The latest in our occasional series rounding up how the credit crisis is impacting on the world of science.

Reuters said last week that financial woes could halt Italian nuclear power plans. “The financial market turmoil has made investors less willing to put up the billions of euros needed to build just a single plant”, it warned.

Things are looking better in China, where Chemistry World informs us that the credit crunch may lead to more spending on science. Experts told the magazine that the government might increase its spending in response to a drop in exports, with science high on the priority list for such spending.

Over in the UK, the combination of the credit crunch and rising tuition fees is pushing students into science disciplines at university, says the Daily Mail. The number of students starting maths degrees is 8% up on last year, with engineering up 6.4%, physics up 4.4% and chemistry up 3.3%.

“Students are turning back to courses which lead to better paying jobs after graduating,” explains the Mail.