool developers must be creative, innovative and willing to collaborate with people from a variety of fields. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v497/n7451/full/nj7451-653a.html DD0D239F-F395-420F-97AE-09B2F3C68A7E Thu, 30 May 2013 09:20:10 +0100 Athene Donald writes on the success of UK researchers as exemplified by success in obtaining EU funding. She also expresses concern that the UK focus on impact rather than "blue-skies" research may stifle science. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/occams-corner/2013/may/28/european-union-uk-science-base 476B0837-635B-432F-BC94-BACE19CEC1F1 Wed, 29 May 2013 11:00:55 +0100 The Wellcome Trust and Medical Research Council are investing in the Institute of Metabolic Science for research on obesity. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2013/WTP052638.htm 0B40BF64-25A1-4330-A0F7-CF353777E742 Wed, 29 May 2013 10:58:12 +0100 Ten top European research institutes are coming together in an alliance called EU-LIFE. The alliance will foster excellence, share knowledge and influence life science policy. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=131533&CultureCode=en 70991ECF-6C04-40A2-9D89-39F25B05E081 Wed, 29 May 2013 11:40:56 +0100 An article in Nature looks at whether expedited publication meant that errors which would normally be spotted by peer review or editors appeared in the paper. http://www.nature.com/news/fallout-from-hailed-cloning-paper-1.13078 D0DE7479-BBE6-44F9-A6BC-2073F4E70738 Wed, 29 May 2013 10:55:02 +0100 The Guardian's Science blog has an entry looking at the multinational scientific collaboration which contributed much to the success. Features work of physiologist Griff Pugh from NIMR. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-h-word/2013/may/29/everest-anniversary-international-science E5D7ADB0-74F0-4A89-A818-80A5199D3D1F Wed, 29 May 2013 10:50:45 +0100 As part of MRC's centenary the Insight blog has a piece on MRC's work on high-altitude physiology after the ascent of Everest. It looks at Himalayan Scientific and Mountaineering Expedition of 1960-1961. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/05/29/behind-the-picture-sorting-cards-on-everest/ 6995622F-E663-4FD1-8268-F479C8B7424B Wed, 29 May 2013 11:16:42 +0100 Three molecular biologists (Hall, Rosbash and Young) share the life science and medicine prize. Prizes were also awarded for astronomy and mathematical sciences. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/05/astrophysicists-molecular-biolog.html?rss=1 0C991CE0-02E0-4A17-94C4-524B4A1C42C1 Wed, 29 May 2013 10:47:49 +0100 The AHSN enables academics, healthcare professionals and industry to work together and speed up delivery of cutting edge medical research to the people of London and south east. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0513/23052013-UCLPartners-Academic-Health-Science-Network E1A6836B-4E46-4BF3-B7A2-746A5E4868EA Tue, 28 May 2013 11:42:01 +0100 Two Swiss billionaires have bought the former building of Merck Serono in Geneva and plan to set up a biotech research centre with two local universities. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/05/billionaires-buy-merck-site-to-b.html?rss=1 5729189F-B5E6-4715-AD01-E150A769D2C1 Tue, 28 May 2013 11:30:23 +0100 The Guardian's Newton channel has a video of previously unshown interview with Perutz interspersed with reminiscences of staff who worked with him. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/video/2013/may/24/max-perutz-godfather-molecular-biology-video 7B82D90D-9CEB-46C7-86B4-4118F9A6A596 Tue, 28 May 2013 11:44:53 +0100 On Thursday 23rd May Her Majesty opened the new building. http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Newspublications/News/MRC009168 7B51B10E-BDA4-45DF-9198-71B8CC0494CE Tue, 28 May 2013 11:26:37 +0100 The costs of the renovation of office for the head of a new drug discovery institute at the Center have raised eyebrows. Critics are concerned about this spending in light for recent announcement of a salary freeze for staff and postponement of other capital projects. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/05/lavish-furnishings-at-md-anderso.html?rss=1 D8B68E0C-BD8C-4243-92F3-81B7E964ACF7 Tue, 28 May 2013 11:36:56 +0100 The Royal Society reports on the evidence given to House of Lords Science and Technology Committee on industrial spinout of research. http://blogs.royalsociety.org/in-verba/2013/05/23/how-can-uk-research-do-even-better/ 47C8DACE-4310-4487-9AC3-1204D7396647 Thu, 23 May 2013 11:58:36 +0100 The US National Academy of Science is undertaking a year long study on how safe lab practice can be promoted in academic and government labs. http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i20/Safety-Probe-Academic-Labs.html 13BCC57E-0B2B-4E47-BCEB-84A1AB2DD408 Thu, 23 May 2013 11:55:37 +0100 The Italian Senate is setting aside three million euros for a clinical trial of the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The treatment uses mesenchymal stem cells transformed into nerve cells . http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/05/italian-parliament-orders-clinic.html AC2951F1-4FC8-4484-9B1E-226A34ABAF30 Thu, 23 May 2013 11:48:28 +0100 A paper on cloning to make personalized human embryonic stem cells after an allegation of image reuse was made on the PubPeer website. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/05/cell-investigating-breakthrough-.html 633D86D9-F84C-485B-9EBF-EA0C7E9158BA Thu, 23 May 2013 11:45:09 +0100 The Trust has announced changes to the Medical Humanities funding stream, Society and Ethics programme, and Research Resources scheme. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2013/News/WTP052653.htm A099D23E-1A0D-42D3-A542-3F53FA053468 Thu, 23 May 2013 11:41:49 +0100 Imperial has just reopened its historic medical library after a six month refurbishment. Half the cost was provided by the St Mary's Development Trust. The library has been renamed the Fleming Library. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_22-5-2013-11-0-35 6AF0E494-1CD6-4036-A5BD-543E586D8D50 Thu, 23 May 2013 11:33:58 +0100 Is changing the stereotype of science possible by studying carefully selected novels and films with science themes? http://societyofbiologyblog.org/should-science-novels-and-films-be-introduced-at-schools/ F7211455-F14D-4E56-A66F-5FAA2805E8F4 Thu, 23 May 2013 11:30:56 +0100 In an editiorial in Lab Times Anjana Nityanandam shares her insights on the world of the research scientist. This piece looks at the learning relationship between students and supervisors. http://www.labtimes.org/editorial/e_416.lasso D66F13BB-0974-4C6D-9CA4-542D096861D5 Wed, 22 May 2013 11:14:54 +0100 The MRC has a short centenary piece on eminent MRC-funded women scientists. Includes Audrey Smith of NIMR, Elsie Widdowson, Mary Lyon, Kay Davies and Uta Frith http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/05/21/heroines-of-research/ EFA6E420-C57D-449B-9579-672F9D1F8C36 Wed, 22 May 2013 11:11:16 +0100 An NIH grant holder has been accused of sharing research with a Chinese medical imaging company, by appointing research associates paid for by the company. http://www.genomeweb.com/blog/henhouse?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+genomeweb%2Fdailyscan+%28The+Daily+Scan%29&utm_content=Netvibes 1D29C874-1846-438E-B158-73466BCBA11F Wed, 22 May 2013 11:05:49 +0100 Having been a major advocate for federal funding of human stem cell research in US, CAMR is closing its stem cell lobbying group to refocus on moving this work into the clinic. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/05/stem-cell-lobbying-group-closing.html?rss=1 21368090-65B2-4DAC-8235-378C62252426 Wed, 22 May 2013 11:01:04 +0100 Francis Collins (NIH director) struggled to give examples of damage caused by cuts to a Senate hearing, but there will be bad news for some researchers when NIH grants are announced on 30th September. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/05/sequesters-5-cut-rolls-through-b.html?rss=1 35721AE4-AD23-40F2-9933-CBE53DD12430 Wed, 22 May 2013 10:54:49 +0100 A new £23 million research unit will exploit the latest advances in genetics to improve understanding of how changes to lifestyle or environment, as well as pharmacological interventions, can reduce the risk of disease. http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2013/9399.html F83CCE7F-87B0-4919-856E-2CDD6A5957FF Tue, 21 May 2013 12:02:14 +0100 What effect does European Union membership have on science and research? And what would it mean if the UK left? http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/life-and-physics/2013/may/20/research-eu-ukip EDA40204-E3B8-42F1-8EAF-60DFD04FE7CA Tue, 21 May 2013 08:21:19 +0100 The Government’s spending decisions for the financial year 2015-16 provide an important opportunity to strengthen the role of research and innovation as drivers of UK growth and competitiveness, according to the UK’s four national academies, including the Royal Society. http://royalsociety.org/news/2013/Academies-respond-to-Government-consultation/ D67734C7-05B4-4EC6-A2CA-D902975DEDE4 Tue, 21 May 2013 08:13:24 +0100 Dow Chemical has launched a laboratory safety website that includes a comprehensive set of training videos and additional resources. http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/web/2013/05/Dow-Unveils-Lab-Safety-Website.html CD730873-8AB5-424A-82B2-D51BB57056CB Tue, 21 May 2013 08:18:13 +0100 Minutes for the MRC Council Meeting held on 6 March 2013 http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Utilities/Documentrecord/index.htm?d=MRC009158 6A1E5C49-6E71-40C2-B3E7-EBD705BA5444 Mon, 20 May 2013 08:24:41 +0100 As part of their long-term strategic planning, BBSRC are seeking your views on the research areas and technological developments which will be most exciting and important in bioscience over the next 5-10 years. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/policy/2013/130517-n-strategic-workshop-survey.aspx 1BC6CCD1-D9F0-4563-B8FA-9B8AB27B9723 Mon, 20 May 2013 08:19:17 +0100 The Wellcome Trust is inviting applications for a new scheme, Postdoctoral Research Training Fellowships for Clinicians. These support the most talented clinical academics wishing to pursue their research interests at a postdoctoral level. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2013/News/WTP052628.htm 22FBD432-1463-41E4-834D-8DFC77C99567 Mon, 20 May 2013 08:16:20 +0100 Feature on Griff Pugh, the NIMR physiologist who helped ensure the success of the 1953 Everest expedition. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2326727/The-pyjama-clad-hero-robbed-Everest-glory-The-bizarre-story-genius-helped-Hillary-summit-60-years-ago--wearing-night-clothes.html#ixzz2ToH8gbrK 9AD01275-5367-4BBA-B3CA-8A72F998FD51 Mon, 20 May 2013 08:12:13 +0100 With the government's spending review looming, the Royal Society of Chemistry is calling for an Olympic effort to persuade politicians to make a long-term commitment to creating growth and jobs through science. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/occams-corner/2013/may/17/uk-science-falling-behind-global-race?CMP=twt_fd 8C0391AD-C1AE-4017-B6D9-D7F7F9196BA1 Mon, 20 May 2013 08:11:13 +0100 A fall in spending on research and development (R&D) in South Africa has raised doubts about the country’s future science performance. http://www.nature.com/news/south-africa-s-research-spending-slows-down-1.13017 C5419968-C59A-4405-8270-164B1A503858 Mon, 20 May 2013 08:15:09 +0100 AMRC have launched "Our vision for research in the NHS" alongside the findings of a survey of healthcare professionals' experiences of research in the NHS. http://www.amrc.org.uk/news-policy--debate_our-vision-for-research-in-the-nhs 045CECB8-F573-41E1-8FB6-3580F0B7BF30 Fri, 17 May 2013 09:11:04 +0100 Wellcome Trust Monitor, an independent survey of 1396 adults and 460 young people (aged 14-18 years) has revealed the most accurate picture to date of what the UK thinks about science, biomedical research and science education. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2013/WTP052617.htm 938206AF-8610-4E18-9572-F45016C61737 Fri, 17 May 2013 09:08:14 +0100 Current and recent postdocs in chemistry say the experience has largely been a positive one in which they’ve grown as scientists and broadened their professional horizons. http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i20/Postdoc-Pains-Gains.html 6A9CD23F-55C1-4686-B689-E8B0C95C4BE6 Fri, 17 May 2013 09:20:37 +0100 UCL is leading one of sixteen schemes around the country which will benefit from the investment, which has been allocated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) Catalyst Fund. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76126/UCL-shares-in-%C2%A350m-of-new-funding-to-help-stimulate-UK%E2%80%99s-economy 424A5F1F-88E0-4D9D-9581-9928AE05F742 Fri, 17 May 2013 09:06:43 +0100 There are problems with the adoption and use of scientific software. Many scientists adopt and use software critical to their research for nonscientific reasons. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6134/814.full EA1B731D-D7FD-40C5-ADCE-038A7005F84E Fri, 17 May 2013 08:55:55 +0100 The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation has announced that R. Graham Cooks from Purdue University, is the recipient of the 2013 Dreyfus Prize in the Chemical Sciences. Graham Cooks is recognized internationally as an innovative giant in the field of mass spectrometry. http://www.dreyfus.org/news/prize_gallery.shtml 496F8411-438D-478B-8080-A652DDCFF17F Fri, 17 May 2013 08:52:39 +0100 Bruce Alberts editorial in Science to mark the San Francisco declaration on research Assessment (DORA), http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6134/787.full 39911BD4-4721-48FF-B435-9A187E741B50 Fri, 17 May 2013 08:50:00 +0100 BBSRC, with input from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), has published a document outlining the impacts that their 2010 'Synthetic Biology Dialogue' has had in informing continued discussions around synthetic biology. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/policy/2013/130515-n-synthetic-biology-dialogue-impacts.aspx 71732B3B-F469-4BF5-9772-7D7923F764FB Thu, 16 May 2013 09:18:59 +0100 The US Supreme Court case concerning Myriad Genetics' patent claims on BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 is an important battle in a fight for freedom - genomic freedom - and those claims just represent "the tip of the iceberg," Chris Mason argues in the Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-e-mason/gene-patent-myriad_b_3273744.html EE4B1D2B-26CC-4E6C-B8D3-1A04A1815071 Thu, 16 May 2013 09:16:30 +0100 The architects of Horizon 2020 have worked long and hard to simplify things for researchers and SMEs. But bureaucratic barriers remain and there is still no proper system in place for tracking research outputs. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76122/Still-room-for-improvement-to-ensure-%E2%82%AC70B-Horizon-2020-delivers-on-innovation-objectives AFC6246B-8EEB-4589-9DFA-CDB561B55243 Thu, 16 May 2013 09:11:26 +0100 Many foreign scientists will find a stay in Singapore a scientifically rewarding experience, but some complain that decisions by Singaporean funding agencies are not always transparent, and that the path to career advancement is unclear. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v497/n7449/full/nj7449-397a.html B299ED03-674A-458E-A15B-BEAE2F38B7A8 Thu, 16 May 2013 09:02:36 +0100 A group of coronavirus experts has published its proposal to name a new, deadly virus after the Middle East, the region where it originates. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/05/mers-makes-its-debut-iin-a-scien.html?rss=1 F2D49E81-9028-432A-81BF-30E08EF542BA Thu, 16 May 2013 09:12:21 +0100 Obituary in Nature of Robert Edwards. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v497/n7449/full/497318a.html 16E73A03-0B0D-4687-8911-5AB319ECF0A0 Thu, 16 May 2013 09:01:51 +0100 The board of John D. Rockefeller's eponymous foundation met for the first time 100 years ago, in May 1913. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v497/n7449/full/497311a.html 1DF38B21-A313-477E-861E-4AC315872CCF Thu, 16 May 2013 09:00:13 +0100 Researchers must embrace blunders that come from thinking outside the box. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v497/n7449/full/497309a.html BCFDF8ED-E566-457E-B641-899B6CC4A8D6 Thu, 16 May 2013 08:59:21 +0100 If programmes to bolster STEM education are effective, they distort the labour market; if they aren’t, they’re a waste of money, argues Colin Macilwain. http://www.nature.com/news/driving-students-into-science-is-a-fool-s-errand-1.12981 3B51D165-2FC4-44FF-AE04-F1D72ED53800 Thu, 16 May 2013 09:09:31 +0100 The proposed European Data Protection Regulation will preserve privacy but, without exceptions for scientific research, it could hinder or prevent medical discoveries. http://www.nature.com/news/privacy-in-the-digital-age-1.12978 CFC23CBF-B2F9-4C5D-994B-D4C9B3FF6310 Thu, 16 May 2013 08:57:53 +0100 Minutes for the MRC Council Meeting held on 13 December 2012. http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Utilities/Documentrecord/index.htm?d=MRC009154 EBD22334-AFCA-49AF-B679-10DA16BBEF8F Wed, 15 May 2013 08:32:06 +0100 The increasing use of expert bioethicists has profound anti-democratic implications http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/may/14/bioethicists-priestly-caste C398511B-C11F-49AE-9539-1BF5D0215A22 Wed, 15 May 2013 08:29:08 +0100 A new Target Discovery Institute based at the University of Oxford aims to identify better targets for drugs to tackle common diseases such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. http://www.phgfoundation.org/news/13934/ A8628AD2-BCEA-4585-A4F3-680318DFAD35 Wed, 15 May 2013 08:23:08 +0100 The Institut Pasteur is in turmoil over accusations by a government watchdog that it is misleading the donors that fund part of its research. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/05/institut-pasteur.html?rss=1 66FCE4A4-7145-456A-90E6-A4A44DA8CBA3 Wed, 15 May 2013 08:21:40 +0100 Report from the 3rd World Conference on Research Integrity. http://www.nature.com/news/meeting-targets-lab-lapses-1.12987 48F84DF4-927D-47E5-8DFB-771BC76F822F Wed, 15 May 2013 08:19:21 +0100 Duncan Hull looks at the number of FRS who have Wikipedia entries. http://duncan.hull.name/2013/05/14/wikisoc/ D83B591E-F3F3-43AB-8034-FE6D331A19D7 Tue, 14 May 2013 08:19:37 +0100 WHO statement says that the emergence of this new coronavirus is globally recognized as an important and major challenge for all of the countries which have been affected as well as the rest of the world. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2013/Novel_Coronavirus_12052013/en/index.html 642D2A20-E3C1-4D76-8AFF-5EA537917462 Mon, 13 May 2013 08:59:36 +0100 Tensions are mounting between Australian scientists and the federal government amid fears that science will be hit hard in the federal budget, due on 14 May. http://www.nature.com/news/fears-grow-over-australian-science-funding-1.12934 E0045BF6-22F3-42AE-80CE-FCC5F66E1DF5 Mon, 13 May 2013 08:41:20 +0100 The National Research Council in Canada will now be taking its scientific cues from Canadian industry as part of a makeover of the country’s flagship research labs. http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/research-councils-makeover-leaves-industry-setting-the-agenda/article11745246/?service=mobile 13A570B1-6065-4346-84A0-6CD0FEE2068A Mon, 13 May 2013 09:06:56 +0100 Athene Donald passes on words of encouragement to PhD students preparing for their viva. http://occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald/2013/05/08/the-viva-experience/ C169580C-F9A2-4CD3-BA4F-E4FDACB11A20 Fri, 10 May 2013 09:19:20 +0100 Jason Hoyt critiques the strategy of funding the ‘superstars’ of academia. http://enjoythedisruption.com/post/27545719304/science-funding-is-borked 7F1A2361-644C-4F9A-B229-D22470363C4F Fri, 10 May 2013 09:18:16 +0100 Analysis of research into the employment situations of doctoral, masters and first degree graduates suggests those with a doctoral qualification are more "recession proof" than those with other qualifications. http://www.vitae.ac.uk/policy-practice/167-606411/Doctoral-graduates-more-recession-proof-says-new-Vitae-report.html 6DD52A2B-9E9F-4662-968E-EDF87C4910B7 Fri, 10 May 2013 09:21:15 +0100 A cell biologist at University College London (UCL) who has had one paper retracted and another corrected has been cleared of misconduct by the university. http://retractionwatch.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/ucl-finds-errors-in-work-by-biologist-cossu-but-no-deliberate-intention-to-mislead/ AD1CA56D-5740-4550-898B-2DF47A60D7F0 Fri, 10 May 2013 08:48:56 +0100 Carl Zimmer, a freelance science writer, begins a weekly column delving into topics across the sciences. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/science/marvels-and-a-few-mysteries-in-cicadas-17-years.html?ref=science&_r=2& B55134E3-4F6F-472D-98A4-DADF6F5DC5B5 Fri, 10 May 2013 08:48:23 +0100 Francis Collins and colleagues explain in more detail the NIH vision for the BRAIN Initiative. