Amazing wildlife images go on display today for free as the Natural History Museum’s new outdoor touring exhibition, Wild Planet, begins in Brighton.

Find out about the beetle with shotgun holes in its wings, which was found in the Museum's collections.

A new African fish that was unveiled at Commonwealth celebrations yesterday, goes on display at the Natural History Museum later this week.

The dramatic, pioneering and often surprising scientific work of the Natural History Museum, UK, will be revealed to all in a new BBC television series, Museum of Life, starting on Thursday 18 March 2010.

The global search for this year’s best wildlife photos ends this week when entries to the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition close on Monday 8 March 2010.

The first images of live individuals of 4 new spiny eels are revealed by a Natural History Museum scientist today.

The Natural History Museum’s Darwin Centre has been nominated for the Art Fund Prize.

Today is the start of the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese New Year, and the South China tiger is the Natural History Museum's Species of the day.

Is that a fang or a goat horn you found on the beech? Find out with the help of the Natural History Museum’s new online identification forums, launched today.

The world’s smallest species of eel-loach fish has been discovered by a Natural History Museum scientist and his colleague this month and is featured on the Museum's Species of the day today.

A £50 million, 9-year programme to help 25 million people in Bangladesh develop their English language skills via new mobile technologies, English in Action, was launched last week at a special reception in Bangladesh, attended by Government ministers including Dr Afsarul Ameen, Honourable Minister, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, and the British High Commissioner. English in Action, currently in pilot phase, was initiated at the request of the Government of Bangladesh, is funded by the UK Department for International Development, and is using expertise from The Open University in researching the project operations and developing, supporting and evaluating innovative teacher education programmes.

English in Action provides English teachers in Bangladesh with professional development training and resources and classroom materials, so that they can enhance their own teaching skills and bring new ideas into the classroom. The Open University's experts in distance education have helped to produce development materials for teachers that fit with the Bangladeshi curriculum, and advise on how teachers and their use of technology can be supported in the programme. Teachers are given handheld mobile devices such as iPods to use in the classroom with speakers, so that pupils can listen to podcasts and other audio or video materials, and use these in conjunction with their school textbooks.

One teacher involved in the project said: “Earlier, when I used to read from books, I thought students do not understand at some point, they cannot understand further. Now I am using the iPod for the purpose of active listening. The pupils listen from the iPod and get a good grasp of the lesson. They build a comprehensive understanding.”

An innovative feature of the programme is the development of a local support structure with regular groups of teachers coming together in 'cluster meetings' to share experiences and advise each other on how they are using the new materials. This collaboration is crucial to the success of the programme and also helps teachers in more rural areas build their own network of peer support.

In addition to the resources available through the programme, 200 secondary school teachers are studying a customised level 1 OU course – Make Your Teaching Experience Count - which is being delivered through BRAC University in Bangladesh and quality assured by the OU.

Frank Banks, Professor of Teacher Education at The Open University, said: “Widening access to education and using technology to overcome barriers to learning lies at the heart of the OU's mission. English in Action is all about using new technology and resources to realise change at the classroom level. With the innovative materials and training courses based on our research, teachers can enhance their lessons and develop their own professional capabilities. The programme also helps them build professional networks – which gives teachers in rural areas much-valued support from their peers.”

English in Action aims to reach 25 million primary and secondary school children and adult learners. It is a partnership programme, led and managed by BMB Mott MacDonald, with the BBC World Service Trust, the Open University, Underprivileged Children's Educational Programme and Friends in Village Development Bangladesh.

Notes to Editors

About English in Action
English in Action (EIA) has been initiated at the request of the Government of Bangladesh and is funded by a grant from the UK Government. The implementation of the Project is being managed by BMB Mott MacDonald, and supported by a number of partners including the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST); Friends in Village Development Bangladesh, (FIVDB); the Open University (OU); and Underprivileged Children's Educational Project (UCEP).

BMB Mott MacDonald has managed similar projects and programmes in India and Nepal, and beyond South Asia in Indonesia, South Africa, the Sudan and the Yemen. BBC WST is the international development arm of the BBC and works worldwide with BBC Learning English on educational and English learning initiatives. OU UK offers a very substantial resource spread across the teaching of English and teacher education and use of multi-media throughout the world. FIVDB and UCEP bring the enormous success of their schools to enable the piloting of initiatives.

