Are epidemics inevitable? Disease prevention and control in
changing landscapes
Mathematics is key to effective strategies for
preventing and controlling infectious diseases such as Bluetongue. Mathematical
models can now predict the way animal and plant diseases spread, and where and
when future outbreaks may occur, for example, as climate changes.
Back to the Big Bang? At the Large Hadron Collider
Summer 2008 marks the start of a new era in our
understanding of the Universe. After a 25 year wait, scientists will turn on
the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – the world’s largest particle accelerator – in
Geneva.
Can you GLIMPSE the future of the Greenland Ice Sheet?
Global sea level may rise more rapidly than current
models predict. Recent research has shown that the velocity of several large
glaciers that discharge ice from the Greenland Ice Sheet has increased, in some
cases even doubling in speed.
Does size really matter? Adventures in nanospace
Nanoscience is the science of the very small from
one thousandth of a metre down to one billionth of a metre, one nanometre.
Researchers at Cardiff University build particles right at the small end of
this scale to explore how this affects their reactivity.
Exploring the Solar System: mankind or machine?
The United Kingdom is contributing its unique
research expertise to the next generation of missions to other planets in our
Solar System.
From hard-disk to healthcare: What can spintronics do for
you?
Spintronics is a new field of research based on a
property of electrons known as their spin or magnetic moment. ‘Conventionally
the charge of an electron is used for data storage and processing,’ explains
Burnell.
Graphical passwords: will your doodle keep the hackers away?
A password system based on drawings has been
developed at the University of Newcastle. Research has shown Background Draw a
Secret (BDAS) to be more reliable and secure than current password systems that
use numbers or words.
Is
it natural? The physics of perception
Human beings find it quite easy to distinguish
between, natural and synthetic materials so what processes enable us to make
this distinction? How do we so easily know wood from vinyl or cotton from
nylon?
Is there anybody out there? Looking for new worlds
In just 12 years, the number of planets identified
outside our Solar System has risen from none to nearly 300. A planet just like
Earth has yet to be found, with most being closer in size to Jupiter.
The power of light - the fibre laser revolution?
A laser device that enabled today's Internet is now
being exploited in a range of applications from imaging molecules to high
precision cutting of metals.