Europe’s ‘stress tests’ of nuclear power plants will exclude terrorism
The European Commission and the European Nuclear Safety Regulators’ Group (ENSREG) – made up of 27 independent national nuclear safety authorities – announced yesterday that they had agreed on the criteria for safety reviews of the 143 nuclear power reactors in the European Union and on how these will be conducted.
French lawmakers duel over human stem cell and embryo research
The French National Assembly last night voted 73 to 33 to maintain the status quo of tight restrictions on human embryonic stem-cell (ESC) and embryo research. The regulations on such research are part of an ongoing revision of the country’s bioethics laws. The bill will now go before the Senate in June, and a final decision is expected by the end of the year.
NASA plans asteroid sample return
NASA will launch an asteroid sample return mission in 2016, officials announced today. Read more
Gamma-ray burst is most distant yet seen
A record has been set for the most distant gamma-ray burst, astronomers announced at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Boston today. The result pushes back the time by which stars and galaxies must have formed to just 500 million years after the Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago. Read more
Italian seismologists to be tried for manslaughter
Posted on behalf of Nicola Nosengo Six Italian seismologists and one government official will be tried for the manslaughter of those who died in an earthquake that struck the city of L’Aquila on 6 April 2009. The seven are accused of misinforming the population about seismic risk in the days before the earthquakes, indirectly causing the death of the citizens they had reassured. The case began in June 2010, when the public prosecutor of L’Aquila pressed manslaughter charges against the participants at a meeting of the Major Risks Committee (an expert group that advises the Italian Civil Protection), held on … Read more
Atomic agency outs Iran’s nuke warhead project
A new report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) suggests that Iran may have a programme to develop nuclear warheads capable of being deployed by missiles. The report is a little short on details, but it closely echoes a previous rumour from 2009 that suggested Iran was looking into how to build a compact weapon. Read more
Requiem for a Mars Rover
NASA has finally given up on the Mars Rover Spirit. No communications have been received from the rover since March last year, when it was known to be trapped in a sand pit.
Drinking dogs are just as dainty as cats
Cats and dogs are different, right? Dogs nag you to go for a walk, cats sit curled in the sun. Dogs run in circles in excitement when you come home, cats look up disdainfully from the windowsill. Dogs slurp up their water, splashing everywhere, cats daintily lap. Wrong, according to the authors of a study published in Royal Society Biology Letters today.
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Chemistry credit disputes under the spotlight
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Contamination created controversial ‘acid-induced’ stem cells