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6133/687.full B1CAF6CA-CC5E-4205-9177-591595E80BEF Fri, 10 May 2013 08:47:05 +0100 The Foulkes Foundation Medal is awarded biennially to a researcher who has shown outstanding acheivements in research during the first ten years of their career following the completion of their PhD. Consideration is given to those who have taken time out early in their career due to family commitments, illness or for other reasons. http://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/p134.html 6EA7427D-E128-4731-B98F-1A494D613A73 Thu, 9 May 2013 14:04:00 +0100 The US, Germany and China are increasing research spending. We would be foolish to do the opposite, writes Venki Ramakrishnan. http://blog.wellcome.ac.uk/2013/05/09/science-is-a-winner-for-britain-cutting-it-would-be-folly/ 163B5CC4-A759-468C-AA56-A88502216BDC Thu, 9 May 2013 14:03:04 +0100 The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) have announced 27 new HHMI investigators who will receive the flexible support necessary to move their research in creative new directions. http://www.hhmi.org/news/20130509.html BED71A0E-176C-4E19-9833-E58D3D7FD8EC Thu, 9 May 2013 14:00:56 +0100 An analysis by Thomson Reuters in association with Times Higher Education shows startling levels of gender inequality in research-intensive universities across the world. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/features/the-global-gender-index/2003517.article 08C8A9BF-9079-4936-A6CA-10375D76DA12 Thu, 9 May 2013 12:21:17 +0100 University College London (UCL) and the London Borough of Newham (LBN) have announced that whilst UCL remains committed to Stratford as the location for its new university quarter, it has not been possible for the two parties to reach an agreement regarding the Carpenters Estate. UCL will therefore no longer be pursuing the Carpenters proposition. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0513/070513_UCL_considers_new_sites_in_stratford EE5EA4CC-421E-4C8F-8819-10BBA786BBE0 Thu, 9 May 2013 09:12:46 +0100 The effects of the mandatory across-the-board 2013 budget cuts, known as the sequester, on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the biomedical research community are revealed. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/05/nih-details-impact-of-2013-seque.html?rss=1 B13EDED5-A595-4BDF-B719-08B832B4D983 Thu, 9 May 2013 09:11:15 +0100 Thomas M. Schofield details the stages on his path to a career in research. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v497/n7448/full/nj7448-277a.html BD5E3482-288F-4EC0-95F6-495AA60DF52F Thu, 9 May 2013 09:07:01 +0100 Confidence is rising among scientists defending animal research. It should be encouraged. http://www.nature.com/news/voice-of-pro-test-1.12945 F9CCC442-9548-4015-B105-A60941B667B5 Thu, 9 May 2013 09:00:09 +0100 The government is preparing for its spending review on 26 June when the science budget from April 2015 onwards will be decided. http://biochemicalsociety.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/science-funding/ B73BFF2B-8309-4E0C-A7BE-BD469A5639BE Thu, 9 May 2013 08:58:30 +0100 Thijn Brummelkamp of the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam is the winner of the 2013 EMBO Gold Medal. The award acknowledges his outstanding work to accelerate the genetic analysis of human disease. http://www.embo.org/news/press-releases/press-releases-2013/thijn-brummelkamp-receives-the-embo-gold-medal-2013 6C5BB8F7-9DC8-4A89-9E61-C6A25538AE77 Wed, 8 May 2013 17:36:40 +0100 The Academy of Medical Sciences is delighted to announce the election of 44 new Fellows in 2013. http://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/index.php?pid=118&pressid=109 EB2EF21F-E4DC-4284-84B4-85E992FA1C8E Wed, 8 May 2013 07:57:01 +0100 Dr. Christian de Duve, a Belgian biochemist whose discoveries about the internal workings of cells shed light on genetic disorders like Tay-Sachs disease and helped give birth to the field of modern cell biology, earning him a Nobel Prize, died on Saturday at his home in Nethen, Belgium. He was 95. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/07/us/christian-de-duve-nobel-winning-biochemist-dies-at-95.html?_r=0 2A15432A-4048-4AC1-B753-B48DA636D6C0 Wed, 8 May 2013 08:39:23 +0100 University College London has walked away from controversial plans to build a £1 billion campus overlooking the Olympic Park in Stratford east London http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/ucls-1bn-east-london-campus-vision-evaporates/8647650.article?blocktitle=News-feature&contentID=5471 763AE69A-2178-4E7C-B0E7-5A8EB732237C Wed, 8 May 2013 08:42:49 +0100 Lucy Collinson is head of the Electron Microscopy Unit at Cancer Research UK's London Research Institute. Profile in Nature Jobs. http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7447-149a 8591B7F2-07D4-4A7C-8D94-9F8F2D6DC0A7 Tue, 7 May 2013 18:16:40 +0100 FP7 funded INFRAFRONTIER-I3 project (2013-2016) supports eligible customers with a free of charge mouse production service implemented as a Transnational Access (TA) activity providing a total of 30 access units. http://www.infrafrontier.eu/news2011.php#20130307 4CE05E47-DBC6-4376-9FF3-5783D0512B67 Tue, 7 May 2013 18:18:20 +0100 Whitehead Institute Founding Member Rudolf Jaenisch, who helped transform the study of genetics by creating the first transgenic mouse in 1974, is again revolutionizing how genetically altered animal models are created and perhaps even redefining what species may serve as models. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/wifb-srt050113.php 5E400C41-5C0B-41A2-95FD-D2D39AE69FAC Wed, 8 May 2013 08:36:41 +0100 The Wellcome Trust, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is offering opportunities for early-career researchers to carry out interdisciplinary research at MIT. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2013/News/WTP052466.htm 7C9FD1FE-198F-4FFE-B66C-9CB332F5C8A8 Tue, 7 May 2013 08:06:36 +0100 Some Royal Society fellows have objected to Prince Andrew's election as a "royal fellow". http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/may/05/prince-andrew-royal-society-row FE081275-D673-41FB-9B2A-02E8C3900D4E Tue, 7 May 2013 08:21:35 +0100 Pupils at many state-funded schools in England are missing out on practical science experiments because of a lack of basic equipment, a report suggests. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22369573 C97FD3E8-472E-47CA-805A-97622864EF09 Tue, 7 May 2013 08:14:55 +0100 As the Royal Society releases the names of this year's new Fellows, it is encouraging to see the names of 10 women feature. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/occams-corner/2013/may/03/royal-society-women 6EE3C6C8-9AAA-432C-AD32-0AC81B9C1F8A Fri, 3 May 2013 11:34:56 +0100 44 new Fellows of the Royal Society have been announced. http://royalsociety.org/about-us/fellowship/new-fellows-2013/ 755D16DF-2363-4FF0-94AF-224D62096AEB Fri, 3 May 2013 09:49:10 +0100 A joint call will shortly be launched for multidisciplinary research centres in synthetic biology, developed by the RCUK Synthetic Biology Working Group, and will be supported by BBSRC and EPSRC. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/opportunities/2013/synthetic-biology-research-centres.aspx F70E1261-A316-4ABB-AD5F-8429C237E094 Fri, 3 May 2013 09:31:22 +0100 Academic entrepreneurs leading spin-outs from universities in Denmark, France, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have made it through to the final round of the fifth annual Academic Enterprise Awards, the only pan-European awards for enterprise in university and public research institutes. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76120/France%2c-Switzerland-and-UK-dominate-the-finalists%E2%80%99-list-for-Academic-Enterprise-Awards 876030FF-1FAB-4BB9-AC63-FA23D7CBC9EB Fri, 3 May 2013 09:28:03 +0100 The Academy of Medical Sciences, through its trading subsidiary, has entered into an agreement to facilitate advice from Fellows to a UK-based regulated asset management company, Park Vale Capital. http://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/index.php?pid=118&pressid=108 8949F51F-246D-4842-81AA-F48DD1DA5617 Fri, 3 May 2013 09:22:14 +0100 House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, oral evidence from Sir Mark Walport on the work of the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, taken on Wednesday 24 April 2013. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmsctech/uc1052-ii/uc105201.htm 52F9D3B8-FE87-49C2-B163-368155A76742 Fri, 3 May 2013 09:17:25 +0100 The philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates were in Washington, D.C., last weekend talking about the power of science to save and improve the lives of the poor.Science magazine interviewed them. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6132/536.full 4F3AFACF-2EBD-44AE-AD22-74B9BE5069D4 Fri, 3 May 2013 09:14:09 +0100 Concerns over congressional interference in NSF funding decisions. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6132/525.full BA683F09-02A7-4992-9CEC-453589B66FA6 Fri, 3 May 2013 09:07:56 +0100 The new chair of the House of Representatives science committee has drafted a bill that, in effect, would alter peer review at the National Science Foundation (NSF) by embracing a set of criteria chosen by Congress. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6132/534.full AD2B51B0-4B9E-4D34-8653-CD916F797542 Fri, 3 May 2013 09:12:09 +0100 Reflections on the proportion of women in the Royal Society. http://blogs.royalsociety.org/inside-science/2013/04/29/diversity-in-the-royal-society-what-only-two-women/ 2E4559F4-B439-4AF2-8C5E-5F3A24735FB6 Fri, 3 May 2013 09:04:31 +0100 The benefits of improving laboratory efficiency are proven, most recently by a survey of academics, technicians and other practitioners at the 2012 conference of the S-Lab (Safe, Successful, Sustainable Laboratories) initiative. http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/blog/2013/may/01/university-science-laboratories-efficiency-funding 1D90F6FC-587B-4494-AD6A-E81A4DA281AF Thu, 2 May 2013 09:21:09 +0100 At the start of its 'European Month of the Brain' initiative, the European Commission has earmarked some €150 million of funding for 20 new international brain research projects. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-380_en.htm 9B55B071-6B62-4CF5-A38E-E84C8D4DA574 Thu, 2 May 2013 09:16:04 +0100 The outbreak of a new type of bird flu in China poses a "serious threat" to human health, but it is still too soon to predict how far it will spread, experts have said. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22364628 FC362A8D-7CF1-42FA-9841-B3677A5FEF29 Thu, 2 May 2013 09:08:38 +0100 Vince Cable says he will be making a very, very strong case that the things we do which are to do with science and innovation and training and further and higher education – that these are absolutely critical for economic growth.” http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9da81b24-b0e0-11e2-9f24-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2S7ctRCuX CDA9AFFB-60FC-49BD-8133-947941308789 Thu, 2 May 2013 09:26:15 +0100 Guardian Political Science bloggers say that George Monbiot's attack on Walport misses the mark. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/apr/30/science-policy1 4C4EFB83-2D90-4FF6-B096-948073A7B5A4 Thu, 2 May 2013 09:26:13 +0100 Chinese scientists and officials have been concerned that China might lose credit for its work in isolating and sequencing the new H7N9 avian flu virus. http://www.nature.com/news/flu-papers-spark-row-over-credit-for-data-1.12901 41D4EEA0-CEFD-4AE5-9914-959A6A649F74 Thu, 2 May 2013 09:17:57 +0100 Peter Johnson, Chief Clinician at Cancer Research UK, provides insight into molecular stratification and the changing face of cancer trials. http://www.scienceomega.com/article/948/the-molecular-revolution 74D25BDB-1585-41AC-AE1D-4E7BE46DBB21 Thu, 2 May 2013 09:16:58 +0100 'Pint of Science' is science festival 'bringing science out of labs, seminars, lecture halls or classrooms to a place where everyone feels comfortable voicing their opinion over a pint.' http://brianclegg.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/science-in-pub-what-can-possibly-go.html C5F8CA85-390F-4DC8-91CD-61D7DC3164AE Thu, 2 May 2013 09:24:52 +0100 The Australian Academy of Science must take urgent steps to address the lack of gender equality among its elected fellows. http://www.nature.com/news/australian-science-needs-more-female-fellows-1.12895 8FB63768-F1E9-43AA-A0AF-5D3F4FD24B5E Thu, 2 May 2013 09:09:27 +0100 Among the foreign associates are Brian Charlesworth (University of Edinburgh), Christopher Dobson (University of Cambridge), Michael Neuberger (MRC Lab of Molecular Biology) and Robin Weiss (University College London). http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/2013_04_30_NAS_Election.html 247AB225-7975-4E60-85DD-8BFF1962A855 Wed, 1 May 2013 10:56:45 +0100 Dr Wendy Nicholson’s team at the University of Edinburgh and The Roslin Institute have won the 2013 award. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/people-skills-training/2013/130430-f-activating-impact-wendy-nicholson.aspx DB48AEC0-F2E3-4C9C-8CA3-6F583305BEED Wed, 1 May 2013 10:54:08 +0100 Major US research and medical institutions are spending heavily and recruiting in preparation for an genome-based assault on cancer. http://www.phgfoundation.org/news/13889/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+phgfoundation_articles+%28Articles+from+the+PHG+Foundation+Newsletter%29&utm_content=FeedBurner 80DF0B6D-4D59-4074-9B0C-1076DF02C95B Wed, 1 May 2013 10:48:18 +0100 Science is Vital urges the Government to unfreeze the science budget and increase its research and development spend in 2015-16. Further, to demonstrate its vision that science is vital for the UK, we ask the Government to set itself the long-term target of raising R&D spending to at least 0.8% of GDP - the G8 average. http://scienceisvital.org.uk/latest/ 59964E47-6D00-471F-88C6-8A6A305249D0 Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:10:42 +0100 Can we build the commitment and consensus necessary to eliminate NTDs by 2020? http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development-professionals-network/2013/apr/29/neglected-tropical-diseases-live-chat 6B3E1802-31F9-4577-BDC1-0169E423F55A Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:08:39 +0100 Call for solidarity with scientists in Milan affected by animal rights extremism. http://www.basel-declaration.org/call-for-solidarity/ E4D7F9A5-AFA1-4936-A9B0-C22EDDB6CAE4 Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:11:41 +0100 Imperial College engineering PhD student Leon Vanstone has been declared this year's Famelab UK champion. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_29-4-2013-15-16-27 F78A867E-6C1C-4908-9E5A-D84CA061AD2D Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:03:11 +0100 President Obama took an oblique swipe at political adversaries in Congress who want to require the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other funding agencies to adopt new grant funding criteria. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/04/obama-promises-to-protect-peer-r.html?rss=1 3B73ED78-7F88-469C-94F6-E3EB3A5AF3D4 Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:01:47 +0100 The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) has approved funding for ten additional core facilities to make existing research instrumentation more easily and efficiently accessible to researchers. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=130627&CultureCode=en E4F72C15-B85F-4530-A9F1-C571A992A52B Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:05:19 +0100 The new chairman of the House science committee has drafted a bill that, in effect, would replace peer review at the National Science Foundation (NSF) with a set of funding criteria chosen by Congress. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/04/us-lawmaker-proposes-new-criteri-1.html?rss=1 D118F96D-BAF5-4DA8-AF5F-6B3A78D84527 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:55:07 +0100 The Royal Society has announced the appointment of 27 new Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award holders. http://royalsociety.org/news/2013/new-wolfson-research-merit-awards/ 7753C3CA-1AE0-4899-84E8-4E61C9037A04 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:45:11 +0100 King’s College London Professor of Molecular Biophysics Brian Sutton explains Rosalind Franklin's famous image and its history. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/04/25/behind-the-picture-photo-51/ 499037F0-0769-4EBF-A8C4-E841E05619FE Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:57:32 +0100 Imperial College London has been granted Athena Swan silver status, one of only three universities to ever be recognised in this way. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_25-4-2013-13-12-14 5C84A760-8430-4ADE-B934-CF3BBD355018 Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:46:11 +0100 Scientist-driven attempts to reform England’s libel laws finally came to fruition today as the House of Commons gave its stamp to a new law designed to make it harder to use the courts to supress debate. http://www.nature.com/news/england-s-libel-laws-reformed-in-a-victory-for-science-campaigners-1.12874 0DD5AF16-915B-441C-A49E-74ED89206C30 Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:39:09 +0100 Results of the poll in Science magazine: To what extent is the current grant funding environment undermining the intellectual environment and creativity in your institution? http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6131/429.full 552A9CDA-E569-4325-AA1C-DECB72E0480E Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:35:17 +0100 Japan's science and technology future will require it to place a much stronger focus on encouraging risk taking and independence for promising young scientists. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6131/407.full 67A56E52-5627-4157-AE90-2472E5147444 Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:29:17 +0100 World Malaria Day aims to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control. http://www.who.int/campaigns/malaria-day/2013/event/en/index.html 00CE07F6-B87B-4814-8874-D345534324A5 Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:48:13 +0100 The United States is already training more technical talent than the job market can absorb, says a new report, and immigration policies that encourage an inflow of high-skilled foreign workers are likely only to make matters worse. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/04/letting-in-more-skilled-foreign-.html?rss=1 4FD2A566-B34F-496B-9975-95526042F7FB Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:43:10 +0100 Jeremy Farrar, a clinical infectious-disease researcher, has been appointed to lead the UK Wellcome Trust, one of the world’s largest biomedical research charities. http://blogs.nature.com/news/2013/04/wellcome-trust-taps-infectious-disease-researcher-as-new-director.html 4739F3EE-50BF-474B-BFD8-7D8FBC2869AE Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:37:03 +0100 A biologist who shared a Nobel Prize in 1965, Dr. Francois Jacob helped unlock the mysteries of RNA. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-me-francois-jacob-20130425,0,7972445.story A6D0305D-8004-4BD4-A62A-196AEA1FDA27 Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:36:25 +0100 The UK research system has survived through a difficult period of flat-cash funding. What are the prospects in the run-up to the next spending review and general election? http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/apr/24/research-funding-austerity 6E87583E-2EFA-4862-AC89-84D666A4EB10 Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:35:23 +0100 Warnings about the emergence of another influenza virus may elicit scepticism, but we should not be complacent, cautions Peter Horby. http://www.nature.com/news/h7n9-is-a-virus-worth-worrying-about-1.12853 DCD145E1-5A94-4AE8-855C-6C04FF221EDF Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:25:35 +0100 From next month, Nature and the Nature research journals will introduce editorial measures to address the problem by improving the consistency and quality of reporting in life-sciences articles. http://www.nature.com/news/announcement-reducing-our-irreproducibility-1.12852 C7F6AC39-2C84-4529-B788-F7C282A8B6BE Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:22:08 +0100 Led astray by her own evidence, Rosalind Franklin missed, just barely, making the greatest discovery in the history of biology. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/fire-in-the-mind/2013/04/25/on-dnas-anniversary-how-rosalind-franklin-missed-the-helix/#.UXjcQaJcdAJ EF9ADBCE-2013-47D1-9F52-2C5023FCBE0B Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:33:28 +0100 Information from Wellcome's online archives. http://blog.wellcomelibrary.org/2013/04/60th-anniversary-of-discovery-of-dna/ ABDEEA27-37B6-43F4-9E4D-9A5496586001 Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:31:01 +0100 The Scottish Funding Council is providing £8m over five years to back the creation of the £20m Stratified Medicine Scotland Innovation Centre (SMS-IC) at the new South Glasgow Hospitals Campus. http://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_275904_en.html AA769D0F-1AC1-4944-87D8-2CE6B96D0145 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:38:52 +0100 The Board of Governors of the Wellcome Trust is pleased to announce the appointment today of Professor Jeremy Farrar as the Trust’s new Director. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2013/WTP052380.htm 61DC2398-4A64-48F5-BAC1-6CCA5A5DE21B Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:09:44 +0100 Robert Koch Award 2013 goes to Jeffrey I. Gordon for pioneering studies of the human microbiome; Anthony S. Fauci receives the Robert Koch Gold Medal 2013 for outstanding scientific contributions to HIV research http://www.robert-koch-stiftung.de/index.php?article_id=106&clang=1 4718B267-5958-4276-863D-CCA6F493AE0A Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:52:32 +0100 The Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) welcomes Dr Sarah Main as its new Director. http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=12557 DD1F2A52-4A40-4EF8-AA20-2D85BDB33691 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:38:49 +0100 Scientists researching diseases such as cancer are impeded by having to pay companies who own specific gene patents. