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Sensing art thru science and science thru art
A unique project exploring how science can contribute
to the arts, and the arts to science, has been launched
this month at the University of York in the UK. Titled “Sense
of Science”, this is a first collaboration
between scientists from the Center for Novel Agricultural
Products (CNAP) at the University of York and a group
of four artists from different artistic disciplines.
The artists will generate new works through collaboration
with CNAP researchers and their experiences in a laboratory
environment. Exploring themes ranging from the use and understanding
of science to perceptions about science and scientists, the
artists’ work will engage with scientific ideas and
help to make them accessible to a wider audience.
Professor Dianna Bowles, CNAP’s Director commented
that the project would provide CNAP with “new
ways of explaining science to different audiences.”
Parkinson’s research gets more funding
Scientists at Aston University in Birmingham have
been awarded a substantial research grant worth
over half a million pounds that could lead to
new treatments for human motor disorders, including
Parkinson's disease.
Dr Ian Stanford, who is a lecturer in the School of Health & Life
Sciences, will lead the project which will run for the next
five years.
The research will explore a relatively unknown area of the
brain called the basal ganglia (BG). The BG are of a set of
six interconnected nuclei, which control voluntary movement,
cognition in the form of learned motor tasks, and motivated
behaviour.
It is hoped that the research will lead to new treatments
that are less dependant on drugs or surgery.
EU adopts GMO identification system
The European Commission has adopted a system to
ensure that GMOs contained in food and feed products
can be precisely identified.
Each GMO that has been approved for use in the
EU will be given a different code composed of letters
and digits, a so-called "unique identifier".
Unique identifier codes will be required to accompany
any products containing a GMO through every stage
of production and distribution.
Operators will have to list the codes for individual
GMOs, in accompanying documentation, that have
been used to constitute the original raw material
for products intended for food, feed or processing.
This will allow products containing these GMOs
to be accurately traced and labelled when they
arrive in the marketplace.
The proposal is intended
to make it easier for consumers to spot GMOs
and decide whether or not to eat them.
This follows on from new EU laws tightening up
the labelling and traceability of GMOs in the food
chain.
Germany funds Kenya’s economic reconstruction
Kenya is to receive 50 million Euros (US $61.7 million)
to promote agriculture, water and the health sector from the German
government following an agreement signed on Tuesday by Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder and President Mwai Kibaki in the capital, Nairobi.
This is Germany's first major financial support
to Kenya since bilateral relations between the
two countries declined in 1992, after Germany cited
deficiencies in good governance on the part of
the Kenyan authorities.
Schroeder hailed Kenya's political and economic
reform efforts, and pledged his government's support
to the country's ongoing economic reconstruction. "
We welcome the important step taken by the Kenyan
government in the field of primary education and
the fight against corruption," Schroeder said.
He also recognised recent efforts by the Kenyan
government to promote regional peace, notably in
Somalia and Sudan as well as fighting international
terrorism.
The funds will be disbursed in the form of technical
cooperation grants and low-interest loans over
the next two years.
UK economy running ahead
of eurozone
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), has released results of
a recent UK economic survey announcing good
news for the UK economy.
According to the report,
the UK economy has proved remarkably resilient
during the recent
downswing with output falling only a little
below potential. At the same time, inflation
has remained close to the target and the unemployment
rate is among the lowest in the OECD.
It also
states that the economy has been gaining considerable
momentum,well ahead of the euro
area ,and that this strong performance is underpinned
by wide-ranging structural reforms and sound
macroeconomic policy frameworks.
As well, the
government budget balance was in substantial surplus
at the peak of the review
cycle and this has enabled fiscal policy to
be strongly supportive of growth during the
downswing.
In the context of this impressive
macroeconomic performance, the UK’s decision
to hold off a referendum on entry into the European
monetary
seems logical.
As part of the report, the OECD
states, “All
in all, the United Kingdom seems well placed
to take advantage of the global recovery and
move towards a more broadly based growth that
relies less on consumption and housing wealth.”
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