Author: News
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TEDxWomen: Showing Up – Review
On Saturday December 1st, TEDxUniversity of Edinburgh hosted their first event of the semester, a series of talks entitled “TEDxWomen: Showing Up,” in a nod to the annual TED Women’s conference, which was held two weeks ago in Palm Springs, California. The talks were divided into three themes: education and music, science, and activism, with…
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Eye-catching results help explain how we develop vision
Without a doubt, one of the most fascinating and complex organs of the human body is the eye, second only to the brain. A very crucial component of eye function is the retina, the innermost, light-sensitive layer. It contains cells that trigger nerve activation from the optic nerve to the brain, where a visual image…
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New weapons in the fight against the ivory trade
Ivory trading has been illegal since 1989, but 40,000 elephants die each year because of this multibillion dollar industry. Could science end the ivory trade? With a recently published paper, Samuel Wasser and his team bring us one step closer. Ivory smuggling works in a pyramid-shaped hierarchy. At the base are poachers, who hunt elephants…
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Zombie cells and the diseases of aging
So called ‘zombie cells ’are cells that have lost the ability to divide, with the cell cycle going into arrest permanently, yet remain alive. Also termed senescent cells, they were discovered in 1961 when Leonard Hayflick showed that normal human fetal cells will only divide between 40 and 60 times, before they become senescent (unable…
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Can algorithms develop prejudice?
Prejudice is generally considered to be one of humanity’s fundamental defects. Our negative and unsubstantiated judgment of another person or group coupled with favouritism towards our own group must take responsibility for the inconceivable violence, misery and under-development that litters human history. Worryingly, however, research conducted at Cardiff University and MIT has shown prejudice may…
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HIV and CVD: one step forward, two steps back?
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that damages the cells of the immune system, which weakens the body’s ability to fight off everyday infections and diseases. Global figures estimate that more than 35 million people are currently living with HIV. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is the term used to describe the most advanced…
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Advances in malaria vaccine development
Each year approximately 500,000 people die from malaria. Most are children. In fact, by the time you have finished reading this article, around three more people will have succumbed to this disease. On top of the cost measured in human life, there is also an economic cost, with some nations spending 1% of their GDP…
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Eating fat will make you fat – or will it?
“Eating fat will make you fat!”, seems obvious doesn’t it? This dietary mantra is deeply and securely enshrined in our 21st century minds, and it seems so self-explanatory that it would be pointless to challenge it. Current dietary guidelines recommend basing each meal around complex carbohydrates such as potatoes, bread and pasta whilst limiting intake…
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Edinburgh International Science Festival 2018 / Factfulness: Why We’re Wrong About the World And Why Things Are Better Than You Think
Wars, climate change, overpopulation, scarce resources – the world is doomed, isn’t it? The late Hans Rosling, professor of International Health at the Karolinska Institute, dedicated a big part of his life to showing us that this isn’t necessarily the case. If anything, many things are getting better. Yes, there is a lot of uncertainty…
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The verdict on anti-depressants: do they really work?
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most predominant mood disorder worldwide. Depression places a huge burden on the individuals affected and on society as a whole. Evidence suggests that more and more of us are seeking treatment for depression, with the NHS reporting that antidepressant prescriptions reached an all time high in 2017. Drugs with…