22/06/2010

EU ups its stake in COST science programme .

The EU will add EUR 40 million to its contribution to the international Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) programme. This was announced by the Spanish Secretary of State for Research, Felipe Pétriz, at the COST Ministerial Conference on 15 June in Palma de Majorca (Spain), organised by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union [cor-170610] .

Europeans are more interested in science than sport and want EU research boosted.

According to a new Eurobarometer report published today, nearly 80 percent of Europeans say they are interested in scientific discoveries and technological developments, compared to 65 pc interested in sport. Europeans overwhelmingly recognise the benefits and importance of science but many also express fears over risks from new technologies and the power that knowledge gives to scientists [COM210610].

15/06/2010

Brain circuits that control habitual learning identified.

EU-funded scientists have identified two brain circuits that are involved in habitual learning such as finding our way to and from work. The new findings, published in the journal Neuron, have implications for the study of Parkinson's disease, substance abuse and many psychiatric disorders [cor140610] .

Newfound planet emerges from stardust.

Giant gas planets can form much faster than previously believed, according to new research by an international team of astronomers published in the journal Science. The discovery is based on observations of a planet orbiting a star called Beta Pictoris that lies some 60 light years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Pictor (the painter). The observations were made using instruments mounted on the Very Large Telescope (VLT), which is located in Chile and run by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). [COR140610].

14/06/2010

Nanotechnology: potential benefits, unknown risks.

As the European Commission works to shape the EU’s future nanotechnology strategy, experts from across the Union are calling for more research into potential environmental risks [AMET-030610].

07/06/2010

Greywater treatment needs complementary measures.

A new study has indicated that, although greywater treatment and re-use could produce water savings of up to 37 per cent, it could not comprehensively remove hazardous substances. Complementary measures are needed, such as eco-labelling and regulatory controls [AM030610].

Environmental policies to stimulate technological innovation.

Environmental policies must provide the right incentives for the development of innovative technologies that reduce pollution and mitigate the effects of climate change. A recent study has investigated the characteristics of policies that are likely to encourage green innovation and concluded that those that are stringent, predictable and flexible are the most effective [AM030610].

Changing climate could increase hazards in Alpine regions.

Climate change could cause increasing but unpredictable hazard risks in mountainous regions, according to a new study. The study analyses the effects of two extreme weather events - the 2003 heatwave and the 2005 flood - on the Eastern European Alps to demonstrate how similar events, predicted to become more frequent under a changing climate, could have an impact on Alpine regions [AM-030610].

GHG: EU on track for greenhouse gas targets, EEA says.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continue to decrease in the EU, according to the annual European Union greenhouse gas inventory 1990-2008 and inventory report 2010 published by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Analysing emission levels in 2008, the report finds that the EU-27 reduced their emissions by 11.3 percent compared with 1990, the Kyoto Protocol base year. The EU-15 posted a 6.5 pc cut in their GHG discharges in the same period [COR-030610].

Traditional stereotypes remain the biggest challenge for gender equality in education.

The European Commission today presented a new study which examines how gender inequality in education is addressed in European countries. It shows that gender differences persist in both choice of study and outcomes [Com070610].

Green marketing strengthens business for electronics manufacturers.

Organisations are increasingly applying green business principles. According to a recent study, electronics manufacturing companies in Taiwan that practice green supply chain management (GSCM) have a better business performance than companies that do not. Those with a strong green marketing focus performed the best, successfully competing with their rivals [AM-030610].

Green marketing strengthens business for electronics manufacturers.

Organisations are increasingly applying green business principles. According to a recent study, electronics manufacturing companies in Taiwan that practice green supply chain management (GSCM) have a better business performance than companies that do not. Those with a strong green marketing focus performed the best, successfully competing with their rivals [AM-030610].

More long-term ecosystem research needed in parts of Europe.

Europe needs long-term ecosystem research (LTER) to support environmental management and fulfil its commitments to international policy. A new study has assessed the distribution of European LTER activities and indicated that urban and disturbed areas are consistently under-represented, as are Mediterranean zones.[AM030610].

Scientix: The new web-based community for Science Education.

