| Mongolian Cabinet holds meeting in Gobi desert By GANBAT NAMJILSANGARAV 2010-08-30T00:34:10ZGASHUUNII KHOOLOI, Mongolia (AP) -- Top Mongolian officials donned dark green baseball caps reading "Save our planet" and set up chairs and tables in the sands of the Gobi desert for a Cabinet meeting aimed at drawing attention to climate change.... hosted.ap.org |
Stephen Hawking talks to Brian Cox He tries not to think too much in the morning, but by night the problems of the universe keep Stephen Hawking awake. Fellow physicist Brian Cox asks him about the big issues facing scienceBrian Cox guardian.co.uk |
Genetically altered salmon? It doesn't stop there By SETH BORENSTEIN and MALCOLM RITTER 2010-09-22T20:27:59ZWASHINGTON (AP) -- We've always played with our food - even before we knew about genes or how to change them.... hosted.ap.org |
Science cuts: thousands set to protest outside Treasury Patrick Moore, Tanya Byron and Brian Cox to urge government to think again on cuts to funding for scientistsThousands of people are expected to gather outside the Treasury in London today to protest against proposed cuts to science funding.Protesters will argue that science and engineering should not be a "soft touch" for cuts, but a key part of the UK's plans to rebalance the economy and maintain intellectual excellence. The demonstration is organised by the Science is Vital (SIV) campaign, whose supporters include broadcasters Patrick Moore and Tanya Byron, Bad science columnist Ben Goldacre, Cern physicist Brian Cox, several MPs and the president of the Royal Society, Martin Rees.Cutting support for science, especially when other countries including the US, Germany, India and China are raising their funding, would force Britain out of the premier league in many fields of research, leading scientists have argued. All government departments have been asked to prepare for cuts of 25% or more in their budgets as part of the government's austerity drive. In 2008/09, the state supplied more than ﾂ｣5bn for universities to carry out curiosity-driven science and up to ﾂ｣1bn could be wiped off annual budgets if the proposed cuts go ahead in the comprehensive spending review later this month.Today's rally is being organised by the newly-formed Science is Vital (SIV) campaign group, a coalition of research scientists, scientific institutions, teachers, writers and celebrities.Jenny Rohn, founder of SIV and a cell biologist at University College London, said the idea for the campaign came after she heard business secretary Vince Cable's first speech on science, delivered last month. In the speech, Cable called for scientists to do "more with less" and, speaking on on Today program earlier that morning, mistakenly alleged that 45% of UK science was not of world-class quality. "I've been reluctant to get involved in politics in the past, but it was essentially the last straw," said Rohn. "Scientists are the best possible spokespeople for the fact that cutting funding for science, tech and innovation will actually backfire economically."So far, around 22,000 people have signed an online petition to protest cuts in scientific research funding and Rohn expects several thousand people attend the rally at the today. "We hope that by showing that scientists are not a soft touch, that there will be a political price to pay if our message goes unheeded by the Treasury."Many leading scientific organistions have pledged their support to the SIV campaign, including Cancer Research UK, Wellcome Trust, Society for Biology and the Royal Astronomical Society. "As well as scientists and engineers, we've had thousands of ordinary people 窶 from firefighters to teachers to poets and civil servants 窶 signing," said Imran Khan, director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering. "It's going to be a great mix of people from all walks of life who realise that retreating into the past and cutting back our support for science just isn't an option for the UK."He added: "We're taking our rally direct to HM Treasury, and we want George Osborne to hear our message. British science is a key part of our economy and needs to be supported if we want the economy to grow. Everything we hear suggests that the budgets still haven't been settled, so there's everything to play for. We need the government to realise just how many people care about this issue."The rally will be addressed by scientists and campaigners including the neuroscientist Colin Blakemore, former Lib-Dem MP Evan Harris, science writer Simon Singh and doctor and writer Ben Goldacre."Basic science forms the foundation of everything else that matters," said Khan. "Just look at the [physics] Nobel prize winners Konstantin Novoselov and Andre Geim this week 窶 their work on graphene was blue-sky when they started, and now we hope it could revolutionise materials science and lead to hundreds of applications."ScienceAlok Jhaguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Britain's 'earliest hospital' discovered Radio carbon analysis of site in Winchester provides date range of AD 960-1030 窶 preceding Norman conquestArchaeologists have uncovered a site that may house Britain's earliest known hospital. Radio carbon analysis at the former Leper Hospital at St Mary Magdalen in Winchester, Hampshire, has provided a date range of AD 960-1030 for a series of burials, many exhibiting evidence of leprosy.A number of other artefacts, pits, and postholes relate to the same time, including what appears to be a large sunken structure underneath a medieval infirmary.Most historians and archaeologists had believed hospitals in Britain only dated from after the Norman conquest of 1066."This is an important archaeological development," said Dr Simon Roffey from the University of Winchester, which conducted the dig."Historically, it has always been assumed that hospitals were a post-conquest phenomenon, the majority founded from the late 11th century onwards."However, our excavations have revealed a range of buildings and, more significantly, convincing evidence for a foundation in the 10th century."Our excavations at St Mary Magdalen offer an intriguing insight into a little known aspect of the history of both Winchester and England. It is undoubtedly a site of national importance."Among the earliest known hospitals in the UK is Harbledown in Canterbury, founded by Lanfranc in the 1070s, following the Norman conquest.Professor Nicholas Orme, a leading researcher on medieval hospitals, added: "I have only studied the documentary evidence but I could not find any such evidence for a hospital before 1066 except perhaps as an activity within a monastery or minster."A late Anglo-Saxon hospital would surely be a first for archaeology and indeed for history."Winchester was the capital of England throughout a large part of the Anglo-Saxon period and after the Norman conquest. The capital was moved to London from the Hampshire city in the 12th century.ArchaeologyHeritageguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |