| Toyota plant in Australia to build greener engines By 2010-09-10T07:09:23ZMELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Toyota will build a 300 million Australian dollars ($277 million) plant in Melbourne that will produce greener engines that deliver reduced carbon emissions, the company said Friday.... hosted.ap.org |
Enshrining the Right to Fish and Hunt Clashing definitions of wildlife conservation can divide environmental groups as well as hunters. feeds.nytimes.com |
Trouble Over a Gelada Baby Researchers in Ethiopia have observed a rare episode of violence between female gelada monkeys over a baby. feeds.nytimes.com |
Spending review spares science budget from deep cuts £4.6bn yearly spend on scientific research will be frozen for review period, equating to real-terms reduction of around 10%The science budget will be spared major cuts in tomorrow's spending review as the government looks to limit the damage to Britain's research and innovation base.The £4.6bn yearly spend on scientific research will be frozen for the review period, guaranteeing "flat cash" for universities and research councils, sources at the Department for Business Innovation and Skills told the Guardian.The freeze corresponds to a cut in real terms, as inflation reduces the spending power of the budget year on year. The reduction after four years is expected to be around 10%.A further £1.4bn spent on large facilities will not be protected, however, and is expected to be cut by around 50% in line with reductions in capital expenditure anticipated in other departments.The business secretary, Vince Cable, and the science minister, David Willetts, were in negotiations with the Treasury until early this week finalising the scale of cuts to the science budget. Both made the case that research and innovation were critical to rebuilding Britain's finances."The Treasury appreciated that to go further than it has would have put a question mark over that," the Guardian was told.In recent weeks and months, vocal supporters of science have lobbied government and demonstrated outside the Treasury against making major cuts to the science budget. A report from the Royal Society concluded that a freeze on science funding was "bearable". Cuts of 10% would "seriously jeopardise" scientific stability and productivity, and 20% cuts would do "irreversible damage" to British science.Fears of major science cuts have prompted fears of a brain drain of UK researchers to countries that have chosen to invest in science, such as Germany, France, the US and Singapore.Imran Khan, director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering, said: "This is still a significant cut when other countries have recognised that if you want to go for growth, you have to invest in science. Flat cash means a 10% cut over the four-year period and the people who will feel that cut soonest are the young scientists, who we will struggle to retain in this country."It is unclear what cuts to the capital budget will mean for major science facilities in Britain, but funds earmarked for the £600m UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation, which is due to open in London in 2015, have been preserved. The centre, to be built near King's Cross station, will house 1,250 biologists and other scientists and will focus on turning research into new treatments for conditions such as heart disease and cancer.John Womersley, director of science programmes at the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), has warned it would be impossible to sustain major cuts without mothballing a major facility such as the £383m Diamond Light Source, which opened three years ago, or the £145m Isis neutron source. Both are in Oxfordshire.The science budget will retain a ringfence that prevents funds being moved around after the spending review. The protected £4.6bn will pay for science at universities through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), and the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF).Science funding crisisSpending review 2010Tax and spendingScience policyIan Sampleguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Ask USA TODAY Weather Which direction do storms usually travel? Could global warming cause more thunderstorms? Why does humidity decrease as temperature increases? What's the difference between a wind storm and a winter storm? What will the weather be like in Pennsylvania on the 4th of July weekend? Is it safe during a thunderstorm to sleep in your bed if there is a window in your room? These and other weather questions are answered in our online weather Q and A column. rssfeeds.usatoday.com |