Media mentions

Bad habits die hard
In Britain we suffer more heart disease than in almost every country in Europe, according to a report by the British Heart Foundation, but we still like to think we're healthier than our continental cousins the Guardian, (15/2/00). The Guardian called on Professor Neil Poulter, NHLI, St Mary's campus, for his expert opinion. He said, "We've got high levels of smoking; we've got a high fat intake, cholesterol levels are up and we're overweight... and we don't exercise. More than 30 per cent of the population do nothing whatsoever, apart from breathing. And it's getting worse." But surely its the Italians who eat all the creamy and fatty food? "It is extraordinary that this notion persists," said Poulter, "The British breakfast has killed more people than the British army."

Boffin of the month
Dr Richard Aspinall, medicine, Hammersmith, was selected as health magazine, Zest's 'Boffin of the Month' (3/00). Richard is currently investigating a genetic vaccine for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Asked for his dream goal, he told Zest, "I'd like to be able to offer a treatment to many of the patients with pancreatic and liver cancer where the treatment outlook is currently not great."

Changing rooms for baby
Bright colours and strong patterns are the top choices for 'baby decor', advised Alistair Fielder, neurosciences and psychological medicine, Western Eye hospital. His 'baby decor tips' were quoted in the Times (15/2/00), in an article about decorating nurseries. "Newborns can focus only on nearby objects at first and their colour vision is not very well developed, but they like movement so a mobile above the cot is ideal for the first few weeks. However, by the time they reach two or three months, they are developing colour vision but can't focus on detail, so lots of bright colours and big, bold patterns on the walls, instead of fussy little designs, are best."

Natural killer cells
Dr Daniel Davis, biology, will reveal how some cells in the human body are trained assassins to an audience at The Royal Institution, reported the Times (9/2/00). Physics graduate turned biologist, Dr Davis now specialises in the mysterious way in which immune cells work, described in the Times as 'roaming across disciplines like a Victorian gentleman'. The lecture will be held on 8 March.

Talking machines
The era where machines will talk to machines is not far off, according to Professor Ebrahim Mamdani, electrical and electronic engineering, who recently visited India as part of the Bright Sparks programme organised by the British Council. He explained to the Hindu Business Line (7/2/00) that considerable progress has been achieved in the development of 'software agents' which will lead to giving machines the ability to communicate with each other. He said the prime intent of such developments will be to help reduce human drudgery in many routine jobs which can be efficiently done by machines interacting with each other.