The European Commission has launched Scientix, a new web-portal targeted towards teachers, researchers, policy makers, local actors, parents and anyone interested in science education. Scientix will give access to teaching materials, research results and policy documents from European science education projects financed by the European Union and by various national initiatives. .

01/06/2010

Frontier research produces 3D neurological probe.

European scientists have created a pioneering three-dimensional (3D) brain probing system that may provide new leads for understanding schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and other serious brain conditions. Created under the NEUROPROBES project, which received almost EUR 10 million under the 'Information society technologies' (IST) Thematic area of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6), the neurological breakthrough has already generated considerable interest and demand worldwide [Cor-280510].

OECD: Invest in innovation to boost growth.

Innovation is key to boosting economic growth, and governments should resist the urge to cut spending on activities that are 'essential for a country's future', the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) has warned. [Cor280510] .

Research, industry and green power top ministers' agenda.

At a meeting of the Competitiveness Council on 26 May, European ministers gave their support to a proposal from the Spanish Council Presidency to give the European Research Area (ERA) a 'social dimension', specifying that science must be used to fight poverty and social exclusion. Ministers also tackled a range of key issues impacting the research, industry, internal market and digital agendas [Cor-270510].

26/05/2010

The impact of energy efficient buildings on energy sources.

A recent study in Finland suggests new building regulations will lead to a substantial reduction in the total energy demand and CO2 emissions in new apartment buildings. This could have an impact on the source of energy used for new buildings. In particular, the demand for space heating will fall, which could have an impact on the source of energy used for new buildings [AM200510].

24/05/2010

MEPs call for closer ties between universities and industry.

Links between business and the academic world need to be strengthened but higher education institutions must retain their autonomy and public support, says a resolution adopted on Thursday by the European Parliament [PE-200510].

18/05/2010

BioScore tool assesses biodiversity impacts of biofuel plantations.

Researchers have developed a new cost-effective tool to assess the impact of policy on biodiversity at a European scale. The study used it to assess the policy of expanding woody biofuel plantations in the EU, which indicated that 28 per cent of wild species would be negatively affected and 10 per cent would experience beneficial effects [AM-Env170510].

Designing LED lighting for easy end-of-life management.

Manufacturing solid state lighting (SSL) with light emitting diodes (LEDs) for easy disassembly at end-of-life will facilitate potential end-of-life uses, thereby reducing life cycle costs and environmental impacts, according to a recent study.[AM-Env170510].

Reasons behind neighbourhood activism over loss of open space.

New Dutch research has investigated the composition and strategies of local activist groups who oppose changes to land use. The results indicated that activists tend to have a higher level of education and live in densely populated areas. They most frequently use awareness-raising strategies, especially when fighting new housing projects.[AM-Env170510].

17/05/2010

EU backs 3D laser printer project for the masses.

A European team of researchers is kick starting an EU-funded project with the aim of providing users with the tools they need to produce their own microsystems with nanoscale features for a lot less money and without big enterprise help [Cordis120510].

Earth observation satellites: green light for EU funding.

EU Satellites that observe the Earth's surface for environmental and security purposes came a step closer on Tuesday, when Industry Committee MEPs unanimously approved a draft regulation providing a legal basis for them, plus €107 million for initial operations in 2011-2013. The regulation has still to be approved by the full Parliament, probably in June.[PE-110.510].

Science: Ancient worm found in whale bone.

A German-led team of scientists have found traces of a 30-million-year-old worm that ate whale remnants. The bone-eating worm known as Osedax was first described by scientists only six years ago. The new discovery means palaeontologists are now able to identify the worm's remarkable geological age[Cordis120510] .

11/05/2010

New methods for valuing intangible ecosystem services.

Some 'intangible' ecosystem services, such as the aesthetic and cultural value, as well as the recreational use of land, are particularly difficult to price. New research has proposed three explorative methods to value these more intangible services using landscape evaluation, statistics on level of recreational use and the price of real estate in the area.[AM-060510].

EU project hands out prizes for top PhDs.

