Media spotlight
with Judith H Moore

Terrorist attack on America
Professor Chris Wise, civil and environmental engineering, commented on the terrorist attacks in America in which the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York were destroyed. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph (13/09/01) about the towers’ structural stability following impact, he said: "The most amazing thing is the buildings stood up at all. Because the buildings did not collapse for at least an hour after impact, there is a fighting chance that maybe half the people got out."

Intelligent computers
Renewed interest in the possibility of artificial intelligence followed the release of the film AI which suggests that robots may one day take over the world. Outlining the key factors required to make computers more human, Professor Igor Aleksander, electrical and electronic engineering, explained: "There are actually five elements which are required, from an engineering point of view, for a machine to be conscious. First is perception... second, it must have imagination... third, it must be able to focus attention on important inputs while being bombarded with data from the world. Fourth, it has to be able to plan. And fifth, it needs emotions." The Independent (11/09/01)

Doctor challenges reliance on prescription drugs
A report which recommends wider prescribing of the drug Ritalin to treat children with behavioural problems, has been challenged by Professor Alexandra Richardson, senior research fellow in neuroscience at Hammersmith. Speaking to the Herald (06/09/01) Professor Richardson advocates use of essential fatty acid supplements, vitamins and minerals to improve behaviour. "There is no question in my mind from the work we have been doing that fatty acid supplementation can be very helpful to some people. Our recent trial supports the evidence that mild abnormalities of fatty acid metabolism can contribute to behavioural and learning problems."

Secret to longevity in gender
Women may live longer than men thanks to their immune system. In a study published in the journal of Clinical and Experimental Immunology (13/09/01) Dr Richard Aspinall and a team from the division of investigative science found that women produce more of the infection-fighting white blood cells, known as T-cells, than men of the same age. Commenting on the research, co-author Dr Jeffery Pido-Lopez, said: "In old age, when old T-cells are functionally less efficient, a higher replacement of old T-cells with new ones would make the female immune system better equipped at fighting infections."