New Material Goldene

Researchers have managed to create “goldene”, an incredibly thin version of gold.

The work follows the successful production of graphene, which is made out of a single layer graphite atoms. That has been hailed as a miracle material: it is astonishingly strong, and much better at conducting heat and electricity than copper.

Goldene is built on the same principle, with researchers spreading out gold so it is just one atom layer thick. And, similar to graphene, scientists say that the process gives it a variety of new properties that could lead to major breakthroughs.    READ MORE...

Breakthrough in Nuclear Fusion Energy

European scientists say they have made a major breakthrough in their quest to develop practical nuclear fusion - the energy process that powers the stars.

The UK-based JET laboratory has smashed its own world record for the amount of energy it can extract by squeezing together two forms of hydrogen.

If nuclear fusion can be successfully recreated on Earth it holds out the potential of virtually unlimited supplies of low-carbon, low-radiation energy.

The experiments produced 59 megajoules of energy over five seconds (11 megawatts of power).  READ MORE...

Boosting Domestic Uranium Production

The U.S. and Europe face challenges with uranium supply due to dependence on Russian imports and global shortages.

The U.S. is advancing in high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) production with projects like Centrus Energy Corp's facility in Ohio.

The U.K. plans to invest in developing HALEU production capabilities for its next-generation nuclear reactors.

There is great potential for several new uranium production markets as the U.S. and Europe look to diversify away from Russia for new nuclear energy pursuits. The U.S. and several European countries have announced ambitious nuclear power plans for the coming decades, in support of a green transition. 

However, the lack of uranium production outside of Russia is posing a threat to achieving these plans. Sanctions introduced on Russian energy and other products, following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, have led to global shortages of natural gas, uranium, and other critical materials. 

This has driven several state powers to diversify their supply chains and increase the regional production of a variety of energy sources and related materials. This means we could soon see new uranium-producing markets emerge in Europe and the U.S.  READ MORE...

Large Structure in Space

The universe is more connected than you might think: In recent years, scientists have used new tools and techniques to map the “cosmic web,” which is made up of intertwined strands of gas structures known as filaments that link galaxies. Now, a team of researchers have identified a new “large-scale structure” in the universe that they call the “Cosmic Vine.”

The researchers hail from numerous universities and institutions across Denmark, Chile, the U.K., and the Netherlands. They published a preprint of their work to the arXiv server on November 8. According to the study, the Cosmic Vine was spotted after poring over data collected by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), humanity’s most powerful tool for peering into the far reaches of space and time.  READ MORE...

Artificial Intelligence on the Production LIne

As Doritos, Walkers and Wotsits speed along a conveyor belt at Coventry's PepsiCo factory - where some of the UK's most popular crisps are made - the noise of whirring machinery is almost deafening.

But here, it's not just human workers trying to hear signs of machine failure above the factory fray.

Sensors attached to equipment are also listening out for indications of hardware faults, having been trained to recognise sounds of weary machines that risk bringing production lines to a grinding halt.

PepsiCo is deploying these sensors, created by tech firm Augury and powered by artificial intelligence (AI), across its factories following a successful US trial.   
The company is one of many exploring how AI can increase factory efficiency, reduce waste and get products onto shelves sooner.     READ MORE...

CRISPR Gene Editing

Ark Motors Microcar

A London-based EV start-up Ark has launched an electric microcar called the Ark Zero that costs £5995. British media tout it as “the UK’s most affordable electric car.”

The start-up Ark Motors, about which there is virtually no information online, has attracted a lot of attention in the British press with their city get-around, Ark Zero. The microcar designed for cities has a range of just over 50 miles (around 80 kilometres).

The Ark Zero microcar has a top speed of 28 mph (45 km/h), which means the vehicle is not meant for the motorway. With only a 3-horsepower- (2.2-kilowatt) battery, the ArkZero has an energy consumption around the scale of two and three-wheelers. The city vehicle has enough room for “two people and a dog,” as numerous news sites quote from the company—one in front and one behind with the dog.

