CORDIS EXPRESS

This week’s CORDIS Express brings you news of some of the latest achievements and breakthroughs of European researchers. Cyprus takes the reins of the EU Presidency for the next six months with the aim to work 'Towards a Better Europe'. Scientists may to have found a subatomic particle resembling the long-elusive Higgs boson, a landmark discovery. Researchers have created a stable version of ‘trophy molecule’ that has eluded scientists for decades. New technology found to reduce energy consumption by more than 20% of various ICT devices. Researchers are making the progress on early detection of resistance to colorectal cancer drugs. An EU project has lead to the development of a new laser system that can cut tissue with unprecedented precision. In Finally and Briefly, read about why taking the tortoise approach to barefoot jogging will take you further down the path.

Here comes Cyprus! First shot at EU Presidency for Mediterranean Member State

July is typically characterised by long school holidays, balmy evenings and, for the lucky ones, a few days break from the daily grind. But July also signals the changing of the guard at the Council of the European Union, with a new Member State taking over the six-month rotating Presidency. And this time it's Cyprus' turn to take the reins, leading and organising the work of the Council until the end of the year, before in turn handing over the role to another island nation: Ireland. The main objective of the Cyprus Presidency is to work 'Towards a Better Europe', one that is more relevant to its citizens and closer to its neighbours. The hope is to both make Europe more efficient and sustainable, at the same time as fostering growth and job creation. Admittedly no mean feat amid the ongoing economic crisis. To this end a key focus will be on implementing the new enhanced framework of economic governance and reinforcing budgetary surveillance so as to ensure fiscal stability.

Scientists claim to have found 'God particle'

Two teams of scientists claim to have discovered a new particle consistent with the Higgs boson particle, after a 45-year hunt to explain how matter attains its mass. The claims were made during a seminar held at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday at which scientists presented the latest preliminary results from two experiments involved in the search for the long sought Higgs particle. Both experiments - namely the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) and the ATLAS projects, two general purpose detectors - said they had observed a new particle in the mass region around 125-126 GeV. These findings match the elusive Higgs boson..

Scientists create 'trophy molecule' that could revolutionise nuclear industry

Researchers have created a stable version of a 'trophy molecule' that has eluded scientists for decades and could lead to the production of cleaner nuclear energy. Writing in the journal Science, the team, made up of scientists from the universities of Nottingham and Manchester in the United Kingdom, show that they can prepare a terminal uranium nitride compound which is stable at room temperature. Moreover, they prove that the compound can be stored in jars in crystallised or powder form. The study was supported in part by the EU-funded project UNCLE ('Uranium in non-conventional ligand environments'), which received a EUR 999,996 Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC).

New technology slashes data centre energy consumption

A team of experts from industry and academia have found a way to slash the energy consumption of data centres used by information and communications technologies (ICT) by more than 20%. ICT from telephone lines to computers and audio-visual systems, in short the devices that make our lives easier and more flexible in the 21st century, were responsible for about 2% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2008. This means that CO2 emissions from ICT were just under 1 billion tonnes, a figure equivalent to the fuel consumption of the aviation sector. But while governments, industry and regulators argue over the need and ways to bring emissions from aviation under control, much less is heard about the necessity of reducing CO2 from ICT in the fight against climate change.

Researchers make progress on early detection of resistance to colorectal cancer drugs

Mutations in a gene called KRAS are causally associated with acquired resistance to targeted therapies for colorectal cancers (CRC), according to new findings from EU-funded researchers from Italy and their research colleagues in the United States. Writing in the journal Nature, the team explain that patients often develop resistance to colorectal cancer drugs that target epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs). The team show in cell-line models that KRAS mutations can cause resistance to an anti-EGFR therapy called cetuximab. These mutations can either be acquired during treatment or may have pre-existed in a small fraction of tumour cells before treatment.

Laser-ing in on brain surgery

Medical operations have become almost commonplace, but the delicacy of medical procedures involving the brain and the spinal cord force physicians and patients to consider other alternatives. European researchers, however, could change this following their development of a laser for minimally invasive brain surgery. The achievement is a result of an interdisciplinary EU project that involved partners from seven European countries, creating a table-top solid-state laser system that can cut brain tissue with unprecedented precision. These results are an outcome of the MIRSURG ('Mid-infrared solid-state laser systems for minimally invasive surgery') project, which secured almost EUR 2.8 million in funding under the 'Information and communications' (ICT) Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

'European initiatives in the maritime environment - future capabilities, technologies and civil-military synergies', Lefkosia, Cyprus

An event entitled 'European initiatives in the maritime environment - future capabilities, technologies and civil-military synergies' will take place from 18 to 19 October 2012 in Lefkosia, Cyprus. The conference will help promote European initiatives in the maritime environment and to continue current efforts for integrated maritime surveillance, and broader maritime issues. Discussions will focus on the need for a European approach and the identification of civil-military synergies. The agenda will also include topical capability and research and technology issues and how the naval industry can support European capabilities.

'Communicable disease: a cross border health threat', Nicosia, Cyprus

An event entitled 'Communicable diseases: a cross border health threat' will take place on 5 July 2012 in Nicosia, Cyprus. Communicable diseases are illnesses caused by organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. Sometimes the illness is not due to the organism itself, but rather a toxin that the organism produces after it has been introduced into a human host. Despite remarkable advances in medical research and treatments during the 20th century, infectious diseases remain among the leading causes of death worldwide due to the emergence of new infectious diseases, re-emergence of old infectious diseases and the persistence of intractable infectious diseases.