science wire

Minister launches public-private imaging centre
Adapted from a news release issued by Imanova Tuesday 15 May 2012 Imanova , a new state-of-the-art imaging centre co-owned by the Medical Research Council and three of London's leading univ

MBA alumnus shares his ‘Abundance’ of entrepreneurial experience at the Imperial Festival
By Tanya Gubbay Thursday 10 May 2012 While studying at Imperial College Business School, budding entrepreneur Karl Harder came up with the idea for Abundance , an investment company that enables

Medical researchers honoured with prestigious Fellowship
by Colin Smith Imperial researchers who are preventing brain injuries in newborn babies, fighting tuberculosis, improving the effectiveness of clinical trials and combating heart disease have been awarded prestigious Fellowships, it is announced today.

Europe approves billion euro mission to explore icy worlds of Jupiter
Joint issued by Imperial College London, Oxford University, University of Leicester and UCL The European Space Agency (ESA) has approved a new mission to explore Jupiter and its icy moons,

Six Imperial scientists join Fellowship of Royal Society
An evolutionary biologist, a medic and four physicists from Imperial College London have joined the Fellowship of the Royal Society this week as part of the 2012 election of 44 new fellows.

Physicist behind the ’invisibility cloak’ gains entry to exclusive society
By Simon Levey Wednesday 18 April 2012 An Imperial College London physicist whose theories have underpinned the development of an 'invisibility cloak' has been elected as a member of the one of the USA's most prestigious societies, it is announced this week.

Specialists must work together to prevent leg amputations, urge experts
By Sam Wong A lack of cooperation between doctors is allowing the number of leg amputations to remain high, despite major advances in treatment, warn experts from Imperial College London at an international symposium at the College today.

Tackle fungal forces to save crops, forests and endangered animals, say scientists
More than 600 million people could be fed each year by halting the spread of fungal diseases in the world's five most important crops, according to research published today . Furthermore, data reviewed by scientists suggests that in 70% of cases where infectious disease causes the extinction of a type of animal or plant, an emerging species of fungus is behind the problem.

Conservation Prof shares thoughts on priorities for a planet under pressure
By Simon Levey Thursday 29 March 2012 A Professor at Imperial College London is amongst those taking part in a major event in central London this week looking at global sustainability.

Scientists develop tools to make more complex biological machines from yeast
Scientists are one step closer to making more complex microscopic biological machines, following improvements in the way that they can “re-wire” DNA in yeast, according to research published today in the journal PLoS ONE.

Cystic fibrosis gene therapy programme gets green light with public funding
A groundbreaking gene therapy trial for cystic fibrosis (CF) will begin in March, thanks to a new grant from a government funding body.

Device for harvesting energy and water from human waste gets green light
by Colin Smith Work on a prototype device for harvesting energy and clean drinking water from human waste gets the go ahead this month.

Irrational avoidance of the unpleasant: Global environment foundation head shares his thoughts on American investors
A successful investment management strategist, who also co-founded a global environment foundation, will deliver a special lecture at Imperial College London this week on a rare visit to the UK.

£9.3 million project to improve oil refining in Russia gets the green light
For Immediate Release Wednesday 15 February 2012 Multi-million pound project to improve sustainability and efficiency of Russian oil industry is given green light A £9.3 million international consortium to make oil refining in Russia more efficient and environmentally sustainable has been given the green light this week.

Imperial signs up to strategic partnership with BBSRC
By Simon Levey Friday 10 February 2012 Scientists hope to deliver advances in biosciences - including food security, bioenergy, ageing and synthetic biology - faster and more cost effectively

Children test the air for pollutants in Brighton science project
by Simon Levey Wednesday 1 February 2012 Children from Brighton have been testing the air quality in their school playgrounds to monitor how pollution from neighbouring roads might affect them and their environment.

Research into acute asthma attacks boosted with £4m award
Research into acute asthma attacks has been boosted with a £4m award from the Medical Research Council (MRC) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

Making a ‘contract’ with society: GlaxoSmithKline’s research and development head discusses the company’s ethos
By Tanya Gubbay Wednesday 25 January 2012 The Chairman of Research and Development at one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies last night shared his insights into the philosophy behind its work, in a distinguished guest lecture at Imperial College Business School.

T-rays technology could help develop Star Trek-style hand-held medical scanners
A*STAR and Imperial College London news release For immediate release Friday 10 January 2012 Scientists have developed a new way to create electromagnetic Terahertz (THz) waves or T-rays - the technology behind full-body security scanners. The researchers behind the study, published recently Photonics, say their new stronger and more efficient continuous wave T-rays could be used to make better medical scanning gadgets and may one day lead to innovations similar to the 'tricorder' scanner used in Star Trek.

Intel, Imperial College London and University College London to jumpstart British investment in sustainable cities technologies and services
Intel, Imperial College London and University College London to jumpstart British investment in sustainable cities technologies and services Intel Corporation Media Release Intel, Imperial

Scientists reassess weight loss surgery for type 2 diabetes
Weight loss surgery is not a cure for type 2 diabetes, but it can improve blood sugar control, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Surgery. Whereas some previous studies have claimed that up to 80 per cent of diabetes patients have been cured following gastric bypass surgery, researchers at Imperial College London found that only 41 per cent of patients achieve remission using more stringent criteria.

Low iron levels in blood give clue to blood clot risk
Image: Computed tomography (CT) scan of the lungs of a patient with a large pulmonary embolus. Blood vessels should appear white, but the grey material is a blood clot which is blocking the flow of blood to the left lung. People with low levels of iron in the blood have a higher risk of dangerous blood clots, according to research published in the journal Thorax today.

Research centre to combat devastating effects of roadside bombs
Gaining a better understanding of the injuries caused by roadside bombs and improving both treatment and the means of protection are key aims of a new £8 million research centre launched today. Designing ‘intelligent' combat boots to deflect the impact of a roadside bomb and diagnosing damage more quickly in the injured to reduce future medical problems are two potential benefits.