With the nearest canal being one mile away and no pond in sight, the garden seems an unlikely place for the feathered-friends to set up their home.

With 17 ducklings counted so far it seems that the new neighbours are thriving in this secluded environment.

“We were amazed to see the mother ducks parading their babies around the garden! They could barely climb up the step but seem to generally be very happy here at Loughborough HQ” said Sue Allen, Marketing Assistant and Chief Duck Monitor “At least they’ll be safe from foxes!”

A Quack-team of duck welfare investigators will be keeping a close eye on the two broods over the coming weeks.  Emergency talks with the local RSPCA are now underway and the team is confident that with the imminent installation of a paddling pool the ducks will have their every need catered for. Fisher Scientific colleagues will work with the RSPCA to ensure that the ducklings and their mothers are escorted to a safe place (with water!) when the time is right.

We will update you with breaking duck-news as it happens.  Perhaps we should install a ‘web’ cam…

After a recent poll found that seven out of ten women suffering from menopausal symptoms are not treated, this will come as a relief to those who are unsure about their treatment options.

The map was released by The Endocrine Society and its Hormone Health Network to help women decide which hormonal and non-hormonal treatment options would be most effective and safe to relieve the symptoms.

Physician experts who specialise in menopause management developed the map which is intended to jumpstart conversations between women and their doctors about the choices available. Many treatment options have come under scrutiny of late, and it is becoming clear that there is no 'one size fits all' approach to treating it.

A considerable amount of research has been conducted over the past ten years looking into how health history, age and the time of menopause occurrence can affect risk impact from treatments. This research has been widely documented, leaving some women unsure about seeking help for their symptoms.

Cynthia Stuenkel, MD, a member of The Endocrine Society and an endocrinologist specialising in menopause at the University of California, San Diego, said: "Left with the false impression that hormone therapy isn't a safe option, far too many women have suffered in silence thinking their options for symptom relief were limited or non-existent."

"We know that for some women, hormonal therapy provides the only relief for severe menopausal symptoms. Women deserve some clear answers and helpful tools to engage their doctors in meaningful conversations about the multiple choices available to improve their menopausal symptoms."

This was reflected in a recent survey which found that 72 per cent of women currently experiencing symptoms have not received any treatment for them.

The high acidity levels in the drinks causes enamel in the teeth to erode, which is an irreversible effect.

These results were based on the acidity levels in 13 sports drinks and nine energy drinks, with the researchers finding that acidity levels can vary between brand and flavour.

Poonam Jain, BDS, MS, MPH, lead author of the study, said: “Young adults consume these drinks assuming that they will improve their sports performance and energy levels and that they are ‘better’ for them than soda.

“Most of these patients are shocked to learn that these drinks are essentially bathing their teeth with acid.”

Energy drinks were found to cause significantly more damage than sports drinks, with the results indicating that energy drinks caused twice as much damage to teeth as sports drinks. In many cases, the impact on enamel was evident after only five days, which emphasises the damaging and rapid impacts they can have on oral health.

LOUGHBOROUGH, Leicestershire, England (26 April, 2012) – Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, completed its first collaborative project with local school children at “Science World,” the largest lab show in the UK, held this past week at Wembley Stadium.

On 19 April, 14 pupils from the Limehurst School Science Club participated in the event and entered the Science Hall of Fame.

The Limehurst pupils, aged 12 -14, were tasked with producing their own product display at the show, and they worked closely with their business mentors at Fisher Scientific to develop creative and business skills. The pupils were not only excited to enter the Science Hall of Fame, but also at the chance to meet “Wonders of the Universe” star and world renowned particle physicist Professor Brian Cox. He paid a surprise visit to the pupils following his keynote speech at the event. Professor Cox congratulated the team on their efforts and spent 15 minutes chatting with them and signing their custom lab coats.

“We couldn’t believe it,” said Patrycja, 13 who was part of Limehurst School’s marketing team for the project. “We’d been watching Professor Cox give his speech about the big bang theory and had to return to our display straight after. Then suddenly he appeared at our stand.  He was really kind and looked really interested in our project.”

