Latest research news

£100m more for research
An extra £100 million in government spending on medical research is to be channelled towards Alzheimer's disease, stroke, diabetes and mental health, John Reid, the health secretary, said yesterday. He told MPs that this would bring government spending in the field to £1.2 billion.
( The Guardian )

UVA rays cancer warning
Protecting the skin from burning in strong sunshine may do little to help to protect against cancer, researchers said yesterday. A team of scientists from the University of Sydney say they have found evidence that UVA rays, which do not cause sunburn, penetrate deeper into the skin than the shorter UVB rays which visibly harm skin.
( Daily Telegraph )

Double Star satellite begins magnetic probing
Double Star, a joint Chinese-European space mission to study the Earth's magnetic environment, is up and running. "It's doing great," says Philippe Escoubet, the mission's project scientist at the European Space Agency. Scientists have begun analysing its first data and already it has made the longest-ever measurement of the turbulent region where the solar wind first encounters the Earth's magnetic field.
( New Scientist )

HRT could lead to male Pill
Hormone replacement therapy for women could hold the key to creating a male contraceptive pill, scientists revealed on Tuesday. Researchers found that compounds used in HRT and the female pill could have a contraceptive effect on men when used alongside testosterone. However the team from the University of Manchester and Leeds General Infirmary said that it could take 10 years to develop and market a male pill.
( The Independent )

Dolly creator in fight for its life
PPL Therapeutics, the firm that cloned Dolly the sheep, is in talks with a potential buyer in the hope of winning a last-minute reprieve from bankruptcy.
( The Guardian )

Putins to fund care for British student
The personal doctor of President Putin of Russia is to treat a British medical student with a rare life-threatening condition, and the Putins are paying some of the cost. Louise Longman, 19, who studies at West of England University in Bristol, is flying to Moscow next month in the hope that Professor Victor Borisov will be able to cure her of the genetic disease known as Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome.
( The Times )

Survey snares new monsters of the deep
Scientists from Australia and New Zealand have identified more than 100 new species of fish in the waters that divide the two countries. The Tangaroa, a deep-sea research ship, probed the Tasman Sea for four weeks last year, snaring 500 species of fish and 1,300 species of invertebrates.
( The Independent )

Oil-drenched birds get dry cleaned
Soapy baths could become a thing of the past for birds caught in an oil spill. Cleaning their feathers with iron powder and magnets instead could be kinder both to the birds and the environment, say researchers. The technique calls for spraying oil-laden birds with fine iron dust. The particles soak up the sticky mess, and can then be stripped away with powerful magnets.
( Nature )