| Vince Cable's science speech praised by Lord Sainsbury | Ian Sample Tony Blair's science minister was impressed with the business secretary's speech, but laid on the pressure ahead of cutsLord Sainsbury, the former science minister to Tony Blair's government, shared his thoughts on Vince Cable's science speech yesterday. No one asked him to do this, though of course they should. He was giving a press conference on another matter entirely. "If no one's going to ask me about Vince Cable's speech, I'm going to tell you," he announced. "I've thought about it."Sainsbury was impressed and even optimistic. He dismissed the much-covered reaction against it as unjustified. Cable was "exactly on the right lines", he said, and gets that "if we're going to get economic growth...we are going to have to do it through science."The praise will come as welcome relief for Cable. His speech and latter comments on the future of research in this country drew the ire of academics who are understandably nervous and fear bad times ahead for British science. But Sainsbury was playing an interesting game. His praise puts the pressure on.What followed was Lord Sainsbury's guide to UK economic salvation: "France, Germany and the US are all putting more money into science. And Germany has to be the most fiscally prudent country in the world. Why are they doing that? It's not just for the love of science. They see absolutely that it is critical for economic growth."No need to read between the lines here: countries make money by investing in science, not taking funds away from it. Sadly, investing is not an option that appears to be on the table in Britain. Research councils have been asked to draw up plans for cuts of 20%, 10% or flat cash in the months and years ahead. The uncertainty is in the magnitude of the cuts and precisely where they will fall.When Sainsbury went on, it was in the spirit that if you praise someone enough for what they say will do, they are in for a hard time if they fail to deliver. "It's only when we see what comes out of the spending review that we'll know whether [Cable] has managed to persuade the Treasury of the importance of science and innovation for the future of this country and economic growth."And then there was: "If this is all a subtext for warming people up for major cuts, then people should be very worried. I hope he can do better than that, and that is what I'll judge him by."Grim scenarios might well lie ahead if science cuts are deep, Sainsbury said. His concern is that within a year, if there are no signs of economic growth, government will scratch around for programmes specifically designed to boost the economy. "But this will be after we have just cut off one of the most important ways of getting economic growth in the future."As for the tough decisions to be made over what research is spared and what projects are axed, Sainsbury's answer is to focus research in fewer universities, instead of spreading it quite so wide. Surely what is needed are high precision cuts. Top ranking universities have mediocre research projects and vice versa.Will British science survive what is coming in next month's spending review? "I don't think there is any activity, certainly no government activity, where you can't find seven percent waste," said Sainsbury. "But if you go beyond that, you begin to make the impact of science much less."Throughout, Sainsbury repeated a message to scientists: they must keep on telling government that when the country is desperate for growth, the only way to get it is through science and innovation. "The science community must go on and on making this case and we need British industry to say look, this is where our future lies." This was Sainsbury leading by example, from start to finish.Science policyVince CablePolitical speechesIan Sampleguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Mystery Bird: Northern Wheatear, Oenanthe oenanthe This demystified Mystery Bird includes a charming essay written by the photographer about how this bird got its strange nameNorthern Wheatear, Oenanthe oenanthe, also known simply as the Wheatear, photographed on the island of Anglesey, northwest Wales, UK. Image: Richard Carter, 8 September 2010. [larger view]. Canon EOS 5D Mark II. This stunning picture depicts a Mystery Bird that is probably not mysterious to anyone, but I liked the picture and wanted to share it with you. Of course, since this bird is such an easy ID, that means I get to ask you challenging questions about it, so here are my questions: first, if you were taking a walk around Anglesey and saw this bird, name five other species you would expect to also see if it was midsummer. Which of those species would still be present in midwinter? Being a logophile, I am most interested to know how the heck this bird got such weird common and scientific names?A blog writing colleague, Richard Carter, who also writes this blog, sent me the image and this charming essay:How the wheatear got its nameLapwing, dipper, swallow, robin, curlew…I've never drawn up a list of my top ten birds, but wheatears would very likely be on it.They're such smart creatures. Smart as in neat and well-groomed, I mean; I can't comment on their intelligence. And it's always a real treat to see one, because you're usually on a nice walk somewhere in the hills or