The tiny electric car measures 98.4 inches (250 cm) in length, 47.3 in (120 cm) in width, and 64 in (1,62 cm) in height, and has a 67.7-inch (172 cm) wheelbase. Among the British media, the consensus seems to be that the light electric vehicle is competition for the Citroen Ami, though smaller, less expensive electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular in energy-strapped Europe. For example, Italian car-sharing provider Enjoy recently announced it is adding 100 electric microcars XEV Yoyo model from the Italian start-up XEV with a range of around 150 kilometres and a speed limited to 80 km/h. Renault’s Mobilize also offers microcars, among others.  READ MORE...

SEX in our Prisons

Mugshots for former prison guards Emily Watson, Ayshea Gunn and Jennifer Gavan . 

 (View Finder Pictures)

At least 18 female guards in the U.K.'s "cushiest prison" have reportedly been fired or resigned amid a flurry of sordid sexual accusations — including claims of sex inside cells and one guard smuggling her underwear to an inmate.

HMP Berwyn, which is also Britain's largest facility, has been hit with various claims of illicit affairs and inappropriate relationships between guards and inmates since it opened in 2017, with three former workers sentenced in a 2019 scandal, the Mirror reported.

The publication obtained documents about the exits obtained through information requests showed the inappropriate relationships were more widespread than had been publicly known.

British outlets are reporting that the 18 women who were fired or resigned from a single jail is a "record," noting that since 2019, a total of 31 women across England and Wales have been fired from jails for intimate relationships with inmates.

Former HMP Berwyn guard Jennifer Gavan, for example, was sentenced to eight months in jail last year after pleading guilty to misconduct. She accepted £150 — or about $180 — from inmate Alex Coxon to smuggle him a cellphone, which they later used to exchange raunchy photos, according to the Mirror. Coxon was in prison for robbery.

Mark Fairhurst, chair of the Prison Officers’ Association, pinned blame on the recent spate of affairs and firings on "the wrong kind of women" getting hired.

"Staff being recruited don’t have face-to-face interviews… it’s all done on Zoom," Fairhurst told the Mirror. "A lot of people getting these jobs don’t have enough life experience and are susceptible to conditioning from prisoners."  READ MORE...

The Spying Game

The latest controversy to swirl around the Chinese telecoms company Huawei has shone a spotlight on the murky world of Chinese espionage, agent-recruitment and an ambitious programme of extending its influence across the globe.

So how extensive is it, how does it work and who runs it?

A dossier reportedly compiled with the help of a former MI6 spy has accused China of trying to manipulate key UK figures, including politicians, to back the telecom giant's business in Britain.

Every major Chinese enterprise anywhere in the world allegedly has an internal "cell" answerable to the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to drive the political agenda and ensure that the company is compliant with political directives.

This is why China experts assert that the CCP does operate here in Britain, often under the natural cover of business. "The Party machine is everywhere", says one, adding: "For China, business is inseparable from politics."

The CCP has 93 million members, with many of them placed or hidden in organisations abroad. This allows them to be tasked with gathering secrets, especially in the technology sphere, including telecoms.

Experts say these "agents", as well as targeted individuals in important positions in foreign companies, can be recruited or persuaded using a number of different methods.

Setting honeytraps
The first approach is usually what is known as "a positive incentive", especially if the targeted individual is a non-Chinese national.

In the West this can take the form of a tempting invitation to an important business meeting in China, an offer of financial help for a company facing difficulties, or the offer of a (sometimes meaningless) seat on a board as a non-executive director or even in some cases a life-changing sum of money.

In the last 10 to 15 years there has been an increasing readiness to target well-placed foreigners with positive incentives.  READ MORE...

