Today’s physics news: Wednesday, 4 November

Universities, universities, universities…..

All of the papers cover Lord Mandelson’s launch yesterday of his new framework for higher education.  Most papers lead with slant on widening access and consumer rights of students.  A timely study from Universities UK is also making headlines today as their research shows that the UK’s universities generate £60 billion a year for the UK economy.

Guardian on new HE framework
BBC on Uni UK study

Bumpy road to COP15

News today that a US bill to address climate change has stalled in the Senate and will not pass before December’s climate meeting; Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary General, has said efforts and pledges need to be stepped up if December’s meeting is to be at all of a success; and research published in Nature suggests the relationship between deforestation and CO2 emissions has been over-egged.

The Guardian on US bill  
The Inde on Ban Ki-Moon  
The Guardian on deforestation research

X-ray is most popular scientific discovery

The Science Museum, London, has polled more than 50 000 members of the general public and found that the invention of x-ray is the most popular scientific discovery. X-ray was up against nine other inventions, including Penicillin, the DNA double helix, and the Apollo 10 Capsule.

The Telegraph