The Open University is the highest ranking Higher Education institution in the 2010 Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For in the Public Sector list, which was published yesterday (Sunday 14 March). Placed in the list at number 7, the OU is ranked higher than any other public sector organisation for the categories 'giving something back' and 'fair deal'. It also ranks third in the 'my company' factor, which measures how staff feel about their employer and work ethos.

Nigel Holt, Director of HR at the OU, said: “We decided to take part in the survey because we see real value in benchmarking ourselves against the best organisations in the UK. The Sunday Times surveyed members of staff at Walton Hall, national and regional centres. I am delighted that our staff participated in this and led to us being nominated for the award. The success of the University is due to our outstanding employees.”

The survey also found that OU employees appreciate the positive impact the University has on society, and don't feel it supports just causes just to generate good publicity – in both of these criteria, the OU had top-ranking scores.

The University is listed on the Best Companies Accreditation website with one star , and is one of just 410 organisations to be awarded accreditation from Best Companies.

Researchers examining language learning in primary schools have found that strong leadership, with commitment to languages learning, is fundamental to securing a firm place for languages in the curriculum. The project, commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), was led by The Open University, in partnership with the University of Southampton and Canterbury Christ Church University, to explore provision, practice and developments over three school years and examine children's achievement in oracy and literacy as well as the possible broader cross-curricular impact of languages learning.

The research found that, of the 40 primary schools in England surveyed, those which moved farthest towards sustainable provision were those that capitalised on a wide range of languages-related opportunities, including local networks and projects; ongoing training; international partnerships; and local and national sources of funding and award schemes. These schools also made good use of any staff members with languages expertise as well as members of the wider school community.

Conducted across three school years from 2006-2009, the study found that:
• Schools have an expectation that funding for ongoing professional development will be maintained and that training to teach languages will receive greater attention in initial teacher education
• Most children were enthusiastic about their learning experience and appreciated the interactive teaching, and the wide variety of game-like activities, which made learning languages fun. Children indicated they were motivated by the language learning process itself as well as by their perceptions of the wider value of languages
• Many children who experienced difficulties in literacy in English and across the curriculum appeared more assured in languages and gained confidence throughout their involvement in structured yet varied oral interaction. Staff believed that this was of considerable value to their self esteem
• Staffing for languages was a key concern for head teachers. A number said that languages expertise was now a criterion when recruiting new staff
• The shortness of lessons and the relatively limited confidence and expertise among some staff appeared to constrain the amount of time spent on reading and writing other languages and the development of intercultural understanding, with implications for timetabling and staff development
• Children's performance in the assessment activities carried out by the research team was variable, but findings indicate that children can achieve levels in listening, speaking and reading in line with national expectations after four years of learning one language (equivalent to Year 6 outcomes in the Key Stage 2 Framework for Languages (DfES, 2005) and/or Asset Languages Breakthrough). Writing remains the most challenging area for these learners; the best performances were found where children had received consistent provision, and where teachers' linguistic skills were strong
• Teachers were concerned that children's prior learning would not be taken into account in secondary school, and that this could have a negative impact on children's motivation and enthusiasm for languages learning.

Carrie Cable, Senior Lecturer in Education at The Open University, said the research showed that learning languages at this level brought many benefits to pupils: “Teachers believe languages are making a substantial contribution to children's development in personal and social learning, cultural understanding, communication skills, literacy skills and attitudes to learning. A number of head teachers also see languages learning as contributing to a school ethos which values diversity and increases tolerance and understanding of other people. Key issues are the need for guarantees of continued funding to support language learning, the integration of languages into the new primary curriculum and the recognition of children's new skills by secondary schools.”

The Government has undertaken to provide all children in Key Stage 2 in primary schools in England with the chance to learn a foreign language as part of the new primary curriculum from 2011.