Tons of Cocaine Floating Around in Pacific Ocean

New Zealand authorities have recovered 3.2 tonnes of cocaine, worth more than $300 million, found floating in the Pacific Ocean and believed to be bound for Australia.  Police said the haul of 81 bales, which was drifting hundreds of kilometres northwest of New Zealand, was recovered in a joint operation with the New Zealand Customs Service and Defence Force acting on intelligence from the Five Eyes alliance, which also includes Australia, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

“This is the largest find of illicit drugs by New Zealand’s agencies by some margin,” said Commissioner of New Zealand Police Andrew Coster.  Officials believe the drugs were dropped at a “floating transit point” in the Pacific Ocean where they would have been picked up and taken to Australia.  “We believe it was destined for Australia, where it would have been enough to service the market for one year,” Coster said.  “It is more than New Zealand would use in 30 years.”

A police photo showed the massive haul was bound by netting and covered in yellow floats. Some of the bales had a Batman symbol on them, with the packages of cocaine inside labelled with what appeared to be a print of a four-leaf clover.  Coster described the bust as a “huge result” for police in both New Zealand and Australia.  “There is no doubt this discovery lands a major financial blow right from the South American producers through to the distributors of this product,” he added.  Officials said it was too early to say where the drugs came from.

Robot Snake in our Future

A robot that imitates the flexibility of a snake could be used in cancer surgery within 10 years, experts say.  The remote-controlled robot, called COBRA, has previously been used in jet engineering and nuclear plants.

The University of Nottingham, which developed the robot, has secured funding to make the robot the first of its kind in the UK.  Prof Dragos Axinte (ABOVE) said: "We have started early tests to see if the robot can... perform surgical procedures."

The researchers, who are collaborating with Rolls-Royce, said they had secured funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to adapt COBRA for use in surgery - specifically throat cancer and injury surgery.

They said that while such medical procedures were currently performed with endoscopic tools, COBRA could offer more dexterity, accuracy, and high-definition views for surgical teams.

It has been used as part of a preliminary study at a hospital in Leicester.  READ MORE...

Switch Off Streetlights to Save Energy

A draft budget in the U.K. city of Newport is proposing to switch off streetlights to cut back on costs, but officials are concerned that the move would put residents at risk.

The city, located in South Wales, included the measure in its 2023/2024 draft budget. If implemented about half of the town’s lights would be off between midnight and 6 a.m., BBC News reported.

Newport’s Green Party councilmember Lauren James said it was imperative that safety considerations be considered.
"I hope that the council is looking into it, and make sure that there are things like high-visibility strips on steps, so it’s safe for those who do have to be out at those times," she said.

Another council member, Andrew Sterry, said his constituents had expressed concerns over a possible increase in crime.

"I am against this proposal as I received many comments from my residents and they’re extremely concerned about crime rates going up," he said. "It wasn’t that long ago that all the street lights were changed to LED to save costs."

A draft budget was made available to the public on Dec. 15, 2022. It is due to close on Feb. 2, 2023.

Among the other plans is a 9.5% council tax hike because of "increasing costs and pressures faced by the council."

Costs of living in the U.K. have soared in recent months. Late last year, inflation in the U.K. hit a 41-year-high of 11.1%, driven by sharply rising energy and food costs.

___________________________
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
By Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital breaking reporter covering crime, political issues, and much more.

97% ARE STRAIGHT

LONDON – Around 3% of people in England and Wales aged 16 or over identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, according to 2021 census data released on Friday.

The census in 2021 was the first in Britain to ask about people’s sexual orientation, and the results are broadly in line with previous, smaller-scale surveys.

The census, conducted by Britain’s Office for National Statistics (ONS), also asked about people’s gender identity for the first time. About 262,000 people – 0.5% of those aged 16 or over – replied that the gender they identified with was different from their sex registered at birth, the ONS said.

The questions about sexual orientation and gender identity were voluntary, and 7.5% of people declined to answer about their sexual orientation, while 6.0% did not answer the question on gender identity.

Overall, 43.4 million people in England and Wales said they were “straight or heterosexual”, while 1.5 million – 3.2% of the population aged 16 or over – identified as gay or lesbian, bisexual, or other.

