Biosciences
POSTS FROM 2026
The Microbial Invention of Electricity
Leonid Digel discusses the one source of energy that is shared by all living things.
Monday, 12 January 2026
POSTS FROM 2025
Resetting Your Brain: How Sleep Helps You Forget The Noise
Rebekah Bourne explores how sleep prevents cognitive overload by selectively weakening synapses.
Wednesday, 10 December 2025
POSTS FROM 2024
Is Friendship Uniquely Human?
Do animals have friends? Ailie McWhinnie discusses theories for the unlikely emergence of cooperation in animals and whether this extends to friendship.
Sunday, 6 October 2024
How Human Connections Have Shaped Our Evolution
Rachel Duke explores how our connections with one another have formed the human evolutionary trajectory, discussing examples such as lactose tolerance and language in early hominids, to question the future of human evolution.
Wednesday, 4 September 2024
Mental Maps
In her exploration of connectomics, Rachel McKeown reflects on the rapidly advancing field dedicated to mapping intricate physical connections of neurones in diverse networks, and what this holds for the future.
Thursday, 25 July 2024
The Evolutionary Roots of Metabolic Regulation in the Immune System: Tracing the Path from Primordial Mechanisms to Modern Complexity
Swetha Kannan discusses the interaction between immune and metabolic processes from an evolutionary perspective.
Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Unlocking the Gut-Brain Connection: The Invincible Army Modulating Brain Activity
Goitseone Thamae shines light on the invincible army modulating brain activity
Thursday, 9 May 2024
Keeping Mental Score: This is Your Brain on Music
Yuthika Pillai outlines how the brain responds to music and why this is so essential to our lives
Wednesday, 24 April 2024
The Magic in Mushrooms: A Quick Dose of The History of Psychedelics
Isabella Bentham-Clark explores psychedelically altered states of perception and cognition.
Thursday, 21 March 2024
Review: How Emotions are Made by Lisa Feldman Barrett
Rachel Mckeown reviews the book "How Emotions are Made" by Lisa Feldman Barrett
Tuesday, 20 February 2024
Diabolically Ironclad
Tasmin Wood explains what makes the diabolical ironclad beetle so tough
Monday, 15 January 2024
POSTS FROM 2023
Genome Sequencing: its Promises, its Impact
Merissa Hickman and Rachel Duke discuss the societal implications of advancements in genomic medicine
Wednesday, 20 December 2023
GM brought us Golden Rice, but is it a Golden Solution?
Hayoung Choi explores whether GM crops are a solution to the food crisis
Monday, 18 December 2023
Why Plant-Based Just Makes Sense
William Smith presents the environmental benefits of a plant-based diet
Thursday, 14 December 2023
New Realities
Ailie McWhinnie explores the ways our brains build our unique experiences of reality
Thursday, 2 November 2023
Coughs and Sneezes or Attention Seekers?
Libby Brown discusses how captive gorillas may be using complex vocal learning
Monday, 9 October 2023
Bioreceptive Architecture
Bartek Witek explores how architects are designing building materials that combine plants and concrete
Monday, 7 August 2023
Moon Plants
Barbara Neto-Bradley describes how scientists have managed to grow seedlings in moon dirt
Wednesday, 26 July 2023
The Green Revolution – How a Jellyfish Transformed Cell Biology
Andrew Smith explores the origins of GFP and how it became the versatile tool that we know today
Thursday, 8 June 2023
In Search of the Missing Jawbone – Solving an Evolutionary Riddle
Hayoung Choi explores various approaches to solving the long-studied evolutionary riddle on the mysterious structures that were repurposed to build the middle ear
Monday, 5 June 2023
Review: Prehistoric Planet (BBC, Apple TV)
Adiyant Lamba reviews the BBC paleobiology series featuring photorealistic CGI dinosaurs and narration by David Attenborough
Thursday, 1 June 2023
POSTS FROM 2022
A Less Glamorous 'Circle of Life'
Philip Myers describes parasites and fungi that hijack animals' brains
Tuesday, 4 October 2022
The Mystery of Stabilimenta
Laura Chilver describes an unusual feature of spider webs
Thursday, 29 September 2022
Genes, Carpets, and Mediaeval Manuscripts
Bartek Witek discusses the broad applications of phylogenetic techniques
Saturday, 24 September 2022
A Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Artist: the Diary and Drawings of Santiago Ramón y Cajal
Livia E. Lisi-Vega reveals how Ramón y Cajal's artistic inclination fueled with Nobel-winning work
Tuesday, 6 September 2022
Q&A with Stephen Braren
Maria Bolevich interviews a fellow researcher about his personal journey in scientific discovery
Thursday, 25 August 2022
Conservation: Subjective, but Still Science
Kate Howlett illustrates how applied science is firmly rooted in its social context
Thursday, 18 August 2022
Weird and Wonderful - The Large Blue(Sci) Butterfly
Matt Hayes writes about Phengaris arion
Thursday, 14 July 2022
Tiny Owls and Tiny Snakes: Strangest of Bedfellows?
Alexandra Howard explores the relationship between the eastern screech owls and blind snakes of central Texas
Thursday, 30 June 2022
The Dating Game: What Role Does the Major Histocompatibility Complex Play In Sexual Compatibility?
How do we choose our perfect partner? Clodagh Bottomley suggests our DNA has a greater role to play than we might think
Thursday, 9 June 2022
Hedging Your Bets: Is Single Cell Variability Functionally Important?
Roberta Cacioppo delves into the surprising variation between cells and what this might mean at the population level
Thursday, 5 May 2022
Something To Declare: Australia’s Cane Toad Problem
Monica Killen uses the example of cane toads to explore complexities around introduced species and the importance of research into their impact
Thursday, 28 April 2022
Same But Different: A Short History of the Human Genome
Bartek Witek discusses our surprising lack of genetic diversity and its clinical consequences
Thursday, 14 April 2022
Wilding – Isabella Tree
A review of the rewilding of Britain, as explored in Isabella Tree's Wilding
Thursday, 24 March 2022
Weird and Wonderful: Is ASMR Real?
Denise Tran explores the research behind ASMR.
Thursday, 17 February 2022
It’s Getting Hot in Here, so Override Your Chromosomes
Sarah Lindsay explains the mechanism behind temperature-dependant sex determination
Thursday, 10 February 2022
POSTS FROM 2021
What Have We Learnt by Searching for "Gay Genes"?
Chay Graham argues that research into the DNA ancestry of gay sex is really a study of the relationship between LGBT+people, STEM and profit.
