Today's news

Pressing problem for Durham's student paper
One of Britain’s best-known student newspapers - the Durham University Palatinate  - is facing an uncertain future as a result of a worsening financial situation. Past editors include Harry Evans and the BBC presenters Jeremy Vine and George Alagiah. Tom Page, president of the student union, said: “We don't want to set the precedent of being one of the only universities in the country without a newspaper.”
The Times

Cardiff physicist wins science's Pop Idol
Mark Lewney, a physicist from Cardiff, has won FameLabTM, the national competition to find the science communicators of the future and billed as the science world's equivalent of Pop Idol . Dr Lewney's performance on the physics of music, complete with electric guitar riffs, had the audience and judges enthralled at the Cheltenham Science Festival, which set up the competition in partnership with the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts.
The Guardian

University in £1 m exercise to transform sports centre
£1 million is being spent to transform a sports centre into one of the UK's leading gyms. It is hoped the revamp of the Edinburgh University facility, which is open to the public, will be finished within months. Outdated equipment will be replaced with the latest machines and a new cardiovascular gym is being built. Changing rooms and the cafe are being replaced, while the squash courts will be refurbished and a new reception area built.
The Scotsman

BMW faces huge bill for old Rovers, says Cardiff professor
BMW, the German car group, could be landed with a bill for tens of millions of pounds for the recycling of cars produced by Rover, estimates professor Garel Rhys of Cardiff University. The Department of Trade and Industry is considering how it will allocate MG Rover’s liabilities, under a European directive that makes all carmakers responsible for disposing of old cars they have manufactured.
The Times

Bath student puts the bounce back in tennis balls
If you're swotting up on your tennis rules ahead of Wimbledon next week, you'll know that tennis balls used on the famous courts must bounce between 53 and 58 inches after being dropped onto concrete from a height of 100 inches. But a University of Bath student has worked out that the going is too tough on Wimbledon's balls and has invented a machine to restore life to old balls. Aimée Cubitt, a mechanical engineering student in her final year at the university, has developed a new device that pumps air into tennis balls and called it the Pump 'n' Bounce.
The Guardian

Scientists' West End show promises to be a shocker
A pair of scientists will fire million-volt bolts of lightning at each other on stage next month in a theatrical show so dangerous that it requires £12 million in insurance cover. Either Richard Wiseman, the psychologist, or Simon Singh, the physicist, will risk his life inside a coffin-shaped metal cage on each night of Theatre of Science, which opens on July 4 for nine performances at the Soho Theatre in London. Professor Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire had originally wanted to recruit a volunteer from the audience for the stunt but was refused permission by Westminster Council, the theatre managers and his insurers.
The Times

Finger scanner fine-tunes car safety settings
A dashboard finger scanner could prevent thousands of car injuries each year by fine-tuning crash restraint systems to a passenger's bone density. The ultrasound scanner, developed by researchers at Cranfield Impact Research Centre and Nissan Technical Centre Europe, assesses an individual's tolerance to injury, allowing a vehicle's onboard computer to adjust the force applied by their seatbelt and airbag accordingly. The system should particularly benefit older drivers and other passengers who typically suffer more injuries in minor crashes, says Richard Frampton at the Ergonomics and Safety Research Institute at Loughborough University who helped develop the system.
New Scientist

Letter regarding the royals at university.
The Times