Kelly toes Cabinet line on stem-cell research
Ruth Kelly yesterday put the doctrine of collective Cabinet responsibility ahead of the doctrines of Roman Catholicism by making plain that she will back stem-cell research.
The Times
£103m boost for Scotland's universities
Scotland's universities will share a £103 million windfall to help maintain the country’s international reputation for world-class research, it was announced yesterday. The money, which will be allocated between 2006 and 2008, will be used to improve research facilities across the country.
The Scotsman
University skin venture sold for £5m
York Pharma, the new venture from the controversial businessman Terry Sadler, is to buy a spin-out company from Sheffield University. Mr Sadler's last venture, Bioglan Pharma, collapsed in 2002 with debts of £113 million. Now York Pharma is issuing 5 million shares to pay for Molecular Skincare, a venture led by the Sheffield academics Dr Michael Cork and Dr Simon Ward that is developing treatments for eczema and psoriasis.
The Guardian
Open access moves a step closer
Proponents of free, unfettered access to scientific research were given a boost yesterday when the Government said it did not oppose so-called open access publishing, although it "does not want to force a premature transition to a different system".
The Guardian
Oxford, stop your dreaming
Gerard Baker says that his alma mater cannot rely on ex-students to solve its money woes. The university must break free of the state and offer itself as a real alternative to the US Ivy League
The Times
Cancer hopes and fears
A vaccine against cervical cancer could be available within five years but its introduction may be hampered by political controversy, a scientist said yesterday. Anne Szarewski, a consultant for Cancer Research UK, said "I think the actual availability of the vaccine is not the problem. It is whether there will be a political climate in which to actually implement such a vaccine, and at what age you would do it."
The Guardian, Daily Telegraph
Hotter world may freeze Britain
The chance of the Gulf Stream, which brings warm waters around the British Isles, being halted, sending temperatures plummeting by more than 5C, is now more than 50 per cent, a scientific conference on climate change was told yesterday.
The Guardian
Antarctic thaw threat to London
Lowland areas of Britain, including London, will need to build new sea defences or they will be swamped in the not-too-distant future by sea levels 15ft higher than they are today, according to new research. The melting of the Western Antarctica ice sheet would cause havoc to the world’s ecosystems, Chris Rapley, director of the British Antarctic Survey, said.
The Times
Letter: voucher plan for university fees
The Times