science wire

Links: UCL Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Steering Committee The London Project to Cure Blindness UCL on iTunes U Four UCL professors discuss the science and debates surrounding stem cell research, reflect on their own work and consider the implications of President Obama's reversal of the ban on US federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research.

PA 87/09 They are large, hairy and some are big enough to devour lizards, mice and birds.

Listening to pleasant music could help restore vision in stroke patients, suggests study Stroke patients had improved visual awareness when they listened to their favourite music - %0A " Imperial College London News Release Under strict embargo until 17.

24 March is World TB Day.

Pentraxin Therapeutics Ltd, a UCL spin-off company, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) are collaborating to develop the world's first dual drug?antibody treatment for the rare and often fatal condition amyloidosis.

The world's most famous cooking apple celebrates its 200th birthday this year, and the unique flavour of the original Bramley Apple is thriving - thanks to scientists and grounds staff at The University of Nottingham.

Test your biology knowledge with some of the questions from today's Biology Big Quiz for local Year 10 students.

Members of the public are being asked to roll up their sleeves and get grubby in the name of crucial environmental research.

PA 75/09 Mind games are the activities of choice at the Brain & Body Centre this week as experts and secondary school pupils celebrate international Brain Awareness Week (16-22 March 2009).

UV light cuts spread of TB New study suggests ultraviolet lights could reduce the spread of tuberculosis in hospitals - %0A " Imperial College London News Release Under strict embargo for 01.00 am GMT Tuesday 17 March 2009 (17.

A new resource at the UCL Institute of Child Health (ICH) will help doctors and scientists address the four key complications in pregnancy. Jointly led by Professor Gudrun Moore (UCL ICH) and Professor Lesley Regan (St Mary's Hospital, Imperial College London), the resource ' known as the Baby Bio Bank ' will be the first study of its kind and the most extensive, as it will analyse maternal and paternal inheritance patterns.

'Neuroscience is one of the key disciplines of our time, and UCL is today the strongest neuroscience university in Europe ': Professor Malcolm Grant, UCL President and Provost.

An Anna's hummingbird outfitted with two long feathers from the Jamaican red-billed streamertail, a hummingbird that naturally sports two 19-cm long tail feathers. (Christopher Clark/UC Berkeley) BERKELEY — The long tails sported by many male birds in the tropics look like they're a drag to carry around and a distinct disadvantage when fleeing predators, but experiments by University of California, Berkeley, biologists shows that they exact only a minimal cost in speed or energy – at least in hummingbirds.

Professor Linda Partridge (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment) has been named a Woman of Outstanding Achievement 2009 for discovery, innovation and  entrepreneurship by the UK Resource Centre for Women (UKRC) in Science, Engineering and Technology.

Barack Obama yesterday overturned the ban on US federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research.

PA 62/09 Science buffs are being invited to take a trip back through time to hear the founding father of modern biology Charles Darwin present his theory of evolution as part of an event taking place at The University of Nottingham.

How mosquitoes could teach us a trick in the fight against malaria Researchers uncover new insights into how mosquitoes' immune systems fight off deadly parasites Imperial College London news release

PA 55/09 Scientists from The University of Nottingham will bring the thrill of the fairground ride to a major science event in London.

BERKELEY — As synthetic biologists cram more and more genes into microbes to make genetically engineered organisms produce ever more complex drugs and chemicals, two University of California chemists have gone a step further.

PA 56/09 Seeing inside the body with MRI scanners, building a genetic code with sweets and beads, creating 'crude oil' slicks with cooking oil and the big bangs and flashes of chemical energy are to help reveal the exciting side of science and engineering at The University of Nottingham.

Schizophrenia linked to signalling problems in new brain study Researchers identify 49 genes that work differently in schizophrenia patients - %0A " Imperial College London News Release Under strict

Scientists unlock the secrets of C. difficile's protective shell, paving the way for new superbug drugs and vaccines First images of the structure of superbug's protein 'jacket' %0A " Imperial

Teams of health scientists from UCL and three partner hospital trusts across London are joining forces to develop research and groundbreaking treatments for patients with a range of debilitating conditions, drawing on a total of £1 million funding.

