Author: News
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Artificial intelligence tackling coronavirus
An outbreak of the latest coronavirus strain to cause acute respiratory disease, COVID-19, has shown artificial intelligence (AI) to be a useful tool in multiple areas of the response effort. In 2003 the world saw a life-threatening epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV) and in 2012 middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV), which continues to…
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Secrets of the salamander: Genes identified in limb regeneration
Researchers at Yale University have used an adapted method of haploid genetic screening, which involves creating transplantable grafts from mutated tissue containing only half of the genome, to reveal critical genes involved in limb regeneration in axolotls. Published in the journal eLife, this study highlights that by adapting established methods of genetic screening, researchers can…
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A good deal gone bad: how evolving more intricate brains made us vulnerable to autism spectrum disorders
What if the evolutionary changes which made us human also laid the foundation for some of the most complex disorders which affect us? Arguably, the most important feature of our species is our brain, an organ which enables us to do everything from walking and breathing to solving complex equations and reflecting on the meaning…
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Should we tax plastic?
Governments across the globe have started to consider the introduction of plastic taxes, with a largely negative reception. In Italy, plans to introduce a plastic tax of €1 per kilo of plastic produced, have faced such intense backlash from plastic manufacturers that the government brushed them under the table. Is the introduction of a plastic…
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Domestication Syndrome: how to make your own pets and keep yourself young with one weird trick
On a farm in Siberia, a six-decade-long experiment is still ongoing: selectively breeding foxes to try and replicate the process of domestication. It began in 1959 with 130 ordinary silver foxes (a variant of the familiar red fox). The farm is now populated by foxes that wag their tails, love to be petted, and lick…
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‘Australia is on fire.’ Updates for a devastated country
‘Australia is on fire.’ This has been the headline on most news outlets and across social media for the past few weeks now. But Australia has annual bushfires. What makes this one so different? Firstly, the fires that have been spreading across the country have been on a level that is unprecedented. Across the country,…
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Wound-healing sticky tape for surgeries inspired by spiders
Who would have thought that our eight-legged friends could inspire the design of a double-sided tape to seal body tissue together after surgery? Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) designed a double-sided tape to glue body tissue together post-surgery, inspired by the natural “glue” that spiders secrete to catch their prey in the…
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New evidence suggests climate change is affecting animal behavior
Weather and climate have a significant influence on life on Earth. Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at a specific time and place. It is described by several elements such as temperature, precipitation, wind, and clouds. Climate refers to the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area. When we talk about climate change,…
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New funding to fight antibiotic resistance
Since the 1940s, we have been abusing antibiotics, using them to treat any infection under the sun. In the short term, this worked. Our sore throats went away, our infections subsided, and we went on with our daily lives. The rash use of antibiotics to treat everything, however, has a long-term effect, one that is…
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The gendered dimensions of autism
Gender has been at the forefront of discussion in recent years. Amongst all the talk about social issues, is there a place for science? Can you be disadvantaged –or indeed advantaged –by your sex when it comes to disorders and disease? Sexual dimorphism is the physiological and behavioural difference between sexes. It arises through natural…