Thursday, 2 December 2021
How To Avoid Being Seen: Learning From the Octopus
Sona Popat explains how scientists are uncovering the secrets of camouflage
Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Weird and Wonderful: Is Seeing Truly Believing?
Mirlinda Ademi talks about visual illusions
Tuesday, 31 August 2021
Cutting Edge: CRISPR/Cas9’s Molecular Scissors
Hazel Walker explores the Nobel Prize-winning innovation of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing
Thursday, 15 April 2021
Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Vanquisher Or Accomplice Of Osteoarthritis?
Minji Ai discusses osteoarthritis, mesenchymal stem cells, and and how our mechanistic understanding of them both is bringing us closer to a therapy currently just out of reach.
Thursday, 8 April 2021
Breaking Symmetry: The First Steps from Cell to Being
Adiyant Lamba describes how cell polarity breaks the symmetry of the embryo to lay down a template for subsequent development
Thursday, 18 February 2021
A Spoonful of Jelly Makes the RNA Go Down
Benedetta Spadaro explains how bees learn their fate
Tuesday, 2 February 2021
A Watery Twist to the Dinosaur Tale
Adiyant Lamba dives into the newly found past-times of our favourite prehistoric creatures
Tuesday, 26 January 2021
POSTS FROM 2020
Weird and Wonderful: Let’s Talk Baby Talk
Jonathan Lam explains the importance of baby talk
Tuesday, 8 September 2020
Weird and Wonderful: Genealogy Through Genitals
Billy Morris talks about how genital morphology can be used to distinguish cryptic species
Thursday, 6 August 2020
Why there are no ant traffic jams?
Serene Dhawan on the recent research into ant migration by Toulouse University and the University of Adelaide
Friday, 12 June 2020
Fake It 'Til You Make It
Ruby Coates looks at the rise of meat and dairy alternatives
Monday, 8 June 2020
Flying - a Story of Success
Felicitas Pamatat looks into the emergence of flying species
Sunday, 31 May 2020
Aphenotypical: the House Mouse’s Dark Secret
Anna Tran takes a close look at Marion Island, where the mice have developed a taste for albatross meat
Monday, 18 May 2020
A Case for Plant Intelligence
Ivan L. Simpson-Kent argues against the stereotypical definition of intelligence, illustrating this case with the wondrous abilities of plants
Tuesday, 28 April 2020
A Look at the Modern Interactions between Humans and Crops
Eleanor McCartney highlights the importance of agrobiodiversity in our changing world.
Thursday, 12 March 2020
Aphenotypical: Moulding the Future
Aphenotypical: an exploration of inhuman "intelligence"
Thursday, 13 February 2020
POSTS FROM 2019
I need my sleep
Insights from flies challenge traditional notions, reports Matthew Brady
Sunday, 21 July 2019
Let's Talk About Soil
Kasparas Vasiliauskas looks under our feet at some of the Earth's most overlooked material.
Thursday, 9 May 2019
Walking in the footsteps of robotic fossils
Robot of ancient fossil enables scientists to model gait
Monday, 6 May 2019
POSTS FROM 2018
Pharmaceutical Companies Unite to Advance Nucleotide-Based Medicines
Scientists work together to create more effective medicines
Wednesday, 24 October 2018
Stick Spiders from Different Hawaiian Islands Evolve in Parallel
Esther Pilla reports on a discovery in evolution
Thursday, 30 August 2018
A Day In The Life: A Scientist With Wings
Laura Nunez-Mulder interviews Prof. Nicky Clayton
Tuesday, 27 February 2018
Pterodactyls lived like seagulls
Jack McMinn investigates pterosaur parenting
Sunday, 11 February 2018
Lady of the Diptera
Matthew Brady talks to Dr Erica McAlister about her work exploring the world for some of science’s smallest animals
Sunday, 11 February 2018
Judged by your Genes
Katherine Dudman introduces genetic discrimination, the sly cousin of racism and sexism
Sunday, 11 February 2018
Weird and Wonderful: Giving a Fig about Wasps
While many plants entice pollinators with nectar, fig trees do so with the promise of safety and food for the...
Sunday, 11 February 2018
Why care about the Polar Bear?
Rachael Beasley reveals how there is more to polar bears than meets the eye
Sunday, 11 February 2018
Read, learn, and inwardly digest
Joy Thompson studies the links between the lavatory and the literary
Sunday, 11 February 2018
Can Birds Read Minds?
Rachel Crosby puts herself inside the mind of the Eurasian Jay
Sunday, 11 February 2018
POSTS FROM 2017
The Inexpert Ape
Laura Van Holstein explains why none of us is a specialist, and why this makes us so successful.
Friday, 7 July 2017
Planting Ideas: an Interview with Professor Beverly Glover
Ramya Gurunathan and Caitlin Walker talk to Professor Beverly Glover about communication, collaboration, and botanical research.
Tuesday, 4 July 2017
Understanding the Irrational
Laura Nunez-Mulder discusses psychiatry's future with Professor Paul Fletcher
Tuesday, 4 July 2017
Food for Thought: Fake News and the Diet Industry
Zi Ran Shen talks fad diets and pseudoscience with Cambridge's Dr Giles Yeo.
Tuesday, 4 July 2017
Our Neanderthal Ancestry
Alba Landra uncovers the ancient ancestry that underlies modern human evolution.
Tuesday, 21 March 2017
Driving Away Mosquitos
Zohaib Arain explains the potential for new genetic tools to tackle deadly diseases.
Tuesday, 21 March 2017
The World Is What We Eat
Jacob Ashton tackles one of the biggest challenges facing mankind.
Tuesday, 21 March 2017
FOCUS: AI and the power of the neuron
Alex Bates looks at how neurobiology has inspired the rise of artificial intelligence
Monday, 13 March 2017
How our experiences affect our children
Jiali Gao looks at what toad sex, a suicide and starvation have taught genetics
Sunday, 5 March 2017
Travel and Conservation – Steppes Beyond
Travel and Conservation – Steppes Beyond
Sunday, 29 January 2017
Review: Before the Wilderness
Edited by Thomas Blackburn & Kat Anderson. Published by Malki Press-Ballena Press (1993)
Friday, 27 January 2017
POSTS FROM 2016
A “Periodic Table” of Protein Complexes
A scientific collaboration involving Cambridge researchers has identified simple rules underlying the assembly of multi-protein complexes, and based on these rules, created a “periodic table” classification scheme for these complexes.
