In the news

Rainforests may not be disappearing as quickly as assumed, according to one of the world's leading experts on tropical deforestation, Dr Alan Grainger (School of Geography), whose research caught the attention of the Guardian , the BBC , and media in Brazil , the Philippines and Finland . After spending more than three years scrutinising United Nations data on tropical forests, he found serious errors and inconsistencies. Dr Grainger does not claim that deforestation is not occurring, but that available data cannot be used to accurately track the long term global trend.

For the first time in 36 years, photos of some of the world's greatest rock bands performing at the University of Leeds are displayed in a permanent exhibition inside the Refectory, reported the Daily Mirror . Featured bands include Led Zeppelin, The Who, the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd, who were all photographed by Leeds student John Rettie.

Wearing boots fitted with waterproof, breathable liners makes no appreciable difference to your comfort, according to a new study by Dr Mark Taylor from the performance clothing research group ( School of Design ). Geographical Magazine said he found that over a 12-hour period, there was no difference in moisture-transmission levels between boots fitted with a Gore-Tex liner and those without.

A research team led by Professor Martin Conway and Dr Chris Moulin ( Institute of Psychological Sciences ) have teamed up with Microsoft on technology that can unlock feelings and memories for Alzheimer's sufferers, reported the Daily Mail . They have created a camera device worn around the neck that takes photos of their daily life every 30 seconds, and can improve patients' natural memory recall by around 80 per cent.

Viruses ‘smuggled' into the body inside white blood cells have the potential to wipe out cancer. A technique pioneered by Professor Alan Melcher (Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine) has been shown to eradicate cancer in mice, using a virus normally found in horses and cattle. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph , Dr Melcher said: “Whether the technique will work in humans remains to be seen. This approach is exciting though because it's completely different from radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatments.”

A riddle that has teased classical music lovers for more than 100 years may have been solved by Dr Clive McClelland ( School of Music ). Dr McClelland thinks he has identified the ‘hidden theme tune' that inspired Edward Elgar's Opus 36: Variations for Orchestra . “It was a genuine eureka moment,” he told the Guardian . The tune may be the 19 th century hymn Now the Day is Over , written by the Rev Sabine Baring-Gould.

Professor Juliet Lodge ( Institute of Communications Studies ) spoke to the Yorkshire Post about how safe our personal data is in the hands of the government. “Governments create data banks and exchange information about us among civil service departments,” she said. “While mistakes do happen, there is no excuse for the private and public sectors failing to insist on the highest possible levels of security for the protection of our information.”

Up to a third of patients suffering from MRSA infections could be treated at home with antibiotics to prevent the bug spreading in hospitals, according to a new study featured in The Times . Professor of medical microbiology Mark Wilcox (Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology), said: “People with MRSA infections are not a danger to healthy people, and treating them at home offers multiple benefits in terms of infection, control, and reducing NHS costs and resource use.”

One in 50 businesses will be insolvent within two years, according to a new study by Professor Nick Wilson ( Leeds University Business School ). He told the Financial Times : “The relatively high levels of indebtedness in the corporate sector coupled with recent interest rate increases and a decline in business confidence suggest that corporate insolvencies are set to increase by more than 20 per cent in the next two years.”

The number of completed apartments in Leeds city centre has rocketed from 1,800 to around 6,500 over the past four years. Dr Rachael Unsworth ( School of Geography ), author of the 2007 ‘City Living' report, told the Yorkshire Evening Post : “ Leeds is definitely in danger of going too far. It is time to consider the scale of some schemes and the pace at which they are developed, and some of the less well positioned schemes should be re-thought altogether.”

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post about the possibility of an economic recession, senior lecturer in politics Hugo Radice (School of Politics and International Studies) said: “The most likely outcome in 2008 is certainly a slowdown, or even an actual fall in output and employment, but with the central banks increasingly co-operating closely to cut interest rates, there is no reason to panic”.

New technology to combat bicycle theft has been developed by Leeds PhD engineering student Dima Damen, reported ScienceDaily . She has created a computer system that recognises individuals parking their bicycles so that if a different person tries to collect it later, security staff are warned. Miss Damen told the Yorkshire Post : “Cameras are installed in many locations but sometimes three people are checking 25 cameras, which makes them very ineffective.”

Professor of transport safety Oliver Carsten, from the Institute for Transport Studies, featured in the BBC1 programme Road Rage , which investigated how the various ‘tribes' of road users (school run parents, commuters, HGVs, cyclists and pedestrians) are fighting a battle over Britain's roads.