science wire

The decline of David and Mary: New inventiveness driving the diversification of popular culture
Inventiveness in the naming of babies in the United States suddenly increased in the late 1980s, having changed little during the previous hundred years. A new study from the Universities of Bristol and Durham considers what this tells us about the competing forces at work in popular culture: globalization and local innovation.

University of Glasgow reaches for the stars with launch of Space Glasgow Research Cluster
The University of Glasgow unveiled an ambitious space technology research programme today (Monday 13 February) at an event attended by the Minister of State for Universities and Science, the Rt Hon David Willetts MP.

Plymouth University's Professor Iain Stewart made president of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society
He took over the role at the annual general meeting of the society on Thursday 9 February, from The Earl of Lindsay who had been in post since 2005.

The question of life in the ancient world
Just what was life like in the ancient world? Michael Scott, Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of Classics and Research Associate at Darwin College, shares some of his thoughts as he prepares to talk this Friday on 'Life in the Ancient World' as part of the Darwin Lecture series 2012.

Scotland first to map wild land
In a first for the UK, a new map detailing Scotland's wild areas is being published today by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). Some of the country's wildest landscapes are already identified and protected if they fall within national parks or national scenic areas. But many other wild areas are not identified in any way.

Objects of devotion
Why did Renaissance shoppers fill their baskets with rosaries, crucifixes, Christ-dolls and devotional paintings? A new study by historian Mary Laven investigates the significance of Catholic clutter, as she explains.

"How to Grow a Planet" on the BBC
Geologist Iain Stewart will demonstrate how plants are the “silent power” that has shaped the Earth, in a new three-part series for BBC2 starting this week. How to Grow a Planet will offer a totally new perspective on the world's history, and will document the crucial role that plants have played in its evolution.

Ancient lessons for a modern challenge
The seat of the Khmer Empire in Cambodia mysteriously collapsed in the 15th century. Now a University of Cambridge Gates Scholar has pieced together its climate history and put forward a compelling new theory to explain its demise. There is a lot we can learn from studying how climate change affected populations in the past which could help us to devise ways of coping in the future." —Mary Beth Day What caused the collapse of the Cambodian city of Angkor, the largest preindustrial city in the world, 600 years ago?

‘Picture This #13′ Mary Anning’s Ichthyosaur, Sedgwick Museum
Mary Anning's fossil discoveries revealed an 'ancient Dorset', and were influential contributions to the blossoming science of palaeontology during the early 19th century.

Celebrating the centenary of Captain Scott reaching the South Pole
marks the 100th anniversary of the first British team reaching the South Pole. Founded as a memorial to Captain Scott and his four companions, the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) is marking the occasion with two days of celebrations.

Antarctic lake study a step closer
A University-led project to explore a subglacial lake in Antarctica has concluded its first phase.

Next ice age delayed by global warming
Without human carbon dioxide emissions the next ice age would be imminent, according to a Nature Geoscience study led by a UCL scientist.

¤3.5m for research into volcanic unrest
A collaborative research project that could significantly improve our understanding of the processes behind volcanic unrest and our ability to forecast its outcomes has been awarded almost ¤3.5 million by the European Commission. The project - 'Volcanic unrest in Europe and Latin America: Phenomenology, eruption precursors, hazard forecast, and risk mitigation (VUELCO)' - is coordinated by Jo Gottsmann from the University of Bristol's School of Earth Sciences.

‘Extreme Sleepover #12’ – An equestrian adventure on the Mongolian steppes
In the final report of the Extreme Sleepover series, undergraduate Robin Irvine explains how a fascination for the relationships between humans, horses and dogs took him to the Mongolian steppes.

‘Extreme Sleepover #10’ – an encounter with ‘Hell’s Gate’
In the tenth of a series of reports contributed by Cambridge researchers, PhD student Robert Hird pitches his tent next to a gas crater in Turkmenistan in the course of his studies on the stability of saline soils.

‘Extreme Sleepover #7’ – on the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River
In the seventh of a series of reports contributed by Cambridge researchers, architect Michael Ramage travels to South Africa to build strength out of weakness.

‘Extreme Sleepover #6’ – drilling deep into geological history
In the sixth in a series of reports contributed by Cambridge researchers, earth scientist Marian Holness investigates the secrets locked into an ancient magma chamber that never erupted.

Chinese fossils shed light on the evolutionary origin of animals from single-cell ancestors
Evidence of the single-celled ancestors of animals, dating from the interval in the Earth's history just before multicellular animals appeared, has been discovered in 570 million-year-old rocks from S

‘Extreme Sleepover #1′ – Breathless at Everest base camp
In the first of a series of reports contributed by Cambridge researchers, physiologist Andrew Murray studies responses to extreme altitude as part of a programme that will improve hospital treatments for critically ill-people.

Rapidly rising Arctic temperatures could lead to significantly greater sea-level rise
Rapidly rising Arctic temperatures could lead to significantly greater sea-level rise An environmental expert from the University of Sheffield has warned global sea-level rise by the year 2100 could be significantly greater than previously predicted following analysis of Greenland´s rapidly shrinking ice sheets.

