Press Releases
October 2008
22 October 2008 - EMBL
Picture Release
What at the first sight could be pictures of planets or other cosmic structures are actually microscope images of balls [cysts] of human kidney cells.
17 October - ESA
ESA Council meeting at ministerial level: The Hague, 25/26 November 2008
The next ESA Council meeting at ministerial level will take place on 25/26 November in The Hague, the Netherlands, at the World Forum, The Hague.
16 October 2008 - EMBL
Researchers establish international human microbiome consortium
Today at a meeting organised by the European Molecular Biology Laboratory [EMBL] in Heidelberg, Germany, scientists from around the globe announced the formation of the International Human Microbiome Consortium [IHMC], an effort that will enable researchers to characterise the relationship of the human microbiome in the maintenance of health and disease.
15 October 2008 - ESO
VLT and Rossi XTE satellite probe violently variable black holes
Unique observations of the flickering light from the surroundings of two black holes provide new insights into the colossal energy that flows at their hearts. By mapping out how well the variations in visible light match those in X-rays on very short timescales, astronomers have shown that magnetic fields must play a crucial role in the way black holes swallow matter.
9 October 2008 - EMBL
Digital zebrafish embryo provides the first complete developmental blueprint of a vertebrate
Researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) have generated a digital zebrafish embryo - the first complete developmental blueprint of a vertebrate. With a newly developed microscope scientists could for the first time track all cells for the first 24 hours in the life of a zebrafish.
2 October 2008 - ESO
Sharpening Up Jupiter
A record two-hour observation of Jupiter using a superior technique to remove atmospheric blur has produced the sharpest whole-planet picture ever taken from the ground. The series of 265 snapshots obtained with the Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics Demonstrator (MAD) prototype instrument mounted on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) reveal changes in Jupiter's smog-like haze, probably in response to a planet-wide upheaval more than a year ago.