Today's news

Tomlinson urges exam boards to cut secrecy
Mike Tomlinson, who is heading the inquiry into the A-level fiasco, will tell the government today that there must be greater control over the exam boards and less secrecy in the way they operate. He is also expected to shake up university admissions, postponing the start of the first term until January so that pupils apply armed with actual, not predicted, grades.
( The Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, The Guardian, Daily Mail )

Rival joins race to clone first human
The race to clone the first human appears to have intensified after claims that a second team is about to begin experiments to clone babies for seven infertile couples. Italian fertility expert Dr Severino Antinori last week announced that the first human baby clone would be born within a few weeks. Now his former partner, Dr Panayiotis Zavos, has announced that he is pursuing his own cloning programme.
( The Daily Telegraph )

What’s the point?
Is the point of schooling to get as many people as possible into university? Report on why the government can’t make up its mind.
( Guardian education )

Together we stand
Report on the burst of joint ventures among universities and the debate on standards.
( Guardian education )
See this Friday's Times Higher Education Supplement.

Into the unknown
The tasks awaiting Cambridge University’s new vice-chancellor.
( Guardian education )

Skull clue to first American
The discovery of the oldest American human skull, which belonged to a slender-faced hunter living in Mexico 13,000 years ago, is pushing back the date of the first colonisation of the New World. Its age and significance were revealed by Silvia Gonzalez, a geologist at Liverpool John Moores University.
( The Daily Telegraph, The Independent )

A pint of health
For those who enjoy a pint of beer, scientists have come up with a “super-brew” that could be a major boost to health. The beer, expected to be available in the UK next year, contains high levels of a potent antioxidant that helps fight cancer.
( Daily Mail )

Deathly secret of mother’s pride
A portrait of an extremely expectanct and wealthy young woman, acquired by the Tate Gallery, has prompted new theories about a mysterious group of late 17th-century English paintings showing heavily pregnant women. Tate curator Karen Hearn has come to the bleak conclusion that they celebrate not just dynastic pride, but the possibility that a beloved partner may be about to die in childbirth.
( The Guardian )

Letter from Sally Hunt regarding London weighting dispute. Letter regarding university fees.
( The Times )