Birmingham will today become the first link in a unique chain of Cancer Research UK Centres to be launched round the country. These cancer centres will draw together world class research and areas of medical expertise to achieve the best possible results for cancer patients nationwide. As the first Cancer Research UK Centre, Birmingham will set the pace for national and international progress for genetics, gene therapy and the link between viruses and some cancers as well as focusing on cancers of the prostate and bladder and leukaemia.

20. Bern - SNF Protein crystallography started 50 years ago with simply structured molecules. Now researchers from the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) "Structural Biology" are exploring ever larger, ever more complex proteins.

Meningitis bacteria dress up as human cells to evade our immune system New study could lead to development of new vaccines against meningitis %0A " Imperial College London and University of Oxford news release Under STRICT EMBARGO for 13.

BERKELEY — Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Iowa have turned a relatively benign virus into a highly infectious form that is ideal as a carrier for gene therapy.

On-the-spot DNA analysis to test tolerance to prescription drugs gets closer SNP Dr to assess patient DNA to improve drug response %0A " For Immediate Release Monday 16 February 2009 A handheld devic

Village bird study highlights loss of wildlife knowledge from one generation to the next Research shows how 'generational amnesia' is threatening conservation in the UK %0A " Imperial College London

PA 40/09 It lives all around us and is probably one of the earliest domesticated organisms. Humans have been using it for tens of thousands of years.

The underlying sense of being in control of our own actions is challenged by new research from the UCL Institute of Neurology and the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neurosocience, which demonstrates that

Inner workings of photosynthesis revealed by powerful new laser technique Instant images show how energy is transported across photosynthetic molecules %0A " Imperial College London news release For

Scientists narrow search for genes linked to ability to 'see' sounds Study sheds light on causes of synaesthesia %0A " Thursday 5 February 2009 A new study identifies specific chromosomal regions lin

San Francisco - Berkeley Psychologist Jack Block, 85, has died Positive prospects for California's green businesses, study finds Chancelllor Birgeneau announces senior-management transition plans, as

PA 28/09 A promising young researcher at The University of Nottingham has been awarded a prestigious national fellowship to support her work investigating the molecular biology of hepatitis C virus.

Cambridge, Mass. February 3, 2009 - Despite the striking aromatic differences between coffee, peppermint, and pine, a new mapping of the nose's neural circuitry suggests a haphazard patchwork where the receptors for such disparate scents are as likely as not to be neighbors. Inexplicably, this seemingly random arrangement is faithfully preserved across individuals and even species, with cells that process the same scent located in precisely the same location on the olfactory bulb, the brain's first processing station for odors.

Groundbreaking human evolution book launch to kick start Imperial's Darwin bicentenary celebrations Leading authors launch new book at Imperial event Imperial College London media invitation For imme

29 January 2009 Sheffield scientists research rice yield potential Researchers from the University of Sheffield are involved in an ambitious project led by the International Rice Research Institute (

BERKELEY — Taking a hint from the text comparison methods used to detect plagiarism in books, college papers and computer programs, University of California, Berkeley, researchers have developed an improved method for comparing whole genome sequences. With nearly a thousand genomes partly or fully sequenced, scientists are jumping on comparative genomics as a way to construct evolutionary trees, trace disease susceptibility in populations, and even track down people's ancestry.

What is 'life', where did it first emerge on our planet - and are we alone in the universe' UCL astrobiology researcher Lewis Dartnell will be grappling with these and other questions in his Royal Institution lecture on 24 February.

PA 16/09 Fruit and veg may be good for you but in 10 years time we could be replacing fossil fuels and helping to save our planet by using the inedible bits that we throw away to run our cars, boats and planes.

Imperial researchers to help develop new 'green' fuel sources Life scientists receive part of UK's largest ever public investment in bioenergy %0A " By Danielle Reeves Tuesday 27 January 2009 Imperia

Worms from The University of Nottingham should be checking in for a flight onboard the Space Shuttle later this year — to help researchers investigate the effect of zero gravity on the body's muscle development and physiology. Researchers are also hoping to get primary school children involved in the project.

Benjamin Judkewitz (UCL Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research) has won the second annual Young UCL Investigator Award in Neuroimaging Techniques.