Stronger resistance to drugs and increased tourism which puts people at greater risk of acquiring local diseases are just a couple of factors that play havoc on public health worldwide, and humans are under the constant threat of infections with pathogenic microorganisms. Enter the ERA-NET PATHOGENOMICS project, an initiative of the EU targeting more advanced transnational genome-based research programmes on human-pathogenic microorganisms [Cor-070510].

Nutrition in early years key to later health, EU-funded study shows.

EU-funded research is revealing how nutrition in the womb and during our early years affects our risk of obesity, heart disease, lung disease and behavioural and cognitive problems in later years. Crucially, scientists from the EARNEST ('Early nutrition programming') project have already translated many of their research findings into practical advice. [Cordis-070510] .

10/05/2010

Emergency calls: Commission welcomes growing Member State endorsement for eCall.

The European Commission has welcomed five more Member States endorsing the eCall in-car emergency system. This life-saving system automatically dials Europe's single emergency number 112 in the event of a serious accident and could save up to 2500 lives per year in Europe when fully deployed. [TR-DG-060510].

Radio spectrum: harmonised EU rules to foster high-speed wireless web.

The European Commission has adopted a Decision establishing harmonised technical rules for Member States on the allocation of radio frequencies in the 800 MHz band that contribute to the deployment of high-speed wireless internet services by avoiding harmful interference. [COM-060510].

03/05/2010

EU project targets 4G telecom energy savings.

The EU is committing more than EUR 9.5 million to a research-business consortium's drive to reduce the energy consumption of 4th Generation (4G) mobile wireless communication networks. The EARTH ('Energy aware radio and network technologies') project is funded under the 'Information and communication technologies' (ICT) Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) [COR-290410].

New techniques to help forest land flourish in Mediterranean area.

Scientists from the University of Granada in Spain have developed new afforestation procedures for farmland based on the relationship between land and plants in order to enhance the survival and development of plants in the Mediterranean environment. The results of the study were partially published in the journal Annals of Forest Science [Cordis-2010-04-29].

EU-funded study sheds light on DNA changes in human embryonic stem cells.

Scientists in Europe have discovered that the prolonged culture of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can trigger changes resulting in chromosomal abnormalities. Published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, the findings are an outcome of the ESTOOLS ('Platforms for biomedical discovery with human ES cells') project, which received EUR 12 million under the 'Life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for health' Thematic area of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) [COR-290410] .

29/04/2010

Agri-environment schemes are based more on 'common sense'.

New research has indicated that the design of a high proportion of agri-environmental policy measures in seven EU countries was based on common sense judgments about their possible impact. Only a sixth of the measures studied were based on well-tested quantitative models of their relationship to the environment [AM-290410].

Web science experts join forces to shape Net's future.

A network of international, world-class web researchers has created an alliance to support research and education programmes into web science. The Web Science Trust Network of Laboratories (WSTNet) will count some of the leading academic researchers in web science among its members and will help enhance the growing influence of the Web. The announcement of the network's creation was made at the WebSci10 conference, held in Raleigh, South Carolina, US, on 26 to 27 April [Cordis-2010-04-28] .

Italy: EIB finances new free-electron laser in Trieste..

The European Investment Bank (EIB) today signed a EUR 20m finance contract with Sincrotrone Trieste for the completion and launching of the new FERMIATElettra light source. The Bank was represented by Dario Scannapieco, EIB Vice-President responsible for operations in Italy, Malta and the western Balkans, and Sincrotrone Trieste by its Chairman Carlo Rizzuto and CEO Alfonso Franciosi [COM-290410]..

Commission to boost research and innovation by making it easier to apply for and manage EU grants.

The European Commission has unveiled a plan to simplify the procedures for taking part in EU-funded research projects. The overall aim is to make participation transparent and attractive to the best researchers and innovative companies in Europe and beyond. [COM-290410].

When payments are an appropriate policy tool for ecosystem services.

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) are one of a number of policy options available to support the provision of ecosystem services. Based on the characteristics of ecosystem services, a recent study has developed a framework for deciding when payments are a suitable tool for delivering ecosystem services[AM-290410].

Choosing the most suitable trees to cool urban areas in hot weather.

