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Boost to the quest to discover why our universe is made of matter rather than antimatter
The latest findings to come from the Large Hadron Collider experiment in Switzerland show another step forward in understanding antimatter. Antimatter is the cousin of matter – every particle that we know about has an antimatter equivalent. Antimatter particles are identical in mass to their matter cousins, but with opposite electric charge. But these relatives do not co-exist happily – whenever a pair of cousins meet, they destroy each other. So, given that our current theory for the start of the universe states that equal amounts of matter and antimatter were created, how do we have so much more matter than antimatter today? Professor Chris Parkes, a particle physicist at the University of Manchester who works on the LHCb experiment that has made the most recent observations, explains how the findings can only start to answer this question.

Mental health Indonesia
Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous country. In 2011 the government launched a campaign to eliminate the cruel practice of locking down and shackling mental health patients. Doctors say the practice, known locally as 'pasung', and banned in 1979, still exists, especially in rural parts of the country. The ´óÏó´«Ã½ has found that at least one government funded institution still uses the practice. Doctors say Indonesia does not have enough trained psychiatrists or facilities to deal with the rising numbers of people suffering from mental disorders.

E.coli strain created to produce fuel
Scientists at Exeter University in the UK have created a strain of E.coli bacteria that can convert sugar into an oil almost identical to conventional diesel. They’ve published their findings in the journal PNAS. Research leader Dr Thomas Howard tells us what his team have achieved and explains how their work could become a viable alternative to fossil fuel.

Photo Credits: 1.CERN 2&3.Getty Images.