Scientists in key BSE tests used wrong animal brains
An inquiry has been launched into how a crucial experiment into whether BSE has infected sheep fell apart in disarray after an astonishing mix-up in which scientists discovered they had been testing the wrong animal brains. ( Independent , Guardian , Daily Telegraph )
Researchers call for anti-fraud measures
Britain needs urgently to set up a formal system to deal with a rising tide of fraud in science and medicine, a meeting of doctors and researchers has concluded. ( Financial Times )
I can show where bin Laden's cave is, say geologist
A geologist who has spent years mapping rock formations in Afghanistan has been enlisted by America to find the cave Osama bin Laden used to broadcast his threats. ( Daily Telegraph , Times )
Vilified scientists still say breast checks are useless
Danish scientists who caused a furore by suggesting that breast cancer screening did not save lives have repeated their analysis, with the same result. ( Times , Independent )
Universities plan joint campus on maritime site
The universities of Kent and Greenwich are planning a "ground-breaking" joint campus for 6,000 students in the latest phase of rebuilding at Chatham Maritime, the River Medway site that once was one of Britain's biggest naval bases. ( Financial Times )
Men are born fighters
Men are genetically predisposed to aggressive behaviour, rather than learning it because of social conditioning, reseach indicates. ( Times , Daily Telegraph )
Why Sir's not so clever
Male recruits to the teaching profession are dimmer than their female counterparts, research suggests. The calibre of male teachers has declined in the wake of squeezes on public sector pay stretching back to the late 1970s, according to a study by the London School of Economics. ( Daily Mail )
RSC wants to demolish Stratford theatre
Conservationists began a fight yesterday to stop the Royal Shakespeare Company demolishing its base in Stratford-upon-Avon to build a £100 million theatre park. ( Times )
Holocaust scholar quits Vatican inquiry
Jewish scholar Robert Wistrich has resigned from the inquiry into Pope Pius XII's response to the Holocaust in protest at alleged Vatican obstruction. ( Daily Telegraph )
Final answer to why those Millionaire contestants take a risk
It is a question which often puzzles quiz show fans. With thousands of pounds at stake, why do some contestants throw away a small fortune by gambling on a question to which they don't really know the answer? Now economics experts at Amsterdam and Maastrict universities belive they have come up with an explanation for the apparently ludicrous risks taken by those taking part in Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and other big money quizzes. ( Daily Mail )