ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter from Germany will soon become the first European to undertake a long-duration mission onboard the International Space Station (ISS) following his dispatch on the next Shuttle mission (STS-121), currently scheduled for May.
That mission, which is due to last six to seven months, will mark many important milestones for European astronauts, European science and European control centres.
Two days after arriving, Reiter will take over as Flight Engineer 2
‘China Seatbelt Intervention Project’
National and International members of the China seatbelt intervention Steering Committee will meet today in Beijing to discuss the progress of a leading project in the province of Guangzhou, which addresses the low usage of seatbelt wearing rates among drivers and front seat passengers in China.
The China Seatbelt Intervention Project is a co-operation between the Chinese government, international organizations and industry.
With the spread of the virus across Europe, the Middle East and southeast Asia, the prospect of bird flu reaching Britain is becoming a reality. A leading scientist from the Royal Veterinary College, London, is available to comment on the potential spread of avian flu.
Professor Joe Brownlie, of the Royal Veterinary College, said it is important to house British birds inside where possible.
“To vaccinate the entire domestic stock would be premature because the current vaccine is n
In response to challenging targets to reduce household waste, Guildford Borough Council commissioned The Environmental Psychology Research Group at the University of Surrey to undertake research on waste recycling.
This research aimed to identify influential information that affects public participation in Guildford Borough Council’s Kerbside Collection Scheme; to provide locally meaningful information to understand the recycling habits of Guildford Borough residents; and to create
In response to the European Commission’s launch of a Communication to the European Council on developing a knowledge flagship: the European Institute of Technology, MEPs Prof. Jerzy Buzek and Dr. Jorgo Chatzimarkakis called for stronger links between the innovation, research and business communities.
According to Dr. Chatzimarkakis the EIT is now foreseen as a network – linking the best departments of various EU Universities and industries/businesses to create “knowledge communitie
Researchers led by UVa Health System pathologist Robin Felder, Ph.D., have demonstrated that looking for several variations of genes that control blood pressure can predict the risk for high blood pressure caused by high levels of salt. Once it is fully developed, this effective diagnostic test will be the first of its kind, says Dr. Felder, whose work will be published in the Feb. 23 issue of the journal Clinical Chemistry. When a subject had three or more variations in these genes, the new ge
Quantum cryptography allows transmission of data through fibre optic cable´s
For governments and corporations in the business of transmitting sensitive data such as banking records or personal information over fibre optic cables, a new system demonstrated by University of Toronto researchers offers the protective equivalent of a fire-breathing dragon.
“Quantum cryptography is trying to make all transmissions secure, so this could be very useful for online banking, for
Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers have identified three proteins that may be first tools for confirming diagnosis of ALS
Claire Collier went to see her doctor shortly after she started experiencing cramping and other symptoms. This started a series of referrals and seemingly endless stream of tests. Finally, nine months later after test after test had come back negative, she received the diagnosis of ALS. Only then could she begin to receive the treatment needed to trea
Is pollution causing regional coral extinctions?
Since the 1980s, researchers have hypothesized that nutrient levels rather than temperature are the main factor controlling the latitudinal bounds of coral reefs, but the issue remains controversial. New results from an extensive survey of reefs in South Florida by a Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution research team strongly support this hypothesis. The research suggests that, by supporting blooms of harmful seaweed, increasing
An alternate method of processing certain liquid wastes into a solid form for safe disposal has been developed by researchers at Penn State University and the Savannah River National Laboratory. The solidified form has been called a hydroceramic and is an improved alternate to other forms and processes. This research is published in the Journal of the American Ceramic Society.
The new process uses low temperatures (less than or equal to 90°C) to solidify and stabilize high al
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have discovered that ceria (or cerium dioxide) is an excellent catalyst for fuel cell anodes. This discovery was made through careful electrochemical characterization using a.c. impedance spectroscopy, an important tool for studying the electrical transport behavior of ceramics. The study is published in the Journal of the American Ceramic Society.
By applying an a.c. electrical voltage to the ceria (a white crystalline p
By combining quantum computation and quantum interrogation, scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found an exotic way of determining an answer to an algorithm – without ever running the algorithm.
Using an optical-based quantum computer, a research team led by physicist Paul Kwiat has presented the first demonstration of “counterfactual computation,” inferring information about an answer, even though the computer did not run. The researchers report their
Absence of sharks from abyssal regions of the world’s oceans
Marine scientists have discovered that the deepest oceans of the world would appear to be shark free. In a paper published today, an international team of researchers, led by the University of Aberdeen, reveal that sharks have failed to colonise at depths greater than 3,000 metres.
Sharks occur throughout the world’s oceans and it had been hoped that as man explores deeper into the abyss and beyond th
Most participants in GAIT study saw little relief
The popular dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate proved no better than a placebo in relieving osteoarthritis knee pain in most participants of a major national trial. But the study, published in the Feb. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, also showed a smaller subgroup of trial patients with moderate to severe osteoarthritis knee pain taking the combination of the two supplements experienced signifi
There is little doubt that alcohol-related disorders in humans are genetically based. The influence of environmental factors, however, remains unclear. Given that studies of humans are complicated by a multitude of cultural and day-to-day-living factors, researchers in the March issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research use rhesus monkeys to examine genetic and environmental influences on alcohol consumption. Results indicate that, just as with humans, both genetic and environmental
For decades, scientists have wondered how living organisms manufacture the essential vitamin B12. Now, using laundry whitener and dirt-dwelling bacteria—the everyday ingredients of an undergraduate science experiment—researchers may have found the major clue they need to solve the mystery.
Researchers led by Graham Walker, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) professor and American Cancer Society research professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have discovered
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