Some 1.5% of people said they were gay or lesbian and 1.3% were bisexual. Another 0.3% ticked a box for “other sexual orientation”, two thirds of whom called themselves pansexual.

On gender identity, 262,000 people aged 16 or over answered that they were a different gender to the sex they were registered as at birth, the ONS said.

Of those, 48,000 said they now identified as a trans man, 48,000 identified as a trans woman, 30,000 said they were non-binary and 18,000 said they had another gender identity, the ONS added.

The ONS defines a trans man as someone who identifies as a man but was registered female at birth, while trans women were registered as male at birth, but now identify as women.

Census figures for Britain as a whole are not yet available, as Scotland delayed carrying out its census for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A previous, annual UK-wide survey conducted by the ONS showed that in 2020 3.8% of people identified as gay or lesbian, bisexual or other, up from 1.9% in 2014 when same-sex marriage was first allowed in England and Wales.

That survey also gave breakdowns of sexual orientation by age, gender and ethnicity – showing, among other things, that younger people are much more likely to identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual.

Sex between men aged 21 or over was legalised in England and Wales in 1967. The age of consent was lowered to 18 in 1994 and reduced to 16 – the same as for heterosexual relationships – in 2000.

Census data on sexual orientation by age will be published on Jan. 25, and further details will come later in the year.

Pipebots to Stop Leaks

Around three billion litres of water are lost through leaks across hundreds of thousands of miles of water pipe in England and Wales daily, says water industry economic regulator Ofwat.  Engineers have now developed miniature robots to patrol the pipe network, check for faults and prevent leaks.  They say maintaining the network will be "impossible" without robotics.  Water industry body Water UK told BBC News that companies were already "investing billions" in leakage.

But a recent Ofwat report pointed to a lack of investment by water companies. It named several that it said were "letting down customers and the environment" by not spending enough on improvements. Water UK responded saying that leakage was at "its lowest level since privatisation".

Leaks are a widespread and complicated problem: Across the UK, hundreds of thousands of kilometres of pipe - of varying age and in varying condition - supply millions of properties with water.

Colin Day from Essex and Suffolk Water said: "In [this region] alone, we look after more than 8,500km (5,282 miles) of pipe and only about half the leaks in those pipes are visible, which means it's complicated to pinpoint where [the rest] are."

Wasted water has been a particularly sensitive issue this year. According to Water UK, three companies - South East Water, South West Water, and Yorkshire Water - still have localised hosepipe bans in place following the summer drought. And, amid the cost of living crisis, Ofwat estimates 20% of customers in England and Wales struggle to pay their water bill.  In the last year, though, according to Ofwat, companies have reduced leakage by an average of about 6%.

The industry has committed to a government target of halving the amount of water lost by 2050. Water UK accepted that progress needed to "accelerate". "We're adopting the latest technology, including special in-pipe cameras; satellite imaging; thermal drone technology, high-tech probes, and artificial intelligence," it told BBC News.  READ MORE...

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and popular music's recognition as an art form. 

Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock 'n' roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways; the band also explored music styles ranging from folk and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. As pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionised many aspects of the music industry and were often publicised as leaders of the era's youth and sociocultural movements.

Led by primary songwriters Lennon and McCartney, the Beatles evolved from Lennon's previous group, the Quarrymen, and built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over three years from 1960, initially with Stuart Sutcliffe playing bass. The core trio of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison, together since 1958, went through a succession of drummers, including Pete Best, before asking Starr to join them in 1962. 

Manager Brian Epstein moulded them into a professional act, and producer George Martin guided and developed their recordings, greatly expanding their domestic success after signing to EMI Records and achieving their first hit, "Love Me Do", in late 1962. As their popularity grew into the intense fan frenzy dubbed "Beatlemania", the band acquired the nickname "the Fab Four", with Epstein, Martin or another member of the band's entourage sometimes informally referred to as a "fifth Beatle".

