Category: News
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Shrimp with cocaine: Surprising pollution in Suffolk waterways
Illicit drugs in their powdered form can end up in all sorts of strange places. For one, we have all heard that banknotes contain traces of cocaine, which was one reason the UK introduced plastic bank notes in 2016. However, according to a recent study from King’s College London in collaboration with the University of…
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Poverty can leave a mark on our DNA
A team at Northwestern University, Illinois, USA, have announced that experience of poverty can leave a mark on a person’s DNA, specifically in the epigenetics of their genome. Poverty, discussed here as a low socioeconomic status (SES), has long been associated with poor health and reduced life expectancy. This has been used in practice, with…
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A revolutionary discovery has shaken up our most basic assumptions about how viruses replicate.
There are some theories in biology which are widely accepted as truth. The refinement of our genomes through natural selection, for example, or the “central dogma” which dictates the multi-step processing of DNA instructions to functional protein. An example from virology is the basic understanding of how a virus – simply a selection of genes…
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How old is HIV? The United Kingdom and HIV/AIDS research
The discovery of a viral cause for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in 1983 by Françoise Barré-Sinoussi at the Pasteur Institute in Paris marked a major achievement in scientific and LGBTQ+ history. In May 1986, the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses gave it its current name: human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV/AIDS ravaged the gay community…
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Fluorescent urine that detects organ transplant compatibility
Often, an organ transplantation is the only life-saving treatment for organ failure. The process of transplantation requires matching the organs of the donor with the requirements of the recipients. It is only after medical compatibility is established, that the organ procurement from a living or a deceased donor can occur. In what seems like an…
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How fungus kills
A group led by Professor Oliver Werz at the Friedrich Schiller University, Jena have identified the pathway responsible for the incredible pathogenicity of the Aspergillus fumigatus fungus. By blocking the production of chemical messengers, the fungus prevents the immune response of the mould. The NHS characterises aspergillosis as a lung condition caused by the inhalation…
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What is that caramel flavoured e-cigarette doing to your lungs?
When Ernst and Young, one of the largest accounting firms in the world, conducted a global survey as to why people chose to use e-cigarettes, the most common reason was that ‘vapes were less harmful than regular cigarettes’. However, research conducted by Quan Lu and Joseph Allen, researchers at Harvard University, has revealed that the…
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Can cannabis curb the challenges of autism?
Cannabis has long been a contentious substance in many societies. Holding a class B classification in the United Kingdom (UK) under the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act, possession of cannabis can result in a prison sentence of up to five years or a hefty fine. However, in late 2018, the UK relaxed its regulations about…
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Do we need to menstruate?
Contraception is not a new idea. As far back as Ancient Egyptian times, spermicidal concoctions were mixed by women with the intention to prevent pregnancy. Both the Bible and Koran refer to coitus interruptus, the rhythm method, by which a woman tracks her menstrual cycle to avoid having sex during ovulation. The 1800s saw the…
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Skin wars: Body painting fights insects and disease
In indigenous communities, body painting frequently features in important cultural ceremonies and rituals, often projects status, and serves as a symbolic, protective layer. However, scientists from Lund University in Sweden and Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary are investigating how the symbolic protection offered by body paint may, in fact, be literal. The tradition of body-painting…