ENDS
The research team was
- Carrie Cable, Senior Lecturer in Education, The Open University
- Professor Ros Mitchell, University of Southampton
- Dr Patricia Driscoll, Canterbury Christ Church University

About The Open University
• The Open University climbed 23 places to 43rd in the UK's latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2008), securing a place in the UK's top 50 higher education institutions. Results showed that more than 50% of the University's research is internationally excellent (3*), with a significant proportion world-leading (4*).
• The Open University is the UK's largest university and the world leader in distance education, and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2009. It has more than 200,000 students in over 40 countries. Of these, more than 1,100 are postgraduate research students.
• The latest edition of the Open University's Research Highlights brochure can be downloaded from: www.open.ac.uk/research/research-highlights
• Open Research Online (ORO), the University's freely accessible repository of research publications, is available at: http://oro.open.ac.uk. ORO has around 30,000 visitors from 170 different countries each month, and is currently ranked the fifth best higher education repository in the UK by the Registry of Open Access Repositories (ROAR).

Sustainability in fashion is much debated and there is no 'one size fits all' solution. Researchers at the Centre for Fashion Science at London College of Fashion and The Open University are one step closer to defining what it is to be sustainable to help the fashion industry revolutionise the way it designs through a new model of Considerate Design.

Clothes are well travelled commodities with brief lives, never before has fashion been so fast and so disposable, a situation that cannot be sustained. Despite being one of the most complex supply chains in modern manufacturing, fashion has proved itself to be highly responsive to the need for change and has the potential to move quickly towards becoming one of the worlds most ecologically aware and transparent industries – it just needs some help getting there.

The Considerate Design development team is led by Professor Sandy Black, Director of the Centre for Fashion Science at London College of Fashion in collaboration with Dr Claudia Eckert of The Open University, and Dr David Wynn of the Engineering Design Centre, Cambridge University with expert help from fashion and materials researchers at London College of Fashion. Considerate Design makes sustainability accessible to fashion designers, empowering them to make informed decisions as part of their design process. It examines new methods of manufacturing for personalised fashion with long lasting appeal to consumers, aiming to reduce consumption and enhance delight.

It has done this by recognising the power of the designer to influence the end product by developing a tool kit. The Considerate Design approach enables the designer to visualise the potential environmental footprint of their product in relation to factors such as materials, method of manufacturing and disposal using a simple visual tool. Through making better design decisions the designer is able to edit out the 'bad choices' for the consumer before the product even hits the shelves.

One of the strengths of Considerate Design has been the collaboration between subjects groups that rarely work together. By fusing fashion, science and engineering Considerate Design has developed new ways of creating personalised fashion products. Through 'process modelling,' (developed by the Cambridge University Engineering Design Centre) as used in the British aerospace industry, designers of bespoke fashion products can predict the real cost of their design, time and labour.

Dr Claudia Eckert, Senior Lecturer in Design at The Open University said: "By using a design modelling tool, we can ensure that designers are in control of their processes when offering customisation of their designs. Designers are often under pressure to offer designs at a particular price, and because of the time investment customisation requires, they can end up making no profit on commissions. Personalisation needs to be economically viable for both the producer and customers and by applying engineering techniques like design modelling, designers will be able to better assess the risk associated with customisation."

Three case-studies (detailed below) bring the research alive and examine the design processes behind producing a considerate product that puts the individual, the environment and the entire life cycle of the product at the forefront. Each item focuses on reducing waste, using locally sourced and manufactured raw materials (less fashion miles), utilising new technology and bespoke products tailored to the individual which increases the life span of the product and promotes the ethos of buying less but buying better:

• Knit to Fit® (Prof. Sandy Black and Dr. Penelope Watkins) Seamless garment knitting for comfort and personalised fit utilising advanced knitting technology.
• Bespoke Bags (Dr. Frances Geesin and Steven Harkin) Luxury bespoke functional bags using novel materials and ergonomically designed to fit the body.
• Evolving Textiles (Philip Delamore and industry partners Freedom Of Creation, Complex Matters and EOS with Warwick University) Rapid 3D manufacturing for textile like structures which conform to the body.

To see first hand how Considerate Design can revolutionise the fashion industry, please join us for a breakfast briefing on Thursday 25 March 2010 from 9.30am at London College of Fashion.

