Tag: news
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This tiny, brazilian frog may have harnessed the power of fluorescence to communicate with other animals
During the rainy season, from mid-October to March, a small, bright yellow frog prowls the floor of the Brazilian Atlantic forest. This is the pumpkin toadlet, and as it wanders, it emits a soft, buzzing mating call. The ritual is heart-felt, but a little wasted. In 2017, scientists discovered that the call vibrates at a…
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Bacteria may be travelling through the air to share DNA
A research group has discovered that bacteria in remote, isolated regions share some stretches of DNA and are suggesting that this is due to bacteria travelling through the air. Human understanding of how bacteria travels across the globe has changed a lot in recent decades. It was originally assumed that bacteria are transported on humans and…
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New hope for targeting ‘Sleeping Sickness’
Sleeping sickness, caused by single celled species Trypanosoma brucei, is a fatal vector-borne parasitic disease. The parasite is found in 36 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, with 60 million people at risk and 30 000 deaths every year. There have been many epidemics throughout the 20th century, with 40 000 reported cases in 1998 and an…
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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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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…
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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…
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McDonald’s gets a makeover
A sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nostril. An albatross killed by ingesting mouthfuls of plastic. A beach covered in plastic rather than sand. While it’s easy to recall these unfortunately iconic images, finding solutions to reduce such waste and pollution is much more difficult. However, one surprising corporation is making great…
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Can whales learn deafness?
If you’re reading this on your computer then you’re probably within reaching distance of them. Go anywhere amongst the public and you’ll notice that a lot of people are wearing them. Headphones and earphones are becoming more and more commonplace throughout our lives. Some particularly sophisticated versions can even suppress environmental noises and enhance the…
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Could human infective ‘Trypanosoma evansi’ escape sub-Saharan Africa?
Between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn can be found a diverse group of infectious diseases, most common in low income populations. These are called neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). One group of NTDs are the trypanosomiases, so called because they are caused by various species of trypanosomes (flagellated parasites). Perhaps the most well-known trypanosome parasite…