news 2012

Medicine/Pharmacology - 22.02
Family history is a significant tool in detecting heart disease risk
PA 57/12 A new study by researchers at The University of Nottingham has proved that assessing family medical history is a significant tool in helping GPs spot patients at high risk of heart disease and its widespread use could save lives.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Agronomy/Food Science - 22.02
Exposure to micronutrients prior to pregnancy has been associated with gene modifications in offspring
Scientists find that micronutrients affect methylation, which has been associated with changes in the immune system.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 22.02
Study closes debate on folic acid and heart disease
Taking folic acid supplements is not going to have any meaningful effect on your risk of coronary heart disease. That's the conclusion of a comprehensive study led by Oxford University researchers that pretty much closes the door on this debate once and for all.

History/Philosophy - 21.02
Nottingham academic reveals insight into early prehistoric human occupations
Image courtesy of EFAP (Epipalaeolithic Foragers in Azraq Project) PA 56/12 Some of the earliest evidence of prehistoric architecture has been discovered in the Jordanian desert, providing archaeologists with a new perspective on how humans lived 20,000 years ago.

Life Sciences - 20.02
High definition polarization vision discovered in cuttlefish
Cuttlefish have the most acute polarization vision yet found in any animal, researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered by showing them movies on a modified LCD computer screen to test their eyesight.

Agronomy/Food Science - Medicine/Pharmacology - 20.02
Faulty fat sensor implicated in obesity and liver disease
Imperial College London Media Release Defects in a protein led by researchers at Imperial College London. The findings highlight a promising target for new drugs to treat obesity and metabolic disorders.

Architecture - 18.02
Archaeologists discover Jordan’s earliest buildings
Some of the earliest evidence of prehistoric architecture has been discovered in the Jordanian desert, providing archaeologists with a new perspective on how humans lived 20,000 years ago.

Life Sciences - 17.02
Diagnostics for viruses a step closer to reality
Scientists have developed a technique which could form the basis of a non-invasive diagnostic for Adenovirus - the virus responsible for a large number of common illnesses. The biosensor technology developed by researchers at the University of Leeds can not only detect the presence of the virus, it can also identify the individual strain and the number of virus particles present.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Agronomy/Food Science - 15.02
Owning a dog encourages exercise in pregnant women
A study of more than 11,000 pregnant women in Children of the 90s at the University of Bristol shows that those who owned dogs were approximately 50 per cent more likely than those who didn't to achieve the recommended 30 minutes of exercise a day through high levels of brisk walking.  Scientists suggest that, as walking is a low-risk exercise, walking a dog could form part of a broader strategy to improve the health of pregnant women.

Chemistry - Physics/Astronomy - 15.02
New molecule discovered in fight against allergy
PA 51/12 Scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered a new molecule that could offer the hope of new treatments for people allergic to the house dust mite. The team of immunologists led by Amir Ghaem-Maghami and Professor Farouk Shakib in the University's School of Molecular Medical Sciences have identified the molecule DC-SIGN which appears to play a role in damping down the body's allergic response to the house dust mite.

Life Sciences - Medicine/Pharmacology - 14.02
Critical stage of embryonic development now observable
Not only is this approach uncovering events previously hidden from view, but it has other important potential applications.

Environmental Sciences - 14.02
Productive farms can be 'greener than organic'
Farms that aim for high food production using environmentally-friendly practices could be better for the environment than both organic and conventional farms. A study, led by Oxford University scientists, compared the environmental impact of different farming systems.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Agronomy/Food Science - 13.02
Sri Lanka diabetes warning
Scientists at King's College London and the National Diabetes Centre (Sri Lanka) have found evidence of a high number of risk factors for type 2 diabetes among the young urban population in Sri Lanka.

Physics/Astronomy - Mathematics - 13.02
Rapunzel, Leonardo and the physics of the ponytail
New research provides the first mathematical understanding of the shape of a ponytail and could have implications for the textile industry, computer animation and personal care products.

Chemistry - Life Sciences - 10.02
Experts reveal how plants don’t get sunburn
Experts at the University of Glasgow have discovered how plants survive the harmful rays of the sun. UV-B wavelengths are the most powerful part of the daylight spectrum and are potentially damaging both to humans and plants.