near the coast, kind of hoping you might spot the white flash of a wheatear's rump.I remember my first wheatear. I was a young boy. My parents had taken my sister and me for a walk near the seashore at Thurstaston on the Wirral. My mum, who was entirely responsible for my love of the natural world, pointed out the elegant bird on a nearby fence-post, explaining that it was called a wheatear because of the light stripe running above its eye and behind its ear. The stripe, she explained, was supposed to look like an ear of wheat. It's a lovely reason for a lovely name.It's also total bollocks.Years later, I found out where wheatears really got their name. It was on account of their distinctive white rumps: wheat-ears is apparently a corruption of white-arse!I told my mum, of course. She claimed to be shocked, but I could tell she was secretly delighted.GrrlScientistguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Researchers testing effects of sound waves on whales Groundbreaking research is underway on Queensland's Sunshine Coast to find out how humpback whales react to sound waves from undersea oil and gas exploration. abc.net.au |
Disfiguring tropical disease surges in Afghanistan By ROBERT KENNEDY 2010-10-15T14:14:46ZKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- An outbreak of a tropical disease caused by sand fly bites that leaves disfiguring skin sores has hit Afghanistan, with tens of thousands of people infected, health officials said Friday.... hosted.ap.org |
Vince Cable restricts export of drug used in US executions UK-manufactured sodium thiopental was given as a painkiller before lethal injections in US jailsThe business secretary, Vince Cable, is to introduce export restrictions on the painkilling drug sodium thiopental after it emerged that it has been used in executions in the US.The policy change will mean that any British manufacturer seeking to export the drug will need a licence from the department's Export Control Organisation, involving a long series of questions at both sides of the export process about what the product might be used for. The new regime will be in place "as soon as practicable", most probably within a few weeks."In light of new information, I have taken the decision to control the export of sodium thiopental," Cable said in a statement. "This move underlines this government's and my own personal moral opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances without impacting legitimate trade."The policy change is the result of revelations last month that British-manufactured sodium thiopental was being used as a painkiller in some US states prior to lethal injections.The decision was announced in a judicial review at the high court in London of Cable's refusal to ban all exports of the drug. The case was launched by the campaign group Reprieve on behalf of two US death row prisoners, Edmund Zagorski and Ralph Baze. Lawyers argued that failing to ban exports was irrational and unlawful as state executions violate human rights.Reprieve's director, Clive Stafford Smith, said: "All politicians should be congratulated when they admit a mistake, and it is a credit to Vince Cable that he has backed down." However, he added, California was about to receive a shipment of the drug, and the UK government should "take active and urgent steps to prevent this from happening".Reading-based Archimedes Pharma UK, the only British firm to make the drug, said it did not directly sell to the US, but "will of course respect any new regulations put in place regarding the export of this essential medicine".It supplies the drug to "the recognised UK pharmaceutical supply chain", with the main customers being NHS hospital pharmacies but also wholesalers, the company added in a statement.The anaesthetic was used last month to knock out a convicted murderer, Jeffrey Landrigan, before two other drugs that killed him were administered at a jail in Arizona. California also has plans to use the drug in the execution of another convicted killer, Albert Brown. The state's prison system has said that it obtained its latest batch of sodium thiopental "lawfully from within the US".An export licence will have to be obtained every time the drug is exported and will be refused if the business department has any suspicions it is destined, whether directly or not, for the execution chamber. The drug does, however, have a legitimate medical use and export for this will not be prevented.The department's spokeswoman said Cable was now hoping to have talks with the European commission and European parliament to bring in an EU-wide system of export controls for the drug.Oliver Sprague from Amnesty International, which has also campaigned over the drug, said: "Controlling the export of lethal injection drugs is the right thing to do, but it's a shame that it has taken a court case to get the government to do it."This is only going to happen again with other drugs or other items if the EU regulations aren't changed at a deeper level."Sodium thiopental's use has been validated by the US courts. There is a severe shortage of it in the US and several states have had to delay killings because of this.DrugsCapital punishmentVince CablePharmaceuticals industryInternational tradeUnited StatesPeter Walkerguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |