http://ec.europa.eu//research/index.cfm?pg=whatsnew en Wed, 22 May 2013 14:46:24 GMT http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=rss For more RSS news feeds click the link above. Wed, 22 May 2013 14:46:24 GMT http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=rss http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_22_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30075 ENRAH-SME was a pioneering European Union (EU)-funded project which laid the crucial groundwork for a major breakthrough in the understanding and potential treatment of a rare childhood neurological disease.]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-22:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_22_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30075 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_21_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30053 It is an all-too familiar scene. A suspect package in a crowded public place like a shopping mall, a train or an airport. Is it harmless? Or is it a bomb?]]> Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-21:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_21_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30053 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=126&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=30073 The brain controls our thinking, feelings and movements and a new exhibition in southern France aims to reveal some of its secrets. ]]> Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-21:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=126&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=30073 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_17_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30033 A European team of researchers is exploring new ways of using fibre-optic technology to deliver ultra-high-speed internet access to even the remotest locations in Europe, at less cost and with less impact on the environment. It is ambitious, but innovative solutions are needed to strengthen Europe's digital economy and provide jobs.]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-17:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_17_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30033 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-hydro-coat&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=30034 Bulldozers, diggers, tractors: these heavy machines all apply the same basic hydraulic powers for their trays and claws. Around 85% of all hydraulic fluids leave their system through slow leaks, line breaks or system failures. Exhausted lubricants could be a severe fire risk, with a cumulative impact on plants, fish, and wildlife. When the fluids need to be disposed of at the end of their life, the cost, at €1 per kg, is around the same as the lubricant itself. As the costs associated with disposal rise, there is a growing demand for alternative options. ]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-17:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-hydro-coat&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=30034 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-lignodeco&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29996 If the world is to live within its environmental limits, the need to make the most sustainable use of its raw materials will become ever more vital. Increasingly, this will require us to focus on making maximum use of all the components of those raw materials, right down to the waste products. In today's world, everything has to be used. ]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-15:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-lignodeco&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29996 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-fantom&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29974 To make modern aircraft ever lighter, faster and more fuel efficient, manufacturers are continually introducing new advanced materials, composites and super lightweight structures. Before using them on a plane, the integrity and performance of these materials have to be tested in a non-destructive way, to see how they would perform in the real-life pressure and temperature conditions of flight. Among the techniques aero-space testing facilities currently rely on are two important tests: one using laser beams and one using thermal imaging to see inside the material under stress and detect problems in structures caused by hidden defects. European researchers have found a way to replace these two with a single test. ]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-14:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-fantom&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29974 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-nozzleinspect&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29956 Nuclear power accounts for one sixth of the European Union (EU)'s energy consumption, and there are power plants in 14 of the 27 member states. Safety is a priority and there are regular maintenance checks on every aspect of the plants. But what happens if cracks appear in the machinery that are so small and deep that they escape the human eye? And how can one check every corner of a nuclear reactor when some areas are, by necessity, shrouded in radiation? ]]> Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-13:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-nozzleinspect&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29956 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-modtrain&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29955 When Europe's rail pioneers created the first steam engines some two centuries ago, they gave little thought to whether their inventions might be used in other countries: while their ingenuity helped transform travel, they never got round to setting uniform rail technologies across the continent. ]]> Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-13:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-modtrain&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29955 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-3encult&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29954 From Roman temples and Gothic churches to Greek theatres and medieval castles, Europe is peppered with historic buildings that reflect its rich cultural heritage. But these monuments all need to be preserved, a task complicated by age, pollution, tourist demands and climate change. Now science is lending a hand in this task, with a new European Union research project developing measures to reduce energy loss from within old buildings. ]]> Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-13:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-3encult&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29954 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-autospar&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29935 As a food, asparagus can trace an illustrious lineage back 20,000 years to Egypt; it features in the world's oldest surviving cook book, Apicius's third century 'De re coquinaria'; it is packed with vitamins, and a very good source of dietary fibre. No wonder the asparagus is such a prized food. But its reputation as the ultimate gourmet vegetable is also reflected in its delicate cultivation, with white asparagus in particular requiring labour intensive hilling. And in Europe, this dedicated nurturing is threatening the crop as farmers struggle to find the manpower needed to harvest asparagus. ]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-10:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-autospar&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29935 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_09_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29933 Nanotechnology is opening the way to a new industrial revolution. From 'individualised' medical treatments tailored for each patient to new, environmentally-friendly energy storage and generation systems, nanotechnology is bringing significant advances. Exciting new futures await those businesses able to get ahead in the race to turn this wealth of promise into commercial success. But in a field which requires a high degree of coordinated effort involving many different stakeholder groups, including researchers, policymakers and commercial players across a wide variety of industrial sectors, it has perhaps been inevitable that fragmentation, disconnectedness and duplication have stood in the way.]]> Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-09:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_09_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29933 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-supra&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29925 For pilots, one of the most difficult skills to learn is 'upset recovery' - righting a plane that has stalled or been thrown into an unstable situation due to weather or a technical problem. When a pilot is not able to fly out of an 'upset' and the plane proceeds out of control, accidents can result. And it is precisely because these extreme conditions seldom occur in real life that it is hard for a pilot to be prepared for them: up to now, no flight simulator reflects adequately how an actual aircraft behaves during upset situations. Alternative training methods – such as using large commercial aircraft for training or smaller ones – are either too dangerous or too expensive, or may not be comparable to how large aircraft behave and respond. ]]> Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-08:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-supra&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29925 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-pegaso&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29924 Where better to enjoy a relaxing coastal trip than the Mediterranean? However, with large areas of this and the Black Sea basin under threat from environmental change, collaboration within the local scientific communities is more important than ever. ]]> Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-08:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-pegaso&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29924 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-map2era&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29922 The use of plants in medicine is as old as medicine itself. Today, in the age of high-tech drug design, the pharmaceutical industry continues to draw on naturally occurring compounds in its search for new treatments. The fragrance and nutritional supplement industries are perhaps even more reliant on plant-sourced chemicals. ]]> Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-08:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-map2era&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29922 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_07_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29913 The health impact of indoor air pollution is a real environmental health issue, which is believed to have a bearing on respiratory conditions such as asthma. This has prompted a European study to take action. While outdoor pollution is often cited as the cause of many asthma related issues, indoor threats are also being addressed in the light of World Asthma Day.]]> Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-07:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_07_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29913 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-mira&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29919 The Mediterranean sea is a huge marine ecosystem with an area of 2.5 million km². The wellbeing of this unique ecosystem is vital for the health of the 427 million people living in the countries around it and the 175 million visitors it receives each year. Nevertheless, it remains fragile and continues to deteriorate due to the devastating effects of pollution. Effective decontamination is crucial and this is just one area where the Mediterranean Innovation and Research coordination Action (MIRA) is making a welcome impact. ]]> Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-07:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-mira&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29919 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_02_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29873 Despite a massive research effort, cancer is still a major killer in Europe. European researchers are working on a sugar-based drug-delivery system which they believe will boost the potency of anti-cancer drugs, helping them reach and destroy cancerous cells more effectively. The project team has developed particles tiny enough to invade cancer cells and deliver treatments to the very heart of the tumour.]]> Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-02:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_02_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29873 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_30_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29853 Electrochromic glass – which instantly glazes or shades at the flick of an electrical switch – has proved popular in a range of applications where the control of light and heat is important. But the physical nature of the glass and the costs involved limit the opportunities open to this technology. An EU-funded project has applied these 'smart glass' principles to a flexible film which opens up a whole new world of green, low-cost and commercially viable possibilities.]]> Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-04-30:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_30_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29853 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_29_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29833 For Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, of the University of Uppsala in Sweden, news that the European Union (EU) was to provide funding for a project aimed at using research into canine genetics as a kind of 'fast-track' to help provide cures for many important human diseases marked the achievement of a long-held ambition.]]> Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-04-29:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_29_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29833 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_26_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29813 Age related hearing loss (ARHL) is far too easily ignored. Its onset is insidious. Its progression gradual. People with declining hearing often mistakenly believe the problem is that their conversation partners mumble or speak too quickly – and as hearing ability diminishes further, social exchanges slowly turn from fluid repertoires to too many non sequiturs. Frustrated from no longer being able to understand others well in social settings, people may stop going to the theatre or senior centres, or even just to a restaurant with friends or family. This social isolation, in turn, is associated with depression and cognitive decline. Disturbances of gait and balance have also been linked to ARHL.]]> Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-04-26:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_26_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29813 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_25_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29793 The UN Security Council has expressed concerns that the adverse effects of climate change could lead to certain threats to international peace and security. However, research suggests that scarcity can lead to cooperation rather than conflict. In order to improve our understanding of the factors involved, the European Union (EU)-funded CLICO project studied the world's most exposed and vulnerable areas to both floods and droughts - the Mediterranean, Middle East and Sahel (MMES) regions.]]> Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-04-25:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_25_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29793 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_22_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29733 Water is the most vital resource for human life. However, urbanisation, extensive irrigation and variations in rainfall patterns due to global climate change have led to serious water scarcity in many areas of the world. A European research project has developed a transport system consisting of water-bags and tugboats to bring fresh water to the hardest-hit coastal and island regions around the Mediterranean. Areas under increasing pressure from water scarcity, particularly in the summer months, include small cities and islands along the coasts of Spain, Greece and Italy, among others.]]> Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-04-22:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_22_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29733 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_19_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29713 European researchers have identified new biological indicators that can predict, among other things, the likely effectiveness of 'interferon-ß', a vital treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) that is only effective in 50% of patients, in the treatment of individuals with MS. The ‘UEPHA-MS’ network has also discovered that ‘natural killer cells’ can influence the effectiveness of certain drugs. These and other findings are helping to put MS treatment in sharper focus.]]> Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-04-19:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_19_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29713 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_17_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29693 Europe and the Mediterranean contain more World Heritage sites than any other global region. These sites include hundreds of museums, churches, houses and castles that capture Europe’s rich history over the centuries. ]]> Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-04-17:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_17_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29693