AlphaGalileo

ESA’s GOCE gravity mission has recovered from a glitch that prevented the satellite from sending its flow of scientific data to the ground. News of the recovery comes earlier than expected, thanks to the fervent efforts of a team of experts.

"Postcards from the Edge of the Universe"
The book, Postcards from the Edge of the Universe, was launched today at the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science in Lisbon, Portugal. A legacy of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 Cornerstone project Cosmic Diary, the book features articles from astronomers around the world about the hottest astronomical topics of the moment.

Not drying your hands thoroughly after washing them, could increase the spread of bacteria and rubbing your hands whilst using a conventional electric hand dryer could be a contributing factor. Frequently people give up drying their hands and wipe them on their clothes instead, but hand-hygiene is a key part of infection control and drying hands after washing is a very important part of the process. Published in Journal of Applied Microbiology

A 1300-page final report for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 was released today at the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science in Lisbon, Portugal. The report shows that at least 815 million people in 148 countries participated in the world’s largest science event in decades.

Using a moving 3D computer model based on the skull and teeth of a New Zealand reptile called tuatara, a BBSRC-funded team from the University of Hull, University College London and the Hull York Medical School has revealed how damage to dental implants and jaw joints may be prevented by sophisticated interplay between our jaws, muscles and brain. This research will appear in a future edition of the Journal of Biomechanics.

Patients who have received a new kidney are significantly more likely to develop transplant renal artery stenosis (TRAS) - the most common post-transplant vascular complication - if they are obese or over 50. Researchers studied 360 recipients who had received kidneys from unrelated donors to discover what factors increased the risk of TRAS, where the renal arteries narrow, impeding blood flow to the kidney.

Professor Stevan Harnad, one of the pioneers of the Open Access (OA) movement worldwide, will report on metrics to evaluate the impact of peer-reviewed research papers, at three conferences in Europe this month.

The researchers Gregorio Quintana, Francisco Igual and Enrique Quintana, of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, will work during the next year in a contract with the company Microsoft with the aim of adapting numerical libraries in order they to work in graphic processors with the Windows operating system

Los investigadores Gregorio Quintana, Francisco Igual y Enrique S. Quintana del Departamento de Ingeniería y Ciencia de los Computadores, trabajarán durante el próximo año en un contrato con la empresa Microsoft con la finalidad de adaptar bibliotecas numéricas para que funcionen en procesadores gráficos bajo el sistema operativo de Windows.

Even though organic methods may increase farm biodiversity, a combination of conventional farming and protected areas could sometimes be a better way to maintain food production and protect wildlife.

Cockroaches could be more of a health benefit than a health hazard according to scientists from The University of Nottingham.

Inflammation is associated with lower intelligence and premature death, according to Swedish scientists from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. “Those with low-grade inflammation performed more poorly on standardised intelligence tests, even after excluding those with signs of current illness. Inflammation also predicted an increased risk of premature death,” said lead researcher Dr Hakan Karlsson.

Discussions about end of life practices in Germany have been almost taboo for over half a century, but now intense debate is underway as professional bodies review their guidelines to physicians caring for the dying. A new study out today in Palliative Medicine, published by SAGE, reveals that German physicians do hasten death in some cases, against current ethical guidelines - sometimes without sufficient patient involvement.

The European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) is pleased to announce Kaj Blennow as the recipient of the 2010 ECNP Neuropsychopharmacology Award in recognition of his original and influential contributions to Alzheimer’s disease research. The ECNP Neuropsychopharmacology Award is presented annually and recognises distinguished research in neuropsychopharmacology and closely related disciplines. The award is accompanied by a prize of € 20,000.

The September Policy Brief by Ricardo Rodrigues and Andrea Schmidt aims to present information on the current picture of public and private expenditure on long-term care for older people and to discuss the challenges of financing care. Moreover it provides preliminary results on potential redistribution effects of home care benefits (based on SHARE data). By that, the Policy Brief tries not only to take a policy-oriented, comparative view on funding arrangements for long-term care but also to serve as a starting point for further discussions on the potential inequalities associated with the different ways of financing and providing long-term care.

Selfish bacterial cells that act in their own interests and do not cooperate with their infection-causing colleagues can actually reduce the severity of infection.

Um die Sicherheit eines Endlagers für nukleare Abfälle abschätzen zu können, ist es wichtig, die Halbwertszeiten der radioaktiven Bestandteile des Atommülls möglichst genau zu kennen. Die Halbwertszeit gibt die Zeitspanne an, nach der die Menge eines radioaktiven Elements auf die Hälfte gesunken und in andere Atome zerfallen ist. Diese Zeitspanne kann je nach der Zusammensetzung des nuklearen Abfalls Jahrzehnte oder auch Jahrmillionen betragen.

In order to estimate the safety of final storage for nuclear wastes, it is important to know the half-lives of the radioactive elements of the nuclear waste as accurately as possible. The half-life indicates the period of time in which the amount of a radioactive element decreases by half and breaks down into other atoms. This period of time can, depending on the composition of the nuclear waste, amount to decades or even millions of years.

There is a solution for the world's insatiable energy needs. It is CO2-free and safe. And it’s located right under our feet.

In 2009, newly installed photovoltaic (PV) cells world-wide produced a peak amount of electricity estimated at 7.4 GW, out of which 5.8 GW was located in Europe. Similarly to previous years, this shows the EU's dominance, where more than three quarters of the world's new solar systems were installed. By the end of 2009, Europe's cumulative installed PV electricity generation capacity (existing and newly installed) was 16 GW, which is about 70% of the world's total (22GW). These are just some of the findings of the ninth annual Photovoltaics Status Report published today by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).