University officials have confirmed an outbreak of mumps in St Andrews in an announcement to students earlier today. Health officials are appealing for anyone who has not been fully immunized or does not know if they have been immunized to seek a vaccine from their GP. Symptoms of mumps include a fever, headache, and swollen glands. Officials say anyone with these symptoms should stay out of class for five days from the onset of swollen glands. Rarer and more severe symptoms can include hearing loss and sterility.

Last week, a woman in Dundee went missing on Thursday at 3am. Mary McLaren, aged 34 went missing shortly after departing from Fat Sam’s nightclub. She was last seen on CCTV walking with a man, who is described to be between the age of 30 and 45, 5ft 7inches tall, with fair hair and a moustache. The appeal to find her has been extended to St Andrews students in the hope that some of them may have been in Fat Sam’s and taken pictures.

At a recent Royal Scientific Discussion Meeting in London on “The detection of extra-terrestrial life and the consequences for science and society” Dr Martin Dominik of the School of Physics and Astronomy said that rapid advances in space exploration have made the discovery of life on other planets a real possibility.