Category: News
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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NASA’s First Nigerien Scientist
Fadij Maina (29) has become the first scientist from Niger, as well as the first African scientist, to work for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Maina earned her PhD in Hydrology in 2016, and joined the US space agency at the end of last month. She will be using mathematical models and data…
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Sex differences in immune responses to COVID-19
There are a broad range of COVID-19 symptoms, which widely differ in severity between patients. Age quickly emerged as the most significant predictor of this. COVID-19 related deaths are extremely uncommon in those under 50, but for those over 75, the odds of surviving COVID-19 decreases dramatically. Sadly, over 10 percent of this age group…
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COVID-19: Unmasking the benefits of face masks
Masks could be more effective than earlier thought, blocking up to 99.9% of COVID-19 laden droplets released by infected patients and carriers, according to a new study by the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh. Containing the spread of COVID-19 has been a tricky task. It is one of the main reasons why COVID-19…
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Scalable artificial photosynthesis device can produce fuel from sunlight, CO2 and water
A new device developed by a team in Cambridge marks a breakthrough in artificial photosynthesis technology, due to its efficiency and scalability. It converts sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and formic acid. Utilising the greatest renewable energy source available to us – the sun – this technology does not require electricity to power…
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Making The Brain: The Role of Mitochondria
Many people have heard the phrase “mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell”, whether as a part of their biology studies at school, or from the various memes on social media. This is said because mitochondria are structures within cells that provide over 90% of the energy needed by the body. These tiny organelles are…