Cambridge dons object to equality moves
Cambridge dons are fighting what they see as political correctness following a decision to admit more academics from minority groups. The decision to introduce "positive action" into recruitment policies followed an "equality audit" which concluded that a macho culture at the university was intimidating and alienating employees. (The Times)
Reunion website upsets teachers
The National Association of Head Teachers has called for a popular website, Friends Reunited.com, to be closed down, following complaints from teachers who said that former pupils were victimising them. Steve and Julie Pakhurst, the site's founders, have placed warnings on the site, saying it is not a place to "let off steam". (The Times, Daily Telegraph)
Concerns for graduates as business cuts more than 1,000 jobs
More than 1,000 graduate jobs were cut from the recruitment plans of the country's top employers in the four months leading to September 11, according to figures from the Association of Graduate Recruiters. (Financial Times)
Schools to open 6am to 10pm in Morris reforms
Schools will be urged to open their doors longer to provide lessons for adults as well as pupils, under a radical shake-up of state schools, to be unveiled by Estelle Morris, secretary of state for education and skills, in an address to the Social Market Foundation today. (Independent, Guardian)
DNA scientists give Bosnian war victims names
A project carried out by the International Commission for Missing Persons is bringing new hope to relatives of the 20,000 people still officially classed as missing in Bosnia. Scientists believe with DNA testing they are close to a breakthrough in identifying thousands of victims of wartime massacres exhumed from mass graves in the region. (Guardian)
Brain's one-card trick yields superior lie test
Patterns of brain activity that betray whether a person is lying have been identified, paving the way for brain scans in criminal investigations. The findings, by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, suggest that a replacement may have been found for the traditional polygraph lie detector, which is prone to false positives. (The Times)
Children's drug 'can act like cocaine'
Ritalin, a drug commonly given to hyperactive children, may cause long-term changes to the chemistry of the brain similar to those produced by cocaine. Researchers at the University of Buffalo, New York State, found that Ritalin caused changes to the structure and function of nerve cells in rats, suggesting that the drug may have the potential to become addictive. (The Times, Daily Telegraph)
New hope of giving sight to the blind
Scientists at Kyoto University in Japan have been able to grow specialised photoreceptors known as rods from cells taken from the iris, raising the prospect of restoring sight to many blind people by transferring the growing cells to the retina. (The Times, Independent)
Gene test go-ahead may herald the perfect baby
The first 'perfect' baby could be created in Britain within weeks using an embryo screening system, following its approval by the watchdog, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. The Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Unit in London will screen embryos for even the tiniest flaws to boost the chances of couples undergoing fertility treatment having a child. (Daily Mail)