Monday, 4 January 2016
POSTS FROM 2015
Technology: Do-It-Yourself Biology
Verena Brucklacher-Waldert discusses how stay-at-home biologists want to democratize experimental research
Tuesday, 3 November 2015
New compound offers hope for Ebola
A new compound has been found to protect rhesus monkeys from Ebola when administered three days after infection. The small molecule, known as GS-5734, led to 100% survival rate against the deadly virus, showing promise for further development.
Thursday, 29 October 2015
Month of birth linked to natal and adult differences, study suggests
An adult's behaviour, morphology and physiology develops throughout its life, and their development depends on the interaction between the genes...
Tuesday, 20 October 2015
Is our marine food chain collapsing?
A first-time global analysis looking into the way ocean habitats respond to projected effects of climate change finds that marine...
Friday, 16 October 2015
Improving the treatment of urinary infections using DNA sequencing
A DNA sequencing device the size of a USB stick could be used to improve the diagnosis and treatment of...
Friday, 25 September 2015
Train the brain – improving memory in schizophrenia with an iPad game
Schizophrenic patients struggle with many symptoms. They have hallucinations, delusional beliefs, and often lack motivation. Apart from these “classical” symptoms,...
Friday, 7 August 2015
The unique roughness of screams directly activates fear centres in the brain
A group led by David Poeppel from New York University has investigated what makes screaming different from other human vocalisations...
Monday, 3 August 2015
Three Ebola virus variants identified in Guinea
Following the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic in March last year, beginning in Guinea it has spread throughout West Africa...
Tuesday, 7 July 2015
Scientists call for measures to improve research quality
Cases of scientific misconduct and unreplicable results, such as the infamous study (now debunked) linking MMR vaccines to autism, have...
Thursday, 2 July 2015
Parental smoking puts nearly half a million UK children into poverty
It is well known that tobacco smoking causes health problems for children passively exposed, but there is now proof it...
Monday, 22 June 2015
Activities can have good or bad impact on sleep depending on their type
Have you ever slept like a stone after training or racing? A new study by the University of Pennsylvania used...
Friday, 19 June 2015
Earth organisms survive under low-pressure Martian conditions
Methanogens are among the oldest and simplest organisms on earth having evolved approximately 3.5 billion years ago. They are highly resilient microbes...
Monday, 15 June 2015
Brain's reaction to certain words could lead to new passwords
With 19 passwords on average per person, it is unsurprising that people often struggle with remembering them all. However, a new study, “Brainprint”, suggests that unique brain responses to a set of particular words could replace traditional passwords.
Friday, 12 June 2015
Artificial Intelligence discovers how worms regenerate body parts
Many dream of the day when medicine finds a way to regenerate organs. But to successfully recreate complex body parts,...
Tuesday, 9 June 2015
First test of gene-editing method using CRISPR/Cas9 in non-viable human embryos
Last week, a group from China led by Pupin Liang reported the testing of a gene-editing method in human tri-pronuclear...
Friday, 1 May 2015
Two millennia glow-in-the-dark mushroom mystery solved
If you go down to the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise… If these woods are home to...
Wednesday, 15 April 2015
Comfort eating may make you worse
We all know that fatty and sugary foods are bad for us- increasing our risk of diabetes and heart disease....
Monday, 30 March 2015
So you have your father’s eyes, your mother’s hair….. and your blood type from a bacteria?!
Researchers from the University of Cambridge have discovered that we acquire ‘foreign’ genes from other organisms as part of our development as a species.
Friday, 13 March 2015
POSTS FROM 2014
Flu: How viral infection causes intestinal disease
Why do we often suffer from vomiting and diarrhoea during an influenza? Influenza is an infectious respiratory disease, whereas vomiting and diarrhoea are symptoms of a gastrointestinal disease. Researches have now found the mechanism by which they are connected.
Monday, 15 December 2014
Inflammation: New regulatory gene identified
Researchers have identified the gene Ccdc88b as a new regulator for inflammation. Factors affecting this gene might be responsible for onset, progression, and severity of several inflammatory diseases, such as encephalitis or multiple sclerosis.
Monday, 24 November 2014
Communities of ferns communicate to decide an individual’s sex
Sex-determination, the process by which organisms develop into males, females, or hermaphrodites, happens in many different ways across nature. In...
Friday, 14 November 2014
New software allows to live-track cells
Since the discovery of the cell by Robert Hook in the 1665, biologists have been studying cells under microscopes. Currently...
Friday, 17 October 2014
Science and Policy: The Pint is Right
Robin Lamboll debates whether the price of alcohol should be raised
Monday, 13 October 2014
Technology: Solitary cell confinement
Verena Brucklacher-Waldert discusses the challenges and benefits of chips that analyse individual body cells separately
Monday, 13 October 2014
Top Headline Grabbers of the Past Ten Years
In celebration of BlueSci’s tenth anniversary, Joanna-Marie Howes revisits the past ten years of influential scientific stories
Monday, 13 October 2014
Top Ten Scientific Discoveries of the Past Ten Years
In celebration of BlueSci’s tenth anniversary, Joanna-Marie Howes revisits the past ten years of influential scientific stories
Monday, 13 October 2014
Ten Years of Nobels
For over 100 years, Nobel Prizes have recognised those conferring “the greatest benefit on mankind”. Meanwhile, the Ig Nobel Prizes...
Monday, 13 October 2014
Feature: You are your genes and your environment
Alex O’Bryan-Tear discusses the long-standing nature versus nurture debate
Saturday, 11 October 2014
Feature: Measles: The return of an ‘eliminated’ virus
Sarah Smith investigates the return of measles and developments in vaccines
Saturday, 11 October 2014
Feature: I heal the body electric
Joy Thompson uncovers the importance of bioelectricity in medicine
Saturday, 11 October 2014
Feature: Our Colourful History
Rhian Holvey explores how colour has shaped our history
Saturday, 11 October 2014
Can sugar affect your memory?
Western diet consumption, high in fat and sugar, is known to be linked to many negative health outcomes including diabetes...
Wednesday, 8 October 2014
Elucidating functions of mutant genes in a deadly cancer
Bile duct cancer is one of the most common types of liver cancer. For bile duct cancer, unfortunately, there is...
Tuesday, 26 August 2014
Heated nanoparticles awaken the immune response to attack cancer
Nanoparticles, far too small to be seen by the naked eye, have been the subjects of lots of research recently....
Friday, 1 August 2014
Feature: Pulling all-nighters is harming your brain
Camilla d’Angelo looks into some of the beneficial effects of sleep and why skimping on those precious hours can be damaging
Wednesday, 16 July 2014
A touching story? How touch can trigger emotion
Scientists have described how light, gentle touch conveys events to our brain that are pleasant or rewarding.
Wednesday, 4 June 2014
The importance of timing in Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects one in six people over the age of 80. Along with...
Tuesday, 3 June 2014
Science and Policy: Stem Cells: with great power comes great responsibility
Alessandro Bertero discusses the controversy behind stem cell therapies
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
Behind the Science: Frederick Sanger
Virginia Rutten reviews the life of Frederick Sanger, the British Biochemist and double Nobel Prize winner
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
Perspective: The Psychology of Discrimination
Alex O’Bryan Tear discusses the psychology behind racism
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
Focus: Decision making and cognitive biases
BlueSci explores biases in human cognition, from their evolutionary background to their socio-political implications
Friday, 16 May 2014
Feature: Health-boosting Greens?
Ricardo Milho examines the evidence behind the ‘superfood’ claims of cruciferous vegetables
Friday, 16 May 2014
Feature: On the Origin of (a Virus) Species
Michael Nicoll investigates the recent outbreak of a new virus in the Middle East
Thursday, 15 May 2014
Feature: Blood Groups and Infection
Sarah Caddy discusses how your blood type can alter your susceptibility to infectious diseases
Wednesday, 14 May 2014
New metal-eating plant discovered in the Philippines
Researchers from the University of the Philippines, Los Banos, have discovered a new plant species that accumulates enormous amounts of...
Tuesday, 13 May 2014
Gene responsible for weight gain identified
A multinational researcher team discovered the gene Nnmt as being required for body fat accumulation. Inactivation of Nnmt, which encodes the enzyme nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), protected mice from diet-induced obesity.
Monday, 28 April 2014
Review: Building Bridges in Medical Sciences Symposium 2014
Stimulating; diverse, top-notch and passionate speakers; inspirational – these were some of the reflections of participants of the 6th edition...
Sunday, 13 April 2014
Slow-growing bacteria resist antibiotic treatment
A team of Swiss and British scientists have provided new insights into the underlying mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics are important to treat bacterial infections. However, today’s widespread antibiotic resistance poses a serious threat to human health.
Friday, 11 April 2014
Withdrawal of “revolutionary” stem cells research
A few months ago, a paper published in Nature revealed what was described as a “major scientific breakthrough”. Dr. Haruko...
Thursday, 3 April 2014
A face-specific mechanism for recognising people in the brain?
Humans are amazingly skilled at recognising faces. A recent study suggests that the brain has a unique mechanism specialized for...
Monday, 31 March 2014
Five second rule does indeed save dropped slices of toast
How often have you dropped a piece of lovingly prepared food on the floor, then hurriedly picked it up whilst muttering ‘five second rule...’? Well, now new research has shown that there is a scientific basis to this habit.
Friday, 14 March 2014
Focus: Lines of Communication
BlueSci explores how the natural world communicates, from single cells to the birth of the digital era
Monday, 3 February 2014
Feature: Bubbles of Trouble
Robin Lamboll explores how different organisms have coped with life in boiling water
Monday, 3 February 2014
Feature: Making Sense of the Senses
Toby McMaster explains how the quest to understand hormones changed our appreciation of sensation
Monday, 3 February 2014
Feature: Genomes from Beyond the Grave
Charlotte Houldcroft discusses the search for ancient pathogen genomes
Monday, 3 February 2014
Cover: Discovering Cell Fate
Mubeen Goolam discusses the advancing technology used to generate this issue’s cover image
Monday, 3 February 2014
POSTS FROM 2013
Muscle protein keeps blood stem cells alive
A protein known to allow muscle contraction is now also thought to maintain our blood stem cells. Dennis Discher’s lab...
Monday, 2 December 2013
Initiatives: The End of Extinction?
Emily Pycroft summarises decisions of the CITES meeting on animal trading practices
Monday, 25 November 2013
Feature: No Pain, No Gain
Christopher Tsantoulas explains why a world without pain is not as good as it sounds
Monday, 25 November 2013
Feature: Bug Off!
Joy Thompson investigates how bacteria within insect cells are harnessed to combat dengue fever
Monday, 25 November 2013
Feature: Sleep - Keeping Scientists Awake at Night
Toby McMaster discusses why we need to sleep at night—and for how long
Monday, 25 November 2013
Cover: Visualising Vision
Xana Almeida discusses the 4D imaging method used to generate this issue’s cover image
Monday, 25 November 2013
Birds pay attention to speed limits, study shows
European birds decide how soon to fly away from a car according to the speed limit of the road, a...
Friday, 8 November 2013
Relatively well connected
What makes a genius? This is the question Professor Dean Falk is attempting to answer through her studies on the...
Friday, 11 October 2013
Social networks shape monkey ‘culture’ too
In our over-connected digital lives, we all think of social networks as a synonym for Facebook and Twitter, but actually...
Wednesday, 14 August 2013
Away from the Bench: Altitude Science
Two weeks before he treks out, Elly Smith talks to Dr Andrew Murray about science on Everest
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Focus: A World of Music
BlueSci explores the phenomenon of music—what it is, where it comes from and why we do it
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Feature: Commemorating a Commission
Felicity Davies celebrates the centenary of the Medical Research Council
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Cover: Electron Microscopy
Nicola Love explains the technique used to obtain this issue’s cover image
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Music is my drug
A new study reveals that pleasurable music engages reward-related neurocircuitry. Scientists found that discovering a new favourite song activates similar...
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Bacteria commit suicide to protect others
Escherichia coli bacteria commit suicide to protect other bacteria, even when they don’t share many genes with them; a study...
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Feature: Food for Thought?
Brianne Kent investigates the links between appetite and brain development.
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
A stroke of genius
Feeling the pinch? This expression shows how negatively we view the sensation of being pinched. Scientists have known for some time about the existence of specific neurons, cells of the nervous system, dedicated to detecting this nasty event.
Tuesday, 19 March 2013
A sea of possibilities for new antibiotics
The collaborative project PharmaSea aims to combat the growing problem of antibiotic resistance by looking for new drugs in our ocean trenches.
Friday, 15 February 2013
Generating new ear cells- yes you heard right!
Mammalian ear hair cells are not regenerated, and so deafness due to their loss is an irreversible condition, or so...
Friday, 8 February 2013
Behind the Science: Craig Venter vs The World
Jordan Ramsey looks at the life of one of modern science’s most divisive figures.
