science wire

Professor Muffy Calder appointed as Chief Scientific Advisor for Scotland
Background Professor Calder will formal take up her post on March 1. Muffy Calder is Professor of Computing Science and Dean for Research in the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Glasgow.

Start-up finds online meaning
Software developed at Oxford University that accurately assesses what people mean from what they say online will provide a valuable ‘sentiment analysis' tool for businesses, particularly finance companies.

Boost for supercomputing facilities
A new phase of supercomputing has been launched at the University. David Willetts, Minister of State for Universities and Science, announced the next stage of development of two giant computers, HECToR (High-End Computing Terascale Resources) and BlueGene Q, at an event at the University.

QRISK2 international app released for the iPhone/iPad
PA 41/12 A new smartphone app designed to identify patients at risk of heart disease has been launched by researchers at The University of Nottingham and medical software company Clinrisk Ltd.

Software to chart rise of Empire trade
A study of the rise of the British Empire is likely to show that mass global trading was big business at the time.

Robot welding gets 5 times faster as €4 Million project replaces guess work with maths
Remote Laser Welding (RLW) is rapidly emerging as a powerful replacement for spot welding technology in vehicle manufacturing. It promises 5 times the speed of spot welding and far more efficiency – however this can only be achieved through a frustrating process of guess work and trial & error today.

Project to improve radiotherapy planning
A collaborative project between physicists, oncologists and computer scientists at Oxford and Cambridge Universities, launched last month, will develop improved tools for the planning of high precision radiotherapy.

University leads the way on high performance computing
The University of Manchester is heading up a large interdisciplinary network focusing on numerical algorithms and high performance computing.

Quantum codes make cloud computing safe
Quantum supercomputers could safely store and manipulate sensitive data, with help from University research.

Professor is made Fellow of the Computer History Museum

IPad game to help children with autism
Children with autism as young as 18 months could be helped to improve their socialising skills thanks to a new iPad app.

Smart way of saving lives in natural disasters

Simple online tool to aid GPs in early ovarian cancer diagnosis
PA 01/12 The lives of hundreds of women could be saved every year, thanks to a simple online calculator that could help GPs identify women most at risk of having ovarian cancer at a much earlier stage.

Can science predict a hit song?
Most people remember listening to the official UK top 40 singles chart and watching the countdown on Top of the Pops, but can science work out which songs are more likely to 'make it' in the chart? New research has looked at whether a song can be predicted to be a 'hit'. The paper, to be presented at an international workshop this week, argues that predicting the popularity of a song may well be feasible by using state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms.

Simple test to help diagnose bowel and pancreatic cancer could save thousands of lives
PA 387/11 A simple online calculator could offer family GPs a powerful new tool in tackling two of the most deadly forms of cancer, say researchers.

Alan Turing pardon petition launched
A University of Leeds academic is supporting an e-petition calling on the Government to posthumously pardon the mathematician and computer pioneer Alan Turing for his conviction of gross indecency.

Scientists striving to put a human face on the robot generation
Scientists at Plymouth University are studying the social interaction between humans and a specially-designed robot, in a project that could pave the way for a generation of more life-like androids.

New database for vital model organism launched
An important novel component of this project is the construction of intuitive tools to allow the research community to involve itself in database curation, and ensure that the scientific information published in their papers is visible to the entire biological research community." —Steve Oliver, Professor of Systems Biology & Biochemistry, who is spearheading the initiative A new database promises to be an invaluable resource to scientists who use a unique single-celled fungus to study human diseases.

Burns app could save lives at the touch of a button
A former soldier has developed an app which could save the lives of burns victims, both in combat and in hospitals around the world.

Easily ’Re-programmable cells’ could be key in creation of new life forms
PA 345/11 Scientists at The University of Nottingham are leading an ambitious research project to develop an in vivo biological cell-equivalent of a computer operating system.

Alumnus gives £1.4 million for Fitzwilliam College Library & IT Centre
Fitzwilliam College has announced a gift of £1.4 million from alumnus Ken Olisa and his wife, Julia.

Researchers launch Ethnic minority Internet & mobile phone use survey with free phone calls reward
Search News & Events Search University of Warwick Search for people at Warwick Search Warwick Blogs Search past exam papers Search video Researchers at the University of Warwick are key collaborators in an an online survey launched this week, which will investigate how minority ethnic groups and migrants are using new information and technologies.

Brain art
A new exhibition showcasing the University's world-leading brain imaging research will be on display as part of a Cardiff festival.

Series of live Guardian debates ask how the UK might ever rival Silicon Valley
By Tanya Gubbay Wednesday 12 October 2011 Imperial College Business School, in partnership with the Guardian, hosted the first in a series of four debates for the Guardian's Tech Weekly podcast

BBC documentary brings the world’s oldest underwater city back to life
Movie industry computer graphics and the very latest digital marine technology have brought the world's oldest submerged city back to life in a BBC Two documentary due to be shown this Sunday (October 9) at 8pm. Just a few metres under the sea, off the southern coast of Greece, lies Pavlopetri — the oldest submerged city in the world.

Biodiversity Virtual e-Laboratory launched
A groundbreaking research project which could revolutionise the study of biodiversity around the world has been launched at the University.

Experts show budding entrepreneurs how to grow their businesses at Seedcamp Week
By Tanya Gubbay Wednesday 14 September 2011 Last week saw the launch of Seedcamp Week at Imperial College Business School and the Department of Computing, linking up new entrepreneurs with industry experts from across Europe.

A canopy view of climate change -- novel art installation reaches heart of Sherwood Forest
Image courtesy of Active Ingredient PA 267/11 An ambitious touring art installation is to use real-time data collected from the canopies of trees in Sherwood Forest to raise awareness of the environmental changes affecting our planet as a result of the continued rise in CO2 emissions.

Morgan car lovers first to benefit from High Dynamic Range Television’s arrival on domestic TV
HDR video captures a wider range of light intensity levels found in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to lowlight images and thanks to a partnership between Researchers at WMG, University of Warwick, goHDR Ltd.