Today's news

Universities facing exam 'meltdown'
Universities are facing "meltdown" as a national boycott of marking by academics threatens thousands of students' exams, a union leader has warned. Sally Hunt, general secretary of the AUT, appealed to university bosses to listen to the union's demands and make a better pay offer. Academics are staging a national boycott of assessment in a dispute over pay. Speaking at the AUT's annual council meeting in Scarborough, Ms Hunt said: "Without resolution this week the sector is facing meltdown."
The Guardian, The Times Higher Education Supplement   (May 12)

Universities bigger than drugs sector
The country's universities said today they contributed more than £45 billion to the economy and employ 1.2 percent of the workforce. The report from Universities UK said the sector now contributed more to the economy than the pharmaceutical and aircraft industries. "The growth of the higher education sector now puts it among the UK economy's major industries," said Professor Drummond Bone, Universities UK's president. The figures come as university employers and lecturers are locked in a bitter dispute over pay.
The Scotsman, The Guardian, The Times Higher Education Supplement  (May 12)

Students 'unable to remember basic maths'
Universities are having to remove advanced content from degree courses to teach remedial maths to students, a leading academic claims. The Government's "modular" reform of the A-level, breaking it up into six parts examined over two years, was blamed for making maths and science students forget much of what they have learned once they begin their degree. Professor David Howard of York University told a conference of the Instituion of Engineering and Technology that A- and B-grade sixth-formers needed to be re-educated in subjects such as calculus and trigonometry before beginning their courses.
The Evening Standard

Fees for evening classes to rise steeply
Large numbers of people studying at local colleges face an unwelcome surprise in September when charges are introduced. Nearly 40 per cent of those on free courses will be expected to pay and others will find a steep rise in fees for evening or part-time studies. The increases are due to a switch in Government funding towards young people who failed at school and away from those who already have qualifications but want to change careers, enhance their skills or take up new interests.
The Daily Telegraph

Cancer destroyed by antibody 'triple whammy'
A new cancer therapy using a "triple whammy" of antibodies has shown unprecedented success in mice. Not only does the treatment destroy tumours – even when they have spread around the body – it also prevents the tumours coming back. And the approach should work for a range of cancers. Success in mice is far from a guarantee of success in people, but human trials have now begun on one component of the therapy.
New Scientist

Pollution 'could kill off human race'
Pollution is far more damaging to humans than originally thought and is causing genetic mutations which could eventually wipe us from the face of the planet, according to a leading scientist. Dr Laurence Loewe, of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology at Edinburgh University, said researchers had under-estimated the threat from small but damaging mutations of DNA caused by pollutants such as exhaust fumes and chemicals. Although these might not immediately cause disease, as they build up over generations they can reach the point within a population where more and more people become infertile and, ultimately, the group dies out.
The Scotsman

Exquisite fossils could be early missing link
Beautifully preserved fossils of soft-bodied animals found in China show that the origin of phyla, the broadest category in the classification of animal life, is less mysterious than was thought. Gaps in the fossil record mean that animal groups sometimes seem to pop up without having obvious ancestors. One example is the comb jellies or ctenophores, soft-bodied animals that live throughout the world's oceans. Now, with the discovery of eight fossils, palaeontologists think its ancestors came from the Ediacaran biota, the planet's first large complex creatures.
New Scientist

Letter
Students can still study despite the lecturers' strike.
The Independent

Letter
Academic qualifications are not necessary to achieving business success.
The Independent