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The article reports on an increased research funding to be received by a handful of members of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities in Great Britain for 2010 to 2011 according to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce).

The article cites a study in the 2012 issue of the journal "Animal Behaviour" by Amanda Williams and Samuel Flaxman of the University of Colorado in Boulder on how seven-spotted ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata) hunt aphids.

The article cites a report in a 2012 issue of the journal "Proceedings of the Royal Society B" regarding research that suggests the colonisation of Madagascar may have been the result of an accidental transoceanic crossing of Indonesian settlers rather than a large-scale planned event.

The article reports on research published in "Animal Behaviour" by scientist Doug Gaffin on the behavioural responses of scorpions to visible and ultraviolet (UV) light exposure when their eyes were covered, suggesting that the waxy cuticle of their bodies can detect UV light.

The article reports on the age of Nobel Prize winners in the sciences and medicine that may be related to a change from theoretical work to experimental work which often occurs after the age of 30.

The article looks at the endangered California condor, focusing on lead poisoning risks and how the species' genetic makeup may be used to keep the species from going extinct. Topics reported on include mapping the genetic diversity of the species, trapping the birds to test for lead in their bodies, and the treatment of the birds with lead poisoning. Also mentioned are the policies on lead bullet use by the states of California and Arizona.

The article looks at research published by Chyi-Song Hsieh and colleagues in the journal "Nature" which suggests that the colon is a site in the body where immune system T-cells are taught to recognize and avoid gut bacteria believed to prevent colitis.

The article discusses the highlights of a meeting hosted by Northern Ireland minister of finance and personnel Sammy Wilson held at the House of Parliament in Great Britain, and attended by people who cast skepticism on global warming.

The article cites the implications of the libel case facing "European Journal of International Law" Editor-in-Chief Joseph Weiler for free speech after refusing to remove the book review of "The Trial Proceedings of the International Criminal Court," by Karin Calvo-Goller, from a Web site associated with the journal. Weiler says the libel threat has an effect on editorial discretion, freedom of speech and the academic institution of book reviewing. He believes that pulling out the review is inconsistent with the practices of academic discourse.

The article tells about the novel approach of Nic Groombridge, senior lecturer in criminology at St. Mary's University College, in determining who in his field has then highest press profile. More than 70 media profiles of academics in criminology were analysed by Groombridge to compile a league table of those who were mentioned most often in publications. Groombridge said that this will raise the profile of criminology while encouraging academics to think about how policy and public work might be measured by the research excellence framework.

The article discusses issues concerning the proposed adoption of a weighting system by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) for assessing the impact of academics' work. It infers that the system would represent a major transition in the way academic work is evaluated by Hefce as it distributes about £1.6 billion of quality related research funding annually.

The article discusses a study from the British Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) entitled "Leading the World: The Economic Impact of UK Arts and Humanities Research," that found arts and humanities researchers have produced more quality output than science researchers. The AHRC has cited the study to gain continued taxpayer support in anticipation of the Comprehensive Spending Review. It was mentioned that Steve Smith, the president-elect of Universities UK has questioned whether arts and humanities deserve continued public funding.

The article lists the five most-cited research papers published since 2005 covering the genetics of politics which include "Are political orientations genetically transmitted?," "Genetic variation in political participation," and "Two genes predict voter turnout."

The article reports on the top researchers in economics, finance and business management in Great Britain based on the number of papers published from 1970 to 2009 that have been cited 50 times or more.

The article reveals the findings of a survey of 10,000 people working in academic and academic-related jobs in Great Britain which showed that their stress levels at work exceed the standards set by the Health and Safety Executive.

The article reports that lawyer Mark Stephens, a partner at the law firm Finers Stephen Innocent, has noted a rise in the number of academics and scientists involved in libel cases which he attributes to the number of scientists posting comments in blogs and the no-win, no-fee schemes by some law firms.

The article discusses the report "Capturing Research Impacts" from the consultancy firm RAND Europe which was commissioned by England's Higher Education Funding Council for England to study approaches to assess the impact of the work of the academic community in the research excellence framework (REF).

The article reports on the proposed administration shift of the Science and Technology Facilities Council and the budgetary cuts in studentships and fellowships and in grants.

The article reports that the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition has asked Stevan Harnad, professor of cognitive science at the University of Southampton, to stop posting comments on a blog launched by the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The article reports on the decision of the university of Central Lancashire in England to suspend its degrees in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The university has imposed a voluntary redundancy scheme for staff affected by its decision to refrain student recruitment in homeopathy, remedial massage and neuromuscular therapy undergraduate courses in 2009.

The article reports on the balance of the coverage of science by media according to British Science Minister Lord Paul Drayson. It mentions the decision of the government to reward public engagement in the forthcoming research excellence framework. It cites the increasing public trust in scientists. It details the negative effect of sensationalism in science journalism according to heart disease expert John Martin.

The article announces the appointment of Sir Tim Berners-Lee, one of the founders of the world wide web, and Nigel Shadbolt, professor of artificial intelligence in the School of Electronics and Computer Science, both of the University of Southampton in England, in a British government project to examine ways to open public sector data to the public.

The article reports on a conference sponsored by "Policy Review Magazine" and the 1994 Group in London, England about the future of research assessment exercises in teaching-led universities. Chris Higgins, vice-chancellor of Durham University, argued that replacing the exercise should introduce the outset for the size of departments that can compete for funding. Professor Nicholas Petford, pro vice-chancellor at Bournemouth University, became emotional follwing suggestions that the scussions during the conference.

The article reports on the possibility of combining the Medical Research Council with the research arm of the National Health Service.

The article reports that vice-chancellor of the University of Derby, England has written his staff giving details of his expenses for the 2007-08 academic year.

The article reports on the plan of BAE Systems to end a joint academic-industry research programme called Network Enabled Capability because it is not meeting the near-term requirements of its businesses in Great Britain in 2009. The £8.4 million project will link ten universities in conducting a study on ways to improve military effectiveness through better information system management. It notes that about 20 research staff who are employed on the program will lose their jobs, despite holding fixed term contracts with their universities.

The article focuses on the rejection made by the British government on the Members of Parliament (MPs) committee's pressure to terminate the chief executive of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). It notes that the government rather initiated an organisation review of the STFC to disclose lessons learnt from the budget crisis in 2007. It further mentions that the STFC Council will finalize decisions on areas to cut in July 2008.