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/24/gene-patents-scientific-research-innovation DB01FEE1-9BE6-4BAA-8537-F3FD1E2B5545 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:43:34 +0100 Targeting economically disadvantaged people should be our priority if we're serious about increasing diversity in science. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/apr/23/working-class-women-science 1D0D40C0-C65E-4A64-9755-202FF8528EE7 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:41:32 +0100 A distinguished group of 16 philanthropists have been appointed to a fundraising campaign board for Cancer Research UK to raise £100m for the Francis Crick Institute - the Create The Change campaign. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/news/archive/pressrelease/2013-04-22-stellar-team-to-lead-fundraising-crick-team?rss=true 192CBC61-0B71-484B-9EEE-54AEC76794B7 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:55:14 +0100 Wang Jun, the executive director of BGI, says that the average age of a scientist there is 23 and the average age across the company is 26, as it plucks people straight out of college. http://blogs.nature.com/tradesecrets/2013/04/19/bgis-youth-movement 4F9E4CF0-C560-4684-8EE7-13DC9F88C58F Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:53:06 +0100 Activists occupied an animal facility at the University of Milan, Italy, at the weekend, releasing mice and rabbits and mixing up cage labels to confuse experimental protocols. http://www.nature.com/news/animal-rights-activists-wreak-havoc-in-milan-laboratory-1.12847 C9FB9B8A-43B2-414E-8BCA-E541CB07B472 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:50:05 +0100 Small World is a blog about new developments in nanotechnology funded by Nanopinion, a European Commission project. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/small-world 7EBF5DAC-1926-43A0-9565-B5B8A9761A85 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:59:32 +0100 The Cancer Research Technology Pioneer Fund CPF today has made its first investment in a collaboration with the Cancer Research UK Cancer Therapeutics Unit at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, to develop a promising class of drugs called MPS1 inhibitors to treat cancer. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/news/archive/pressrelease/2013-04-23-crtpioneerfund-firstinvestment?rss=true 092602C9-FB35-4DB9-A0FC-F4FE54FD4E60 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:56:07 +0100 The Academy of Medical Sciences, the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society are working together to highlight the value of research and innovation to the UK. http://royalsociety.org/policy/publications/2013/fuelling-prosperity/ 441853F7-074A-4E30-99CE-EDEC676123C8 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:48:34 +0100 Eve Marder believes that many of the most important events in our lives, both personal and professional, depend to some degree on luck or chance. http://elife.elifesciences.org//content/2/e00676 0BF9F31C-9ADF-4DA4-8DA9-DC23C8F82083 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:46:41 +0100 Women and girls are historically underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields. It is important that educators find ways to encourage girls to participate in these fields. http://news.yahoo.com/attract-more-girls-stem-bring-more-storytelling-science-195600805.html 24BC6A8C-26A0-4778-AA6A-40F65FCEAE2B Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:43:34 +0100 The government needs to do more to support science and innovation and not to take the UK's position as a world leader in science for granted, four major science and engineering institutions say. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22245033 A851E815-27B2-4C85-810F-8A3FACF775BD Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:57:08 +0100 Director General for Knowledge and Innovation at the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS), has requested feedback on government priorities towards science and research funding. http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=12536 FD0F0FDC-8A82-408B-B5A8-091743AAB5B9 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:41:47 +0100 Sir Kenneth Murray, who has died aged 82, was one of the most distinguished molecular biologists of his age. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/apr/21/kenneth-murray 58C27274-8A6A-463F-8852-B731ABFBA558 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:48:26 +0100 The Athena Swan charter of commitment to women's careers in STEM is gaining traction but it's not enough to 'look' good - departments must follow through with action. http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/blog/2013/apr/18/athena-swan-application-women-academia 67606925-5E4A-4892-993E-A51B70260EF9 Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:58:36 +0100 David Dobbs' gives advice on science writing. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/apr/19/science-writing-david-dobbs A54CAD13-CEF1-4B5D-A5FC-6529B52A8BD8 Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:57:58 +0100 The European Commission needs to make some key innovations in its science funding programme if Europe is to enjoy the full benefits of the €70 billion to be spent on science research as part of the Horizon 2020 programme. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0413/130418-horizon-20-20 AB403EA6-A329-4F4F-A3EA-5271DE9893A0 Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:55:25 +0100 A group of scientists and policymakers has released a collection of essays discussing how the United Kingdom's civil service, Whitehall, can make better use of scientific advice. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/04/for-united-kingdom-advice.html?rss=1 5B89817B-337F-4F8B-94EC-DBD36938CFE4 Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:53:17 +0100 After ten years of policy initiatives - and despite female graduates outnumbering males – the EU is far from gender equality in R&D. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76105/Call-to-redouble-efforts-to-end-gender-imbalance-in-research 0F41AB31-843E-4009-AD03-10D5411560D7 Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:52:03 +0100 In this special issue of Science, experts say what they think are the most important challenges facing science education. http://www.sciencemag.org/site/special/education2013/ 23B0003C-63A1-4AEA-9CDB-5B1BB4F02032 Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:38:52 +0100 Education should also focus on producing nonscientists who can access and make sense of science relevant to their lives. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6130/314.full DC6A35F3-E84A-4B17-ADDE-0C0989333BE5 Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:39:54 +0100 The National Science Foundation (NSF) may soon be getting some unsolicited advice from Congress on how to improve its vaunted peer-review system. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/04/nsf-peer-review-under-scrutiny-b.html?rss=1 9DED4227-7FD2-489E-A944-1637F4105D6D Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:54:09 +0100 How open is the discussion around science policy? http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/apr/17/science-policy B1938413-A98D-4B3E-B944-524C2BFFB672 Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:18:54 +0100 A scientist carrying out research on an experimental drug has become the first person in Britain to be jailed for falsifying results. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10001149/Scientist-jailed-for-faking-medicine-test-results.html 007437FE-2318-476D-BF8C-9C6FE1931FFF Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:14:47 +0100 The Supreme Court has been delving into molecular biology in order to understand the case against the BRCA gene patents. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/04/can-human-genes-be-patented.html?rss=1 5F472AE0-8AFC-4140-BD4E-B3DD5E603EA0 Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:10:22 +0100 The battle to justify research funding is as important now as it was 30 years ago. http://www.nature.com/news/we-are-still-saving-british-science-from-margaret-thatcher-1.12800 A445C774-8325-4002-BF78-1D9169ECFD14 Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:09:17 +0100 European scientists have difficulty connecting with the general public and journalists. The causes of these difficulties are, above all, the lack of institutional support, pressures of work, and not having any training in communication. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=130352&CultureCode=en 64E80D55-7D3E-4A04-BFA6-0AF3001D173F Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:34:04 +0100 Report of contaminated reagents. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v496/n7445/full/496300c.html FC11DB2B-8C50-42BF-9DF1-DAD588F86A06 Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:06:16 +0100 Lack of funding and recruitment freezes are driving young researchers out of the country. http://www.nature.com/news/austerity-led-brain-drain-is-killing-greek-science-1.12813 93C86CA0-CBE0-40CD-BF43-403D5B788B6B Thu, 18 Apr 2013 08:54:21 +0100 The new H7N9 avian influenza strain that surfaced in China recently is now making its way to labs around the world. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/04/more-h7n9-infections-reported.html?rss=1 7291C38D-B6E8-4FAC-AB52-9354814859D4 Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:06:35 +0100 Translational research wins in Obama’s budget, but its economic value remains uncertain http://www.nature.com/news/a-back-seat-for-basic-science-1.12803 2656E6F0-CDA0-4451-8175-A20E5D37E437 Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:02:32 +0100 The James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting Partnerships (PSPs) have moved to the NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre. The JLA PSPs identify and prioritise treatment uncertainties which they agree are the most important for research. http://www.netscc.ac.uk/news/item/08042013.asp E6AC5D42-125C-4B12-9457-73DE3E0415C1 Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:15:02 +0100 The H7N9 avian flu virus greatly expanded its geographical range over the weekend, with two new human cases reported in Beijing in the north of China, and another two in Henan province in the centre. http://www.nature.com/news/h7n9-bird-flu-poised-to-spread-1.12801 0BBFBB55-D22B-4A06-9FDF-69A5A8811A55 Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:09:50 +0100 A study with low statistical power has a reduced chance of detecting a true effect, but it is less well appreciated that low power also reduces the likelihood that a statistically significant result reflects a true effect. A paper in Nature Reviews Neuroscience shows that the average statistical power of studies in the neurosciences is very low. http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nrn3475.html C113288C-46D7-42D6-AEEE-DCC1636EBE3D Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:07:51 +0100 This Royal Society award provides initial support of up to £30,000 to test the feasibility of a project, enabling applicants to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of commercialising an aspect of their scientific research, possibly in conjunction with a third party. http://royalsociety.org/grants/schemes/brian-mercer-feasibility/ B59F8A1F-188B-4BE6-8450-CF3E368E481A Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:04:51 +0100 The Department of Health has launched a new, open, two-stage competition to designate Academic Health Science Centres (AHSCs) in England. http://www.ccf.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/AHSCCompetition.aspx 23015727-67B9-4C7E-94A1-7710BDA0DF0C Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:06:30 +0100 The Royal Society announces eight new fellowships aimed at strengthening links between academia and industry. http://royalsociety.org/news/2013/eight-new-industry-fellowships/ 147D3ADB-B2ED-48BC-855D-8DA3A44ED7EB Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:46:51 +0100 The reasons given by journals for retracting articles can be comically opaque. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/fire-in-the-mind/2013/04/12/the-artful-dodge-of-the-scientific-retraction/#.UWu3VB2mgoO 4F3C9A19-5AD7-41CE-98F8-DC5AE09F73C4 Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:16:29 +0100 Artists and scientists both have to be creative: they both have to develop original ideas and push frontiers. Is coming up with a novel research idea so different than creating something never seen before out of raw paint and paper? http://www.scilogs.com/from_the_lab_bench/what-artists-and-scientists-have-in-common/ 1FAB40E1-2DB9-486D-8B25-7A983BAB8150 Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:17:58 +0100 Europe’s chief Scientist Anne Glover is spearheading a drive to attract more people into science. First, we need to change the image of scientists, she says. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76097/Let%E2%80%99s-drop-the-caricature-to-close-the-skills-gap 725379F0-2D2A-4579-B143-324B178859BA Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:04:22 +0100 Some science agencies fare well in US president’s budget request, but proposal will meet stiff resistance. http://www.nature.com/news/obama-plays-scientific-favourites-1.12787 CA05C178-CE2A-4F16-B6E0-53743EC3B0AF Fri, 12 Apr 2013 08:45:04 +0100 Feature in Nature on how members of the public can help science projects. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v496/n7444/full/nj7444-259a.html 37D54301-DB5C-42AF-8EFC-ED4BF007F6FC Fri, 12 Apr 2013 08:30:07 +0100 As US Supreme Court justices prepare to hear arguments in Myriad Genetics case, Nature asks what effect their decision will have. http://www.nature.com/news/gene-patents-in-the-dock-1.12767 D8BB1EB6-55D0-4801-A314-93CFB48662D5 Fri, 12 Apr 2013 08:27:39 +0100 Long-promised reform to UK libel laws, due to be discussed again in Parliament later this month, might not go far enough. Only a clear public-interest defence for all scientific debate, at present not included in the reformed laws, will grant scientists the freedom that they need to speak out to safeguard public trust. http://www.nature.com/news/the-right-to-speak-out-1.12758 328267B4-518E-45E5-8138-181CBD579D96 Fri, 12 Apr 2013 08:23:50 +0100 Sheila Jasanoff asks who holds science advisers accountable for the integrity of their advice? http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/apr/08/lessons-science-advice 867EBCD4-0DCF-4BC9-AF01-F78162910438 Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:22:34 +0100 History of science should be taken seriously in the process of making science policy http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-h-word/2013/apr/11/benefits-hindsight-history-science-policy 306644E8-5F68-4876-9731-4171E3338751 Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:20:52 +0100 Karl Deisseroth presents a new way of imaging the brain, which many researchers say will fundamentally change the way labs study the intricate organ. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6129/131.full F09E2B17-EC56-42D0-976E-60D50C184FB2 Fri, 12 Apr 2013 08:21:42 +0100 One hundred fifty years ago, on 22 April 1863, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) held its first meeting. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6129/119.full C9A8231C-6FE6-41A9-AC92-D4A350B34FF2 Fri, 12 Apr 2013 08:20:27 +0100 The Academy for Medical Sciences has announced the availability of these internships for PhD students funded by Wellcome Trust.Closing date for applications is 21 May 2013. http://acmedsci.ac.uk/p255.html D5447E8B-A942-4CE7-A99D-403D7E774FF3 Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:37:57 +0100 The Bitesize Bio website carries an article which compares two lab management strategies. Seagull is individualist and potentially inefficient, commons relies on sharing reagents and all team members contributing. http://bitesizebio.com/articles/lab-management-strategies/ 6BD00B92-5BEA-494C-BC2F-747E1905AA2E Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:31:14 +0100 David Willetts (Science minister) writes in the Guardian on transparency in science and research. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/apr/09/open-access-scientific-publishing-peer-review-scientific-publishing B12693BA-EA3A-4A2C-B815-32E490B32F56 Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:28:19 +0100 With the recent death of the former prime minister much has been written about her life in politics. In the Guardian Jon Agar examines whether her background in chemistry and experience in the laboratory influenced her political ideology. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/apr/09/margaret-thatcher-ideology-scientist E529F9AC-FA45-4A13-A6AA-A5566857B23B Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:41:41 +0100 The PHG Foundation has published a report with recommendations on managing the findings from the project. An ethical framework for disclosing clinical and research findings to patients/research subject is discussed. http://www.phgfoundation.org/news/13721/ 9BD93867-4FC2-4708-B3F6-D0B6B0C68A64 Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:23:41 +0100 The CaSE blog looks at the ongoing campaign. http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=12504 42BFE626-3997-4BE7-8E62-C19C2800C7F2 Tue, 9 Apr 2013 10:50:37 +0100 A large rally of scientists and patient advocates has taken place in Washington DC. It was calling for more funding for biomedical research. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/04/researchers-and-advocates-gather.html?rss=1 D552A1CB-F508-4544-8593-2C57D166EAA0 Tue, 9 Apr 2013 10:47:43 +0100 Using working clusters of public, private and research institutes, innovation can be seen through from lab to market, explains EUREKA’s Jacques Magen. http://www.scienceomega.com/article/989/innovation-via-collaboration FF2F4583-84C2-45E2-A6EA-A81564A72BCF Tue, 9 Apr 2013 10:46:42 +0100 An article in The New York Times looks at rogue OA publishers, Some will publish anything for a fee and others try to dupe users to pay for the privilege of speaking at conferences. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/08/health/for-scientists-an-exploding-world-of-pseudo-academia.html?ref=science&_r=0 A5E38467-C753-4096-8C52-ADA6B83860E0 Tue, 9 Apr 2013 10:40:28 +0100 PHG Foundation looks at the impact of the publication online of the HeLa sequence,. The publication is controversial as EMBO did not seek consent from the family of the cancer patient from which the cell line derives. http://www.phgfoundation.org/news/13743/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+phgfoundation_articles+%28Articles+from+the+PHG+Foundation+Newsletter%29&utm_content=Netvibes E183E1CE-6213-48F6-A183-13C578DA569E Tue, 9 Apr 2013 10:35:15 +0100 Cancer Research UK have developed a way to monitor the development of cancer tumours using blood tests. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/news/archive/pressrelease/2013-04-07-simple-blood-test-to-track-tumour-evolution?rss=true 062CD2F8-B7EF-4F4E-AE40-CEAD2D24595C Mon, 8 Apr 2013 12:22:30 +0100 The World Health Organization has confirmed five deaths from H7N9 influenza in China. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22030882 D1DD1DF1-8E09-4CA0-BBC5-B46413D0C997 Mon, 8 Apr 2013 12:18:06 +0100 How will scientists share their results with each other and the public in 50 years? In January, Science magazine asked young scientists to use their imaginations and send their best ideas. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6128/28.full 621C34EA-C59C-4212-BC65-D8076D0E3856 Fri, 5 Apr 2013 09:15:55 +0100 The outgoing UK chief scientific adviser reflects on progress and lessons learned. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/apr/04/science-art-advice-john-beddington CD15CC85-928C-4C17-888F-06B91E96E55B Fri, 5 Apr 2013 09:07:40 +0100 Jonathan Weber has been appointed as Director of Research for the Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC). http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_4-4-2013-12-56-32 F996184A-C4D2-4F93-ADC5-D38472F72416 Fri, 5 Apr 2013 09:00:48 +0100 Are students discriminated against for choosing poor or unsuccessful mentors? Scientific life isn't fair, so choosing wisely at the outset is crucial for student success. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/occams-corner/2013/apr/05/scientific-life-mentors-fellowships C4F2B907-6613-44FD-B6E9-83A4A7659F71 Fri, 5 Apr 2013 09:11:45 +0100 Scientists are often grouped together as one homogenous group by those not involved in the discipline. But there are many different types of scientist. This simple quiz lets you find out which one you are. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/brain-flapping/2013/apr/05/what-scientist-are-you-quiz 888C8B1F-D7A9-4EA7-AF3D-9CA230C72BFD Fri, 5 Apr 2013 09:09:24 +0100 Hundreds of staff and students had to be evacuated from University of Westminster after a fire broke out in a seven-storey teaching block. http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/hundreds-evacuated-from-university-of-westminster-as-blaze-destroys-science-lab-8559311.html 86610C6A-E32C-4E46-971B-1E45B25954A6 Fri, 5 Apr 2013 09:17:47 +0100 BMJ spoke to GSK's chief executive, Andrew Witty, about how he is trying to change the company. http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f1458 358E7013-C38A-4BF3-AB44-1EEE341B1F99 Thu, 4 Apr 2013 14:47:01 +0100 As Sir Mark Walport starts work as the UK's chief scientist, The Guardian Political Science blog launch a series on the priorities and dilemmas of scientific advice. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/apr/03/science-policy?CMP=twt_fd B689539E-81BC-43C6-B16E-0D0AB300993C Thu, 4 Apr 2013 08:49:23 +0100 Experiments are being put on the back burner; future discoveries may be scuppered by administrative overload. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/occams-corner/2013/apr/02/1?INTCMP=SRCH F0B560EF-5DD8-4A59-9277-784C08D3BC0F Thu, 4 Apr 2013 08:55:15 +0100 Nurturing small groups of leading researchers, especially young scientists, is the way to break intellectual ground, says Alan Bernstein. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v496/n7443/full/496027a.html 3DCF2EC1-627F-454B-80EE-D0123B748228 Thu, 4 Apr 2013 09:01:56 +0100 Geophysicist Marcia McNutt, who stepped down as head of the U.S. Geological Survey in February, will be the new editor-in-chief of Science starting on 1 June. She takes over from Bruce Alberts. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/04/mcnutt-new-editor-in-chief-of-sc.html 0090FDA9-E5DC-4BF2-8733-1F4B6D428960 Thu, 4 Apr 2013 09:23:20 +0100 A new blog called 'Grandma got STEM' collects stories of grandmothers who have engaged with STEM in some way; http://claremontdh.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/ggstem/ 0C270AE9-3CE4-4DA9-A751-160AF9D5377F Thu, 4 Apr 2013 09:13:32 +0100 Significant investments in disease surveillance and notification systems appear to have "paid off" and the systems "work remarkably well," says a researcher who examined the public health response systems during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/gumc-ads032813.php 9BBEA1DB-CB8C-42C0-AF51-BCBB0C3ECD35 Thu, 4 Apr 2013 09:38:54 +0100 In a series of three articles, BBSRC Innovator of the Year 2013 winners reveal the secrets behind their innovations. Commercial Innovator winner Dr Anna Hine reveals the highs and lows of commercialising an elegant technique for building proteins from gene libraries. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/food-security/2013/130402-f-innovators-pt1-hine.aspx 8B53AA43-731B-4A0E-9EEE-21A2392EF061 Thu, 4 Apr 2013 09:25:29 +0100 A lab retreat provides a chance to rethink and advance the research programme, says Eleftherios Diamandis. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v496/n7443/full/nj7443-129a.html D32C6391-F90B-4B7F-9953-3965ECB060F5 Thu, 4 Apr 2013 09:10:20 +0100 Researchers and funding agencies need to put a premium on ensuring that results are reproducible. http://www.nature.com/news/if-a-job-is-worth-doing-it-is-worth-doing-twice-1.12727 F5EB54CA-F128-463D-A6BE-93E087CD77A3 Thu, 4 Apr 2013 08:59:43 +0100 What medical advance from the past 100 years has had the greatest impact? What do you think will be the most important medical discovery in the next 100 years? http://www.centenary.mrc.ac.uk/centenary-poll/ F031E8F1-B054-4347-AB01-11B5018D9388 Wed, 3 Apr 2013 10:15:21 +0100 Canada's Information Commission is to investigate claims that the government is "muzzling" its scientists. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22005706 02B05AD5-958C-4F06-897A-BEAB199BF01E Wed, 3 Apr 2013 09:20:36 +0100 President Obama officially announced a new brain research initiative. In its first year, the project would devote roughly $100 million in public funding and a similar amount from private foundations, to develop new tools for mapping neural circuits. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/04/big-brain-science 07987CBF-E11F-486F-BDC3-D707295E3DC9 Wed, 3 Apr 2013 09:15:47 +0100 Business Insider have named their top 50 "Sexiest Scientists Alive". http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2013_03_22/caredit.a1300049 F46BDCC2-ED2D-49E9-B61D-0720041CAEFB Wed, 3 Apr 2013 09:31:09 +0100 Behaviour at conferences that is unacceptable. http://www.ruthburr.com/things-you-think-arent-sexist/#.UVvo_R2mgoM F3DE49F0-576B-4A31-9706-8F6610F4ADD8 Wed, 3 Apr 2013 09:32:04 +0100 A group of leading scientists has urged President Obama’s advisers to investigate the ethical issues raised by a decision to create a highly infectious strain of bird-flu virus that could be transmitted easily between people. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/leading-scientists-urge-president-obamas-advisers-to-investigate-ethical-issues-raised-by-creating-highly-infectious-strain-of-birdflu-8556082.html?origin=internalSearch 597868AC-8758-49E2-AEA1-FAC3F8B7325E Tue, 2 Apr 2013 09:37:20 +0100 India's top court has dismissed Swiss drugmaker Novartis's attempt to win patent protection for its cancer drug Glivec. http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2013/04/01/novartis_loses_the_glivec_patent_fight_in_india.php BC1508C0-F30F-479C-8C17-6AE91857F6AF Tue, 2 Apr 2013 09:34:57 +0100 The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Biomedicine category has been granted to chemist Douglas Coleman and physician Jeffrey Friedman for revealing the existence of the genes involved in the regulation of appetite and body weight, a discovery crucial to our understanding of human pathologies such as obesity. http://www.fbbva.es/TLFU/tlfu/ing/microsites/premios/fronteras/galardonados/2012/biomedicina.jsp F888B71C-D570-4945-A48E-CF44D0081DB0 Tue, 2 Apr 2013 09:23:35 +0100 Kevin Moses, Director of Science Funding at the Wellcome Trust. Interviewed in Lab Times. http://www.labtimes.org/editorial/e_401.lasso 4BF421EF-DE2E-42D2-9229-2CC33B1AD3EB Tue, 2 Apr 2013 09:13:00 +0100 We are in the midst of one of the biggest shake-ups of research communication for 300 years and the UK is at the centre of many of these changes. http://exquisitelife.researchresearch.com/exquisite_life/2013/03/the-streets-are-paved-with-gold-open-access-is-coming-to-town.html 453720D3-C5EF-44E1-A0C3-B48F7D9C60E3 Tue, 2 Apr 2013 09:05:31 +0100 A major issue raised by young people at the Voice of the Future discussion with MPs was the career structure in academic science. http://societyofbiologyblog.org/mps-thoughts-on-academic-career-paths/ F7A3DA83-F6F6-46C9-939C-B60AFBF6D370 Wed, 27 Mar 2013 08:58:28 +0000 An infectious disease curriculum has been piloted in five Boston Public Schools. Student engagement and interest in the infectious disease material increased after the curriculum was implemented. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/tuhs-sap032613.php 68FC76D1-0AE8-4751-85A6-AC7270465544 Wed, 27 Mar 2013 09:10:16 +0000 The hardest part of science outreach is not crafting a story. It’s not getting trained to appear on radio or television. It’s not researching the intricacies of neurobiology or the techniques of persuasion. It’s not even applying for a grant. The hardest part of science outreach is getting started. http://blogs.nature.com/soapboxscience/2013/03/20/the-audience-you-dont-know 67C967CF-3BC3-4984-A605-28A725DDC4EF Wed, 27 Mar 2013 09:13:48 +0000 The Academy responded to the triennial review of the research councils. http://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/index.php?pid=100&puid=270 A39FEE86-6EF0-4BA1-925E-063B8D332B17 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:27:45 +0000 Jon Lorsch, a biochemist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, will become Director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) on 1 August. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/03/hopkins-biochemist-to-head-nihs-.html?rss=1 5205B8FB-0711-4496-B1B7-3F491F96344D Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:34:46 +0000 Including NIMR's Alan WIlliamson and David Trentham http://www.biochemist.org/bio/03502/0034/035020034.pdf F2FBAAEF-AB75-4C42-A861-A378BCE6F5BE Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:30:10 +0000 UK Biobank has announced plans to undertake detailed DNA analysis of its 500,000 participants to better understand the complex interaction of lifestyle and genes in causing heart disease, dementia, cancer and a wide range of other life-threatening and disabling disorders. http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Newspublications/News/MRC009069 8B9D146A-E532-4347-81BD-FA72533FDC0B Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:40:30 +0000 To celebrate International Women’s Day, the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London invited Professor Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England and the Government’s principal medical advisor, to talk about the challenges for women in science. http://www.kcl.ac.uk/iop/news/records/2013/March/Inspiring-Women.aspx F46CEE92-0725-4E0B-BA7A-A9711C8FEB04 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:36:32 +0000 Could sub-Saharan Africa attract world-class science? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21851042 D9FA2AD6-16D8-43D4-824F-FFC454EB4CF1 Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:33:07 +0000 Months of consultation with the French scientific community culminated on Wednesday when the science minister presented a draft bill for a new higher education and research law that France's Parliament will soon consider. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/03/new-french-science-law-falls-sho.html?rss=1 0D23CE11-D0EC-4880-B5D9-6FD7E1B2C339 Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:28:32 +0000 This map shows the location of the research infrastructures funded under the Seventh Framework Programme that provide transnational access to researchers. http://ec.europa.eu/research/infrastructures/index_en.cfm?pg=mapri 4DE5B0A0-2E41-4ABD-B308-2A0EC1D79C8C Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:26:07 +0000 HFSP is pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 awards for research grants, Career Development Awards (CDA) and postdoctoral fellowships. http://www.hfsp.org/awardees/newly-awarded 0CF0F97A-3761-45F4-8235-91B21097A62F Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:40:01 +0000 The Brain Prize - Denmark's 1 million euro brain research prize - is awarded to six leading scientists for the development of ‘optogenetics’, a revolutionary technique that advances our understanding of the brain and its disorders. http://www.thebrainprize.org/files/4/uk_pr_final_05_03_13_ext.pdf 66B2D49F-52F0-474E-B72F-41E156AF0EAC Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:45:51 +0000 Canada's budget focuses on business innovation rather than blue-skies research. http://www.nature.com/news/canada-puts-commercialisation-ahead-of-blue-sky-research-1.12663 33875251-4524-4C6F-8D03-F12D5CCBBCA2 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:23:32 +0000 Annual Report on the ERC activities and achievements in 2012. http://erc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/document/file/erc_annual_report_2012.pdf E6615A12-B39E-4638-97F5-87BA1B9EB098 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:57:19 +0000 New issue of the ERC Newsletter, Ideas. http://erc.europa.eu/publication/erc-newsletter-issue-12013-march 0D4B1345-2674-4814-9820-A23AA7F0D867 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:57:55 +0000 Four-page briefing from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/briefing-papers/POST-PN-431 8A1BED83-BA46-4660-996E-A42FBA71A851 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:54:54 +0000 Researchers will be able to access samples from more than 7,000 donated human brains to help study major brain diseases, thanks to UK Brain Banks Network database, launched by the Medical Research Council (MRC). http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Newspublications/News/MRC009067 1407BCD8-E8F1-4B49-8A91-9D48AFAB9F13 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:36:40 +0000 Fourteen genetics experts, with the backing of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), are proposing that anyone whose genome is sequenced for any medical reason should automatically learn whether 57 of their genes put them at risk of certain cancers, potentially fatal heart conditions, and other serious health problems. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/03/patients-should-get-all-dna-info-1.html?rss=1 1504B2D7-68FD-4BAE-925F-6E1DC36EEDE6 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:30:18 +0000 MRC Network Spring 2013. In this issue: Medical research on the frontline; Iain Chalmers on the Alltrials campaign; eminent women scientists; Brad Amos’s microscopy lab; Millennium Medal winners 2013. http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Utilities/Documentrecord/index.htm?d=MRC009064 0A4257F6-0707-42F9-9208-DE232159859F Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:58:12 +0000 Petition to ask the Government to increase its spend on R&D to 0.8% GDP http://scienceisvital.org.uk/2013/03/21/petition-increase-governmental-spend-on-rd-to-0-8-gdp/ 6B20DF1A-C0FC-4644-8C62-32CA14BAF01C Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:38:23 +0000 The Canada Gairdner International Awards 2013 have been given to: Harvey J. Alter, Daniel W. Bradley and Michael Houghton for their contributions to the discovery and isolation of the hepatitis C virus. Dr. Houghton has declined the award. Stephen Joseph Elledge, for his work in DNA repair, and Sir Gregory Winter for creating synthetic human antibodies.Dr. King K. Holmes was selected for the Canada Gairdner Global Health Award for his work on defining and treating HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. http://www.gairdner.org/recipients/current 5BDA89D9-8E89-4FC3-B38E-2454677AA2EA Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:23:03 +0000 How the Budget will affect BIS and other government departments. http://www.researchresearch.com/index.php?option=com_news&template=rr_2col&view=article&articleId=1313203 9FE8A39B-6391-4B79-801E-B7A5CE55DDA3 Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:11:53 +0000 The new head of the European Research Council will have more power and focus than former presidents, says Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker. http://www.nature.com/news/a-chance-to-drive-forward-europe-s-science-1.12628 C89BFF02-7D14-4527-9A0A-A01C8C0D635D Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:06:08 +0000 The HFEA has agreed its advice to Government on the ethics and science of new IVF-based techniques designed to avoid serious mitochondrial diseases. http://www.hfea.gov.uk/7790.html EBC554AE-27B7-43D2-B52D-C0D3429DEC8A Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:14:20 +0000 Royal Society Research Professorships have been awarded to three world-class scientists whose research interests cover topics ranging from climate to cognition. http://royalsociety.org/news/2013/Royal-Society-Research-Professorships/ E5505541-31A4-4F9D-BA65-EF63CAEEA70C Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:15:05 +0000 The European University Association has published a report on the outcome of a project aimed at collecting facts about the transparency and accountability of doctoral programs at universities across the continent, entitled Quality Assurance in Doctoral Education - results of the ARDE project. http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2013_03_19/caredit.a1300046 0E094990-C471-4EB9-80AD-E28C15B4BD94 Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:09:57 +0000 Resources that describe and inform the theory and practice of science communication. http://blogs.nature.com/soapboxscience/2013/02/27/why-we-need-science-communication 8F5FCE0F-47C4-45A9-85EC-49DF71EF8BCC Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:13:15 +0000 The 'Away from home' series features Indian postdocs working in a foreign lab recounting their experience of working there, the triumphs and challenges, the cultural differences, what they miss about India, as well as some top tips for postdocs headed abroad. http://blogs.nature.com/indigenus/2013/03/away-from-home-research-not-nobel-driven.html/ 1D3547EF-65E6-43EA-A948-8458BDDCD84A Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:15:54 +0000 Women may be less likely to pursue careers in science not because they have less ability but because they have more career choices, according to a University of Pittsburgh study published today in Psychological Science. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uop-fwp031913.php FCA1BDAA-5612-4903-8660-420D13CE897D Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:46:58 +0000 The Royal Institution has received an anonymous £4.4m donation to help ease its financial troubles. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21850896 F944A66F-D381-420C-B812-BD49F6C9C6B5 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:42:41 +0000 The formal opening of the UCL Academy, the first school in England to have a university as a sole sponsor, has taken place. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0313/19032013-UCL-academy-opens 565A0809-08F7-4753-A84A-D120187E0EF5 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:40:49 +0000 New analysis by CaSE shows that the £1.7bn shortfall in research capital the Research Base Budget faced following the 2010 Spending Review (SR10) has been reduced to just over £330m following a string of additional commitments. http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=12407 EE8C1104-FB26-4C52-85EA-4EFA5F94DBFF Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:40:02 +0000 Christina Szalinski invites us into her (not quite) crazy world, on LabLit. http://www.lablit.com/article/766 970E8008-D32A-4BFC-AA37-348C6BFD6DE5 Tue, 19 Mar 2013 09:00:37 +0000 Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization: Remarks at a press briefing on World Tuberculosis Day. http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2013/world_tb_day_20130318/en/index.html EA5EF153-E30C-4D82-B260-D150DB8B1D11 Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:58:20 +0000 AstraZeneca announced that it will be opening a £330 million R&D facility in Cambridge. http://blogs.royalsociety.org/in-verba/2013/03/18/when-good-news-is-also-bad-news/ 50EFAB38-B5EF-4FD7-AC71-738FAB466C7C Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:24:00 +0000 The HeLa cell genome is riddled with errors, raising questions about its continued use. http://www.nature.com/news/most-popular-human-cell-in-science-gets-sequenced-1.12609 BB9CAB57-5D70-4833-95EB-3CDE5E209F18 Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:21:12 +0000 Grants totalling £3.25 million will be awarded to early career medical researchers through a prestigious Clinician Scientist Fellowship programme from the Health Foundation, working with the Academy of Medical Sciences. http://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/index.php?pid=288 80C96B12-7FBA-4ADE-B26D-31D9F4F84830 Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:15:58 +0000 Professor Sir John Savill’s term as CEO and Deputy Chairman of the MRC has been extended for a year until 30 September 2014. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/reappointment-of-chief-executive-for-the-medical-research-council 714CA0E7-D74B-40D5-B155-603D7011EC5D Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:50:33 +0000 The Guardian looks at the Government's use of advisors. It questions whether there are too many for sciences, while there none in other disciplines. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/mar/15/science-policy 945D1240-2EB0-4689-B88D-75F0756E2261 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:38:39 +0000 The Times Higher Education examines the recent report on commercialisation of technological innovation. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/government-criticised-over-research-commercialisation/2002560.article 76DD8AF4-D504-4BF9-873C-5030F447CF36 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:29:28 +0000 National Science Week runs from 15th-24th March with many events across the country. http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/national-science-engineering-week 2C88E794-4F79-4F14-B01E-25653322B033 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:13:13 +0000 Fergus Walsh interviews Sir Mark Walport. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21771504 B9BC068C-510A-47AE-8F06-B88EA108BFDB Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:53:10 +0000 Why PhD students and postdocs need to show they understand commercial issues in research. http://euroscientist.com/2013/03/commercial-awareness-what-is-it-do-you-have-it-and-why-should-you-care/ 4360012E-AEE4-4437-8F94-AE826BE8A25D Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:52:57 +0000 Summary of the Valley of Death Select Committee report. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/mar/13/uk-support-innovative-firms-yourself?CMP=twt_gu 09EAC7DB-DF44-4C83-8BE2-C00629D79BDD Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:52:25 +0000 Erika Cule is pleased that the collective action of a group of scientists can have some power. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/occams-corner/2013/mar/13/are-the-geeks-coming-scientists 984C04E7-8D57-41C7-8244-0757517E5E98 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:45:57 +0000 How effective orchestration of resources can overcome the biomedical productivity crisis and unlock an African biotech revolution. http://www.cpgr.org.za/blogspot/?p=367 26D30C25-17D1-4CFF-9754-5C16EF7608A2 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:31:11 +0000 It is a mistake to dismiss the people and projects coming out of lesser-known institutions, argues Keith Weaver - they have strengths too. