Science News
Celebrating science's 'unsung heroes'
11 Mar 2010
A technician who has made scientific instrumentation that has been sent into space since the earliest days of the ‘space age’ and a chemistry teacher who has inspired hundreds of postgraduates to do outreach work are just some of the individuals awarded a Royal Society Hauksbee Award last night (10 March 2010) at a special reception held at the Society’s London headquarters.
Eggstracting ancient DNA
11 Mar 2010
Scientists have successfully extracted ancient DNA from fossil eggshells for the first time, as reported this week in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Seven days in science - 11 March 2010
11 Mar 2010
This week started with the launch of The Scientific Century: securing
our future
prosperity a report from the Royal Society that looks at the need
for
sustained long-term investment in science.
Invest in science or risk relegation from the economic premier league
09 Mar 2010
The UK will face decades of slow economic decline unless it invests heavily in research - one of the country’s few genuine areas of economic competitive advantage, according to a report by the Royal Society. The report, published today, warns that the UK’s current advantage is in danger of being wiped out by the US, China, India, France and Germany who have ramped up spending in science to boost their economies.
Seven days in science - 5 March 2010
05 Mar 2010
Professor Donal Bradley CBE FRS of Imperial College London gave the Bakerian Prize Lecture
this week (2 March), where he spoke about the diverse uses of plastic
electronic materials. A webcast of the lecture will be available on demand from
9 March at http://royalsociety.tv/
Size matters for female dung beetles
03 Mar 2010
Research published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows that although the size of a female dung beetle’s horn may not make her more attractive to males, it can give her an advantage when fighting off other females in competition for a critical resource – dung.
Seven days in science - 26 February 2010
26 Feb 2010
Marking the fiftieth anniversary of Keeling's first publication of atmospheric CO2 measurements, the week started with a Discussion Meeting on greenhouse gases in the Earth system. The new Royal Society anniversary stamps, which “commemorate some of the best-known fellows of the Royal Society and their extraordinary achievements” (Martin Rees, president of the Royal Society) were also issued this week.
Honesty is the best policy
24 Feb 2010
Queen ants who have to compete for dominance of a colony may act selfishly to promote their survival, but scientists have discovered that they are rigorously honest when declaring their status to potentially murderous workers. The research, published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, may have interesting wider implications in terms of the evolution of cooperative behaviour.
Seven days in science - 17 February 2010
17 Feb 2010
A major new study was launched at the start of this week in order
to answer the question What next
for international Science? The study will map and analyse where, why, how
and by whom science is being carried out around the world and how this is
changing. The results, published in November, will inform global decision
makers in science, business, NGOs and government by addressing some of the most
significant questions facing science today.
What next for international science?
16 Feb 2010
A major new study, which will map and analyse where, why, how and by whom science is being carried out around the world and how this is changing, will be undertaken this year by the Royal Society, and published in November. In particular, the study will look at how international networks of collaboration are changing the way in which scientific research is conducted and funded, and why this is important.