By early 1964, the Beatles were international stars and had achieved unprecedented levels of critical and commercial success. They became a leading force in Britain's cultural resurgence, ushering in the British Invasion of the United States pop market, and soon made their film debut with A Hard Day's Night (1964). A growing desire to refine their studio efforts, coupled with the untenable nature of their concert tours, led to the band's retirement from live performances in 1966. 

At this time, they produced records of greater sophistication, including the albums Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966) and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), and enjoyed further commercial success with The Beatles (also known as "the White Album", 1968) and Abbey Road (1969). 

The success of these records heralded the album era, as albums became the dominant form of record consumption over singles; they also increased public interest in psychedelic drugs and Eastern spirituality, and furthered advancements in electronic music, album art and music videos. 

In 1968, they founded Apple Corps, a multi-armed multimedia corporation that continues to oversee projects related to the band's legacy. After the group's break-up in 1970, all principal former members enjoyed success as solo artists and some partial reunions have occurred. Lennon was murdered in 1980 and Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001. McCartney and Starr remain musically active.  SOURCE:  Wikipedia

The UK is Famous for What?

ENGLAND is famous for many things - David Beckham, Fish and Chips, Big Ben, Red Buses, black cabs, Oasis, Blur, the Beatles, London and tea.

England is famous for its long history.

England is famous for its Royal Family.
(Find out more about our Royal Family )

England is famous for its Castles and Historic houses
Windsor Castle is the oldest royal residence still in use.

England is famous for its educational institutes. It has some of the most famous universities of the world like Oxford, Cambridge and London universities.

England is famous for some of the world’s greatest pop stars - the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Queen, Phil Collins, the Spice Girls and Oasis.
(Find out more about our music)

England is famous for William Shakespeare. Hamlet,
Othello, and Romeo and Juliet were written by him.

England is famous for its green hills and fertile lowlands.
(Find out more about the land)

England is famous for its rain and the lush green of its countryside
(Find out more about the Climate)

England is famous for its breakfasts.
(Find out more about the food)

England is famous for its creams and butters and for its delicious cheeses: Stilton, Cheshire, double Gloucester, red Leicester, and cheddar.
(Find out more about our cheeses)

England is famous for its strawberries

England is famous for its pubs. (English pubs are a part of everyday life here. They're pretty much a community gathering place. Many people go there to watch a football game, play pool or just have a beer.)
(Find out more about our Pubs)

England is famous for Wimbledon.
(Find out more about Wimbledon and other sports)

England is famous for an ancient circle called Stonehenge.
It is the most important prehistoric monument in England.
(Find out more about our landmarks)

England is famous for for Big Ben
(Find out more about our landmarks)

England is famous for the legend of Robin Hood, Sherwood Forest and its notorious sheriff.

What to see in the UK

1. Tower of London




The top spot goes to the Tower of London, one of the world’s most famous fortresses and home to the priceless Crown Jewels. Built as a royal residence and prison nearly 1,000 years ago, there are some fascinating stories within its walls.

Visitors today can take a guided tour from the famous Beefeaters, witness the centuries-old Ceremony of the Keys, which takes place daily, and learn about the Tower’s more unusual ex-inhabitants - including a polar bear…

2. Westminster Abbey




Second on the list is one of London’s most picturesque sightseeing spots, Westminster Abbey – the venue of the most famous wedding of 2011!

Trace the final footsteps of Kate Middleton before she became the Duchess of Cambridge, admire the renowned Gothic architecture, and marvel at the Abbey’s beautiful memorials to history’s great kings and queens.

Did you know? Charles Dickens, Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin are among the 3,000 famous figures buried at Westminster Abbey.

3. Kew Gardens




Kew Gardens is one of the world’s most renowned botanical gardens, and it’s easy to see why. The huge World Heritage site is a wonderland, home to millions of exotic and rare plants.

Visitors can explore a treetop walkway, discover carnivorous plants and see trees like no other, such as the captivating Madagascan baobab. It’s also possible to visit Kew Palace, where you can walk around a royal kitchen and a nature reserve adored by the British royal family.