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v495/n7440/full/495167a.html 1B853C22-AF34-4E9C-AD41-6B6295A9BCC3 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:10:25 +0000 The latest shopping website is open for business, offering unusual wares: DNA tools to help biologists to engineer life. http://www.nature.com/news/dna-tool-kit-goes-live-online-1.12585 03673E1B-2230-41EC-AB37-EBEE1C32D19F Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:01:34 +0000 Self-criticism is a virtue seldom possessed by men, and never by the leaders of Western science, says Colin Macilwain. http://www.nature.com/news/the-unlikely-wisdom-of-chairman-mao-1.12589 BF32FDB8-8138-4CEA-97F6-79F6D5E2CAB2 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:00:31 +0000 Although debate over scientific definitions is important, it risks obscuring the real issues. Nature editorial on ENCODE controversy. http://www.nature.com/news/form-and-function-1.12580 B4F1E03D-C62A-4190-9FEE-40492D90BFAC Thu, 14 Mar 2013 08:57:31 +0000 Eighth Report of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee: Bridging the valley of death: improving the commercialisation of research. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmsctech/348/34802.htm A60729D0-1F42-43E4-8FBF-5AB11B1F5005 Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:00:39 +0000 Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer: infection and the rise of antimicrobial resistance - a summary. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673613606042 31953972-22E1-42B4-AC46-9139355A5876 Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:08:01 +0000 With upcoming decisions on the 2015-2016 budget expected soon, Science is Vital calls for public debate on science funding http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/occams-corner/2013/mar/11/1 1DAF1FC1-A125-4547-93B5-3E4B0250E012 Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:44:04 +0000 Jessie Hitchcock, a PhD student at the MRC/University of Birmingham Centre for Immune Regulation, is in the middle of an internship run by the Academy of Medical Sciences and the MRC. She tells us how she’ll be taking her new-found knowledge of science policy back to the lab. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/03/12/i-am-a-phd-student-why-is-science-policy-important-to-me/ 125ECD61-CC75-442D-A692-C623FC71EC1F Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:28:52 +0000 Female professors are almost 50 percent less likely than their male counterparts to be invited to join corporate scientific advisory boards (SABs) and start new companies mainly because of gender stereotyping, say researchers. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uom--spo031213.php 0A356329-AD9A-4FE5-B722-AF9EF7AB2AD4 Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:31:20 +0000 The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Editorial Board has selected six papers published by PNAS in 2012 to receive the Cozzarelli Prize, an award that recognizes outstanding contributions to the scientific disciplines represented by the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/PNAS-Cozzarelli-Prizes-2012.html 5C2AB37F-9BA8-4ED0-A9A5-8FFAB23FD8E1 Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:25:16 +0000 An estimated 20% of the human genome is subject to patents that can impose complex legal and cost constraints on medicines and diagnostics. http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development-professionals-network/2013/mar/12/intellectual-property-genome-divide B5F4F571-B4C4-4E61-97B8-3CF562865944 Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:23:48 +0000 The Institute of Making at UCL gives a permanent home to the Materials Library, a collection of the most unusual materials in the world, and the MakeSpace, the ultimate making workshop. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0313/130312-most-extraordinary-materials-on-earth-housed-in-new-Institute-of-Making BD11BB1B-5051-4559-AB13-60ED181BE510 Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:21:46 +0000 The new King’s College London Report features a sample of the range of research, teaching and innovation undertaken at King’s in 2011-12. http://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2013/03-March/Kings-annual-Report-published.aspx 1DA681D3-60C4-4548-922B-A59C4C2D755D Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:20:38 +0000 The European Science Foundation (ESF) has temporarily shut off support for Spanish researchers because Spain's member organizations failed to pay their membership fees for the foundation. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/03/unpaid-dues-delay-spanish-partic.html?rss=1 2ACC1068-0BCF-4D23-8465-CC9DA9F3A10A Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:19:57 +0000 The LMB’s move to its new flagship building was officially completed on 11th March, giving the LMB the space and facilities it needs to maintain its reputation as one of the world’s greatest research institutes. http://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/a-new-home-and-a-new-era-for-the-lmb/ 3CBFC525-E683-4352-832A-E39BFE268034 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:51:19 +0000 The Research Councils take a variety of approaches to support innovation and deliver impact from research. Significant activities are highlighted in the booklet 'Innovation and the Research Councils'. http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/media/news/2013news/Pages/130311.aspx 18E7FA8E-8D88-4D5F-8DC1-B5EF5EBD1034 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:30:05 +0000 PDBe (EBI) and STFC are developing a web service as part of the BioMedBridges project (WP9) that will enable the EMDB and PDB archives to be searched on the basis of 3D volumetric shape matching, rather than solely on the basis of metadata and/or coordinate models. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BioMedBridgesShapeMatchingSurvey C9D63E5D-DE4A-438C-AEFB-F3AF94A83B81 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:38:25 +0000 Science Editor-in-Chief Bruce Alberts said that every scientist should be trained to be highly suspicious about his or her own results, and he called for uniformly high data-sharing standards during a Capitol Hill event on scientific integrity and transparency. http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2013/0311_alberts.shtml?sa_campaign=Internal_Ads/AAAS/RSS_News/2013-11-03/ 94D442EB-A3CD-4A94-9E4E-3073904A7580 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:21:06 +0000 The Committee on Publication Ethics is looking at self-plagiarism, or duplication, taking new guidelines produced by BioMedCentral as a starting point. http://retractionwatch.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/how-much-self-plagiarism-aka-duplication-is-too-much/ 74D805FD-466F-4D73-8032-4A5BBB1E1541 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:24:39 +0000 Britain will fall behind the world's top economies unless the Government commits to spending more on cutting-edge science, 53 leading scientists warn. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/9920564/Spend-more-on-science-or-fall-behind-G8.html 98A309C2-B013-4B4B-8F03-015408379FC7 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:32:09 +0000 A multi-million pound package of support for innovative businesses has been launched by Universities and Science Minister David Willetts. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/science-minister-gives-business-boost-at-innovate 3FFD3BA6-7552-4F92-8291-610A1C6BD546 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:41:01 +0000 The BIA has released a report - The Biomedical Catalyst: Accelerating medical research and leveraging investment - highlighting the success of the Biomedical Catalyst in its first year of operation. http://www.bioindustry.org/policy-and-regulation/biomedical-catalyst/ 3225472E-2779-44F4-B564-AFF70A19604E Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:40:42 +0000 Global action is needed to tackle the catastrophic threat of antimicrobial resistance, which in 20 years could see any one of us dying following minor surgery, England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies has warned. http://mediacentre.dh.gov.uk/2013/03/11/antimicrobial-resistance-poses-catastrophic-threat-says-chief-medical-officer/ 0DAF002A-CD2D-43FF-BCAB-76CA218C9562 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:39:33 +0000 The Technology Strategy Board, BBSRC and EPSRC will help to fund 15 projects in synthetic biology. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/research-technologies/2013/130307-pr-over-5m-in-leading-edge-bioscience.aspx CF2221D6-FB45-4DBD-98A9-6D29E29AEBBF Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:54:20 +0000 UCL and the Institution of Education have agreed to enter into a formal strategic partnership. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0313/08032013-IOE EE56C699-FCA7-4446-BB22-53F3D6150A8E Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:50:04 +0000 The University of Southampton will be holding this conference on 20 March 2013. http://www.southampton.ac.uk/diversity/news/events/2013/03/20_gender_equality_conference.page 1A686E8D-850A-4467-B2DA-7681551BC569 Fri, 8 Mar 2013 11:15:45 +0000 An feature in Laboratory News looks at the role and importance of translators in science. http://www.labnews.co.uk/features/hidden-heroes-of-science-communication/ 0124E688-A581-40A4-918D-AC0A71E00B5C Fri, 8 Mar 2013 11:10:00 +0000 To celebrate International Women's Day the museum has opened a new exhibition looking at the achievements of our most famous female scientists. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2013/mar/07/women-science-newcastle-discovery-centre A3BF7B91-7E11-42FA-9333-E64F5371EC52 Fri, 8 Mar 2013 11:06:40 +0000 Summary and presentations from the workshop held at the Royal Society on 25 February are now available online. http://royalsociety.org/events/2013/open-access-workshop/ F0F0830C-3391-4A2E-9696-01F7722865C7 Fri, 8 Mar 2013 11:04:23 +0000 The Times Higher Education has an article looking at the new guidance. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/rcuk-open-access-guidance-revised/2002396.article ACA9229B-3BFA-4525-82A9-FD8C92D95D8E Thu, 7 Mar 2013 11:29:15 +0000 Nature has a special section on women in science today. http://www.nature.com/news/women-in-science-women-s-work-1.12547 DFC2F5AE-21C1-4EC5-BAEE-2637729A1EEC Thu, 7 Mar 2013 10:37:42 +0000 Martin McQuillan laments both RCUK and HEFCE proposed policies on open access in today's Times Higher. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/comment/opinion/open-access-policy-scrapes-the-barrel/2002306.article 4A360F8E-2E56-441A-B515-2FECBDC10AFF Fri, 8 Mar 2013 10:58:58 +0000 Imperial College London will today launch its vision for Imperial West, its new seven acre research and translation campus in White City, west London. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_6-3-2013-10-8-9 BACB8BAC-B20D-4FFC-9128-36F065C58E02 Thu, 7 Mar 2013 10:39:07 +0000 Professor Sir Rick Trainor has announced his intention to retire in October 2014. He will have led Kings for 10 years. http://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2013/03-March/Kings-College-London-Principal-to-retire-in-2014.aspx A25AA5EA-2254-4D97-99BF-974EE092872E Thu, 7 Mar 2013 10:41:00 +0000 CRT, Cancer Research UK’s commercialisation company, and AstraZeneca have extended their multi-project cancer metabolism alliance for a further two years. This will allow continuation of existing projects and two new project until early 2015. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/news/archive/pressrelease/2013-03-6-crt-astrazeneca-extend-alliance?rss=true CD6CE25A-7FF7-415B-884B-E17EAA9CE9A4 Thu, 7 Mar 2013 11:15:55 +0000 Professor David Leigh will speak on molecular motors at The Royal Society at 6.30pm. http://royalsociety.org/events/2013/tiniest-machines/ D337BF25-9D3D-4E98-AB83-DB8A03382C16 Thu, 7 Mar 2013 11:25:50 +0000 The National Cancer Institute is proposing further 10K Concept projects to find mutations responsible for cancer. These will screen 10,000 tumour samples of various cancers with aim of finding mutations and linking these with both lifestyle factors and outcomes. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/03/ready-for-more-10000-cancer-geno.html?rss=1 1AD6E1D5-4144-4805-ABEA-5781585C1E4F Thu, 7 Mar 2013 10:46:35 +0000 The President of the European Patent Office discusses the challenges of implementing the new single patent. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76068/European-Patent-Office-enters-new-era-managing-the-EU-Unitary-Patent 5397CC81-8014-44F1-84D1-EE5A531B38A8 Thu, 7 Mar 2013 10:44:12 +0000 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Invitation Fellowships provide the opportunity for researchers based outside of Japan to conduct collaborative research activities with leading research groups at Japanese Universities and Research Institutions for visits of between 7 to 60 days. Eligible applicants need to have obtained their doctorate degree more than 6 years prior to 1st April 2013. http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-inv/index.html E9D3E429-72D0-43CE-A980-2E2B5CE3B138 Wed, 6 Mar 2013 14:52:11 +0000 The 2013 Wellcome Trust Science Writing Prize in association with the Guardian and the Observer is now open for entries. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/mar/06/wellcome-trust-science-writing-prize-2013 931DCC64-75BA-4418-B104-E79500CD6BD8 Wed, 6 Mar 2013 09:06:50 +0000 The MRC blog features a photograph of the WHO Influenza Centre in the 1960s. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/03/05/behind-the-picture-a-bit-of-a-mouthful/ 74B4ACA0-194F-44F3-8FCE-BAABADC2F44D Wed, 6 Mar 2013 09:12:02 +0000 EDM calls for the Government to collaborate more with charitable cancer research funders. http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/early-day-motions/edm-detail1/?session=2012-13&edmnumber=1124 4577DDBA-658F-4230-842C-A5A4DAC704BC Wed, 6 Mar 2013 09:39:21 +0000 Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/03/01/1303065110.full.pdf+html?sid=015580e6-69a5-4fe3-8e08-c2d7a208b9a4 3947145F-4E87-4858-9136-65469F514AC8 Wed, 6 Mar 2013 09:02:54 +0000 A recent report in the Lancet uses figures from the Global Burden of Disease Study (2010) to suggest that Britain is 'falling behind' other European countries in terms of health and longevity. Sometimes the history of medicine is essential to help us interpret these sorts of claims http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-h-word/2013/mar/05/mortality-statistics-mckeown-history-tuberculosis 9A4D8A87-4369-4959-9E31-2E1C84A69AF5 Wed, 6 Mar 2013 09:10:38 +0000 An international consortium of university researchers has produced the most comprehensive virtual reconstruction of human metabolism to date. http://www.biochemist.org/news/page.htm?item=46645 20140B89-7C07-496B-AEEE-8FD0E6058A41 Tue, 5 Mar 2013 09:02:15 +0000 The top six universities in the THE rankings are: Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=422877&c=1 8E6B1BEB-9DF9-4E20-A7C6-C3113F1F416D Tue, 5 Mar 2013 09:00:18 +0000 Applications open for Health Innovation Challenge Fund. £10 million research funding available. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Technology-transfer/Awards/Health-Innovation-Challenge-Fund/index.htm 53C9BDD9-4C08-4040-9A88-DEE085535F6F Mon, 4 Mar 2013 09:41:04 +0000 Sixty years after the discovery of DNA’s double helix structure, a new genetics archive is to be placed online by the Wellcome Library. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/2c55f2fc-813d-11e2-9908-00144feabdc0.html#slide0 CC271D14-C882-437B-8068-50812A9B22CA Mon, 4 Mar 2013 09:40:14 +0000 Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Dr Vince Cable reflects on the importance of long-term funding of research for people’s health and quality of life, and the UK’s life sciences sector. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/02/28/funding-research-for-health-wealth-and-happiness/ E414F0F0-3917-4086-8049-44BFF818D7B2 Fri, 1 Mar 2013 09:34:01 +0000 Federal spending is due to be cut on March 1st. Among the areas to be squeezed is R&D, and medical research in particular. http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21572735-cutting-american-health-research-will-harm-world-bad-medicine?fsrc=scn/tw_ec/bad_medicine BC976BE3-A527-4C15-BA07-EF19AF66F703 Fri, 1 Mar 2013 09:37:14 +0000 Paula Salgado explains why her research institute is using social media. http://blogs.nature.com/soapboxscience/2013/02/28/social-media-from-an-institutional-perspective-why-are-we-on-there/ 2A9BA0DF-E03D-439C-A8B2-7CF3DA134EE5 Fri, 1 Mar 2013 09:36:11 +0000 The APPG on Medical Research (a group of MPs and peers supported by AMRC and others) is looking for case studies that show the importance of government investment in science. http://policyblog.amrc.org.uk/2013/02/26/help-make-the-case-for-investing-in-medical-research/ 20E5BB49-17A6-4DE9-BAC4-20793C6C13E2 Fri, 1 Mar 2013 09:40:04 +0000 Reg4ALL is a community of people storing and sharing information about themselves and their health in order to find ways to accelerate research and improve health for all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttb9vLzzfiY CF9C4598-E469-4905-8301-372A2B5B52AA Fri, 1 Mar 2013 09:41:10 +0000 28 Feb was Rare Disease Day, which aims to raise awareness of conditions that few people have heard of. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/02/28/the-reality-of-rare-diseases/ EC03070E-EC8C-4C48-AE0E-50F1A9E3A881 Fri, 1 Mar 2013 09:34:58 +0000 Scientists interested in doing experiments involving the H5N1 avian influenza virus and 14 other potentially dangerous biological agents face new requirements in getting funding from the U.S. government. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6123/1025.full 9477C9BB-CCF6-4200-81E6-08B4FC12E629 Fri, 1 Mar 2013 09:17:56 +0000 Bruce Alberts explains why he thinks national science academies are a force for good. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6123/1011.full 9A8129E9-5E7E-42FF-BEA6-31F0D75A5BF6 Fri, 1 Mar 2013 09:14:18 +0000 Kieron Flanagan looks at the debate about whether we spend enough on fundamental research in the UK. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/feb/27/uk-spend-basic-research 4C41C231-7526-46C3-8CD9-498B6C56D828 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:25:12 +0000 The European Commission has set up a science advisory body that will report directly to its president, José Manuel Barroso. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/02/new-science-body-to-advise-europ.html?rss=1 372E18F8-DD33-45B9-AF8B-6BDBAE32AB17 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:18:31 +0000 Rush Holt, the physicist-turned-Democratic congressman from New Jersey, has vigorously defended the need for scientists to travel to conferences. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/02/it-pays-for-scientists-to-travel.html?rss=1 F39DD0A3-4028-416C-9E51-6986FBF0611E Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:17:15 +0000 One researcher took an MBA as a way to move into entrepreneurship. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76052/Imperial-College-Changing-tack D35325A4-EBD3-489C-813D-E9051F52E23F Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:16:01 +0000 Report of an event about how to be successful in business; from conceiving ideas to securing funding. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-business/9895732/How-to-pitch-for-business-funding-in-the-science-world.html 050087CF-6F14-49F2-8D12-C9966A383D44 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:59:20 +0000 Where once there was the genome, now there are thousands of ’omes. Nature goes in search of the ones that matter. http://www.nature.com/news/big-biology-the-omes-puzzle-1.12484 BC6838EB-0C02-41B0-BA5F-B641A70B0EDB Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:13:54 +0000 Abstracts for a meeting organised by the Academy of Medical Sciences for clinician scientists in training. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/specialissue F6A6E509-04A3-46FA-B682-1A6E0946D5BF Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:12:08 +0000 Many biopharmaceutical companies plan to hire scientists in the next three years, according to a report published by the PwC Health Research Institute in Washington DC. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v494/n7438/full/nj7438-509a.html 94CDB2C9-58FC-46EA-9DDC-6153FB524F1D Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:09:03 +0000 The US National Academy of Sciences has to become more nimble and responsive if it is to survive another 150 years, says Marjory S. Blumenthal. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v494/n7438/full/494423a.html 091D58CF-89E0-4F2F-9B08-3473E21EBE4E Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:04:42 +0000 The recently-announced winners of the Breakthrough Prize suggest a very narrow definition of what is important in life sciences. http://www.nature.com/news/prize-drawback-1.12492 CAA49332-629C-406C-9F87-CD754F9548D1 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:02:20 +0000 The first UK undergraduate medical degree to be offered by a private university is expected to cost £32,000 a year in tuition fees, outstripping the cost of attending Harvard University for an equivalent qualification. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=422834&c=1 949FA660-B103-4EEC-A03B-277C8EB8F086 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:53:06 +0000 Professor Sir Greg Winter pioneered techniques that have led to antibody therapies for cancer, and diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/02/27/greg-winter-pioneering-antibody-drugs/ 2F30B4DB-D320-4DDB-9D92-415DB4841410 Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:25:50 +0000 Professor Sir Philip Cohen, of the University of Dundee, will receive the highest award given by the Medical Research Council, at a ceremony in the House of Commons. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/02/27/philip-cohen-driving-drug-development/ 80F5C65B-166A-4D04-86F9-02BEF064EA45 Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:39:04 +0000 Francis Crick's family is auctioning off the Nobel Prize medal and diploma that he won in 1962 for discovering the structure of DNA. http://www.genomeweb.com/blog/highest-bidder-one-nobel-medal 553A795C-5277-441E-AAC7-31EF900D19E0 Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:15:09 +0000 The Academy is now working to ensure that the European Data Protection Regulation facilitates medical research. http://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/p47prid107.html 20306515-752F-4A06-BBE0-08F8EB35E1CD Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:08:29 +0000 The Academy of Medical Sciences has convened a small task force of Fellows to consider the issues impacting on the representation of women in the Fellowship and within the academic workforce more widely. http://acmedsci.ac.uk/p99puid266.html 8AF45E22-EFED-4F8F-A97F-39B0D8EDEA85 Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:05:54 +0000 While research in the field of genetics has advanced rapidly many doctors have little to no formal training in genetics, and that can lead to mistakes. http://www.genomeweb.com/blog/another-knock-against-doctors 5DF448BE-C164-4095-9A41-0D6F23A78E57 Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:16:54 +0000 Universities and research institutes that do not investigate research misconduct properly could have their research council funding removed. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=422839&c=1 D4FAD9A7-1024-46DC-B9C4-F0071BD81F59 Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:58:41 +0000 The Department for Business Innovation & Skills has confirmed the reappointment of Sir Tom Blundell. The reappointment will last until 30 June 2015. http://news.bis.gov.uk/Press-Releases/Reappointment-of-Biotechnology-and-Biological-Sciences-Research-Council-Chair-68857.aspx D586364D-17E3-433C-9D72-911A29D65EBB Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:39:59 +0000 Hilary and Steven Rose discuss their new book Genes, Cells and Brains: The Promethean Promises of the New Biology. http://www.newleftproject.org/index.php/site/article_comments/biology_in_an_age_of_technoscience 65F19387-982A-471F-B37A-4CFBDE736CE8 Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:19:29 +0000 A panel of scientific workforce experts at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston responded to the National Institutes of Health's (NIH's) implementation plans for the agency's recent report on the biomedical workforce. http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2013_02_16/caredit.a1300018 EE2BC775-78F9-41F0-848B-2C96DC5644BC Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:18:23 +0000 The word 'interdisciplinary' can be over-used, but some research topics need this approach. http://sarahcosgriff.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/interdisciplinary-research-simply-a-buzzword-or-the-future/ 7BD0BD83-66EF-4BE2-9514-292368B91563 Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:16:48 +0000 Is there an oversupply of scientists in the USA? http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/02/the-phd-bust-americas-awful-market-for-young-scientists-in-7-charts/273339/?utm_source=pulsenews 5A75E558-9831-4495-AC1F-1BA9273E2B52 Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:13:45 +0000 MRC Harwell is playing a major role in a new endeavour that will focus on gaining a much better understanding of major human diseases, such as cancer and medical concerns such as deafness and ageing. The project is to be undertaken by an MRC-STFC consortium. http://www.har.mrc.ac.uk/%C2%A317m-grant-fill-major-gaps-our-understanding-human-diseases 24AF1610-837C-4590-B849-430FC09DFF2E Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:04:21 +0000 The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a key supporter in Congress have warned about the damage to biomedical research if $85 billion in automatic cuts to all federal agencies go into effect on 1 March. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/02/nih-director-senator-mikulski-wa.html?rss=1 41A8CBCC-3234-4EB1-B9F0-80FFF176EFCC Fri, 22 Feb 2013 08:57:37 +0000 U.S. government. Federal officials have released two policy documents that lay out stricter requirements for institutional and government oversight of studies that pose especially problematic safety concerns. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/02/us-announces-more-new-rules-for-.html?rss=1 9818484E-4025-493B-B3D3-962D3999A20A Fri, 22 Feb 2013 08:56:53 +0000 The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee criticised the Research Councils UK (RCUK) for failures in its communication of its open access policy. Their report says the previous lack of clarity about RCUK’s policy and guidance was ‘unacceptable’. http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select/science-and-technology-committee/news/open-access-report-published/ 0AE8475C-6AA6-412E-8943-6156AD79C205 Fri, 22 Feb 2013 08:39:14 +0000 RCUK has welcomed the news that the Migration Advisory Committee will recommend to the Home Office that both Informatician and Bio-informatician be included on the list , so easing international recruitment. http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Newspublications/News/MRC009004 D9B7EAC6-F6E1-423A-9C24-7E55CB49FFF1 Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:03:18 +0000 £25.5m is available from BBSRC, MRC and EPSRC for scientists to create or house technology that pushes the boundaries of microscopy. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/02/20/microscope-hackers/ FCC410E8-872B-490C-9DDF-56D67BB34232 Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:00:19 +0000 Lawmakers in both the House of Representatives and Senate have introduced identical bills that would require free access to published results of federally funded research. It proposes reducing the embargo period to 6 months and that publications should be in formats and under terms that enable reuse, includining text mining. http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i8/Strong-Open-Access-Bill-Introduced.html BCD3539C-8235-4D4E-9B40-8ACD5DD53125 Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:55:47 +0000 Hans Clevers, Eric Lander, Shinya Yamanaka, Robert A Weinberg and Bert Vogelstein are amonsgst the winners of the inaugural Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/feb/20/breakthrough-prize-silicon-valley-entrepreneurs 6328B8C5-1168-49B4-8B5F-8D66CEB561C1 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:33:29 +0000 The recent initiative between the US National Science Foundation and European Research Council provides opportunities for early-career NSF researchers to join ERC-funded teams in Europe. Just over 760 have already showed great interest in hosting talent from the US. http://erc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/press_release/files/highlight_NSF-ERC_initiative_2013.pdf 07198691-B20D-4F95-8BF1-4A664B4647BF Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:44:27 +0000 The international agreement establishing a Unified Patent Court (UPC) has been signed by ministers in Brussels, heralding the uniform applicability of the new Single Patent law in the 24 countries signing up. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76042/Single-patent-takes-another-step-forward 35D8EEE9-F9C2-4FFD-9398-C489EA62C40F Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:28:06 +0000 Five medical and life science researchers from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean Basin have received the 2013 Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early Career Women Scientists in the Developing World. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=128559&CultureCode=en 06B56161-43BF-433B-B8B7-576512F68985 Mon, 18 Feb 2013 09:26:48 +0000 The UK’s national synchrotron facility, Diamond Light Source, is now the first and only place in Europe where pathogens requiring Containment Level 3 can be analysed at atomic and molecular level using synchrotron light. http://www.diamond.ac.uk/Home/Media/LatestNews/17_02_13.html# A0F7E824-04F5-4EBE-8FB4-31C3D63EEC84 Mon, 18 Feb 2013 09:21:37 +0000 John Beddington says that the scientific profession needs to become more visible and better integrated to ensure the UK punches above its weight. http://www.guardian.co.uk/public-leaders-network/2013/feb/14/scientists-engineers-heart-civil-service 8B790EF8-C5BA-4172-989D-DCDCD028AECF Fri, 15 Feb 2013 09:35:14 +0000 In Barack Obama’s State of the Union address he said, "Now is the time to reach a level of research and development not seen since the height of the Space Race". http://blogs.royalsociety.org/in-verba/2013/02/14/time-to-get-smarter-on-justifying-science-spend A0BD7C34-2636-4ECA-83BF-B70478725ABF Fri, 15 Feb 2013 09:25:19 +0000 Universities are learning that commercialization means more than patents, licensing fees, and startups. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6121/750.full F8C3C4AE-E757-456D-B396-FFB2A68FCBD7 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 09:54:26 +0000 Bruce Alberts asks why in-person scientific meetings remain so valuable for a life in science? http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6121/737.full A6D8D423-5CCE-49CD-ACB0-811D275CA02F Fri, 15 Feb 2013 09:52:50 +0000 Leaders have finally thrashed out the European Union budget for the next seven years. But how much money will go to research is yet to be confirmed. http://www.nature.com/news/a-deal-on-the-horizon-1.12408 C2369C75-64F4-4417-AD53-9252B03A5E70 Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:16:28 +0000 BBSRC is offering up to £2M to support crowd sourcing projects for biological sciences. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/research-technologies/2013/130213-n-crowd-sourcing-for-biology.aspx F8A9B6C3-0033-42D1-BCC6-8CF48259D12A Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:50:47 +0000 A good start to reducing scientific misconduct would be to redefine it as distorted reporting: ‘any omission or misrepresentation of the information necessary and sufficient to evaluate the validity and significance of research, at the level appropriate to the context in which the research is communicated’. http://www.nature.com/news/redefine-misconduct-as-distorted-reporting-1.12411 908A5DE2-6DF1-4AA1-AB13-48D5BD6EE1BA Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:18:36 +0000 Robin Weiss retires from research at the end of March after 30 years of continuous MRC funding. He tells Sarah Harrop about his eventful career. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/02/13/llamas-jungle-fowl-and-hiv/ E6AB1926-62AB-4409-B66C-4ADCFC2078AC Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:53:40 +0000 In a letter to Nature, Ian Viney states that the MRC strongly agree that other outputs, not just research papers, can provide valuable evidence of research significance and impact. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v494/n7436/full/494176c.html 20C703AD-72E3-4413-9437-3228140F796C Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:24:13 +0000 A new report, Life Sciences Cluster Report, from Jones LangSalle analyses the leading clusters of life sciences activity in the Americas, Europe and Asia. http://www.joneslanglasalle.com/Pages/Life-Sciences-Cluster-Report.aspx C45643CA-F25E-480B-A63F-820564A8F515 Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:41:26 +0000 The research programme to tackle major human diseases by breeding and experimenting on genetically modified mice has become ‘frenzied, scientifically irrational and terrifyingly cruel’, according to Animal Aid. http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/NEWS/news_experiments//2815// 3C979B7E-47BA-4E15-AA94-BD85F465095E Wed, 13 Feb 2013 09:32:00 +0000 The Scienceogram website tries to make sense of spending on science against the personal economic or human cost of the problems it’s trying to tackle. http://scienceogram.org/ 3B0051A6-863A-4349-B17C-F56CF275BD4E Wed, 13 Feb 2013 09:03:31 +0000 A new blog at the Guardian, devoted to politics and science http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/political-science/2013/feb/13/political-science-guardian-bloggers 0F18EDC0-306F-4A2B-B1EF-34ACF10C55B5 Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:56:37 +0000 A study suggests that some mouse models do not accurately mimic human molecular mechanisms of inflammatory response, but other mouse strains may fare better. http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/34346/title/Do-Mice-Make-Bad-Models-/ 4113D5E1-762A-4D98-843A-F681548F84AB Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:48:22 +0000 RCUK announces the successful universities and schools in its School-University Partnerships Initiative. http://blogs.rcuk.ac.uk/2013/01/31/inspiring-the-next-generation/ 9EC78652-ECFA-48CE-A5B8-099DD2C7B73F Wed, 13 Feb 2013 09:05:52 +0000 A company called Rubriq plans to offer a standard-format anonymized review, and is currently testing its concept with publishers including Public Library of Science (PLoS), Karger, F1000Research and Wiley, as well as more than 500 reviewers. http://www.nature.com/news/company-offers-portable-peer-review-1.12418 72207900-2936-4823-B10B-55793B4D737B Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:40:45 +0000 The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has published a call for evidence that includes a question on how closely research council objectives should be aligned with those of government. http://www.researchresearch.com/index.php?option=com_news&template=rr_2col&view=article&articleId=1291622 D73C2A29-4E22-4948-BE25-297C9BB8B984 Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:49:11 +0000 All 32 medical schools across the UK have been awarded funds for innovative activities that aim to foster a research culture in all clinicians entering the NHS. http://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/index.php?pid=118&pressid=102 DC73AC35-4F2E-4957-B389-25AAC8822C2F Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:34:25 +0000 Professor Robin Grimes has been appointed as the new Chief Scientific Adviser to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/professor-robin-grimes-appointed-as-foreign-office-chief-scientific-adviser 6EF5EA0D-8EF3-498B-8302-C9DDD539F741 Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:53:23 +0000 A new column in LabTimes offers some thoughts on how to call attention to potential problems in the literature. http://retractionwatch.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/how-to-report-allegations-of-scientific-misconduct/ 61BC97A8-C0BD-48C5-9E7F-5146BD64C4EF Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:50:55 +0000 Can we assess the impact of research by simply counting outputs? http://wellcometrust.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/opinion-measure-for-measurings-sake/ 7C3B6871-83DF-4F98-8D00-1550E7DCEDB1 Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:54:51 +0000 Three problems point to a communications crisis in research: retraction is exploding, replicability of research diminishing, and our measure of journal quality is farcical. http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/blog/2013/feb/11/science-research-crisis-retraction-replicability?CMP=twt_fd FA7CE8A7-84E5-4F2E-9620-ADC4F82FA78E Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:49:54 +0000 Leaders of the European Union’s 27 member states slashed the research budget proposed by the European Commission in November 2011. http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/76029/%22We-cannot-accept-this-deal%22---MEPs-unhappy-as-Council-agrees-%E2%82%AC908B-budget 521C687F-B7A6-4A5F-87DF-C755F112D7E5 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 08:56:08 +0000 Despite efforts to promote integration of the European research system - promoting cross national collaborative projects - Europe remains a collection of loosely coupled national innovation systems. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=128322&CultureCode=en 8FD35D9F-DB78-430D-8764-914E32EC64A8 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:16:33 +0000 The Royal Society has announced the appointment of 24 new Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award holders. http://royalsociety.org/news/2013/wolfson-awards-2013 8C5E004D-3EEB-4A9A-84ED-C962DCFC25E2 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 08:49:58 +0000 A new guide to peer review in the US helps the public to make sense of research claims. http://www.senseaboutscience.org/news.php/297/peer-review-matters-to-the-public 2BA2C10F-C9F1-4ADE-BC8D-32E6F6717A65 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:15:07 +0000 It would be a mistake to implement whole genome sequencing in the NHS now, but there is an opportunity to develop diagnostic sequencing capacity for the NHS which includes WGS for appropriate clinical cases. http://www.phgfoundation.org/news/13495/ C8EF9C4A-D8FE-45EF-B761-741ED8D7A775 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:04:25 +0000 The Wellcome Trust has appointed Ted Bianco as its acting director. http://blogs.nature.com/news/2013/02/wellcome-trust-names-acting-director.html E6AD0914-2BEB-4D00-B29A-5EDDB2E38DDF Fri, 8 Feb 2013 09:50:35 +0000 The Health Innovation Challenge (HIC) Fund is a joint funding partnership between the Wellcome Trust and Department of Health. It is positioned as a translational funding scheme to accelerate the clinical application of projects that are well advanced along the development pathway. http://www.hicfund.org.uk/ 175F345C-FB2C-4D80-B97B-FDB0AC4AB23A Fri, 8 Feb 2013 09:53:54 +0000 The King Faisal International Prize for Medicine 2013 has been awarded for work on the genetics of obesity, to Jeffrey Friedman and Douglas Coleman. http://www.kff.com/EN01/KFIP/1434H2013G/KFIPWinners4MED1434H2013G.html AC134FCF-D13D-4873-8A4C-181533CADF29 Fri, 8 Feb 2013 10:04:27 +0000 A website based in India apparently copied several posts from the Retraction Watch blog about a scientific fraud case, claimed them as their own, and then filed a DMCA takedown notice to get the originals pulled from their source. http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/02/site-plagiarizes-blog-posts-then-files-dmca-takedown-on-originals/ E699A7B2-C341-4195-BAE8-D620C8B65A02 Fri, 8 Feb 2013 09:47:29 +0000 Report of a debate on science, policy and evidence, jointly organised by the Science and Technology Studies Department at UCL and the SPRU at the University of Sussex. http://blogs.royalsociety.org/in-verba/2013/02/07/what-counts-as-good-evidence-for-policy/ AA0FD72E-BD03-45A3-B427-A750DAA5F2B0 Fri, 8 Feb 2013 09:41:52 +0000 Obituary written by Anne O'Garra. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v494/n7435/full/494037a.html 2F51093A-B94F-4039-A7A9-4CF918B4D853 Thu, 7 Feb 2013 09:23:40 +0000 As director of the NIH's bold new translational research centre, Christopher Austin has to show that he can jump-start a tortuous drug-discovery process. http://www.nature.com/news/translational-research-medicine-man-1.12380 8CC30BA8-5D22-49A3-8BEF-DBEF5682E24D Thu, 7 Feb 2013 09:06:23 +0000 A new report has been published by WHO, WIPO and WTO. Called "Promoting Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation" it examines the interplay between public health, trade and intellectual property, and how these policy domains affect medical innovation and access to medical technologies http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/publications_e/who-wipo-wto_2013_e.htm ABAFCD86-1F10-41E1-B430-2C3B094A49CD Thu, 7 Feb 2013 09:33:42 +0000 Italian scientists are protesting about the choice of physician Fabrizio Oleari to lead the country's top biomedical research agency, the Istituto Superiore di Sanità. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/02/nominee-to-italys-top-biomedical.html?rss=1 1390D7D2-D8A4-4FA0-8571-43B8FA98F55B Thu, 7 Feb 2013 09:28:57 +0000 Advocates of open publishing are concerned that many scientists misunderstand the implications of the licenses under which their research is published. http://www.nature.com/news/researchers-opt-to-limit-uses-of-open-access-publications-1.12384 48346BE5-777A-49E8-AAA9-EFC4538998AB Thu, 7 Feb 2013 09:27:11 +0000 Biology and biomedical research labs at US universities grew during the two years between fiscal years 2009 and 2011, in terms of space. http://www.genomeweb.com/blog/growth-us-academic-lab-space-driven-bioscience-research 8D09104A-2D5C-4DCA-A304-C34631EA0A0B Thu, 7 Feb 2013 09:30:44 +0000 The UCSF research campus at Mission Bay is a case study of the threats to medical-research hubs. http://www.nature.com/news/campus-girds-for-lean-times-1.12371 89133A1D-B64C-496A-AF0B-DF2FD39F7A84 Thu, 7 Feb 2013 09:05:11 +0000 Because confidentiality of health data cannot be guaranteed, people should consider both the risks and advantages of sharing them, argues Misha Angrist. http://www.nature.com/news/genetic-privacy-needs-a-more-nuanced-approach-1.12363 92E83EDE-82B4-4E9B-B526-89C3D5DDD81A Thu, 7 Feb 2013 09:03:36 +0000 Leaders of the Russell Group of research intensive universities have added their voices to the calls for the European Union’s research and innovation funding to be protected. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=422597&c=1 032B0FFC-3ACF-462C-99DD-DEAD2439A116 Wed, 6 Feb 2013 08:46:48 +0000 GSK has announced it will back a campaign to publish all clinical trial results to preserve the safety of medicines. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/gsk-to-publish-clinical-trial-data-for-drugs-8482289.html 7983411D-D53C-4565-96AC-1BEA4C0F80F4 Wed, 6 Feb 2013 09:11:06 +0000 Including PhD studentships, grant schemes deadline and kidney time-lapse video http://www.nc3rs.org.uk/news.asp?id=1879 1388A172-A1E2-47E7-BBB3-ABF925F3A3F2 Wed, 6 Feb 2013 09:20:12 +0000 EMBO and the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) announce Geneviève Almouzni, deputy director of the Institut Curie in Paris, France, as the winner of the 2013 FEBS | EMBO Women in Science Award. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=128203&CultureCode=en 0892677D-5AF3-47E6-BB04-1BE24F4AF190 Wed, 6 Feb 2013 09:13:00 +0000 The Athena SWAN Charter makes awards to institutions that show a commitment to the advancement and promotion of the careers of women in STEMM higher education and research. The Biochemical Society recently joined the steering committee of the Charter, as well as co-funding it. http://www.biochemist.org/bio/03501/0028/035010028.pdf 8F9D79DD-D1D5-4705-838C-134AE34EBEC9 Wed, 6 Feb 2013 08:58:43 +0000 Scientists at Scotland’s Heriot-Watt University and Roslin Cellab, a stem cell technology company, say they have developed a new technique that allowed them to deposit droplets of a consistent size containing living stem cells. http://www.nature.com/news/scientists-use-3-d-printer-to-speed-human-embryonic-stem-cell-research-1.12381 F771D6F3-8A92-4DCD-9FF8-D26F8FF659CC Wed, 6 Feb 2013 09:00:24 +0000 Article in The Biochemist on nanoinformatics - informatics for nanotechnology. http://www.biochemist.org/bio/03501/0052/035010052.pdf E4A5143B-3B3D-4B62-B6DA-1E6A0EF5DC86 Wed, 6 Feb 2013 08:54:41 +0000 The Bioprocessing Research Industry Club has funded 12 projects to deliver commercially important results, such as industrial-scale production of antibodies, stem cell preservation at room temperature, biopharmaceutical production using microbes and commercial scale stem cell therapy. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/industrial-biotechnology/2013/130205-pr-funding-manufacture-drugs-future.aspx 7961293C-13D7-4A34-85FB-DC3D8BEF3D24 Tue, 5 Feb 2013 11:30:04 +0000 BBSRC Council member and life sciences entrepreneur Dr Andy Richards has received the BioIndustry Association (BIA) Lifetime Achievement Award http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/people-skills-training/2013/130204-n-bia-lifetime-achievement-award.aspx 4DDACE63-48D6-4807-8925-049E600B04A5 Tue, 5 Feb 2013 11:29:16 +0000 The Wellcome Trust has opened these fellowships for 2013. Applications close on 5th April. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2013/News/WTP051541.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+WellcomeTrustFundingNews+%28Wellcome+Trust+Funding+News%29&utm_content=Netvibes 53CB340E-51CE-40BC-9F9B-9DD8B7E3FF04 Mon, 4 Feb 2013 12:17:05 +0000 The Wellcome Trust has announced that the Fellowships for 2013 are now open for application. Applications due in by 22 Feb. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2013/News/WTP051542.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+WellcomeTrustFundingNews+%28Wellcome+Trust+Funding+News%29&utm_content=Netvibes 4BBD6E6C-4E58-427A-BDAD-B6B37E3BAD65 Mon, 4 Feb 2013 12:14:34 +0000 Portland Press has adopted the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC-BY) for its open access journals and for articles published under Opt2Pay. This will allow authors to comply with recent changes in funding body policies. http://www.biochemist.org/news/page.htm?item=46465 1647E7EC-6ED9-499B-B86E-896FA964BA84 Mon, 4 Feb 2013 12:10:20 +0000 The twelfth annual prize has been awarded to Dr. Michael Young ( Rockefeller University), Dr. Jeffrey Hall, (Brandeis University - Emeritus), and Dr. Michael Rosbash (Brandeis University). The prize has been awarded for the discovery of molecular mechanisms governing circadian rhythms. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=128091&CultureCode=en 647EBFA8-39C3-4C16-8FDD-9C56EB603059 Mon, 4 Feb 2013 12:03:47 +0000 A government review that quietly began earlier this month could lead to major changes at theUK research councils. http://www.nature.com/news/uk-research-councils-could-face-mergers-1.12319 B566740C-8D96-4440-AEF0-FCE8D467E2EB Thu, 31 Jan 2013 08:40:01 +0000 President Obama will award the National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology and Innovation on Feb. 1 to several members of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=01302013 623ED68C-F7DC-4654-9AD9-DC4DC683DD7D Thu, 31 Jan 2013 08:51:24 +0000 The founder of the Tang Prizes explains why scientists will be making the selections. http://www.nature.com/news/asian-nobels-will-bring-prize-giving-up-to-date-1.12333 4E776291-1E41-4E70-A54E-2CE9944E652A Thu, 31 Jan 2013 08:47:32 +0000 Michael Eisen suggests it is time to restructure the NIH and its grant programs to ensure stable careers in science. http://www.michaeleisen.org/blog/?p=1270 5BF2D5CC-D598-457D-B398-DDE597528856 Thu, 31 Jan 2013 09:07:23 +0000 Research shows that women are still grossly under-represented in science, technology engineering and maths jobs. http://careers.guardian.co.uk/collective-effort-women-stick-stem 570A5464-EAA9-473B-80F3-58A3948E23D9 Thu, 31 Jan 2013 09:06:27 +0000 Universities should not depend solely on citation statistics when making personnel decisions, the new head of Thomson Reuters' Scientific and Scholarly Research unit has said. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=422538&c=1 37204662-73E1-4192-AAD3-5327D2D897C9 Thu, 31 Jan 2013 08:28:59 +0000 Dean Keith Simonton fears that surprising originality in the natural sciences is a thing of the past, as vast teams finesse knowledge rather than create disciplines. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v493/n7434/full/493602a.html D756602A-3564-4C68-B0AF-1035B458B57C Thu, 31 Jan 2013 08:43:05 +0000 Nature says that governments and funding agencies must do more to prevent the awarding of grants to research projects with significant overlap. http://www.nature.com/news/twice-the-price-1.12311 C05368A3-9E03-42C4-9FCE-97E73F7E8327 Thu, 31 Jan 2013 08:38:58 +0000 The number of university spin-off companies created in the life sciences in England, Wales and Northern Ireland fell by 30 per cent between the periods 2005-09 and 2007-11, a new report says. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=422540&c=1 8A2268D7-3ED0-432A-8A03-B751AFE8AD2C Thu, 31 Jan 2013 08:34:13 +0000 Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, the European commissioner for research, innovation and science warns of heavy R&D cost should UK quit the European Union. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=422534&c=1 30DC34F8-94DD-45C0-8498-1DB1BF89619B Thu, 31 Jan 2013 08:32:16 +0000 Six of the world’s top translational health research centres today announced that they have come together to form a new Global Alliance of Leading Drug Discovery and Development Centres. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/news/archive/pressrelease/2013-01-21-Alliance-of-translational-research-centres-established-to-accelerate-global-drug-development?rss=true A1E075EE-1C22-41EF-9EB9-3F1FEE7F754F Wed, 30 Jan 2013 09:00:40 +0000 Twelve "outstanding" university departments are set to receive Regius professorships to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee last year, the Cabinet Office has announced. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=422523&c=1 CB591903-CF0C-4A41-85D1-C80F60143CB3 Wed, 30 Jan 2013 08:51:21 +0000 The Department of Health has published its response to its consultation on proposals to transfer functions from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the Human Tissue Authority (HTA). http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2013/01/response-hfea-hta/ 2C708607-3CCF-4313-A3D3-E30919E4E2B2 Wed, 30 Jan 2013 08:57:49 +0000 King’s College London has been awarded a six year €15m ‘Synergy grant’ by the European Research Council (ERC) to map the development of nerve connections in the brain before and just after birth. http://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2013/01Jan/%E2%82%AC15m-to-understand-how-the-brain-develops.aspx BCDFEF0E-DAEB-49FB-834D-68A587A63C5A Wed, 30 Jan 2013 08:55:41 +0000 Guardian obituary of Guy Dodson, protein crystallographer, and head of protein structure at NIMR. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/jan/28/guy-dodson 9EF5F5D1-3A32-41F8-B1B6-F18F366B4EA8 Tue, 29 Jan 2013 09:15:36 +0000 Rebekah Higgitt looks at the Royal Institution as a site of scientific heritage and asks what makes it unique and worth preserving even if the Royal Institution itself should cease to exist. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-h-word/2013/jan/29/history-science FEE71F34-C924-4EC5-8C81-08DF0517B1B4 Tue, 29 Jan 2013 09:14:16 +0000 The Tumour Profiling Unit (TPU) has opened at the Institute of Cancer Research in London to put cancer under a genetic spotlight and identify patients' specific tumour strains. http://news.uk.msn.com/health/laboratory-looks-to-profile-tumours 32F83ECF-00AB-479B-9776-CB644E305444 Tue, 29 Jan 2013 09:02:52 +0000 Taiwanese businessman Samuel Yin has endowed a new science prize that not only gives bigger cash awards than the Nobel Prizes, but supports research as well. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/01/taiwanese-billionaire-establishe.html?rss=1 3B67E785-F1C3-4D27-A313-337C1D3B4BC0 Tue, 29 Jan 2013 08:57:54 +0000 Report of a lecture by Denis Alexander at AAAS’s Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion (DoSER). http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2013/0128_DoSER_genes.shtml?sa_campaign=Internal_Ads/AAAS/RSS_News/2013-28-01/ 04C90EAC-143E-4137-8059-1EE230BE7A48 Tue, 29 Jan 2013 08:54:13 +0000 Paul Nurse argues that the benefits to UK research, from finance to international collaboration, make a strong case for continued EU membership. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/jan/27/europe-science-funding-paul-nurse C77EFF9F-CCFA-47B8-8DDF-77303DC0E882 Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:50:54 +0000 The Research Councils UK (RCUK) Impact Report 2012 has been published and details the various activities through which the Research Councils, including the Medical Research Council (MRC), are working together to achieve greater impact. http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Newspublications/News/MRC008982?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter 970EFEDD-2EE0-489C-9836-92305C468410 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 08:34:05 +0000 David Willetts, Universities and Science Minister, allocates just over £460m of the £600m allocated to science in the Autumn Statement to the ‘eight great technologies’ the Chancellor outlined in his speech at the Royal Society last year. http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=12112 755F0B95-7635-4A41-9760-7E76BAD8FC77 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 08:49:22 +0000 A pamphlet, Eight Great Technologies, published by the think-tank Policy Exchange, looks at the potential and pitfalls of British research in the years ahead. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21187610 07FD656B-21BE-47BB-AE8E-BE87304FF1E4 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 08:57:46 +0000 Two journal editors take a hard look at honesty in science and question the ethos of their profession. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6118/386.full 713FECDB-B096-49C6-AA23-3014CA3E3BFF Fri, 25 Jan 2013 08:45:04 +0000 A House of Lords Sub-Committee has announced an inquiry into the effectiveness of EU research and innovation proposals. The Committee is interested in contributions from those working in research and innovation in sectors where those disciplines play a particularly vital role, such as medicine. http://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/Lists/News/DispForm.aspx?ID=1485 D9C74798-37D5-4EE2-ADA3-7B433C0D0FBD Fri, 25 Jan 2013 09:00:05 +0000 The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the Crafoord Prize in Polyarthritis 2013 to Peter K. Gregersen, Lars Klareskog, and Robert J. Winchester. http://www.crafoordprize.se/prizesawarded/polyarthritis.4.2f692b3510dbfce339680009422.html 3009ACB4-12AF-4C30-8CD5-2CDEB4353216 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 09:12:43 +0000 Robert S. Langer from MIT has won the 2013 Wolf Prize in Chemistry for "advances in polymer chemistry that provide both controlled drug-release systems and new biomaterials". http://www.wolffund.org.il/index.php?dir=site&page=content&cs=3062&langpage=heb D91B3445-B43F-4FE7-9C96-DEB19ED098D5 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 09:10:21 +0000 BBSRC is conducting a 'light touch' refresh of its long-term Strategic Plan and welcomes input and views on how their strategic priorities should continue to develop. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/organisation/policies/planning.aspx 1A4B7D69-3322-4E9C-8503-6D17D032AE5D Fri, 25 Jan 2013 08:56:21 +0000 International proposals to study graphene and the human brain have won the biggest funding contest the European Union has ever hosted. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/01/graphene-and-brain-modeling-proj.html?rss=1 9ECF818A-14F7-4744-A249-8726168F8144 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 08:51:33 +0000 Government response to Science & Technology committee report says that "The Government recognises the importance of increasing scientific capacity in developing countries and the value of building sustainable scientific networks that individuals, institutions and organisations can benefit from". http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmsctech/907/90704.htm 9BB3855D-E31F-4D1B-BB90-6632B5BA5539 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 08:38:36 +0000 Norwich Research Park has awarded a £11.5M design and build contract for a new landmark building and associated infrastructure works. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/policy/2013/130123-n-campus-development.aspx E69BD9AA-C17C-43DE-A397-702CF838A819 Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:31:42 +0000 A new analysis suggests that the overall rate of false positives among reported results in the biomedical literature is 14%, smaller than previously suggested. http://www.genomeweb.com/blog/wrong-or-right DB49715E-1A48-4C5E-AAB9-402063B4E610 Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:27:32 +0000 The European Commission is contributing a further €150 million from the seventh research framework programme to an initiative with the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group to encourage lending to innovative businesses. http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=newsalert&year=2013&na=na-220113 B351ECF3-0D1A-411E-B52C-CE89C7971C8A Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:23:53 +0000 To get the best out of big data, funding agencies should develop shared tools for optimizing discovery and train a new breed of researchers. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v493/n7433/full/493473a.html 90338233-965C-4BCE-8A23-84B7321FB9B6 Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:12:34 +0000 Nature editorial, plus a lively comments thread. http://www.nature.com/news/science-stakes-1.12261 4F0F830B-E6C7-4472-BAEF-72D7983CF72D Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:10:54 +0000 Nature editorial says experiments that make deadly pathogens more dangerous demand the utmost scrutiny. http://www.nature.com/news/vigilance-needed-1.12260 7EA430CD-51F5-42D2-A2C0-B85438307B4C Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:05:56 +0000 An international group of scientists this week ended a year-long moratorium on controversial work to engineer potentially deadly strains of the H5N1 avian flu virus in the lab. http://www.nature.com/news/work-resumes-on-lethal-flu-strains-1.12266 14F4E7A6-D006-4EDA-8B49-D96D562BFA1E Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:03:15 +0000 Research Councils UK plans strategy to benefit from global collaboration. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=422445&c=1 AB15012C-9B1D-40B0-A358-A5765773AEAE Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:01:45 +0000 The winners of the Louis-Jeantet prize for medicine 2013 are Michael Stratton, director of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, and Peter Hegemann, researcher at the Department of Experimental Biophysics at the Humboldt University, Berlin, and Georg Nagel, researcher at the Institute Julius-von-Sachs at the Biocenter, University of Wurzburg. http://www.jeantet.ch/e/prize/laureats_2013.php C647FA64-2719-4336-9A78-71FFE62506A1 Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:15:58 +0000 Athene Donald comments on the new RCUK diversity and equality expectations. http://occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald/2013/01/22/raising-expectations-funders-get-toughish/ 08E542E5-D0D4-4BE0-85FE-CD3D6B49634A Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:22:09 +0000 Chris Chambers describes the conflict between what is good for science versus what is good for scientists. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2013/jan/23/open-access-publish-paywalls-victims-perpetrators 5B0102EB-556B-4AE5-A369-3C77FE85BB30 Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:10:31 +0000 A new project to replicate published chemical reactions has launched. http://www.nature.com/news/bloggers-put-chemical-reactions-through-the-replication-mill-1.12262 BA89310E-CCC5-4552-B008-AA95F8AEEA09 Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:01:50 +0000 Science is a big winner in the Japanese government’s 10.3-trillion Yen economic stimulus package. http://www.nature.com/news/japan-s-stimulus-package-showers-science-with-cash-1.12270 2B5DA44A-456B-469A-9536-A0647DB0C678 Wed, 23 Jan 2013 08:59:45 +0000 University College London is to set up a department of science, technology and engineering policy in September this year. http://exquisitelife.researchresearch.com/exquisite_life/2013/01/ucl-to-set-up-science-policy-department.html DA815C57-E4EE-4B18-9206-EFF939DEC753 Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:55:47 +0000 Harry Kroto is leading a campaign to save the Royal Institution. http://savetheri.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/2212013/ 67E2FB80-A432-445C-BA6A-4E1A48EE552B Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:56:01 +0000 Senior figures from the world of science and engineering last week called for further consultation on the Government’s immigration proposals to limit the number of skilled immigrants entering the country, warning that such changes could damage the UK’s science and engineering base. http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=12093 B4D96D9A-BD31-40B4-AC37-9BD99404B4F3 Tue, 22 Jan 2013 09:11:19 +0000 Jamie Gallagher explains the significance of the Royal Institution. http://www.jamiebgall.co.uk/#/blog/4562416184/Potential-sale-of-the-RI/4651998 B9D184AD-CD21-4FA8-A5CE-5B36D6F4ECE2 Tue, 22 Jan 2013 09:38:38 +0000 Freda Collier, who has died aged 97, was part of the core team of Maurice Wilkins, John Randall and Rosalind Franklin (plus Franklin's PhD student, Raymond Gosling) working at King's College London on the structure of DNA. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/jan/21/freda-collier-obituary?CMP=twt_fd DD7A0CB1-63CC-4CC5-8D80-19B54197F619 Tue, 22 Jan 2013 09:32:11 +0000 An analysis of professional misconduct has shown that male scientists are far more likely to commit fraud than females and the fraud occurs across the career spectrum, from trainees to senior faculty. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/aeco-mml011813.php D6FD4C19-577A-4830-9D18-AC066D8F5AFC Tue, 22 Jan 2013 09:22:18 +0000 Altmetric suggests ways to increase online interest in your research papers. http://altmetric.com/blog/strategies-to-get-your-research-mentioned-online/ 243EBF70-5F7D-4A36-9746-6CC1FB252CC8 Tue, 22 Jan 2013 09:39:37 +0000 Jan Jacardos says science is broken and asks how can we fix it? http://www.lablit.com/article/757 F00B0CE5-1273-49BF-88FB-CD4D84FC4D6A Tue, 22 Jan 2013 09:13:19 +0000 Royal Institution chairman Richard Sykes has confirmed that the sale of the headquarters building in Albemarle Street building was being considered. http://blogs.nature.com/news/2013/01/royal-institution-considers-sale-of-london-headquarters.html 39026237-242B-4659-B4AC-380F4B563406 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:39:41 +0000 DIYbio.org and the Synthetic Biology Project are launching the "Ask a Biosafety Expert" service in order to provide the DIYbio community with free and timely access to professional biosafety advice. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/wwic-qab011713.php 12AC861C-A648-42AB-BBE3-AF618825B196 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:22:40 +0000 A campaign calling for governments, regulators and research bodies to ensure all clinical trial results are published in full has launched and gained some heavyweight backing from the health and scientific community. http://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/iqwig,_mrc_and_cochrane_back_trial_transparency_campaign_459259 12FC33D5-3CD5-4B62-8C26-D6885163050D Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:20:22 +0000 BBSRC has made a number of changes to the requirements for Responsive Mode grant applications to help simplify them for applicants and to help standardise application supporting documentation. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/policy/2013/130117-n-bbsrc-revises-responsive-mode.aspx BAF1BEBE-FA37-47AF-A1B2-EB97404FAD63 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:18:56 +0000 The best way to promote discovery is to invest in talented researchers driven by curiosity and passion, whether for disease-oriented questions or the more obscure mysteries of nature. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6117/250.full AF90BCB9-905D-4CA2-87BE-028418606A90 Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:05:39 +0000 DNA, big data and NHS. Better for healthcare, or grave privacy risk? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21045594 E41898A5-B22B-4D72-B137-54A7D8F41B73 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 09:15:00 +0000 Research Councils UK (RCUK) has unveiled its new Statement of Expectations for Equality and Diversity, which is intended to drive more rapid cultural change in the management of equality and diversity in institutions receiving Research Council funding. http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/media/news/2013news/Pages/120117.aspx D9E0E447-3664-4267-B168-A0B31D47CFEF Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:53:35 +0000 The NIH has decided to take measures that include raising its postdoc stipend, increasing the number of grants that encourage early-career independence and offering 25 institutional grants, each worth about US$250,000, to support training programmes that prepare students for a broad range of research-related careers, including non-academic paths. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v493/n7432/full/nj7432-443a.html D860B78E-34AC-47C3-BE3C-7B28D644C362 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 09:00:11 +0000 Whether spurred by lofty research ambition or the prosaic hope that one can live more cheaply than two, universities' urge to merge can bring cultural as well as organisational challenges. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=422370&c=2 993A786E-F9D8-4C95-B326-E0543AD0787C Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:40:04 +0000 A fierce debate over gender balance on conference panels has been ignited after UK academics and science writers joined those signing a pledge to refuse to speak at or to moderate events dominated by male contributors. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=422408&c=1 62E3E0C6-E91F-4230-A85F-448C5410311E Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:29:18 +0000 Researchers need education in how to deal with the financial industry. http://www.nature.com/news/knowledge-trades-1.12210 3D78861D-82F0-4336-81B8-CCA65B01CC65 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:44:28 +0000 Mike Taylor explains why science requires open access http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2013/jan/17/open-access-publishing-science-paywall-immoral?CMP=twt_fd DA853C96-3C93-433E-924B-091F98539D17 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:55:46 +0000 The Wellcome Trust today invites applications for residency of The Hub, a new space and resource for interdisciplinary projects exploring medicine, health and wellbeing to be based in Wellcome Collection. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2013/WTP041439.htm A668861D-EC4C-4367-9DA5-1411DDBEA668 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 09:04:30 +0000 Sally Rockey, deputy director for extramural research at the US National Institutes of Health, reflects on the second anniversary of her precedent-setting blog. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v493/n7432/full/493298a.html 04FDA587-85E0-4C02-A266-93A6C5C05542 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:51:54 +0000 Richard James is leaving the University of Nottingham's Centre for Healthcare Associated Infections and a new director of the centre is yet to be announced. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=422382&c=1 32D925FD-C14A-4085-8036-84662ACAE119 Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:37:46 +0000 One of the world’s leading cancer researchers, MIT’s Robert Weinberg, has retracted a decade-old paper after finding out it contained errors. http://retractionwatch.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/leading-cancer-researcher-retracts-2003-paper-for-inappropriate-presentation/ 36AA3F4D-ECB8-4BEB-87FC-D0DD3EC0C5F1 Wed, 16 Jan 2013 09:16:58 +0000 A continuing row pits researchers against authorities in Saudi Arabia, where deadly pathogen was first isolated. http://www.nature.com/news/tensions-linger-over-discovery-of-coronavirus-1.12108 D0156F38-DF32-48AD-AC80-E67EDE89AE2A Wed, 16 Jan 2013 08:56:43 +0000 Developments coming at the RCUK Gateway to Research. http://blogs.rcuk.ac.uk/2013/01/14/gateway-to-research-activities-for-early-2013/ 4186D3D5-6CA1-4DDF-BA71-AB6CDC7E1F6D Tue, 15 Jan 2013 09:05:48 +0000 MRC Technology has receeived a £577,000 funding award from the Biomedical Catalyst to fund research into the role of cytokine IL-16 in Ischaemic Reperfusion Injury. http://www.labmate-online.com/news/news-and-views/5/mrc_technology/mrc_technology_receives_biomedical_catalyst_funding_/23437/ 6DEB95C5-03C4-4EF0-8DCA-3FC357CB15C2 Tue, 15 Jan 2013 08:54:54 +0000 Research Councils UK (RCUK) and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) have announced the projects to be funded under their China-UK Cooperation Programme in Global Priorities. http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/media/news/2012news/Pages/130114.aspx 5FCF4BAA-90EA-42B6-A2AD-B2C8748E22B7 Tue, 15 Jan 2013 08:52:49 +0000 The suicide of Aaron Swartz, who was a leading and controversial figure in the hacking and open-access movements, has reverberated through higher education in the US and beyond. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=422380&c=1 DA45AADD-9D7F-486C-B981-D10FA105E1E3 Tue, 15 Jan 2013 08:42:02 +0000 A group of healthcare experts and bioethicists argue that it is increasingly difficult to distinguish clinical research from practice and the daily operations of healthcare organization. They put forward a new ethical framework for the integration of research with practice. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/jhm-eat011113.php 65A67AD9-45D9-4BB5-8DBB-24E07E7A9DCD Mon, 14 Jan 2013 09:12:44 +0000 The EURAXESS Links project aims to maintain the link between Europe and European researchers, scientists and scholars working abroad. http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_01_10_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=28933 AF4CA16E-3F5E-44E5-944F-BBD58EB7D10F Mon, 14 Jan 2013 08:45:45 +0000 Obituary of Ita Askonas, written by Bridget Ogilvie. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/jan/10/brigitte-askonas-obituary D932857F-8D37-4349-8A55-8132C9133214 Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:56:02 +0000 Editorial by Anthony Hyman in Science magazine. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6116/119.full 07AD440F-5B5D-4BE2-8DAC-E0B6D735A5D3 Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:29:48 +0000 Dean of Medicine at Harvard offers alternative perspectives on the 'golden era' of NIH. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6116/140.full 7BFD26C4-1826-40A7-9DB9-D614EA710083 Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:35:11 +0000 http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jan2013/od-10a.htm CBE623A8-1A1F-496E-95F1-1155BBBCDF6A Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:45:13 +0000 The bursaries intend to facilitate members to ‘stay connected’ with the latest research whilst on a period of parental leave or with a young child, where there is no other funding available. http://www.biochemistry.org/Grants/StayConnectedBursaries.aspx 9116AC44-91E0-41C9-AB09-17F0AC0D37C1 Fri, 11 Jan 2013 09:10:56 +0000 The previously anonymous biologist who ran a fraud website is planning to continue to expose scientific wrongdoing, but under his own name. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6116/132.full F30A9DA5-4F9B-4788-8D58-DB70AE51A4C5 Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:31:28 +0000 With the rapid growth of misconduct cases, some scientists are worried that preventative training in research ethics might not be enough. Nor will it be possible simply to dismiss all violators from science. Scientific rehabilitation, they say, will have to become a necessary tool for research-integrity offices. http://www.nature.com/news/rehab-helps-errant-researchers-return-to-the-lab-1.12165 2CAE82A2-AFFC-4A30-925D-F4909A62CB3C Thu, 10 Jan 2013 09:33:31 +0000 Funding has been announced for three Flexible Interchange Programme (FLIP) awards, which offer individuals the chance to move between different organisations, disciplines and sectors in all stages in their careers. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/people-skills-training/2013/130109-n-new-awards-flip.aspx FC6E06F0-789F-44CA-80FB-E310B37CDEC9 Thu, 10 Jan 2013 09:41:58 +0000 A psychological study has found strong evidence of ethnic discrimination in a simulated shortlisting for an academic post. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=422331&c=1 A8866E5F-4216-4FF5-B933-3A02FE88B116 Thu, 10 Jan 2013 09:28:33 +0000 More than 50 per cent of European Union-funded health research projects do not result in any publications, researchers have found. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=422332&c=1 B77AF27F-5FE8-41EF-A363-A1122377A31E Thu, 10 Jan 2013 09:23:19 +0000 Sciencewise-ERC’s newsletter is issued every quarter and provides details of new and existing dialogue projects, new publications and insight papers, as well as special features and interesting events to attend. http://www.sciencewise-erc.org.uk/cms/newsletters 7F1A31A7-043D-4AD6-926C-5BB5749C7B5C Thu, 10 Jan 2013 09:49:29 +0000 The Research as Art competition, open to staff and students of all disciplines at Swansea University, attracted more than 100 images that are inspired by research or inspire research. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/gallery/2013/jan/10/research-as-art-competition-in-pictures#/?picture=402066318&index=3 7FA5E222-BF82-43A5-97CE-A4520B3E480B Thu, 10 Jan 2013 09:43:33 +0000 MRC Network Winter 2012/13 issue, issued:07 Jan 2013. In this issue: Inside Rosalind Franklin’s lab; MRC Centenary Timeline; Calendar of centenary activities; Synthetic biology opinion piece by Professor Jason Chin; the working life of an MRC Centenary Award holder and pathologist. http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Utilities/Documentrecord/index.htm?d=MRC008964 596D6194-C0D8-4730-8687-4FF303129F34 Wed, 9 Jan 2013 11:41:27 +0000 Minutes from the MRC Council Meeting held on 3 October 2012 http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Utilities/Documentrecord/index.htm?d=MRC008963 04BE3FD1-C2D6-46AF-AB5D-43BF30C2F620 Wed, 9 Jan 2013 09:45:39 +0000 The Daphne Jackson Trust helps scientists return to research after a significant break, often a result of having children. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_8-1-2013-10-16-16 6B193055-6018-46B7-AF8C-62452A688DB9 Wed, 9 Jan 2013 09:42:02 +0000 Imran Khan, CaSE director since 2010, will be leaving the organisation in March. He is set to take over as Chief Executive of the British Science Association in April, succeeding Sir Roland Jackson who is stepping down after ten years in charge. http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=12018 F38873BC-6728-4372-85C1-D3A13ECE1114 Wed, 9 Jan 2013 09:39:57 +0000 The Branco Weiss Fellowship aims to provide "a platform for exceptionally qualified researchers demonstrating a willingness to engage in a dialogue on relevant social, cultural, political or economic issues across the frontiers of their particular discipline." http://www.scienceomega.com/article/761/investing-in-the-science-of-tomorrow 7C6325A3-BA56-4DEC-91A0-D42CBC403C6A Wed, 9 Jan 2013 09:37:27 +0000 2013 is the MRC Centenary year. Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts reflects on 100 years of publicly funded medical research, and why we must play the ‘long game’. http://www.insight.mrc.ac.uk/2013/01/07/the-mrc-at-100/ 277405A1-66ED-4A30-A621-294E94D13FA2 Tue, 8 Jan 2013 09:33:14 +0000 The UK regulators responsible for fertility, human tissue, and quality of care have published three memoranda of understanding outlining how each will work with the others. http://www.phgfoundation.org/news/13254/ 9725FAC8-8D2C-4D4C-A841-FAB5541808B0 Tue, 8 Jan 2013 09:26:23 +0000 The National Academy of Sciences will honor 18 individuals with awards in recognition of their outstanding scientific achievements in a wide range of fields spanning the physical, biological, and social sciences. http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/jan-7-2013-NASawards.html 2A94378E-CEB0-46AD-BDBB-EA4CE251A1F0 Tue, 8 Jan 2013 09:24:46 +0000 The Supreme Court has rejected a request to ban U.S.-funded research on human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The decision brings to an end a long legal battle that has cast a shadow over hESC studies for over 3 years. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/01/stem-cell-lawsuit-finally-over.html?rss=1 81727B32-FD01-49C7-BD5E-6ABBDD6D5A2C Tue, 8 Jan 2013 09:22:21 +0000 2012 highlights have been compiled in 2012: A year with RCUK. http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/media/news/2012news/Pages/130107.aspx 4B82055E-6A5E-4C9D-8544-31BDBE2AB485 Tue, 8 Jan 2013 09:21:12 +0000 Syncona Partners, a new evergreen investment company, has launched. The Wellcome Trust, which announced the initiative as Project Sigma in March 2012, has provided initial capital of £200m. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2013/WTP041359.htm 4AD46757-294B-4678-B155-EE4C10381DB9 Fri, 4 Jan 2013 09:33:09 +0000 The Food and Drug Administration has approved a Johnson & Johnson tuberculosis drug that is the first new medicine to fight the deadly infection in more than four decades. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/10592273 BD939F7C-7BB3-4935-B170-4BC436387DC1 Fri, 4 Jan 2013 08:49:33 +0000 Which countries have the most foreign scientists, and which ones suffer from the worst brain drain? An infographic from the World Bank. http://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/tech-careers/the-global-brain-trade 9DF8D3A0-E181-43A9-B0E2-308D1AC8DDC0 Fri, 4 Jan 2013 09:14:56 +0000 According to an article in Nature, scientists can't be trusted to look after themselves. But maybe the problem lies elsewhere. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/occams-corner/2013/jan/04/1?CMP=twt_fd 17B4EE86-51AA-47D3-BF59-770325BEB53B Fri, 4 Jan 2013 09:13:03 +0000 The anonymous author of a popular Web site that claimed to identify manipulated images—and the scientists behind them—confirmed his identify this afternoon, a day after he removed previous posts and announced that he would suspend posting on the site following threats of legal action. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/01/fraudster-blog-author-outed-and-.html?rss=1 FB4BF4FD-EE89-4C67-806D-9D5594C66D17 Fri, 4 Jan 2013 09:07:35 +0000 The Indian government has adopted a new science, technology, and innovation policy that calls for doubling the investment in science in the next 5 years and establishing India among the top five nations in output of scientific publications by the end of the decade. http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/01/india-unveils-ambitious-science-.html?rss=1 4A20F1CE-ED8A-43D0-B590-11B612327D42 Fri, 4 Jan 2013 09:05:56 +0000 Elizabeth Gibney asks who will take the helm at the Wellcome Trust after Sir Mark Walport, the current director, leaves the research charity in April. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=422215&c=1 C5DC4163-1EB7-472A-9593-67CCE3D29AED Thu, 3 Jan 2013 09:25:52 +0000 UCL Women, a new networking group for academic staff in the sciences and engineering at University College London, launches on 16 January 2013. https://uclwomen-esm.eventbrite.co.uk/ 6A886CBF-1891-448E-8C7B-930B516407C8 Thu, 3 Jan 2013 09:48:48 +0000 Nature reports the initial analysis of results from the first international survey of scientists’ attitudes and behaviour towards lab safety, conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, together with Nature Publishing Group. http://www.nature.com/news/safety-catch-1.12118 36E6202E-1233-43AA-8673-647131F2CA86 Thu, 3 Jan 2013 09:29:30 +0000 A short video feature on 100 years of the MRC, focusing on TB research. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20891526 061B5ED2-E256-4C00-85B9-34B4C860C86E Thu, 3 Jan 2013 09:43:02 +0000 Explicit recognition of researchers’ contributions to science is becoming more comprehensive. Not before time - especially as a means of crediting referees. http://www.nature.com/news/in-search-of-credit-1.12117 BEA1B701-9B60-4732-B27F-91AC7E5A250C Thu, 3 Jan 2013 09:35:30 +0000 We must preserve the interactions of contemporary researchers for future scholars, urges Georgina Ferry. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v493/n7430/full/493019a.html 5DDCA3FE-9CDE-4F5E-9DF1-786F534354C2 Thu, 3 Jan 2013 09:30:32 +0000 Athene Donald presents a tongue-in-cheek classification of group leaders. http://occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald/2013/01/01/classifying-group-leaders/ 3E1C0540-0727-4A18-8CE2-434B7CE68F9D Thu, 3 Jan 2013 09:49:22 +0000 Nature looks ahead to the key findings and events that may emerge in 2013. http://www.nature.com/news/new-year-new-science-1.12122 7A907FC9-1E99-49D6-A405-E05BF48376B0 Wed, 2 Jan 2013 09:05:52 +0000 Sir Paul Nurse was guest editor of the Today programme on 27 Dec. http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9780000/9780895.stm FFE25D2A-719E-4E39-80B8-57E861907063 Wed, 2 Jan 2013 08:58:34 +0000 The capital’s growing reputation as a global leader in science and innovation is to take a step forward with a £1bn research and technology campus in west London being set up by Imperial College. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c34f36c2-49c6-11e2-a7b1-00144feab49a.html#axzz2GKPiVvTz E9F5D594-CF93-424A-986B-AF0D8BDAA0AD Wed, 2 Jan 2013 09:37:47 +0000 Cancer Research UK and The University of Cambridge have appointed Professor Simon Tavaré to be the next director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/news/archive/pressrelease/2012-12-21-simon-tavar%C3%A9-to-lead-cambridge-research-institute?rss=true 7B4AF7BE-FD2F-4D6C-AD6A-B203834FBB25 Wed, 2 Jan 2013 09:25:38 +0000 The UK Medical Research Council and the UK Department for International Development announce a further call for proposals for the prestigious African Research Leader awards. The MRC/ DFID jointly funded scheme aims to strengthen research leadership across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by attracting and retaining exceptionally talented individuals who will lead high quality programmes of research on key global health issues pertinent to SSA. http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Fundingopportunities/Calls/ARL2013/MRC008917 5CE8B4B5-C7E4-4157-8A54-92D3EF502B0E Wed, 2 Jan 2013 09:00:25 +0000 Carl Woese, the University of Illinois microbiology professor credited with the discovery of a third domain of life, died Sunday at his home in Urbana. He was 84 http://www.news-gazette.com/news/university-illinois/2012-12-30/visionary-ui-biologist-carl-woese-84-dies.html E7F1D3A1-7E63-4C2E-8602-56EBFF60FD55 Wed, 2 Jan 2013 09:36:15 +0000 Italian Jewish scientist who overcame sexism and anti-Semitism to identify nerve growth factor. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/neurophilosophy/2013/jan/01/rita-levi-montalcini-obituary 3A8A4BAB-26B3-411D-B4D1-D32F8312DF8F Wed, 2 Jan 2013 09:30:23 +0000 The Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced £22 million of NIHR funding, for twenty one successful research projects that will pioneer dementia diagnosis and ground breaking treatments. http://www.nihr.ac.uk/research/Pages/Dementia.aspx 2C4FDF89-CCAA-4A72-8167-EFEE9B0A2D9F Wed, 2 Jan 2013 09:29:31 +0000 The European Commission will be building a new team with 15 experts, to examine the development and implications of patent law in the field of biotechnology and genetic engineering. http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_12_12_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=28653 E7EFC71B-08C0-41EC-9E53-1F61827710CE Wed, 2 Jan 2013 09:26:41 +0000 The Young Academy of Europe is an independent association of top young scholars. It is the first grassroots organization in Europe formed by and on behalf of early-career scientists. http://cen.acs.org/articles/90/web/2012/12/Young-Researchers-Europe-Launch-Lobby.html B0D17371-C286-41AA-9F32-09832BE007FD Wed, 2 Jan 2013 09:23:45 +0000 Participants at a AAAS event signed letters urging the release of unlawfully imprisoned scientists and engineers around the world, including physics student Omid Kokabee in Iran. http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2012/1228rights_letter.shtml?sa_campaign=Internal_Ads/AAAS/RSS_News/2012-31-12/ 430E9658-94A2-4B2A-90A2-AC7B7A97B4F1 Wed, 2 Jan 2013 09:15:51 +0000 Research news for 2012 http://www.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/rss/research_news/2012/rss.xml 8A88DB87-53CD-467A-81EE-8BAA2F30F290 Sun, 30 Dec 2012 18:34:27 +0100