The discomfort associated with hot, dry summers in some urban areas can be reduced by planting the most appropriate trees in open city spaces, according to a recent study. The researchers identified the Indian laurel fig as the most effective tree for this purpose in the Greek city of Chania [AM-290410].

New technique set to aid exploration of comets.

Astronomers can now identify the active regions on a comet's surface thanks to a new method developed by scientists in Germany and Spain. The technique, described in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, could help researchers work out safe routes for space probes travelling to comets in the future [Cordis-2010-04-28].

26/04/2010

Air quality ‘co-benefits’ should be considered in climate policies.

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have the additional benefit of reducing air pollutants and therefore helping to significantly improve health. However, these ‘co-benefits’ to health are rarely included in climate change policies. In a new US study, released in March, scientists suggest that considering the benefits to health in climate change policy could reduce the cost of such policies, and help to engage stakeholders..[AM-260410] .

EU-funded transporter protein study delivers a world first.

team of EU-funded researchers has become the first in the world to work out the structure of a transporter protein in all three main structural states. Transporter proteins are responsible for ferrying substances into and out of cells and the new findings, published in the journal Science, could lead to new drugs for a range of diseases and disorders. [Cordis- 2010-04-23].

23/04/2010

First European research strategy on neurodegenerative diseases gets underway.

ome of the world's top neurodegenerative disease experts gathered in Stockholm, Sweden on 15 April to start working on a pan-European research agenda that will guide the work of the new Joint Programme on Neurodegenerative Diseases (JPND) [Cordis-2010-04-15].

How pressure to publish impacts research quality.

New EU-funded research shows that the ever-growing pressure to produce publishable results can adversely impact the quality of scientific research. Support for the work came from the OBJECTIVE SCIENCE ('Quantifying objectivity in the natural and social sciences') project, which received more than EUR 161,000 under the People Specific Programme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) to assess the level of bias in the natural and social sciences. The research findings are published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) ONE journal [Cordi-2010-04-22].

How MONNET will help make web multilingual.

A new EU-funded project is building multilingual internet programmes that will facilitate the presentation and retrieval of online information across a range of languages. The programmes will meet government, industry and business needs to make full use of the Internet's information dissemination potential [Cordis-2010-04-21] .

Copenhagen targets will not slow global warming, new report warns.

The carbon emissions reduction pledges that were agreed as part of the Copenhagen Accord in December 2009 will not limit global warming levels to 2 C, warn climate researchers in a new report published in the journal Nature. What we will most likely see is an average global temperature increase of more than 3 C this century [Cordis-2010-04-22] .

22/04/2010

Coral reefs could be restored with rope nursery 'gardening' methods.

Using 'gardening' techniques to actively restore endangered coral reefs is ecologically sound and economically feasible, according to recent research [AM-ScEnv220410].

E-waste in developing countries needs careful management.

Rapidly rising sales of electronic goods could cause huge amounts of hazardous electronic waste (e-waste) to build up in developing countries over the next 10 years, a new study has concluded. Prompt action is needed to ensure e-waste is properly managed in emerging economies to protect the environment and human health.[AM-ScEnv220410].

Bioshields - coastal protection or harmful alien species.

Planting vegetation to protect coasts from natural disasters, such as tsunamis and cyclones, may damage native ecosystems, according to a new study. As there is also questionable evidence on the effectiveness of these 'bioshields', the study suggested a re-think on coastal vegetation policy and research [AM-ScEnv220410].

21/04/2010

Step forward on air pollution from shipping.

The world’s largest marine Emissions Control Area (ECA) has been approved by the International Maritime Organisation. Ships operating in waters off the North American coasts will be forced to use dramatically cleaner fuel and technology. The move is likely to make it easier for the EU to designate ECAs in European waters. [AM-TE190410].

18/04/2010

EMSA sets up news safety tool.

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) launched ”STIRES” (SafeSeaNet Tracking Information Relay and Exchange System) which is the latest generation module of the Agency’s SafeSeaNet service for global monitoring of EU-flagged vessels. The system will enable users such as maritime administrations, port authorities, S&R bodies, to track and locate any ships carrying hazardous cargo, identify high-risk shipping, access ship incident reports and a full record of vessels movements[TR-Etsc160410].