4. St Paul’s Cathedral




The iconic cathedral has witnessed many significant events in Britain’s history, including the state funeral of Sir Winston Churchill and the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

A visit to St Paul’s Cathedral offers 1,200 years of history as well as the chance to climb the 237 steps to the top of the spectacular Dome. On your way up, you can witness the Whispering Gallery, where a whisper can be heard from 100 feet away, before admiring stunning views of London’s skyline.

5. Chester Zoo




Chester Zoo houses the largest Orangutan exhibit in Europe and the most extensive zoo-based butterfly house in the UK.

Not only is it home to 11,000 animals - including some of the world’s most endangered species - there are also 110 acres of award-winning gardens to explore. Visit a Himalayan rock garden, play some mini golf, or get your face painted like your favourite animal.

6. Windermere Boat Cruises, Bowness




Set within the outstanding beauty of the Lake District National Park, Lake Windermere is the most popular tourist destination in Cumbria.

Peaceful, wild and surrounded by misty mountains, Windermere is Britain’s largest natural lake. Its surface is dotted with boats all year round - what better way to take in the exceptional scenery than with a tranquil cruise?

7. Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo, Yorkshire




With rides, a zoo, live entertainment and a variety of restaurants and bars, Flamingo Land is suitable for just about everyone!

Over 140 species live at the zoo, including red pandas and penguins, while the theme park has rides for the whole family; a perfect two-in-one day out.

Why is it called Flamingo Land? The graceful pink birds were some of the park’s first inhabitants, and today it champions a successful conservation programme for them.


8. Stonehenge




Part of an UNESCO World Heritage Site, Stonehenge is one of Britain’s most famous sightseeing spots.

Believed to date from as far back as 3000BC, historians are still baffled by how the huge slabs of Stonehenge were transported. Weighing up to 50 tons each, it would’ve taken 600 men to move just one.

But what is it?! No one has managed to answer that question with 100% certainty, and the mystery of the stones can certainly draw a crowd.

9. London Zoo




Over 12,000 animals live at London Zoo, including tigers, lions, gorillas and over 100 penguins. The zoo borders London’s leafy Regents Park and is known for its enigmatic lion enclosure, but there’s plenty more to do and see.

You can attend daily feeding sessions of tigers, penguins and llamas, to name a few, and get up close and personal with rare wildlife and beautiful butterflies in the butterfly house.

10. Drayton Manor Theme Park




This 280 acre theme park is home to 5 rollercoasters, 7 themed lands, water rides, thrill rides and plenty more for all the family. It’s the park’s reputation as the perfect family theme park that has earned it a spot on the top ten.

The park is located on the outskirts of Birmingham. Be sure to pay a visit if you’re looking for a good old-fashioned theme park day out!

All About UK

United Kingdom, island country located off the northwestern coast of mainland Europe. The United Kingdom comprises the whole of the island of Great Britain—which contains England, Wales, and Scotland—as well as the northern portion of the island of Ireland. The name Britain is sometimes used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole. 

The capital is London, which is among the world’s leading commercial, financial, and cultural centres. Other major cities include Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester in England, Belfast and Londonderry in Northern Ireland, Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, and Swansea and Cardiff in Wales.

The origins of the United Kingdom can be traced to the time of the Anglo-Saxon king Athelstan, who in the early 10th century CE secured the allegiance of neighbouring Celtic kingdoms and became “the first to rule what previously many kings shared between them,” in the words of a contemporary chronicle. 

Through subsequent conquest over the following centuries, kingdoms lying farther afield came under English dominion. Wales, a congeries of Celtic kingdoms lying in Great Britain’s southwest, was formally united with England by the Acts of Union of 1536 and 1542. Scotland, ruled from London since 1603, formally was joined with England and Wales in 1707 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain. (The adjective “British” came into use at this time to refer to all the kingdom’s peoples.) 

Ireland came under English control during the 1600s and was formally united with Great Britain through the Act of Union of 1800. The republic of Ireland gained its independence in 1922, but six of Ulster’s nine counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland. Relations between these constituent states and England have been marked by controversy and, at times, open rebellion and even warfare. 

