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Plastic degrading fungus

When someone says ‘fungus’, we quite often think of that greenish-blue fuzz growing on bread or that grey stuff in the cup that no one could really be bothered to clean at the time. The truth, however, is that without fungus and a whole range of other microorganisms to [Full Article]

Placebos– sugar pills or a cure?

We all know that clinical trials test their ‘real’ treatments against sugar pills, also known as placebos. But what happens when both produce the same effect? A report in Scientific American concluded that placebos are becoming increasingly effective in trials, particularly against painkillers. While the conventional drugs worked well in patients, [Full Article]

Hot topics

Darmstadt, Germany Throw out your old periodic table!  A new element, Copernicium, has been officially approved by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, 14 years after its first discovery in Darmstadt, Germany.  Copernicium is the 112th element and, with an atomic mass of 278, is the heaviest element [Full Article]

Something to sing about

A lot of us probably couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. Perhaps more of us should try to, though, as music may have more of an effect on your brain than you think. Research conducted at the Harvard Medical School in Boston has now found that teaching stroke patients [Full Article]

Deleting cancer genes

Scientists are constantly on the lookout for genes that cause cancer, the killer disease of our times that is estimated to affect one in three people. Research conducted at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge has revealed a new twist to the story of how cancer develops. Instead of focusing on which genes are implicated, the question seems to rather be where the genes are located. [Full Article]

‘Plasma state’ unveils mystery of the universe

Physicists at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York state, USA, have come one step closer to answering one of the most important mysteries about the birth of the universe – why it didn’t destroy itself less than a trillionth of a second after it began. [Full Article]

Fat plant genes promise a greener future

Growing trees takes a lifetime, right? Well, not anymore! Botanists at our own Faculty of Life Sciences have discovered a way to speed up plant growth with the aim of future biofuel use! By unravelling the mechanism of how a plant grows outwards, Professor Simon Turner and his budding team of plant scientists have found how to quickly produce wood and thus increase biomass production. [Full Article]

Hot Topics

Erica Burnell reviews some of the top science stories from the past week from across the UK. Among the topics is the controversial finding that boredom may actually shorten your life expectancy! [Full Article]

The Lancet retracts controversial MMR-autism paper

Last week, the high impact scientific journal The Lancet published an official retraction of the article that suggested a link between the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine and the neural disorder, autism. When the original research paper was published in 1998, it caused confusion and anger amongst both the [Full Article]

Homeopathy: Nothing in it?

On the 30th of January, over 400 people nationwide including some in Manchester, attempted to ‘overdose’ on homeopathic remedies. The skeptics, belonging to the 1023.org.uk campaign, had two aims; to demonstrate that homeopathic pills are “nothing but sugar”, and to pressure pharmacy chain Boots to stop selling such products. The [Full Article]

Stocking up on sleep

Imagine if you could store up on sleep to make up for the lack of it while cramming for exams. Research published in The Journal of Sleep Research last week indicates that to ‘stock up’ on sleep is in fact possible. The study was conducted in the US by the [Full Article]

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Web-building spiders fall victim to the ‘assassin bug’! Researcher Anne Wignall at Macquire University in Sydney has recently characterised the bizarre behaviour of insects from the Stenolemus genus. These bugs mimic choppy vibrations of web-trapped bugs, fooling their prey to come closer in order to devour them whole! Toulouse, [Full Article]

Leukaemia vaccine to be tested on humans

A vaccine designed to prevent relapse in Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), is due for clinical testing in patients. [Full Article]

Hot Topics

Erica Burnell sums up some of the top stories in science this week. Murderous owls, Mars Rover Spirit and fat burning are featured. [Full Article]

Manchester researchers find hidden glaciers in ‘cursed’ mountains of Albania

Manchester geographers have located four glaciers at low altitudes in the Prokletjie mountain range that borders Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo. Christine Jameson reports on how glaciers can possibly exist this far south. [Full Article]

Japanese chemists make plastic from water and mud

In Japan, a new type of plastic has been developed using water and clay. Roosa Tikkanen takes a closer look at what the new, environmentally friendly plastic is made of, and its implications to a world amidst an oil crisis. [Full Article]

Clinical trails for psoriasis drugs

Clinical trials led by the University of Manchester’s Professor Chris Griffiths is the first of its kind to show significant difference in the effectiveness of prescription drugs, Enbrel and Stelara, for the treatment of the skin disorder, psoriasis. This comparative study, now hopes to contribute to improving future symptomatic management [Full Article]

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Mars So long to the Mars rover Spirit – as roaming days are over! In May 2009, Spirit, which hadhad been collecting scientific data from Mars for the last six years, has got its wheels stuck in Martian sand. Now, after nine months of hard efforts, NASA has finally accepted [Full Article]

The Universe on your laptop

Astronomers from the University of Manchester and Cardiff University have unveiled a web tool designed to allow the public to explore incredible views of the galaxy. The site gives visitors a user-friendly, zoomable 360°view of the stars in the Milky Way. What’s more, Chromoscope, www.chromoscope.net, not only shows what the [Full Article]

BBC to celebrate 'Year of Science' in 2010

Science enthusiasts will be delighted to know that the BBC has announced that 2010 will be it’s Year of Science. The choice was made in support of the Royal Society, the oldest natural sciences society in the world, in celebrating their 350th birthday. The idea is not just to [Full Article]

Manchester discoveries of the noughties

As we’ve come to the end of the noughties, it’s time to review the contributions that Manchester researchers have made to our understanding of science. 5. “Ancient clay has internal clay” In May 2009 Manchester engineers developed a new way of dating archaeological objects. Published in the Proceeding of the [Full Article]

Keeping up with Moore's law

Moore's law predicts that the number of components it is possible to integrate on a single microchip doubles every two years. Indeed, with billions of components crammed onto modern processors -Moore's law has shown no signs of slowing down. The end, however, may be in sight as the limitations of silicon, the main material in microchips, are being well and truly stretched. The industry is now wondering where to turn next. Manchester-based invention Graphene, might hold the key. [Full Article]

Investigating the meaning of life

Professor Denis Noble argues for a shift in the way we view biological research. Photograph by Roosa Tikkanen Two weeks ago, Manchester University saw the eagerly anticipated talk by the eminent Professor Denis Noble of Oxford University. The talk explored the philosophical and moral questions surrounding the emerging field of [Full Article]

The Ethics of Science and Innovation

Distinguished Nobel Laureate, Sir Professor John Sulston, was previously known for his detailed work on the infamous nematode worm. Now Chair of the Institute of Science, Ethics and Innovation at the University of Manchester, he and his colleagues hope to investigate the current issues of intellectual property in science. This [Full Article]