Hodge in row over university intake
Margaret Hodge, the lifelong learning and higher education minister, said that Cambridge should do much more to attract youngsters from working-class backgrounds on a visit to the university yesterday. Later, Cambridge vice-chancellor Sir Alec Broers hit out at the minister's criticism of its record on access as "misinformed" and likely to deter students from going there. During her visit, Ms Hodge was heckled by up to 150 students, but surprised individuals by speaking to them. Ms Hodge also revealed that the planned access regulator will be part of the higher education funding council rather than a separate body.
(Guardian, Financial Times)
One in four black British men has white ancestor
Around a quarter of Afro-Caribbean British men are directly descended from white Europeans, according to a new study. DNA tests carried out for a BBC documentary found that per cent of black British men had white ancestry on their paternal bloodline. The study also found that around 13 per cent of the DNA inherited by Afro-Caribbean men and women did not originate from Africa. The findings highlight how skin colour is a poor indicator of genetic heritage and how the divisions between ethnic groups are far more blurred than many people realise. Motherland: A Genetic Journey will be broadcast on BBC2 on Feb 14 at 9pm.
(Daily Telegraph, Independent)
Our DNA heritage goes on the block
A unique archive of British scientific documents could soon return home from California. That is, if any British library or collector can meet the price. Christie's New York is seeking upwards of £1.3 million ($2.2 million) from its forthcoming auction of the Jeremy Norman Archive of Molecular Biology.
(Daily Telegraph)