Transport: ITS Directive close to final adoption.

Following trialogue discussions an early second reading agreement has been reached between the European Parliament and Council on the Commission’s Directive on ITS. The Directive proposed a framework for coordinated and coherent ITS use and deployment including ITS applications to promote road safety. This [TR-Etsc160410].

Transport: New car safety rankings published.

The 2010 Voiture Citoyenne ranking was published in February by the French Ligue Contre la Violence Routiere. Over 1,151 cars of 184 models manufactured under 36 brands have been studied in respect of their occupant and pedestrian safety and ecological criteria. The three highest marks have been given to Honda Insight Hybride, Toyota IQ and Toyota Prius Hybride. The top ten also includes Ford Fiesta and Toyota Yaris and Auris. [TR-Etsc160410].

EU calls for safety check on airport body scanners.

While body scanners were introduced in February and March at the biggest UK, Italian and Dutch airports as a precauation against terror attacks, other EU countries were waiting for the common EU position on their safety for passenger health. Both the European Commission and the European Parliament stress that their impact on health and privacy protection needs to be fully assessed before such a position can be formulated. [TR-Etsc160410].

15/04/2010

Health: Mimicking the body's natural processes.

An EU-funded research team at Norway's University of Bergen is using nanotechnology to find a way of mimicking the body's natural processes, including inducing cells to create new blood vessels for biomedically engineered tissues. [Cordis- 2010-04-14].

Health: New studies shed light on genetic factors in kidney disease.

An international team of researchers, funded in part by the EU, has identified genetic variants that could explain why some individuals are more susceptible to chronic kidney disease than others. [Cordis-2010-04-14] .

Health: New studies shed light on genetic factors in kidney disease.

An international team of researchers, funded in part by the EU, has identified genetic variants that could explain why some individuals are more susceptible to chronic kidney disease than others. [Cordis-2010-04-14] .

New method paves way for more sensitive and precise diagnostics.

EU-funded scientists in Sweden have developed a novel method to study genetic variation directly in individual cells and in tissues. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Methods, provide valuable new insights into gene expression in humans that could significantly improve diagnostic tests. [Cordis- 2010-04-13].

Brain chemistry breakthrough in focal epilepsy.

New research has shown that focal epilepsy occurs when brain cells called astroglia are activated causing nearby neurons to generate an epileptic discharge. The findings may lead to a new research direction for neurologists studying the origins of epilepsy and seeking new drug therapies. The study, funded in part by the EU, is published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) Biology journal [cordis- 2010-04-14].

13/04/2010

Energy: Commission steps up biomass use.

A major European Commission initiative on sustainable use of biomass will provide nearly 80 million eur for biorefinery research to develop new ways to convert biological feedstock into energy and valuable materials.[AM-ETAP120410].

09/04/2010

Ecoinnovation: Energy Labelling Directive extended to energy-related products.

The revised Energy Labelling Directive will extend the scope of EU legislation on energy-related products to include all goods impacting energy consumption directly or indirectly.[AM-ETAP310310].

Enzyme in white blood cells can break down carbon nanotubes.

An EU-funded study of carbon nanotubes by scientists in Ireland, Sweden and the US has shown that these extraordinarily strong molecules can be broken down into carbon and water by an enzyme found in white blood cells. The discovery, published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, offers hope that this new material may be exploited safely in medicine and industry. [Cordis2010-04-07].

Enterprise: Maintaining Europe's competitive edge in eco-industry.

A Commission study on the competitiveness of European eco-industry in 2009 analysed the health of the sector and recommended a series of policy actions to maintain global leadership.[AM-ETAP-310310].

Science: Cell division caught on film.

EU-funded scientists have recorded almost 200,000 films that reveal the human genes involved in a range of functions including one of the most fundamental processes of life: cell division. Details of their groundbreaking work are published in Nature. [.cordis2010-04-06].

Research: Automated answer to sorting bulk waste.

A Bremen University project, part funded by the ERDF, could increase efficiency in sorting bulk municipal and construction waste by developing an automated waste-processing system.[AM-ETAP310310].