Friday, 25 January 2013
Perspective: Babies with Three Parents?
Nicola Love looks into the science and ethics of Mitochondrial Replacement
Friday, 25 January 2013
Focus: Lazy Universe
BlueSci explores the universal principle of energy minimisation across the sciences
Friday, 25 January 2013
Feature: One to Another
Alessandro Bertero looks at our increasing ability to change the fate of our cells
Friday, 25 January 2013
Feature: Living in Fear
Sarah Smith examines biological terrorism and its effect on science
Friday, 25 January 2013
Feature: Senses in Symphony
Shi Khoo and Vanda Ho take a look at the cognitive perspective of synaesthesia
Friday, 25 January 2013
Cover: Synthetic Biology
Haydn King explains the scientific discipline behind this issue’s cover image
Friday, 25 January 2013
POSTS FROM 2012
Obese but happy?
All too often, we find ourselves feeling pity toward clinically obese individuals, trying to navigate their way about normal life....
Friday, 14 December 2012
Genetic engineers flying high - A novel Drosophila model sheds light upon human Epilepsy
Scientists at Brown University and the University of California-Irvine made use of elegant genetic techniques to introduce a single key mutation into a Drosophila gene and thus create a fly model for human epilepsy.
Monday, 5 November 2012
A Nobel pursuit
Cambridge biologist John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University, Japan have become this year’s Nobel Prize winners for Physiology or Medicine, for “the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent".
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Bumblebees could teach robots how to navigate
Bumblebees are surprisingly efficient navigators. With simple brains and no mental map to guide them, bumblebees must learn routes to...
Friday, 5 October 2012
History: Life on Mars
Hugo Schmidt reveals the advances made in the field of Astrobiology
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
2012 Graduate School of Life Sciences Image Competition
The graduate school of Life Sciences (GSLS) image competition is a celebration of the variety of biological research that is ongoing here...
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Feature: Balm or Burden?
Isaac Elliot finds out how sleep deprivation influences our mood.
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Feature: Through the Looking Glass
Jonathan Lawson reflects on the two faces of handedness.
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Superhuman medicine
The latest Spider-Man film features researchers attempting to re-grow human body parts by combining lizard DNA with that of humans....
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
BlueSci Film: Bioblitz at Cambridge University
Starting at 3pm on Friday June 22nd 2012, experts, volunteers and members of the public raced against time to count...
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Feature: Your Love is my Drug
Brianne Kent explores the similarities between love and drug addiction.
Sunday, 17 June 2012
Tiny mammoth once roamed Crete
Scientists from London’s Natural History Museum predict that millions of years ago a dwarf mammoth once roamed on the Mediterranean...
Friday, 1 June 2012
Feature: Holistic Biology – it’s science alright, but not as we know it....
Aoife O’Shaughnessy discusses how systems biology may help to shape the future of medical research.
Sunday, 27 May 2012
Bionic eye gives hope for blindness
Scientists at Stanford University in California have invented a wireless retinal implant which can help to cure blindness. Illnesses such...
Friday, 25 May 2012
Giant feather dinosaur discovered
Three almost complete skeletons of a huge feathered dinosaur have been unearthed in north-eastern China. The new species has been...
Monday, 14 May 2012
Feature: Coming of AGE - how molecular strategies may soon improve quality of life
Rhian Grainger explains how small drug-like molecules may soon help us tackle the biological impacts of ageing.
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Tiny hitchhikers target cancer cells
Scientists at Northwestern University, Illinois have been the first to develop a nanoparticle that can deliver anti-cancer drugs directly to...
Friday, 11 May 2012
Leeches can track jungle mammals
Monitoring the abundance of mammalian species in tropical rain forests is difficult due to the uncooperative environment. Not only does...
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
Perspective: The Genome Generation
Nicola Stead reveals what we have learnt from a decade of the human genome.
Friday, 27 April 2012
History: From Herbs to Hormones
Vicki Moignard explores how approaches to contraception have evolved over time.
Friday, 27 April 2012
Focus: Higher, Faster, Stronger
BlueSci explores the role of science in pushing the boundaries of human physical ability.
Friday, 27 April 2012
Feature: Turbocharged Thinking
Camilla d’Angelo asks whether society will become dependent on brain‑enhancing drugs to function.
Friday, 27 April 2012
Feature: Type ‘L’ for Love
Jordan Ramsey reveals how computers are being used to simulate love and investigate our choice of life partners.
Friday, 27 April 2012
New compounds trigger dramatic weight loss
Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida have developed two synthetic compounds that could potentially treat obesity, plus many...
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Genes shape our response to flu
Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, have uncovered the genetic basis behind individual variation in response to influenza infection.
Saturday, 14 April 2012
A step in the right direction
Bipedalism, or walking upright, is one of the key features to distinguish humans from the great apes. However, exactly why...
Monday, 9 April 2012
How the zebra got its stripes
Existing theories as to why zebras have evolved stripes centre on their role in combating predators. Stripes may provide camouflage...
Thursday, 29 March 2012
New blood
When asked their blood group, many people would probably be able to reply “A”, “B”, “AB” or “O”, with some...
Monday, 26 March 2012
Synthetic steak
It seems that the promise of regenerative medicine is no longer enough. Not satisfied with preventing ageing and curing disease, stem cells are now also being charged with solving the impending global food crisis.
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Do you hear what I hear?
It may one day be possible to listen to the “imagined speech” of patients who have been left unable to communicate following strokes or paralysis, thanks to the work of researchers at the University of Berkeley.
Sunday, 11 March 2012
When the heart skips a beat
Despite the claims of Olly Murs, the heart is in fact most likely ‘to skip a beat’ during the morning in accordance with the internal body clock, a recent study in Nature has revealed.
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Short-term memory based on synchronised brain oscillations
Holding a picture you’ve just seen in your 'mind's eye' is a task that requires long-distance communication between visual and...
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
Listening in on lysozyme
Researchers from the University of California have used a ‘molecular microphone’ to listen to a single protein molecule at work.
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Review: Wednesday is Indigo Blue - Discovering the Brain of Synaesthesia
As you listen to the voice of a weather forecaster describing the highs and lows of tomorrow’s temperature, a kaleidoscope...
Thursday, 1 March 2012
Towards a universal flu vaccine
New research suggests that vaccines targeting key influenza proteins could provide immunity against multiple strains of flu.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Males and females run on different programmes
Variations in gene expression within the brain have been implicated in some of the fundamental behavioural differences between the sexes.
