A Spanish research study has tested different combinations of supports and indigenous plants to determine which are the best for reducing energy consumption inside buildings. This type of roof is a “rurban”, sustainable architectural solution that will lead to a reduction in environmental and acoustic contamination levels in cities, and be visually pleasing.

Researchers from the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) have built a roof covered with plants and a watering system that will optimise the consumption of a building’s heating and cooling systems thanks to its insulation. It is a third-generation ecological roof, characterized by its sustainability and the use of indigenous plant species.

A team of investigators from Valencia has developed a machine that separates automatically the seeds from the rind and pith of the pomegranate. The mechanism uses a computer vision system to distinguish and sort the different parts of this fruit, according to a study published on-line by the Journal of Food Engineering.

The difficulty in peeling pomegranates and separating out the seeds disheartens many consumers when they eat the fruit of the pomegranate (Punica granatum). Now this Spanish invention enables the food to be de-seeded automatically.

Breast cancer, the leading cause of death among women in France, is the most commonly occurring cancer in women. Sporadic breast cancer, which is non-hereditary, turns out to be the most widespread, representing 85 to 90% of all cases, but remains the least well-known. Researchers at CNRS and CEA (1), working with a team from Hôpital Saint-Louis (2), have just discovered the cause of 50% of sporadic breast cancers. The results should also explain epidemiological studies which suggest that hormone treatment predisposes patients to breast cancer. The work is published in Cancer Research.

Yesterday our department hosted Peter and Rosemary Grant, who spoke about their 30+ years studying natural selection and finches in the Galapagos. (If you're interested in the book version of their work, check out Jonathan Weiner's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Beak of the Finch.)

While the Grants give a great presentation, full of pictures the Galapagos finches in action, my first impression was that none of this was really groundbreaking. As the Grants mentioned multiple times in the talk, Darwin anticipated so much of what they observe in the Galapagos. In an age of molecular genetics, a long-term, non-molecular field study is bound to seem a little old fashioned, although the Grants have recently been taking DNA samples and incorporating the tools of molecular genetics into their work.

In the end, I came away from the talk satisfied. This work may not be conceptually groundbreaking, but I find it important for at least one reason: this is evolution in detail, in the wild.

At a younger age I was completely enthralled with undersea life. Since high school biology, the difference between freshwater anatomy and marine physiology led me conduct some not so nice tests on goldfish. Hey, they were only 10 cents each, plus, I wanted to see if osmosis really worked differently with cells from saltwater fish.   I couldn't just trust the teachers, after all. As I entered a marine biology course, I found marine life to be even more interesting, particularly due to their evolution.

What always interested me was an organism's ability to manipulate it's sex. Most reef fish have the ability to up and switch sex, but why do they? What is the notion behind this act, and does it propose an evolutionary benefit to the survival of it's species?

LONDON, November 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The Road Haulage Association is disappointed that despite a further drop in the price of petrol, the price for diesel remains much higher. To that end, the Association is demanding not only a diesel price reduction as a matter of extreme urgency but that any proposed increase in the price of fuel duty that the Chancellor may announce in his forthcoming pre-Budget statement be abandoned.

PARIS, November 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The first melatonergic antidepressant - Valdoxan(R)/Thymanax(R) (agomelatine) - has received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency's (EMEA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) for its use in the treatment of adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Upon approval by the European Commission in early 2009, Valdoxan is expected to be marketed by Servier in European countries in the following months.

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, November 21 /PRNewswire/ --

- AVG Replies to Announcement of Competitor's Replication of Its Anti- Virus Software Offering

AVG, a global anti-virus and Internet security software provider with over 85 million users in 167 countries, today responded to Microsoft's announcement of a free anti-virus software product slated to appear in mid-2009.

AVG, which for eight years has offered free anti-virus software to users worldwide, noted the multiple challenges Microsoft faces in supporting a free anti-virus software product -- chief among them the enormous overhead costs it will incur for customer service and support issues, as well as for ongoing product management and upgrades.

LONDON, November 21 /PRNewswire/ -- ICIS Heren, the market leading reporter on the European gas market has collaborated with C1 Energy Ltd, widely acknowledged as the leading information source on the Chinese oil and gas market. They have created a NEW fortnightly report with all the latest news which provides gas traders, suppliers, consultants and many more with all the information they need about China's gas market.

China Gas Markets fortnightly report provides: - Comprehensive, valuable and independent coverage of China's domestic gas markets, including LNG imports - Price assessments in Yuan - In-depth commentary and analysis of the latest trends and outlook