What are the prospects for sustaining high-quality groundwater?
Intensive agriculture practices developed during the past century have helped improve food security for many people but have also added to nitrate pollution in surface and groundwaters. New research has looked at water quality measurement over the last 140 years to track this problem in the Thames River basin.

Violent storms provide testing conditions for research scientists
Better forecasting of violent storms, such as those battering the British Isles over the past few weeks, could be possible in the future.

Christmas - it’s not about the money, money, money
Christmas doesn't have to cost a fortune and a simple handmade or pre-used gift can mean as much, if not more, than the present that broke the bank.

Scientists set to gather at Plymouth University for global palaeontology conference
From the colouration of dinosaurs and the causes of their ultimate extinction to the evolution of mammals and the very present threat that climate change poses to our oceans: the 55th Annual Meeting

Leading migration research centre appoints new director
Leading migration research centre appoints new director The University of Sussex-based Sussex Centre for Migration Research, one of the UK's leading research centres on migration, will have a new Director from 1 April 2012.

Political sociologist appointed to head migration centre
Political sociologist appointed to head migration centre The Sussex Centre for Migration Research, one of the UK's leading research centres on migration, will have a new Director from 1 April 2012.

Flying into the eye of the storm
09 Dec 2011 University of Manchester scientists flew into the middle of the violent storms battering Scotland yesterday to measure the huge impact of the winds. Atmospheric scientist Keith Bower was on the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM) research aircraft, while Professor Geraint Vaughan was monitoring measurements from the ground.

£2million for research into Mediterranean gateways and global climate change
A Bristol-led consortium of universities and industry has been awarded more than £2million to reconstruct Atlantic-Mediterranean flow patterns, 5-6 million years ago, before the Straits of Gibraltar formed.

Dinosaurs invade Museum of Natural History

Carbon cycling in the terrestrial biosphere was much smaller during last ice age than in today’s climate
A reconstruction of plants' productivity and the amount of carbon stored in the ocean and terrestrial biosphere at the last ice age is published today. The research by an international team of scientists greatly increases our understanding of natural carbon cycle dynamics. A reconstruction of plants' productivity and the amount of carbon stored in the ocean and terrestrial biosphere at the last ice age is published today.  The research by an international team of scientists greatly increases our understanding of natural carbon cycle dynamics.

Family firms more likely to survive in recession-hit UK
Family businesses have been more resilient in meeting the economic challenges created by the current recession, a study has shown.

Exhibition celebrates 'father of European landscape painting'
Visitors to the Ashmolean Museum can explore an unconventional side to artist Claude Lorrain this winter.

Launch of major University nuclear centre

Researchers to explore if Ganges River water use affects climate
Thursday 27 October 2011 By Colin Smith Determining if water usage patterns in northern India over the last 50 years are affecting the climate is the focus of new international £1.1 million collaboration announced today. Researchers from Imperial College London are part of a UK and Indian academic consortium that is developing the most comprehensive computer models yet of the water cycle in the Ganges River Basin, which is one of the most heavily populated and farmed river basins in the world.

Warwick offers stable research environment for Japanese academics
Although the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan have dropped off our main news screens, the fallout from the natural disaster is still being felt in surprising ways but the University o

Engineering team heads to Antarctica to explore hidden lake
Engineering team heads to Antarctica to explore hidden lake Durham University is playing a key role on an extraordinary Antarctica project.

How many grains of sand are there on a beach?
A team of leading international scientists has begun one of the most comprehensive studies on a sandy beach in the UK and will address the question ‘how many grains of sand move up and down the beach under different waves’.

Engineering team heads to Antarctica to explore hidden lake
Next week a British engineering team heads off to Antarctica for the first stage of an ambitious scientific mission to collect water and sediment samples from a lake buried beneath three kilometres of solid ice. This extraordinary research project, at the frontier of exploration, will yield new knowledge about the evolution of life on Earth and other planets, and will provide vital clues about the Earth's past climate.

London Science Festival at UCL
This year UCL's 'Your Universe' Festival of Astronmy is running in partnership with the London Science Festival 2011.

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.

Wild plants are good for pollinators
A new study has shown that encouraging strips of wild plants at the edges of fields is important for supporting bees and other important pollinators. The research by academics at the University of Bristol has shown that enhancing the size of wild features in landscapes could be important for making sure that insect pollinators can exist within an agricultural landscape that faces increasing pressure for yield.  The paper is published online in PLoS One .

No point switching gas and electricity suppliers, find out how much you use to save
Switching gas and electricity suppliers will not get customers the best deal. The only way householders in the UK can save money on their gas and electricity bills is to work out how much they use each month, according to a University of Warwick economist.

Acidic clouds from large-scale Icelandic volcanoes: a severe public health hazard
New research from the University of Leeds shows that a large-scale volcanic eruption in southern Iceland, similar to the Laki eruption in 1783, could result in widespread air pollution across Europe. The study shows that an event on a similar scale to the eight-month-long Laki eruption in 1783 - 1784 would release huge amounts of sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere.

New tsunami software will help protect vulnerable coastal communities
A new piece of software has been developed to help protect vulnerable coastal communities from the destruction of a tsunami.

The cost of breathing - about £65 each year
The whole atmosphere is effectively worth more than 100 times the value of the world economy (Gross World Product – GWP), according to research being presented to the annual International Confe