Europe gives 2bn euros to science
From BBC News:
Research projects investigating the “miracle material” graphene and the human brain have won unprecedented funding of up to 1bn euros each.
Under the European Commission’s Future and Emerging Technologies programme, the backing is designed to give Europe an edge in key areas of research.
Star Trek style ‘tractor beam’ created by scientists
From BBC News:
A real-life “tractor beam”, which uses light to attract objects, has been developed by scientists.
It is hoped it could have medical applications by targeting and attracting individual cells.
The research, published in Nature Photonics and led by the University of St Andrews, is limited to moving microscopic particles.
Europe and US agree details for Orion astronaut spacecraft
From BBC News:
The US and Europe have cemented their plan to work together on the Americans’ next-generation capsule system to take humans beyond Earth.
The Orion vehicle is being built to carry astronauts to the Moon, asteroids and Mars, but it will need a means to propel itself through space.
National Geographic Society Celebrates 125 Years Of World Exploration And Stunning Photography
From the Huffington Post:
Sunday marks the 125th anniversary of the National Geographic Society, highlighting its journey from a small scientific body created “to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge” to one of the world’s largest educational and scientific organisations.
US festival snap picks up best satellite image
From BBC News:
An image of the Burning Man Festival in the US has won an online vote for one company’s best satellite image of 2012.
Satellite imaging firm DigitalGlobe invited Facebook users to choose its best image of last year.
The annual event held in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, celebrates music, art and self-expression.
Immune system ‘booster’ may hit cancer
From BBC News
Vast numbers of cells that can attack cancer and HIV have been grown in the lab, and could potentially be used to fight disease.
The cells naturally occur in small numbers, but it is hoped injecting huge quantities back into a patient could turbo-charge the immune system.
The Japanese research is published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
Good News 2013 