A hundred or so of the many world-changing discoveries, innovations and research projects that have come out of UK universities over the last fifty years are highlighted in a new publication out today (Wednesday, 5 July).
Three academics from the University of Aberdeen are featured in Eureka UK - Professor John Mallard, Professor Hans Kosterlitz and John Hughes.
The publication is being launched this evening at the Exploration of Space Room at the Science Museum, London and Lord Sainsbury will say a few words at the launch.
The project began back in 2002 when Universities UK contacted all universities for submissions to the publication. A steering group of five vice chancellors (Cambridge, Kingston, Heriot-Watt, Lampeter and Leeds) short-listed the submissions, checked the balance in the sectors, resulting in the publication produced.
During the 1980s Professor John Mallard took MRI (Magnetic Resonance Scanning) a step forward when he discovered a technique, known as spin-warp imaging, that could produce three dimensional images unaffected by the movement of patients. MRI allows doctors to monitor the beating of the heart, the flow of blood through the body and even brain activity without touching the body at all.
Approximately 15,000 MRI scanners are now used in hospitals around the world, replacing the need for riskier surgical and x-ray procedures. The machines are standard kit for doctors detecting neurological diseases such as stroke, cancer, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.
In 1975 Hans Kosterlitz and John Hughes were the first to show that endorphins are produced naturally by the body.
Endorphins are the reason why people yearn for sex, laughter, touch and exercise. All these things trigger 'highs' within the body by activating naturally occurring chemicals in the brain. The discovery has made possible the development of non-addicative yet powerful painkillers, transforming the lives of many thousands of people.
It has also revolutionised our understanding of how and why psychoactive drugs affect the brain and provided an insight into why some people become addicted to drugs.