Advanced imaging sees alteration attempts of ancient swords – UKRI

For the first time, an imaging method has been used to investigate Iron Age bronze Iranian swords. This has revealed significant modern modifications that prove the weapons have been altered to increase their commercial value in the illicit antiquities market. Early Iron Age Iranian bladed weaponry is crucial in understanding the metalworking technologies in one […]

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Projects to boost UK heritage science and conservation capability – UKRI

The projects will unlock the potential of existing heritage collections and provide access to untapped cultural assets to safeguard and grow the UK’s £29 billion heritage sector and kickstart economic growth. Additionally, new state-of-the-art facilities will drive innovations in other areas including sustainable building practices, bio-imaging, carbon-dating and materials analysis. Conserving world-renowned artwork at the […]

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The largest infrared map of our galaxy has been completed – UKRI

Over the course of 13 years, the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) survey and its extension, the VVV eXtended survey (VVVX), observed the central regions of the Milky Way. Beginning in 2010, these surveys required 420 nights of observation to: capture approximately 200,000 images monitor over 1.5 billion celestial objects generate 500 terabytes […]

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Prime Minister and Chancellor visit STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory – UKRI

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves visited the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) Daresbury Laboratory on 22 September 2024, where they took a firsthand look at the groundbreaking work taking place in quantum computing. During the visit, they toured US company PsiQuantum’s state-of-the-art research and development facility, where they spoke to staff […]

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CERN reports first observation of ultra-rare particle decay – UKRI

On 24 September 2024, the NA62 collaboration announced the first experimental observation of the ultra-rare decay of the charged kaon into a charged pion and a neutrino-antineutrino pair. The decay had a significance of 5 sigma (the criterion used in particle physics to declare a discovery), measuring the decay rate to a 25% relative precision. […]

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Report reveals impact of industrial biotechnology investments – UKRI

Further information Case studies Extraction of sugar from waste Fiberight was founded in 2009. After a couple of pivots in company direction, their focus now is on the recovery of high value products from everyday household waste. Advanced Microwave Technologies (AMT) was founded in 2008 and specialises in continuous flow microwave technology for various sector […]

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Use of generative AI in application preparation and assessment – UKRI

Generative AI Generative AI is a broad label used to describe any AI that can be used to create new content such as text, images, video, audio or code. It is a fast emerging and evolving technology that can present opportunities and bring benefits in the context of research and innovation by: facilitating creativity and […]

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Origami art spurs innovation for treatment of brain conditions – UKRI

Invasive surgical procedures that pose a high risk of infection could soon become a thing of the past for people living with certain neurological conditions. It’s all thanks to the creative vision of a team of researchers backed by funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research […]

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Important milestone reached in mission to crack neutrino mystery – UKRI

UK researchers working as part of an international team of scientists, on the SBND project at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) has identified its first neutrinos. This milestone marks a crucial step in the quest to uncover a potential fourth type of neutrino, a discovery that could reshape our understanding of the Universe. Global collaboration […]

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New KEF4 results provide insights in performance improvement – UKRI

That’s the conclusion from the latest results, published today. They also build a stronger picture of knowledge exchange (KE) performance, more year-on-year comparisons and consolidate previous successes. Opportunity to compare results The KEF plays a key role in providing unique and important public information on the rich and diverse ways English universities continue to engage […]

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