Sunday, 26 February 2012
The immortal devil’s contagious cancer
Cancer is still one of the biggest killers worldwide, arising when our own cells turn against us and grow out of control. As human life expectancy continues to increase, so too does our risk of cancer.
Thursday, 23 February 2012
New insights into malaria mechanisms
A recent study in Cell reveals the way deadly malaria parasites transport proteins in infected red blood cells. Targeting this transport pathway may offer new opportunities for malaria treatment.
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Turning a mouse into an elephant
“Animals get bigger through time”. This, in a nutshell, is the evolutionary ‘rule’ named after the American palaeontologist Edward Drinker...
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Feature: Psychedelic Psychiatry
Ecstasy and magic mushrooms have recently been shown to help people with treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders. Camilla dʼAngelo explores how these drugs could radically change the landscape of psychiatry.
Saturday, 11 February 2012
New cancer drug target discovered
Scientists at the University of Leicester have identified a new molecule that could serve as a target for an entire family of future cancer drugs.
Thursday, 9 February 2012
Solving a monkey puzzle
In a study published recently in the journal Cell, scientists at the Oregon National Primate Research Center in the USA announced that they have created the first chimeric primates.
Monday, 6 February 2012
Bacterial bio-pixels could detect poisons
Researchers led by Prof. Jeff Hasty at the University of California have created “bacterial bio-pixels” by combining two methods used by Escherichia coli...
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Clever corvids: quoth the raven 'look at this'
Ravens have recently been seen to use the types of gestures previously thought limited to just the great apes and...
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Using antibodies to help prevent HIV infection
Researchers in California have developed a novel form of gene therapy for preventing HIV infection. In a recent Nature paper,...
Sunday, 22 January 2012
BlueSciFilm: We are Sitting in the Mollusc Store
Snails, clams, squids and octopoda... Dr. Richard Preece took BlueSci film editor Nick Crumpton behind the scenes in the University...
Saturday, 21 January 2012
Weird and Wonderful
A selection of the wackiest research in the world of science
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
History: Science’s Royal Beginnings
Nicola Stead takes a look back at the origins of the Royal Society and its founding members
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Focus: Intelligence
BlueSci looks at the science of human intelligence: how do we test it, what controls it, and how do we even define it?
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Feature: Aspects of Ageing
Andrew Szopa-Comley explores possible explanations for why humans age at the molecular level
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Feature: Warning - Contains Peanuts
Mrinalini Dey investigates our attempts to alleviate the anxiety of allergy sufferers
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Feature: Neglecting Vets
Peter Moore explores the importance of Veterinary Medicine for mankind
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Feature: The Need for Sex
Anna Wilson looks at the evolutionary benefits of sexual reproduction
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Cover: Creating Crystals
Lindsey Nield looks into the story behind this issue’s cover image
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Dreaming, not time, is the healer of all wounds
Researchers at the University of California have found that spending time in rapid eye movement (REM) or “dreaming” sleep can make painful memories more bearable.
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Dopamine-deficient worms join the fight against Parkinson's
Scientists at the University of Texas, Austin, have found a way to use dopamine-deficient worms to identify new drugs for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
Sunday, 8 January 2012
POSTS FROM 2011
Paracetamol no longer a mystery
The common painkiller’s mechanism of action has finally been identified
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Genetically engineered E. coli could be used to make biofuels
In a discovery that pushes the dream of worldwide implementation of renewable energy towards reality, researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) in Berkeley, California have synthesised three advanced biofuels using genetically engineered Escherichia coli (E. coli).
Friday, 23 December 2011
Interview: Dr Rupert Soar - Fungus Farming to Freeform Construction.
Nick Crumpton talks to Rupert Soar about termite-inspired buildings, sustainable architecture and the future of construction.
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Synthetic spider silk for water-catching webs
Dew-drops on spider webs are a common sight on foggy mornings, but only recently have scientists realised their implications for...
Monday, 19 December 2011
A bug in the programme
Scientists have discovered a parasite that can alter behaviour by manipulating brain chemistry.
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Pythons with big hearts can help protect ours
Fatty acids that appear in the bloodstream of pythons after eating have been found to promote healthy heart growth.
Friday, 9 December 2011
Biosensors help to detect neurodegenerative diseases
Shalini Prasad and colleagues at the University of Texas, Dallas, have developed a biosensor that can differentiate between Alzheimer's disease...
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Making a CASE for PhDs
In an exciting new development for interdisciplinary research and development, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has today announced the recipient of the first ever GSK Oncology collaborative awards in science and engineering (CASE) PhD scholarship.
Monday, 5 December 2011
Interview: Filming Frozen Planet - Capturing the Public Imagination
Frozen Planet director Adam Scott talks to Nick Crumpton about one of the most extreme environments on Earth.
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Being bilingual may help delay Alzheimer's disease
Speaking more than one language may help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease according to a new study published in “Cortex”.
Friday, 25 November 2011
Children, but not chimps, prefer teamwork
A new study has shown that children display a preference for cooperation that is not shared by chimpanzees.
Friday, 18 November 2011
Review: Parasite Rex (Carl Zimmer)
Sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis and hundreds of other parasitic diseases plague millions of people across the world. We have no clear...
Monday, 14 November 2011
It's not all about the snap
The world's largest lizard, Indonesia's Komodo Dragon, is well adapted for a carnivorous, ambush-hunting lifestyle, with serrated teeth, a venomous...
Friday, 11 November 2011
Review: Ten Top Tips for Televisual Triumph
Why do journalists often get their facts wrong when they report on science stories?
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Feature: Life on Air - Listening in on Natural Science
Some sort of bubbled ‘moo’: that’s what I assumed manatees were going to sound like. A muffled Chewbacca would have...
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Polymer plug "LeGoo" approved in US for use during surgery
Blood vessels are traditionally blocked during surgery using clamps to pinch the vessel and stop blood flow. This can lead to damage and trauma of the artery. However, a new product called 'LeGoo' may make clamps a thing of the past.
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Review: The Future - A Mini-retreat
Where does the Future lie for PostDocs and Graduate Students? This was the focus of the 2011 Biochemistry Mini-Retreat organised...
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Raising the alarm against viruses
Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) have identified the precise mechanism by which the detection of foreign agents in cells can lead to a rapid immune response.
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Abusive boobies may prove a good model for human ‘cycle of violence’
Scientists studying the Nazca booby in the wild have observed the same ‘cycle of violence’ as seen in humans: birds that get abused as youngsters are more likely to go on to abuse nestlings when they grow up.
