Latest research news

Ucas chief suggests exam board merger
The three school examination boards in England should be merged into a single body to make way for reforms that will allow students to apply to university with their actual, not predicted, A-level grades, the university admissions chief has said. (The Guardian)
 
Plagiarism detectives at your service
A plagiarism service for academics in the UK, including a national plagiarism detection facility, is to be launched in September. The service comes amid increasing evidence of plagiarism in universities. (The Guardian)

Lib Dems want levy for education
The Liberal Democrats would cut national income tax by up to £52 billion and allow councils to levy the same amount to pay for education, under the party's alternative budget put forward yesterday. (The Guardian, The Independent, The Times)

Eminent biologist hits back at creationists
Stephen Jay Gould, the evolutionary biologist and popular science writer, will publish his "magnum opus", this month, in which he lambasts creationists for deliberately distorting his theories to undermine the teachings of Darwinism in schools. (The Independent)

'Creationist' school has evolution debate
The school at the centre of the row over creationism in education is inviting one of its chief critics to speak to its students about evolution. (The Guardian)

Ecology conference stumbles in search for global deal
A United Nations conference aimed at protecting the world's plants and animals is running into difficulties because of the ambitious breadth of its goals. (The Independent)

The end of books?
Could the advent of electronic texts mark the death of books. This will be one of the key discussions at a conference on the future of textbooks at London's City University tomorrow. (The Guardian)

Tea drinkers 'have lower risk of cancer'
Tea might help to prevent cancers of the stomach and gullet, scientists from the Shanghai Cancer Institute have said. (The Independent, The Times)

Scientists find way to regrow nerves
A set of chemicals that breaks down an important barrier to the regrowth of damaged nerves has been discovered by scientists in the United States. This promises new treatments for spinal injuries, multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions. (The Times)

Ancient horn uncovered
The horn of a Bronze Age beast has been discovered during work to replace a road bridge near the River Stout in Sudbury, Suffolk. (The Guardian)