These tensions relaxed somewhat during the late 20th century, when devolved assemblies were introduced in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Nonetheless, even with the establishment of a power-sharing assembly after referenda in both Northern Ireland and the Irish republic, relations between Northern Ireland’s unionists (who favour continued British sovereignty over Northern Ireland) and nationalists (who favour unification with the republic of Ireland) remained tense into the 21st century.  READ MORE...

All About Ireland

The magnificent scenery of Ireland’s Atlantic coastline faces a 2,000-mile- (3,200-km-) wide expanse of ocean, and its geographic isolation has helped it to develop a rich heritage of culture and tradition that was linked initially to the Gaelic language. Washed by abundant rain, the country’s pervasive grasslands create a green-hued landscape that is responsible for the popular sobriquet Emerald Isle. 

Ireland is also renowned for its wealth of folklore, from tales of tiny leprechauns with hidden pots of gold to that of the patron saint, Patrick, with his legendary ridding the island of snakes and his reputed use of the three-leaved shamrock as a symbol for the Christian Trinity. But while many may think of Ireland as an enchanted land, the republic has been beset with perennial concerns—emigration, cultural and political identity, and relations with Northern Ireland (comprising the 6 of Ireland’s 32 counties within the province of Ulster that remain part of the United Kingdom). 

At the beginning of the 21st century, Ireland’s long-standing economic problems were abating, owing to its diverse export-driven economy, but calamity struck again in 2008 when a new financial and economic crisis befell the country, culminating in a very costly bailout of the Irish economy by the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund.

The emergence of Ireland as an independent country is a fairly recent phenomenon. Until the 17th century, political power was widely shared among a rather loosely constructed network of small earldoms in often-shifting alliances. Following the so-called “Flight of the Earls” after an unsuccessful uprising in the early 17th century, Ireland effectively became an English colony. 

It was formally incorporated into the United Kingdom in 1801. A 1914 Home Rule Act was passed but never implemented due to pro-union militancy in the north, the onset of World War I, and the subsequent Irish War of Independence. 

In 1920 the island was effectively partitioned with the creation of Northern Ireland, a six-county area with devolved powers within the United Kingdom, whereas under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 6, 1921, the other 26 counties became the Irish Free State, a self-governing dominion within the British Commonwealth and Empire. In 1937 the southern state passed a new constitution that offered a more robust expression of sovereignty, and in 1949 it formally left the Commonwealth as the Republic of Ireland.  SOURCE:  Britannica

Pain Killers Without Side Effects

A promising new non-opioid painkiller (analgesic) has been discovered, with potentially fewer side effects than other potent painkillers.

A team of researchers led by scientists from the University of Warwick’s School of Life Sciences has analyzed a compound known as BnOCPA (benzyloxy-cyclopentyladenosine) which was discovered to be a powerful and selective analgesic that is non-addictive in test model systems. BnOCPA also has a unique mode of action, which could provide a new path for the creation of analgesic drugs.

The study, conducted by the Warwick team in collaboration with researchers from the University of Bern, University of Cambridge, Coventry University, Monash University, and industrial organizations, was recently published in in the journal Nature Communications.

In the UK, between a third and a half of the population report having chronic pain that is either moderately or severely disabling. Such pain negatively affects the quality of life, and many of the often prescribed painkillers have side effects. Opioids, such as morphine and oxycodone, can cause addiction and are dangerous when used in excess. There is thus an unmet need for new, powerful painkillers.

Many drug works by activating adapter molecules known as G proteins on the cell surface. The activation of G proteins can cause a variety of cellular effects. Because just one kind of G protein is activated by BnOCPA, its actions are very selective, minimizing the possibility of negative side effects.

Dr. Mark Wall, from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick, who led the research stated: “The selectivity and potency of BnOCPA make it truly unique and we hope that with further research it will be possible to generate potent painkillers to help patients cope with chronic pain.”  READ MORE...