news 2012

A team of researchers from the University of Warwick, working with the University of Manchester, have been awarded £5.2 million to investigate our immune response and how it is affected by ageing. The grant is part of BBSRC 's Strategic Longer and Larger Awards scheme, which give world-leading teams the time and resources to address areas of key strategic importance.

The structure of the universe and the laws that govern its growth may be more similar than previously thought to the structure and growth of the human brain and other complex networks, such as the Internet or a social network of trust relationships between people, according to a new paper published in the science journal Nature's Scientific Reports .

Mathematics anxiety can prompt a response in the brain similar to when a person experiences physical pain, according to new research at the University of Chicago. Using brain scans, scholars determined that the brain areas active when highly math-anxious people prepare to do math overlap with the same brain areas that register the threat of bodily harm—and in some cases, physical pain.

A new study suggests that the system used by the Government to inform key decisions about the performance of NHS hospitals is inadequate. Research published online today in the journal BMJ Quality and Safety shows that Standardised Mortality Ratios (SMRs) are not a reliable indicator of the quality of hospital care and therefore should not be used to trigger inquiries such as the high-profile probe being conducted into the performance of Mid Staffordshire Hospital.

A new mathematical method can help to predict a couple's chances of becoming pregnant, according to how long they have been trying. The model may also shed light on how long they should wait before seeking medical help. For example, the researchers have found that, if the woman is aged 35, after just six months of trying, her chance of getting pregnant in the next cycle is then less than 10 per cent.

AUSTIN, Texas — Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have received a $6.2 million grant over a five-year period to develop computer software to design and discover materials for low-cost energy applications. Potential uses include economical battery materials to capture solar energy and materials that convert water to hydrogen using sunlight.

Explosions caused by boiling liquid could be reduced by suppressing the liquid from bubbling, according to a new University of Melbourne study. The research, which is the first of its kind, has identified a specially engineered steel surface that allows liquids to boil without bubbling. "This would be advantageous for use in industrial situations such as nuclear power plants, where vapour explosions are best avoided, or where gentle heating is desirable" said Professor Derek Chan, from the University's Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

Caltech biologists create the first predictive computational model of gene networks that control the development of sea-urchin embryos As an animal develops from an embryo, its cells take diverse paths, eventually forming different body parts—muscles, bones, heart. In order for each cell to know what to do during development, it follows a genetic blueprint, which consists of complex webs of interacting genes called gene regulatory networks.

When conflict breaks out in social groups, individuals make strategic decisions about how to behave based on their understanding of alliances and feuds in the group. Researchers studied fighting among captive pigtailed macaques for clues about behavior and group conflict. (Photo: A. J. Haverman) But it's been challenging to quantify the underlying trends that dictate how individuals make predictions, given they may only have seen a small number of fights or have limited memory.

Many people remember struggling with maths at school, but few of us would expect that professional scientists suffer from a similar problem in their daily work. A new study by biologists at the University of Bristol shows that scientists tend to overlook their colleagues' research if it is packed full of mathematical equations.

Multidisciplinary team develops mathematical approach that could help in simulating materials for solar cells and LEDs. A multidisciplinary team of researchers at MIT and in Spain has found a new mathematical approach to simulating the electronic behavior of noncrystalline materials, which may eventually play an important part in new devices including solar cells, organic LED lights and printable, flexible electronic circuits.

The data avalanche brought about by the digital revolution has made it possible to harness vast datasets for everything from statistical analysis to teaching machines to recognize patterns and respond in 'intelligent' ways. But much of this data comes from humans, and many of those humans expect their data to remain private.

A fifth-grader's understanding of fractions and long division predicts their knowledge of algebra and overall math achievement in high school, according to new research published in the journal Psychological Science .

ANN ARBOR, Mich.-What part of math success comes from knowing fractions? More than you might think, according to a new study that analyzed long-term data on more than 4,000 children from both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Children who are skilled in understanding how shapes fit together to make recognizable objects also have an advantage when it comes to learning the number line and solving math problems, research at the University of Chicago shows. The work is further evidence of the value of providing young children with early opportunities in spatial learning, which contributes to their ability to mentally manipulate objects and understand spatial relationships, which are important in a wide range of tasks, including reading maps and graphs and understanding diagrams showing how to put things together.

The laser-cooled quantum gas opens exciting new realms of unconventional superconductivity. By Max McClure Within the exotic world of macroscopic quantum effects, where fluids flow uphill, wires conduct without electrical resistance and magnets levitate, there is an even stranger family of "unconventional" phenomena.

Notions about number and time learned rather than innate Time lines and number lines -so familiar, so basic, they're taken for granted. But if you think that the way you think about these fundamental concepts is hardwired, you might want to think again, says UC San Diego cognitive scientist Rafael Núñez.

Engineers and scientists at the University of Glasgow are developing a new method of treating head and neck cancers they believe will make therapy more targeted and effective. Cancer kills over 150,000 people in the UK every year and oral/head and neck cancer (HNC) is in the top ten worldwide, with major risk factors being tobacco and alcohol consumption.

Oxford researchers trying to improve the understanding of financial systems have new facilities to store and analyse huge volumes of financial data, which should speed up the research process. The Oxford-Man Institute of Quantitative Finance (OMI) has established a virtual 'data lab', which mirrors the systems that are being used by commercial financial institutions worldwide.

Yupno of Papua New Guinea provide clues to the concept's origins - and suggest familiar notion of time may not be straightforward, either Confirming a Yupno participant's understanding of numbers. All images courtesy of Embodied Cognition Laboratory, UC San Diego. Tape measures. Rulers. Graphs. The gas gauge in your car, and the icon on your favorite digital device showing battery power.