Friday, 28 October 2011
That Friday feeling
Looking forward to the weekend? Scientists at Cornell University have used Twitter to explore changes in people's moods over the course of the day, week and year.
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Review: Virtual Water (Tony Allan)
How much water do you need to make a cup of coffee? According to Tony Allan, Professor of Geography at...
Monday, 24 October 2011
A step closer to artificial intelligence
Scientists at Tel Aviv University, Israel, have restored lost brain function in rats using an artificial cerebellum. Like a real...
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Nobel Prize awarded for insights into the immune system
Major breakthroughs in understanding the way in which our immune system is activated have seen Bruce A. Beutler, Jules A. Hoffmann and Ralph M. Steinman awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Monday, 17 October 2011
Review: Principles of social evolution (Andrew F. Bourke)
Ed: In the first of our new online Review section, which will incorporate reviews of books, games, talks, events and...
Friday, 14 October 2011
Weird and Wonderful
A selection of the wackiest research in the world of science
Monday, 3 October 2011
Away from the Bench: Skeletons and Flame Tornadoes
Aaron Barker explains how certain types of CHaOS can be fun and informative
Monday, 3 October 2011
History: Science in Print
Helen Gaffney explores the rise of popular science magazines
Monday, 3 October 2011
Behind the Science: The Father of Forecasting
Lindsey Nield reflects on the life and voyages of Admiral Robert Fitzroy
Monday, 3 October 2011
Feature: Beyond Darwin
Jamie Hackett examines whether it is possible to inherit the experiences of our parents
Monday, 3 October 2011
Feature: A Clean Slate
Yinchu Wang looks back to a life unknowingly dedicated to science
Monday, 3 October 2011
Cover: Cultured Brains
Jonathan Lawson looks into the story behind this issue’s cover image
Monday, 3 October 2011
Overconfidence is a winning trait
Scientists in Edinburgh and California have found that being overconfident can help you succeed.
Monday, 26 September 2011
iGEM 2011: Squid to E. coli - Bactiridescence
Squids and octopi (cephalopods) are renowned for their stunning ability to change their skin colour, as a means of camouflage...
Monday, 19 September 2011
Plant circadian clock mystery solved
Researchers at Yale University have identified a key component of the plant circadian clock, solving one of the final mysteries that remained in understanding this process.
Thursday, 15 September 2011
The internet tells children to love pandas but not their back gardens
The increased reliance of children on virtual media rather than hands-on outdoor activities means their consideration in protecting species along...
Monday, 15 August 2011
Ageing of the brain differs between chimpanzees and humans
A recent study of the brain size of humans and their closest living relatives has found important differences relating to aging.
Saturday, 6 August 2011
Genome of the potato sequenced
A group of international scientists have recently published the genome sequence of the humble potato, Solanum tuberosum. It is hoped that the sequence will aid better breeding of this disease-susceptible plant.
Sunday, 31 July 2011
Symptoms of climate change become apparent in European oceans
A species of plankton, Neodenticula seminae, has returned to the North Atlantic for the first time since going extinct 8 million years ago. This is the latest example of how changing climate conditions cause species to move or change their behaviour.
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Turtles finally find their place in the evolutionary tree
A genetic analysis of turtles has shown that they come from the same branch of the tree of life as lizards.
Saturday, 23 July 2011
Surplus metabolic capacities indicate history of yo-yo diet
A recent analysis of digestive capacities shows that predators in the wild are able to capitalise on pulses of food abundance, and suggests an evolutionary history of feast and famine.
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
A genetic history of coconuts
A new genetic analysis shows that modern coconuts were brought into cultivation in two independent regions, and discusses how human trade and travel has influenced genetic diversity in coconut populations.
Saturday, 2 July 2011
Hummingbird tongues don’t suck but ‘trap’ nectar
Hummingbirds have evolved an extraordinarily ingenious mechanism that allows them to feed with barely any work being performed at all.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
UV vision helps reindeer survive in the harsh Arctic
Sensitivity to the UV spectrum gives reindeer crucial extra visual information, new research shows.
Thursday, 2 June 2011
The bright lights attract bats too
Greater numbers of bat species are found in areas associated with human populations, according to a study published in the journal Mammalian Biology.
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Blind legless lizard declared a new species
Zoologists in Cambodia have discovered a new species of legless lizard sheltering under a log in the Cardamom Mountains of the Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary.
Friday, 13 May 2011
Study identifies recall memory in monkeys
A study by scientists at Emory University suggests that rhesus monkeys are capable not only of recognising images, but also recalling them from memory.
Thursday, 12 May 2011
Feature: What is going on in schizophrenic brains?
Daniel Martins-de-Souza investigates the role of protein expression in cases of Schizophrenia.
Monday, 9 May 2011
BlueSciFilm: Understanding ocean currents
BlueSciFilm interview Natalie Roberts, PhD student in the Department of Earth Sciences at Cambridge University, about her work as a paleoceanographer, studying circulation of water around the Atlantic and its association with climate change.
Monday, 9 May 2011
Weird and Wonderful
A selection of the wackiest research in the world of science
Saturday, 7 May 2011
History: Immortal Hearts and Henrietta
Nicola Stead looks back at the beginnings of cell culture
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Behind the Science: Women Who Led the Way
Jessica Robinson uncovers some of the pioneering female scientists
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Feature: Superheroes, Fact or Fiction?
Mark Nicholson discovers how nature has turned fantasy into reality
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Feature: Bird’s Eye View
Ian Le Guillou finds out about the ‘biological compass’ of cows, crocodiles and migrating birds
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Feature: The Challenge of Chocolate
Rachel Berkowitz looks at the science that will allow us to make chocolate better: healthier, cheaper and as tasty as before
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Feature: Between You and Me
Louisa Lyon examines how distinct genomes can co-exist in an individual
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Cover: A Prettier Shell than Ordinary
Tom Ash looks into the story behind this issue’s cover image
Saturday, 7 May 2011
The singular origin of the melanic moth
Scientists have identified the gene region that controls melanism in the peppered moth, a famous example of natural selection in action. They also suggest that the mutation responsible for the dark melanic form arose just once and spread throughout British populations.
Friday, 6 May 2011
Late Stone-Age enclosures for gazelle hunting identified
Archaeologists have found evidence of large-scale culling of hundreds of gazelles by humans 6,000 to 10,000 years ago.