“Our collaboration with Limehurst School has been rewarding for everyone involved,” said Emily Quinton, marketing promotions manager at Fisher Scientific and event organiser. “We’re delighted that Brian took the time to congratulate them on all their hard work – they deserve it!”

To find out more about the event and view the highlights of Science World 2012, please visit www.fisher.co.uk/events.

The chemistry professor exclaimed that science is cool again after performing a series of wonderful and weird chemical reactions to audiences at this year's Science World at Wembley. He is currently on a mission to produce educational games designed to engage players in subjects and get them to learn through play.

Dr Hal is becoming quite a regular at Science World, and told reporters that he thoroughly enjoys the event every year. He said after this year's event: "It's been a brilliant day for us. We've been doing the science we really like doing to an appreciative audience of science connoisseurs and had a lot of fun doing it. They had a lot of fun too – we've been doing it for about seven years now and I think it really just adds to the event. There's science, there's commerce – everything's going on."

He also commented on the range of people attending the event, saying that he had met people on the day from all warps of the scientific spectrum. The event is designed for scientists, researchers, doctors to discover new products and network with other people within the industry. But it isn’t all commerce, there is also entertainment and educational events booked each year that give aspiring scientists a chance to get in touch with where the industry is at.

It is becoming an increasingly important event in the calendar, as more and more people start to engage with the sciences. Dr Hal said celebrity speakers such as Dr Brian Cox are helping to bring the sciences into the public realm, making it an interesting and engaging industry to work in.

He said: "There is a resurgence of science – it's cool to be a scientist now, and I think it went through a phase when it wasn't that cool."

The increase in media-related productions covering science topics is primarily responsible for the increase in popularity, according to Mr Prime.

There certainly does seem to be a renaissance (or revolution) in media focus, with the BBC, web and print productions looking to invest more time in covering science-based topics.

There is also an increased interest from groups such as teenagers and young adults, which has been bolstered by American network programmes such as The Big Bang Theory. Topics such as physics, chemistry and biology are becoming more appealing to younger generations as a consequence of this, which is showing throughout the public domain.

Mr Prime said:  "At the moment I think we're on a bit of a high, especially for public interest and consumption. Today we're talking about the scientific community rather than the general public, but I think at the minute they're just as interested in popular science as the lay person."

In terms of the UK, the country's schools and universities are certainly seeing a renewed interest in subjects such as physical sciences, mathematics and chemistry. Mr Prime once again points to the media, saying: "Whether that's related to new interest in science, Brian Cox's shows or things like CSI: New York, people are getting into it, and the idea that there is a career there."

Whether this turns out to be true is yet to be seen. There certainly is evidence of increased numbers at schools and universities, but it is unknown as of yet whether this will translate into an upsurge in science-related career choices.

He added that the government was doing the right things to encourage this renewed interest. He said: "They seem to realise that if we are to get out of the economic mess we are or are not in, you need to rely on a scientific base, and they seem to be doing the right kinds of things to persuade that."

Phil Prime, editor of Laboratory News, was at the event, and explained that the day was very useful for his team in terms of both what they learnt and who they met.

He said that the event provided an ideal platform to meet their readers and also liaise with their advertisers.

Mr Prime said in terms of laboratory show markets, "this is the one I like the most." He continued: "There's an exhibition here, so people can do their shopping, which is important, but Fisher Scientific has got it exactly right by getting big speakers like Brian Cox and Richard Dawkins last year. People come for that too, so I think it's the combination of those two things to get them out of the lab."

This was a particularly arduous part of appealing to laboratory scientists and companies, Mr Prime said. The demanding shift patterns and workloads make it very difficult for scientists to pull themselves away from the lab, which is why added incentives can make a big difference at events such as this.

He added: "This is a trade exhibition – that is a good way to go and will pull people out of the lab. But it seems to me they also like the big names and big celebrities, which really does tend to pull people out of the labs. They also always take care with the venue, which is always good in itself."

Science World took place at Wembley Stadium on Thursday April 19th. Close to 1,000 people descended on the venue for the 21st event of its kind, which hosted over 80 suppliers who took the chance to exhibit their new equipment and technology.