For further information or to attend the event, please contact Rebecca Munro, Media Relations Manager at London College of Fashion (details right)

Editor's Notes
Considerate Design for Personalised Fashion
The Considerate Design for Personalised Fashion project is part of the Designing for the 21st Century initiative jointly funded by the UK research councils AHRC (Arts and Humanities) and EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences). The Considerate Design development team is led by Prof Sandy Black, director of the Centre for Fashion Science at LCF in collaboration with Dr Claudia Eckert of The Open University, and Dr David Wynn of the Engineering Design Centre, Cambridge University.

Today is World Wetlands Day, and the Natural History Museum’s Species of the day highlights a species whose survival is so closely linked to a specific wetland that changes in its habitat mean it is now extinct in the wild.

It is now possible to work out the colour of dinosaurs and ancient birds as the first evidence of their colour-causing structures is revealed. Dr Paul Barrett, dinosaur and fossil expert at the Natural History Museum, comments on the research.

A press statement from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition office at the Natural History Museum regarding the disqualification of the image, the storybook wolf, the 2009 overall competition winner

The Cretaceous–Tertiary mass extinction, which wiped out the dinosaurs and more than half of species on Earth, was caused by an asteroid colliding with Earth and not massive volcanic activity, according to a comprehensive review of all the available evidence, published today in the journal Science.

A panel of 41 international experts, including UK researchers from Imperial College London, the University of Cambridge, University College London and the Open University reviewed 20 years' worth of research to determine the cause of the Cretaceous–Tertiary (KT) extinction, which happened around 65 million years ago. The extinction wiped out more than half of all species on the planet, including the dinosaurs, bird-like pterosaurs and large marine reptiles, clearing the way for mammals to become the dominant species on Earth.

Today's review of the evidence shows that the extinction was caused by a massive asteroid slamming into Earth at Chicxulub (pronounced chick- shoo-loob) in Mexico. The asteroid, which was around 15 kilometres wide, is believed to have hit Earth with a force one billion times more powerful than the atomic bomb at Hiroshima. It would have blasted material at high velocity into the atmosphere, triggering a chain of events that caused a global winter, wiping out much of life on Earth in a matter of days.

Scientists have previously argued about whether the extinction was caused by the asteroid or by volcanic activity in the Deccan Traps in India, where there were a series of super volcanic eruptions that lasted approximately 1.5 million years. These eruptions spewed 1,100,000 km3 of basalt lava across the Deccan Traps, which would have been enough to fill the Black Sea twice, and were thought to have caused a cooling of the atmosphere and acid rain on a global scale.

In the new study, scientists analysed the work of palaeontologists, geochemists, climate modellers, geophysicists and sedimentologists who have been collecting evidence about the KT extinction over the last 20 years. Geological records show that the event that triggered the extinction destroyed marine and land ecosystems rapidly, according to the researchers, who conclude that the Chicxulub asteroid impact is the only plausible explanation for this.

Despite evidence for relatively active volcanism in Deccan Traps at the time, marine and land ecosystems showed only minor changes within the 500,000 years before the time of the KT extinction. Furthermore, computer models and observational data suggest that the release of gases such as sulphur into the atmosphere after each volcanic eruption in the Deccan Traps would have had a short lived effect on the planet. These would not cause enough damage to create a rapid mass extinction of land and marine species.

Dr Joanna Morgan, co-author of the review from the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London, said: “We now have great confidence that an asteroid was the cause of the KT extinction. This triggered large-scale fires, earthquakes measuring more than 10 on the Richter scale, and continental landslides, which created tsunamis. However, the final nail in the coffin for the dinosaurs happened when blasted material was ejected at high velocity into the atmosphere. This shrouded the planet in darkness and caused a global winter, killing off many species that couldn't adapt to this hellish environment.”

Dr Gareth Collins, another co-author from the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London, added: “The asteroid was about the size of the Isle of Wight and hit Earth 20 times faster than a speeding bullet. The explosion of hot rock and gas would have looked like a huge ball of fire on the horizon, grilling any living creature in the immediate vicinity that couldn't find shelter. Ironically, while this hellish day signalled the end of the 160 million year reign of the dinosaurs, it turned out to be a great day for mammals, who had lived in the shadow of the dinosaurs prior to this event. The KT extinction was a pivotal moment in Earth's history, which ultimately paved the way for humans to become the dominant species on Earth.”

