Archive by date | February 2013

Crowdsourced coders take on immunology Big Data

Crowdsourced coders take on immunology Big Data

Mercenary computer coders are helping scientists cope with the deluge of data pouring out of research labs. A contest to write software to analyse immune-system genes garnered more than 100 entries, including many that vastly out-performed existing programs.  Read more

External review reaffirms hurdles for nuclear-fusion superlaser

If looks could trigger thermonuclear fusion....

Last autumn, the world’s most powerful laser missed a major milestone in its drive to produce thermonuclear fusion. Now the findings of an independent peer-review panel lay out in detail why achieving that goal is turning out to be so difficult.  Read more

Wellcome Trust names acting director

Ted Bianco

Britain’s biggest biomedical funder, the Wellcome Trust, named Ted Bianco acting Director today. Bianco, the charity’s Director of Technology Transfer, will take the helm on 14 March, when current director Mark Walport departs to be the UK’s next Government Chief Science Advisor. (see ‘Britain names next chief science advisor‘).  Read more