news

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 22.02
Malaria immunity in the spotlight
Mothers who are treated for malaria may pass on lower levels of natural immunity to their young, animal studies show. University scientists investigated the impact of anti-malarial drugs on the levels of antibodies passed from female mice to their offspring.

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.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 20.02
Proving Turing’s tiger stripe theory
Researchers from King's College London have provided the first experimental evidence confirming a great British mathematician's theory of how biological patterns such as tiger stripes or leopard spots are formed.

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.

Environmental Sciences - Life Sciences - 15.02
The crystal ball of conservation
An innovative horizon-scanning exercise, which has just delivered its latest report, highlights emerging topics of relevance to the world's natural environment and the diversity of its species. We can't hope to spot all potential issues.

Environmental Sciences - Life Sciences - 10.02
A lost world? How zooarchaeology can inform biodiversity conservation
A new study of tropical forests will provide a 50,000-year perspective on how animal biodiversity has changed, explored through an archaeological investigation of animal bones. The study of ancient animal bones can provide a remarkably long-range perspective.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 9.02
Cell find aids quest for cancer drugs
Fresh insights into how our cells multiply could help scientists develop drugs to treat cancer. Researchers at the University have led a study that enables better understanding of the workings of two key proteins that control cell division.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 8.02
Preventing bacteria from falling in with the wrong crowd could help stop gum disease
Stripping some mouth bacteria of their access key to gangs of other pathogenic oral bacteria could help prevent gum disease and tooth loss. The study by academics at the University of Bristol's School of Oral and Dental Sciences and published in the journal Microbiology , suggests that this bacterial access key could be a drug target for people who are at high risk of developing gum disease.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 6.02
Zinc linked to breast cancer
The body's control mechanisms for delivering zinc to cells could be key to improving treatment for some types of aggressive breast cancer. New research by Cardiff scientists with colleagues at King's College London has identified the switch which releases zinc into cells, with important implications for a number of diseases.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 3.02
’Goldilocks’ gene could determine best treatment for TB patients
Tuberculosis patients may receive treatments in the future according to what version they have of a single 'Goldilocks' gene, says an international research team from Oxford University, King's College London, Vietnam and the USA.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 3.02
’Goldilocks’ gene could influence TB treatment
Tuberculosis patients may receive treatments in the future according to what version they have of a single ‘Goldilocks' gene, says an international research team from King's College London, Oxford University, Vietnam and the USA.

Life Sciences - Administration/Government - 2.02
Research into possible Woodchester wild cat finds no cat DNA on deer
University of Warwick and National Trust : Research into possible Woodchester wild cat finds no cat DNA on deer Extensive DNA tests by experts at the University of Warwick on two deer carcasses found in Gloucestershire have not found any indication of a big cat presence.

Life Sciences - Earth Sciences - 1.02
Mouse to elephant? Just wait 24 million generations
Scientists have for the first time measured how fast large-scale evolution can occur in mammals, showing it takes 24 million generations for a mouse-sized animal to evolve to the size of an elephant. Research published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS) describes increases and decreases in mammal body size following the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

Life Sciences - History/Philosophy - 1.02
Half of species found by 'great plant hunters'
More than 50% of the world's plant species have been discovered by 2% of plant collectors, scientists have found. With an estimated 15-30% of the world's flowering plants yet to be discovered, finding and recording new plant species is vital to our understanding of global biodiversity.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 30.01
Bacteria evaded childhood vaccine
Bacteria which can cause pneumonia and meningitis in children swapped DNA to evade a vaccine targeted against them, a new study has found. The researchers from the University of Oxford and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) used the latest DNA sequencing techniques to investigate how pneumococcus bacteria evolved after the introduction of a childhood vaccine in 2000 in the USA.