Februrary 23, 2010

The research news Web site Futurity has expanded beyond North America to include science news from leading British universities.

Since launching in September, Futurity has attracted more than 400,000 visitors to stories covering topics in health, culture, the environment, science, engineering, and technology.

The site features the latest discoveries from 46 research universities in the United States and Canada—all of which are members of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a nonprofit organization of leading public and private research universities. Duke University, Stanford University, and the University of Rochester co-lead the project.

Recent posts have profiled findings about poverty and postpartum depression, flexible solar cells, Facebook fans, coral reefs, energy-efficient prosthetics, and nanofibers that might one day be woven into clothes to charge a cell phone.

In January, Futurity’s members agreed to expand membership to the Russell Group, which represents the 20 leading research universities in the U.K.

“Futurity’s expansion in many ways mirrors the close scientific and scholarly relationships that already exist between our North American and British members,” says Michael Schoenfeld, a Futurity cofounder and vice president for public affairs and government relations at Duke University. “The universities of the AAU and Russell Group are known for rigorous standards and excellence. This partnership allows Futurity to aggregate today’s most salient research and to deliver that news to a global audience.”

Since January, seven British universities have joined Futurity:

• The Universities of Cardiff, Leeds, Nottingham, Sheffield, and Warwick
• King’s College London
• University College London

“The Russell Group members have been impressed by the depth and quality of Futurity’s research news—and by the freshness of its approach,” says Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group. “Our universities have some great stories to tell about the discoveries made by their world-class research teams and this is an excellent opportunity to do so. We’re thrilled to join Futurity, and see the site as a very modern vehicle for reaching new audiences, both in the U.K. and abroad.”

Futurity is edited by Jenny Leonard, based at the University of Rochester. “Futurity has found an audience among consumers of news who find less and less about research in the newspapers and television they see every day,” she says. “Those ‘traditional’ consumers are joined by younger readers who prefer to find their news ‘unfiltered’ on the Web. We are trying to serve both groups, and we are delighted with the enthusiasm that our new British partners bring to the effort.”

Most Futurity stories include links to published reports and supplemental materials that allow readers to explore topics in more detail. Visitors can post comments, direct questions to researchers, and sign up for a daily e-mail update. Fans can follow Futurity on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

Futurity plans to release mobile apps for iPhone, Blackberry, and Android this spring.