EU-funded researchers sequence human gut microbe genome.

EU-funded researchers have sequenced the genome of the community of microbes that lives in our guts. The study sheds new light on the influence of these microbes on our health and could lead to the development of new treatments and diagnostic tests for a variety of diseases.[Cordis-2010-03-05].

31/03/2010

Innovation hampered by 'risk averse' public authorities .

Tapping into Europe's multi-billion euro public procurement market will be a central component of the EU's forthcoming research and innovation plan, but risk aversion in the public sector remains a major barrier to change.[IMP-EU290310].

Research: Finance ministers want 3 percent RandD target ditched.

EU finance ministers are fighting against the European Commission's target of spending 3 percent of GDP on research and development (RandD), demanding a new ''outcome-oriented'' measure of success [IMP-EU220310].

30/03/2010

Lessons from Gothenburg on setting air pollution ceilings.

The 2010 deadline for the Gothenburg Protocol ceilings for transboundary air pollutants is fast approaching and new ceilings may soon be set for 2020. Recent research indicates that, although the ceilings have been effective, they could benefit from more flexibility to allow for the inherent uncertainty in modelling future energy use, technologies and growth.([AM-250310].

16/03/2010

MEPs back fresh EU money to develop low-carbon technologies.

Plans to step up EU funding to develop innovative low-carbon technologies to help cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020 were welcomed in a resolution approved by Parliament on Thursday. MEPs want the EU funding to develop applications for these technologies over the next 10 years, but also acknowledge that additional private, public and EU resources will be needed to hit the target [PE-11-03-2010].

11/03/2010

MEPs back fresh EU money to develop low-carbon technologies.

Plans to step up EU funding to develop innovative low-carbon technologies to help cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020 were welcomed in a resolution approved by Parliament on Thursday. MEPs want the EU funding to develop applications for these technologies over the next 10 years, but also acknowledge that additional private, public and EU resources will be needed to hit the target. [Pe110310] .

MEPs back fresh EU money to develop low-carbon technologies.

Plans to step up EU funding to develop innovative low-carbon technologies to help cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020 were welcomed in a resolution approved by Parliament on Thursday. MEPs want the EU funding to develop applications for these technologies over the next 10 years, but also acknowledge that additional private, public and EU resources will be needed to hit the target. [Pe110310] .

08/03/2010

Brussels readies plans for EU 'economic governance' .

The European Commission wants to strengthen economic policy coordination between the 27 EU member states by linking national fiscal stabilisation programmes to expenditure in "growth-friendly" areas such as R&D and education [TREU-250210].

Greens unimpressed by draft 'Europe 2020' plan .

A draft 'EU 2020' strategy proposal has come under attack for failing to offer a road map to green growth, despite rhetoric on the importance of gaining a competitive edge in environmental technologies.[TR-Eu250210].

25/02/2010

Global warming 'Plan B' solution fails test.

A German led team of scientists has given the thumbs down to an idea that would help tackle global warming by pumping clean water from the ocean floor up to the surface, effectively drawing down carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. Computer simulations generated by the researchers show that the benefits of implementing the ambitious geoengineering scheme are minor and the risks too high. Their findings are published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters [cordis-2010-02-22].

Nowotny named as new ERC President.

Austrian social scientist Professor Helga Nowotny has been named as the new President of the European Research Council (ERC) and Chair of the ERC Scientific Council. Professor Nowotny will take up her new role on 1 March [: 2010-02-23].

EU research identifies gene linked with irregular heartbeat.

A partially EU-funded team of researchers has identified the location of a gene that may have an important influence on the risk of atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat). The study was published in the journal Nature Genetics. The researchers hope their findings will lead to the development of new and more specific drugs for the treatment of atrial fibrillation [Cordis-2010-02-23].

Scientists sequence wild grass species.

An international research team has successfully sequenced the wild grass Brachypodium distachyon, a grass species related to major cereal grains like wheat, barley and oats. Published in the journal Nature, the study's findings are part of the EU-funded AGRON-OMICS ('Arabidopsis growth network integrating omics technologies') project, which received EUR 12 million under the 'Life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for health' Thematic area of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) [cordis-2010-02-23].

