You wait ages for one, then...
... nine new planets are announced in one week. Stuart Clark reports on the International Astronomical Union meeting. It has been a week like no other for the study of exoplanets - the planets...
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How we can tell mummy ate fish
David Thomas meets a woman whose far-flung hair samples can reveal the diets of ancient peoples. You are happily minding your own business, making the dinner or doing the washing, when a woman...
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Fijian campuses pick up pieces after Speight coup
The University of the South Pacific could have lost students and academic staff in the wake of Fiji's attempted coup led by George Speight two months ago. The second semester was due to start this...
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Herts is accused of 'sham' talks on cuts
Lecturers' union Natfhe has accused the University of Hertfordshire of "sacrificing its principles" as the furore over 55 academic redundancies gathers pace. Ahead of a strike ballot next month,...
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Watchdog culture scares off risk-takers
Institutions should take greater risks in innovation, such as developing professional courses or launching spin-off companies, but the accountability regime is discouraging them, funding chiefs have...
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Trivial debt-chasing is a false economy
Students are being pursued for as little as Pounds 45 in unpaid fees, about the amount it costs universities to chase the debt. Universities are calling on the Department for Education and Employment...
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Art technician sues council over toxic dust
A technician who claims his health has been ruined by exposure to toxic fumes and dust in an art department is suing Bradford Council for more than Pounds 50,000 in damages. Terry Bainbridge, who was...
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Psychologist tackles Parkinson's disease
St Andrews University psychologist Verity Brown (pictured) is to use tests similar to computer games in research that might help Parkinson's disease patients. Dr Brown, new head of the school of...
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Principal qualification moves forward
A professional qualification for college principals, designed to improve management skills in the wake of a string of embarrassing mismanagement scandals, came a step closer this week. The Further...
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Library book-order network extended
More than 90 universities have joined a scheme that allows part-time, distance and placement students to borrow from libraries closer to home. The UK Libraries Plus pilot scheme, launched last...
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British universities equip space probes
The second pair of Cluster space probes, which will investigate the relationship between the Earth and the Sun, have been successfully launched. The European Space Agency mission, which replaces the...
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Oxford increases offers to state school pupils
Oxford's colleges have published breakdowns on the proportions of offers to pupils from state and independent schools for this autumn's intake (below). The House of Commons select committee on...
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Northern committed to merger despite delay
Northern College, Scotland's last free-standing college of education, has missed the anticipated August 1 deadline for its merger with Aberdeen and Dundee universities. The three institutions stress...
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Tories claim A levels are getting easier
The Conservatives have called on the government to review the A-level system after a study indicated that results have been "adjusted downwards" in recent years. Carol Fitz-Gibbon, professor of...
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Scottish music school launches BA in piping
The skirl of the bagpipes is about to achieve academic respectability. Today sees the launch of the world's first degree in piping, a collaboration between the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and...