Students from Limehurst High School in Loughborough exhibited their wares at this year’s Fisher Scientific Science World at Wembley Stadium.

Members of Limehurst’s science club spent three months learning about all aspects of the business and marketing laboratory supplies in preparation for the national event.

Several members of Fisher Scientific staff mentored the pupils on various aspects of marketing and communications to create an exhibition stand to rival stands by leading manufacturers. Students created their own brand of disposable laboratory gloves – “Glohurst” – to promote to customers at the exhibition.  

The Glohurst marketing team attracted visitors to their stand through their ‘Mystery box’ game. Visitors to the stand were asked to don a pair of gloves and then reach into a black box full of an unknown substance. If the customer correctly identified the substance, they were given a sweet reward.

Their manner and enthusiasm attracted the attention of Miss Ballooniverse who spent time fashioning glove themed hats for the Glohurst team.  These creations attracted even more visitors to the stand all of whom bravely tested Glohurst gloves in the mystery box including guest speaker Werner Gruber. Professor Gruber discussed the benefits of the gloves with the Glohurst team and posed for photos encouraging them to shout ‘Science Rules’ as the pics were snapped.

Glohurst gloves certainly made their mark on the exhibition and drew the attention of star guest speaker Professor Brian Cox. Professor Cox was impressed to see that Science World was a platform for encouraging young people to interact with the scientific community.

“Hosting school children at Science World is a first for us and they’re work is fantastic. Their presence here has created a real buzz and positive atmosphere. Everyone is talking about them. They are a credit to their teachers and parents. We’re very proud of all their achievements.”  –  Emily Quinton, Marketing Promotions Manager – Fisher Scientific.

Professor Cox took to the stage to talk about the big bang theory, the Higgs-boson particle and, of course, the large hadron collider.

He also took time to talk about science funding, signalling that the UK currently spends more money on defence research and development than on civil research and development, despite the fact that the science industry is "by far the most efficient in the world".

The TV presenter and particle physicist pointed out that the UK science industry is booming in terms of what we produce on the limited methods we have.

A recent report from the Royal Society called The Scientific Century revealed that the science industry in the UK produces almost 15 per cent of the hardest scientific papers in the world, despite the fact that we only have one per cent of the population and three per cent of the funding. Efficiency is certainly something the UK does well when it comes to science.

He added that value for money is also noticeably good. The UK and surrounding countries are blessed with some of the greatest minds in the world when it comes to science, which makes the industry a rather enthralling place to operate in. Mr Cox noted: "Looking at the percentage of GDP delivered by our industry between 1970 and 2006, you can see that today, along with Germany, France and the USA, [it's] at just around 40 per cent. So nearly half of the value added by our country comes from our industries, which I would argue comes from the three per cent global research funding and the one per cent of the population down here."

Dr Cox was speaking at Fisher Scientific's Science World event that was hosted at Wembley Stadium.

After the event, he spoke to reporters about restrictions on university places for pupils who are enthusiastic about science. He said: "The number of skilled children applying to do science at university is now rising.

"The big problem for me is that we can't educate all of the science students who want to come to university, because we're restricted by the amount of money we've got and various regulations about the number of students we can take into university."

Red tape and bureaucracy are holding universities up from allowing more students to study science-orientated subjects, Cox commented. He said they should be allowed to take as "many people as actually want to do science".

The TV star and physicist complimented the efforts of teachers in engaging children with science. In terms of getting children to the university stage with a passion for science, the system may be working. However, this is leading to oversubscription in some areas, which is a shortfall on behalf of the education system, which should ideally be providing places to all those that are enthused about the subject.

This is a point Dr Cox looked to make. He said: "The first thing I'd like to see is universities being freed up to actually be able to take as many people as actually want to do science."

Dr Cox was touted as the main event at the Fisher Scientific day, where a large number of people crammed in to the lecture hall to hear him speak. He discussed the big bang theory, the Higgs-boson particle and the large hadron collider, as well as the efficiency of the UK science industry and the lack of funding it is being given.