Author: EUSci
-
Exploring asexuality: how research and awareness benefit each other for this minority identity
Today is the start of Ace Week, a global effort for awareness and education about asexuality. This underrepresented identity is still not as widely known, let alone understood, as it should be, in the general public or in scientific circles. Research into asexuality is, therefore, faced with an enormous task, of which we are still…
-
Stem cells in Parkinson’s disease: progress and challenges
Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative motor disorder, caused by the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the brain. Current treatments only alleviate the symptoms of the disease rather than target the root cause, so they are far from adequate. A cure would require repair of the brain itself. Given that the incidence of this age-related…
-
Caffeine reveals role of epigenetics in anti-fungal resistance
Annually, an estimated 1 billion people suffer from critical fungal infections, with 1.6 million deaths. The impact of fungal diseases, however, is much greater. 16% of crops lost globally result from microbial diseases, with up to 80% of these caused by fungi. Additionally, agricultural animals are severely affected, resulting in low yields and early deaths.…
-
Fake science: an infodemic in a pandemic
The pandemic brought the world to a halt, allowing for focus on important issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement and the ever-developing situation surrounding the coronavirus. Locked inside, much of the world’s attention turned to screens for information on how the pandemic was evolving, and in particular, how the science was progressing. Since…
-
How memory science can help us this semester
With teaching taking place almost exclusively online this semester (if not the whole academic year), many of us will have either very sparse or entirely empty timetables. For some courses, all teaching is taking place asynchronously, meaning that students will need to structure and plan their learning independently. Whilst some may enjoy the new-gained freedom…
-
Targeted cancer drugs can distinguish between healthy and diseased cells
Drug treatment for many diseases often balances the need for high enough drug levels to give a therapeutic benefit against the concurrent increase in the risk of side effects. For example, toxic therapies such as chemotherapy drugs need to be administered at high doses to target and destroy highly replicating cells. However, this results in…
-
Sea otter decline accelerating effects of climate change
In a new study published by the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, researchers have found that the loss of key predators may be accelerating the effects of climate change in their habitats. The study focussed on the kelp forests of the Aleutian Archipelago off the western coast of Alaska, which have experienced a sharp decline…
-
Africa has eradicated wild polio
There were massive challenges faced during the campaign to eradicate wild polio. To be truly effective, vaccination efforts had to reach far out and potentially dangerous regions, which led to deaths among front-line workers and volunteers. Patients who were hardest to reach were usually those most vulnerable, mostly displaced by conflict. Misinformation was combatted in…
-
The colours of nature
The colours most commonly associated with nature are shades of blues and greens. Very rarely does red make a vibrant appearance, and researchers at the University of Cambridge may have explained why. A team from the Department of Chemistry used computational modelling to determine that ‘matt structural colour’ – responsible for the most intense colours…
-
Secrets of the water bear
Tardigrades (also known as water bears or moss piglets) are among the most resilient animals on the planet. They are termed “extremotolerant”, as while they are not true extremophiles – organisms, usually unicellular, which are adapted to thrive in extreme conditions – these incredible micro-animals are found in the most intense conditions our planet has…