ACROSS Edinburgh, teams of scientists are searching for answers to one of the most deadly and frightening diseases to hit the UK in recent years - variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). for more click here
ONE OF Scotland’s leading economists has called for a wide-scale rationalisation of the country’s universities, criticising the current system for its failure to meet the needs of business and the economy as a whole.
In a move that is sure to spark fears of closures and academic job cuts, Neil MacCallum, head of policy and strategy at the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, is to campaign for a high-level strategic review of the entire sector. Citing a growing skills gap as evidence of a poor record of connecting skills to the enterprise agenda, he believes that the time is right for a comprehensive study of the education system’s structure and economic role. for more click here
CRUMBLING university buildings in Scotland need £700 million to bring them up to an acceptable standard, says a new report.
Audit Scotland reveals just under half of the Scottish higher education estate is in a poor state and 3 per cent is beyond repair. for more click here
More than 10,000 academics, including 32 Nobel laureates and 53 university presidents have signed a public petition calling to remove an academic boycott on Israel, reported the organization Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) on Monday.
SPME, based in the United States, said in a statement that the purpose of the petition was to reverse the decision of the University and Colleges Union (UCU), adding they would deliver it to the union, “as an expression of outrage against the boycott, and as an act of solidarity with their Israeli academic colleagues.” for more click here
Donald Michie, a versatile British scientist and early theorist of artificial intelligence who helped develop a “smart” industrial robot and then applied the technology to diverse fields, died on July 7 in Britain. He was 83.
Dr. Michie (pronounced MICK-ee) died in a car accident near London along with his former wife, Anne McLaren, a biologist and pioneering researcher in the field of reproduction. for more click here
Science Daily — People with bipolar disorder — or manic depression — suffer from an accelerated shrinking of their brain, researchers at the University of Edinburgh have found. for more click here
London - The University of Edinburgh on Monday withdrew an honorary doctorate it awarded 23 years ago to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.The university’s senate decided in June to strip Mugabe of an honorary degree he was awarded in 1984 for services to education in Africa. for more click here
Edinburgh University will tomorrow revoke an honorary degree awarded to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. The degree was awarded in 1984 for Mugabe’s services to education in Africa. He has since been blamed for Zimbabwe’s failing economy and accused of running an oppressive regime. for more click here
A HOTEL manager in Leith is looking to capitalise on the creativity of the city’s students to hone his new staff. for more click here
UK scientists have identified a gene they say increases the risk of bowel cancer by 20%. Researchers from London and Edinburgh pinpointed the gene after scanning the DNA of over 30,000 people - half of whom had the disease. for more click here