In the review, the panel sifted through past studies to analyse the evidence that linked the asteroid impact and volcanic activity with the KT extinction. One key piece of evidence was the abundance of iridium in geological samples around the world from the time of the extinction. Iridium is very rare in Earth's crust and very common in asteroids. Immediately after the iridium layer, there is a dramatic decline in fossil abundance and species, indicating that the KT extinction followed very soon after the asteroid hit.

Another direct link between the asteroid impact and the extinction is evidence of 'shocked' quartz in geological records. Quartz is shocked when hit very quickly by a massive force and these minerals are only found at nuclear explosion sites and at meteorite impacts sites. The team say that an abundance of shocked quartz in rock layers all around the world at the KT boundary lends further weight to their conclusions that a massive meteorite impact happened at the time of the mass extinction.

The Open University (OU) and UNISON this week (2 March) formally renewed their partnership to increase participation in education among public sector workers.

The OU and UNISON have been working together since 1997, and the signing today of a Memorandum of Understanding by Martin Bean, Vice-Chancellor of the OU, and Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, at the union's headquarters in London recognises the success of the partnership and the continued commitment of both organisations to widen access to education and encourage lifelong learning.

Martin Bean said: “The Open University offers higher education that fits around working peoples' lives. We are really proud of our innovative partnership with the UK's largest public sector union and with 4,500 UNISON members studying with us to date, it's clearly a success. We look forward to continuing this relationship for many years to come.”

Working together, the OU and UNISON negotiate with employers to encourage sponsorship of staff for education and development opportunities, identify workforce trends to inform and update course curriculums, invest in research and development to improve education in the sector and have successfully developed partnerships with local authorities to provide tailored education programmes for staff.

Dave Prentis said: “Dave Prentis, UNISON's General Secretary, said: “Thousands of public sector workers, many without formal qualifications, are already improving their prospects by studying online with The Open University. This is the sort of investment we need to help public sector workers build a better future.

"Everyone is entitled to an education and it is proven that OU courses lead to a boost in performance and morale. We have the opportunity to create a new generation of web-based workers' education opportunities during a time of economic difficulty, when workers need it most. The OU offers a flexible, high quality, value for money alternative for those who do not want, or who are unable to, go to college or university.”

So far over 4,500 UNISON members have studied through the partnership. Benefits to UNISON members include a 10% discount on all OU health and social care courses as well as many others across the OU, access to additional study support and advice on career and progression routes. Information about the partnership and what it offers can be found on the new UNISON/OU website, which has been developed for members to provide information about funding, courses, free learning resources and different ways to learn: www.open.ac.uk/choose/unison

ENDS

Research into the impact of technology on language learning has found that the growing use of English in social networking sites is creating a threat to the learning of other languages, of more formal English and even to learners' first languages. The researchers, from across Europe, also found that the use of gaming holds great promise, but is to date largely unexploited in language learning. The European Commission initiated study investigated the impact of ICT and new media on language learning, across eight European countries.

The study found that the rise of virtual worlds and of massive multiplayer role playing games hold great potential for the use of different languages and learning in this informal environment. The study also recommends further research into the development of Personalised Learning Environments (PLEs), where users generate content, use informal learning models and environments and control their own learning.

The researchers make recommendations to strengthen language teachers' professional development and ICT literacy; to innovate pedagogy through technology; to work on cross-sectoral initiatives; and to strengthen communication in creating awareness of successful initiatives and best practice.

Anne Stevens, Senior Lecturer in Modern Languages at The Open University, was the UK academic lead and says that language teaching practices are not yet fully integrated into technological innovation and change: “Many language teachers are daunted by the speed of technological development and the popularity of new social networking sites, but strengthening knowledge and confidence in this area through training – and integrating ICT into language learning best practice – will bring benefits for both the learner and the teacher.”

Presenting an overview of formal and informal language learning, the research found that, in spite of large geographical differences in the take-up of new technologies for language learning and the attitudes to its use, there are some universal tendencies. Through increased awareness about the benefits of innovative methods and concerted measures on national and regional levels, more people could be involved in language learning and make faster progress with the help of tailor-made technological support.

Notes to Editors
The ownership and the copyright of this study belong to the European Commission.