Genetics reveals the truth about King Tut.

A team of scientists working in Egypt has used state-of-the-art genetics techniques to reveal the parentage of the famous pharaoh Tutankhamun, the illnesses he suffered from and that he probably was not a victim of murder. The study's findings are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).[Cordis-ex2010-02-17].

24/02/2010

Research wasted as 'demo projects' face funding drought.

The fruits of EU research are not being converted into marketable products due to difficulties in funding expensive "demonstration" projects, according to Bernhard Schleich of SusChem, a European technology platform for sustainable chemistry [TR-EU-240210].

06/02/2010

Human biomonitoring: involve participants in communication strategy .

Monitoring the effects of chemicals in the human body provides useful data for assessing and managing environmental risks to health, but it also raises ethical questions about how the results of such studies should be reported to participants. New research suggests that changes are needed to the research process to allow study participants to play a greater role in interpreting, disseminating and using the results [AM-SPE040210].

Changes in background exposure to pollutants for German children .

Children are thought to be at greater risk from exposure to environmental pollutants than adults because their bodies are still developing and their lower body weight means that relative exposure is higher. A new study reports background exposure levels in German children aged 3-14 [AM-SPE040110].

20/01/2010

Virtual liver set to improve surgery outcomes.

European researchers have developed a virtual liver that promises to improve the prospects of recovery for patients with diseases such as liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. The initial work was carried out in the framework of the EUREKA project Odysseus. EUREKA promotes international, market-oriented research [Cordis exp 2010-01-12] .

Fossil footprints force reassessment of prehistory.

Polish and Swedish researchers have discovered fossil footprints from early backboned land animals which could push back the date that animals left their watery homes for land by at least 18 million years. The study, published in the latest edition of the journal Nature, details discoveries made in the Holy Cross Mountains in south-eastern Poland [Cordis exp-2010-01-08]].

19/01/2010

Researchers propose framework for neglected tropical diseases treatment.

Researchers partially supported by the European Union have come up with a framework for the development of an integrated monitoring and evaluation system which aids in the effort to combat neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Published online in The Lancet, the research team compared disease-specific protocols for mapping, monitoring and surveillance; they also examined the integration of mitigation efforts and detailed innovative solutions being proposed, and offered a conceptual framework. [Cordis-15010].

EU researchers investigate extreme weather effects on transport.

How extreme weather impacts the EU transportation system is a question that weighs heavily on the minds of policymakers and the general public. Enter the EWENT ('Extreme weather impacts on European networks of transport') project which aims to identify and define these extreme weather phenomena and their effects [Cordis news-150110].

Study discovers atoms can bond.

The molecule 'beryllium dimer' has mystified chemists for many years. Recent measurements have helped scientists identify 11 vibrational levels, and now a US-Czech team of researchers sheds light on a 12th level. The findings were published in the journal Science [Crodis-150110].

18/01/2010

High-Tech: Europe catches up on clean tech venture investment[.

Venture capital investment in clean technology continued strongly in 2009 despite the financial crisis, with European investment declining by just 12 percent as opposed to 42 percent in North America, according to market researchers Cleantech Group and Deloitte.[AM-EU18010].

13/01/2010

Human biomonitoring at European level takes shape.

A consortium to perform human biomonitoring at European scale (COPHES) met in Brussels in Dicember. The COPHES project objective is to perform actions designed to develop functional framework that contributes to definition, organization, and management of a coherent approach towards human biomonitoring (HBM) in Europe, including strategies for data interpretation and integration with environmental and health data [AM-100110].

08/01/2010

Galileo: Commissione award contracts to make the system operational early 2014.

The European Commission announced the award of three of the six contracts for the procurement of Galileo’s initial operational capability. The contract for the system support services is awarded to ThalesAleniaSpace of Italy , that for a first order of 14 satellites to OHB System AG of Germany and that for the launch services to Arianespace of France. This will allow the initial deployment and service provision of Europe’s satellite navigation system as of early 2014 [COM-071209].