| Huge whale skeleton on display in London A huge whale skeleton found in the River Thames goes on display in London's Docklands. news.bbc.co.uk |
Observatory: Plants Near Chernobyl Appear to Grow a Shield Protein alterations in flaxseed plants may be a defensive mechanism, better enabling protection from radiation, researchers believe. feeds.nytimes.com |
贈19bn to dismantle North Sea rigs The cost of dismantling North Sea oil and gas platforms is forecast to reach 贈19bn over the next 30 years. bbc.co.uk |
Cuts threaten work on animal test alternatives Cuts to medical funding bodies threaten research aiming to reduce number of animals used in experiments, scientists sayResearch that aims to reduce the number of animals used in scientific experiments is in danger of being marginalised by funding cuts, scientists have warned.More than 贈4m is earmarked this year for projects designed to develop alternatives to the use of animals in research, but cuts to medical funding bodies will put the studies at risk, the academics claim.In a letter to the Guardian, 13 scientists including Philip Stephens, a professor linked to the Wound Biology Group at Cardiff University, and Michael Coleman, professor and toxicologist at Aston University, said work in the area would become "stifled" if funding bodies suffered signficant cuts."There are some medical problems where progress is extremely slow despite decades of animal work," said Coleman. "Replacing animals with new technologies that allow us to better replicate and study human disease, can often unlock new answers, particularly in apparently intractable diseases of current concern, such as neurodegenerative conditions."The government set up the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) in 2004 to find ways of minimising use of animals in research. The independent scientific organisation, which is supported by research councils, the Home Office and other departments, has backed research into multiple sclerosis, influenza, drug addiction, cancer cell biology and epilepsy."The societal benefits of exploiting such techniques will be lost if the funding environment becomes so squeezed that there is little room left for taking research risks," the scientists write.Wendy Higgins, of Humane Society International, said: "If we want our 3Rs scientists to continue inventing the future, funding security is absolutely vital."Animal researchMedical researchAnimal welfareSpending review 2010Tax and spendingPublic sector cutsIan Sampleguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Dark energy flattens the Universe Researchers have developed a simple geometrical method to add weight to the idea that ours is a flat, dark-energy-rich Universe. bbc.co.uk |