Category: News
-
Could stem cells pave the way to effective cancer treatment?
Blood is vital for our survival. With approximately 10 pints running through our veins, our blood has three main functions; to transport compounds such as gases and nutrients, to protect against pathogenic invasion and to regulate physiological properties, such as the bodies pH and water balance. Remarkably, our body produces approximately 2 million red blood…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Nature-inspired energy storage developments
Biomimetics, which studies biological systems in order to imitate them and apply them to disciplines like modern medicine and engineering, is a rapidly expanding field which is making leaps and bounds in broadening its sphere and increasing its harnessing potentials. In recent years, a deeper understanding of complex biological systems has given rise to many…
-
A genetic link between inflammation and depression?
Whilst there are many different cell types in our body, each contains the same DNA. In order to perform their particular roles, the cell types react differently to the DNA’s instructions by controlling when and how much each gene is expressed. There are entire subsets of genes whose only function is to regulate the expression…