Today's news

Extra business backing for university projects
Braveheart Ventures, a consortium of private investors, has agreed to invest £5 million at both Edinburgh and Glasgow universities to help speed the movement of Scottish research from the laboratory to market. The £10 million of private sector investment by Braveheart will back businesses from university projects that have received public funds from the Scottish executive and Scottish Enterprise, its development arm, through their £49 million "proof of concept" programme.
The Financial Times

Student conquers seven summit challenge
A student has climbed his way into the record books, becoming the youngest Briton to conquer the “seven summits” and to reach the top of Mount Everest, organisers of the trip said today. Bristol University science student Jake Meyer, 21, reached the top of Mount Everest on Saturday. The Seven Summit Challenge has only been completed by around 150 people worldwide – and is said to test a climber’s physical, mental and emotional capabilities to the absolute limit, with dangerous extreme weather conditions.
The Scotsman

Blaze damage to Heriot Watt university
Part of Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh has been badly damaged by fire after a suspected gas explosion. The civil and offshore engineering building on the Riccarton campus was unoccupied at the time and no-one was injured, fire officers said. More than 50 firefighters were involved in fighting the flames at the west end campus on Saturday morning.
The Times

Romance? All right, let’s see your diploma
How do you find the perfect partner? Study their diplomas. Marriages that make the grade are built on equal educational backgrounds, according to a scientific survey. University dons have discovered that it is not class or money that best form a long-lasting relationship but your schooling. An analysis of thousands of couples across Britain found that 60 per cent of marriages were between couples of similar scholastic ability.
The Times

Mission to build a simulated brain begins
An effort to create the first computer simulation of the entire human brain, right down to the molecular level, was launched on Monday. The “Blue Brain” project, a collaboration between IBM and a Swiss university team, will involve building a custom-made supercomputer based on IBM’s Blue Gene design. The hope is that the virtual brain will help shed light on some aspects of human cognition, such as perception, memory and perhaps even consciousness.
New Scientist

Journey to the centre of Earth
Japanese scientists are to explore the centre of the Earth. Using a giant drill ship launched next month, the researchers aim to be the first to punch a hole through the rocky crust that covers our planet and to reach the mantle below. The team wants to retrieve samples from the mantle, six miles down, to learn more about what triggers undersea earthquakes, such as the one off Sumatra that caused the Boxing Day tsunami. They hope to study the deep rocks and mud for records of past climate change and to see if the deepest regions of Earth could harbour life.
The Guardian

Quest for high degrees - of ducks
Oxford and Cambridge may top Britain's university ratings in such matters as academic excellence - but they've yet to leave the starting grid in things that really matter to students. Neither venerable institution even figures in the latest poll of "duck density" on lakes, ponds and streams at the country's 112 campuses. Diligently kept by volunteers, the tally of wildfowl - geese, moorhens and visiting exotica are allowed to count as well as common ducks - once again has York University far ahead of all rivals. But both Warwick and Leeds have made impressive progress over the past year.
The Guardian

From the weekend's papers:

Saturday

• Computers are being used to mark university students' essays in a trial that could transform the examination system. The Daily Telegraph
  
• University of Dundee professor believes renewable forms of energy must be developed to reduce global warming. The Scotsman
  
• Scientists have developed the first accurate measure of the impact of stress on the human body and the ability to cope with adversity. The Independent

Sunday

• An EC paper sets a target for 2010 by which time women should hold 25 per cent of all professorships in science subjects. The Sunday Telegraph
  
• Academics at the LSE have devised an ID card that costs £30 per person. The Sunday Telegraph
  
• Scotland's woeful record in teaching foreign languages threatens the economy, academics and businessmen have warned. The Scotsman
  
• Drinking large amounts of fizzy drinks may weaken your bones and increase the risk of bone disease, according to a scientific study. The Times