All News


Seed treaty: securing the future for agiculture

The international treaty on plant genetic resources needs a gesture of trust to repair the atmosphere of suspicion that has developed, argues Emile Frison from the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute.
13 Jun 2006

A web site with baffling links

For a bunch of IT experts, the EU's IST World has come up with a baffling web site, especially when the idea is to make life easy for beginners.
13 Jun 2006

Patenting goes the offshore route

Indian firms are training large numbers of patent agents - with their eye on the large number of companies abroad looking for cheaper patenting.
13 Jun 2006

Open source in biotechnology: Return to the origin?

Biology Information Open Source's promoter, Richard Jefferson, asserts that BIOS is explicitly modelled after the Open Source initiative in software. But science is grounded in open exchange and the sharing of information, so what is the point of BIOS and other initiatives such as Science Commons?
12 Jun 2006

Not to secret agents

Software agents could change the way that computing works. You just leave them to get on with the work.
09 Jun 2006

What the FX is this all about?

Every business has to issue a press release one day. When they do so, they should remember that jargon does not help get the message across.
08 Jun 2006

Still avoiding the question

The TeGenero drug trial is complete, and an ongoing study is examing whether trial requirements should be changed. But, asks Nuala Moran, should the trial ever have been approved?
06 Jun 2006

Sun to shine on Europe's energy policy

Active Solar Buildings – entirely heated and cooled by solar thermal energy – should become the standard by 2030 if the vision of the EU’s latest Technology Platform is realised.
06 Jun 2006