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
'King of rabbits' unearthed on Minorca
Palaeontologists have discovered an enormous fossil rabbit on the Spanish island of Minorca. It has been officially named Nuralagus rex, meaning ‘Minorcan hare king’.
Saturday, 23 April 2011
Earliest tooth decay linked to teeth evolution
A fossil recently discovered in Texas provides the earliest evidence of tooth decay in a terrestrial vertebrate. The fossilized remains...
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Catchy whale tunes
Humpback whale songs have been found to be transmitted culturally on a huge scale from west to east.
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Feature: The ‘Map of Life’
Further to our recent news story, Tim Middleton interviews creators of the new ‘Map of Life’ website ((http://www.mapoflife.org/index/)) and looks into the apparent absurdities and controversies of convergent evolution.
Monday, 18 April 2011
Zoos urged to join forces in conserving biodiversity
A team of scientists based in Germany are urging zoos and aquariums to collaborate in establishing breeding programmes for endangered animal species.
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
A new family tree for primates
A report published in the journal PLoS Genetics has produced a much-needed update of primate phylogeny. The study, which is the fruit of an international collaboration, greatly clarifies the evolutionary history of humans and our closest relatives.
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Loss of a special bear
The famous polar bear Knut died last Saturday at Berlin Zoo aged four years and three months. A necropsy in progress suggests he died of brain damage.
Friday, 25 March 2011
Mass extinction imminent?
A mass extinction on a scale only witnessed five times in the last 540 million years could be just around the corner, scientists warn.
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Cambridge launches the 'Map of Life'
The University of Cambridge’s Map of Life project has gone online, aiming to draw fresh attention to the remarkable stories told by convergent evolution.
Saturday, 12 March 2011
How much is too much?
Phosphorus is now one of the major causes of water pollution in the Western world. A new study has found...
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
Disease epidemic endangers bats
Bats play an important role in controlling insect pests and are an integral part of cave ecosystems, but some populations in North America are facing endangerment or extinction due to a disease epidemic.
Monday, 28 February 2011
The 'bear' necessities of hibernation
“I wish I could hibernate like a bear this winter!” This sentiment is often expressed by Cambridge University students as they slog through the darkest moments of their degrees. But they might want to reassess what “hibernate like a bear” really means.
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Pollen discovered to be a new line of plant defence
Ecologists from Zurich have shown that flowering plants produce chemical defences in their pollen that prevent bees from being too...
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Weird and Wonderful
A selection of the wackiest research in the world of science
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Arts & Reviews: This is Your Brain on Mozart
Lindsey Nield discovers the hidden power of music
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Perspective: Test Tube Babies
Sara Lejon gives her perspective on Nobel prize winning in vitro fertilisation technology
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Feature: Eradicating Rinderpest
Paul Simpson looks at the history of a quietly devastating disease
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Feature: The Science of Significance
Annabelle Painter shows how the amygdala may be key to culture, spirituality and identity
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Feature: Cell Talk
Rhea Chatterjea explores the medical frontiers of gap junction research
Saturday, 29 January 2011
The goldilocks body temperature
A new mathematical model has shed light on why mammals spend so much energy staying warm-blooded, a phenomenon that has long been poorly understood.
Friday, 7 January 2011
Feature: The secret life of an element
Katarzyna Kopanska examines the importance of a well-known element.
Monday, 3 January 2011
POSTS FROM 2010
Feature: Aliens found using arsenic - fact or fiction?
Wendy Mak investigates the supposed arsenic loving bacteria.
Tuesday, 28 December 2010
To soar or to flap?
Large birds, such as storks and hawks, have long been known for choosing to soar and glide on thermal currents...
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
Shrinking the mosquito population
Another weapon in the war against mosquito-borne diseases could be on the horizon. Researchers at Riverside Lab in California have...
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Networks that make up the mind
We spend much of our lives making decisions, most of which occur in a fraction of a second. This involves...
Friday, 10 December 2010
Bacterial romance?
A new study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that the bacteria living inside the guts of fruit flies have an effect on the choice of mates made by the host organism – potentially leading to the development of a new theory of evolution.
Thursday, 9 December 2010
The mammals' time to shine
It has long been suspected that the dinosaurs’ demise at the end of the Cretaceous period made way for the...
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Weird and Wonderful
A selection of the wackiest research in the world of science
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Perspective: Saving Species
Imogen Ogilvie gives her perspective on conservation and asks whether it is worth trying to conserve species at all
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Focus: Gene Therapy
BlueSci explores the development of gene therapy, the remaining challenges and the recent triumphs
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Feature: Cherish Your Enemies
Olivier Restif explains why we should learn to live with our pathogens
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Pavilion: Issue 19
Fish vertebrae – unlike mammalian bones – grow in a layered manner, much like tree rings. Isotopic analysis of the...
Sunday, 7 November 2010
News: Issue 19
The first non-human, non-verbal dictionary has been created at the University of St Andrews. Erica Cartmill and Richard Byrne spent nine months observing orangutans and trying to discern a lexicon of gestures and signals.
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Cover: Manipulating Behaviour
Lindsey Nield looks into the story behind this issue’s cover image
Sunday, 7 November 2010
New model for vertebrate jaw evolution
A team of international scientists have proposed a novel model for jaw evolution that contradicts previous understanding.
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
On the origin of complexity
Theoretical models have suggested that complexity comes with a cost, and the simplest organisms are the best at adapting to their environment. How then, have the most complex plants and animals evolved?
Friday, 8 October 2010
Early nutrition affects male maturity and differences between sexes
Recent research from Northwestern University (Philippines) finds that early infant nutrition strongly shapes the sexual and biological fitness of adult males.
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Control your emotion or it will control you
Although the Chinese adage does not allude to voluntarily controlling local brain activity, researchers have found that this is the key to tempering feelings.
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
Human cytomegalovirus genome cloned
By reconstructing a complete viral genome, British-based scientists have greatly improved the clinical relevance of fundamental research on a leading cause of congenital disability.
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
New mathematical model to aid biodiversity conservation
A new theory of species diversity has been developed that predicts the number of species in an ecological community by mathematically accounting for the interdependent properties of individual species as well as those of the environment.
Thursday, 30 September 2010
A break-down in communications
Climate change. Nuclear power. GM crops. Vaccines. Why is it that the general public is so often divided on issues that scientific experts largely agree on?
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Leaner, meaner, faster, stronger
Wouldn't it be great if we can have denser, stronger bones, but also be leaner and weigh less? While it may sound like a gym advertisement, a group of researchers in Maine have found a protein that achieves this in mice.
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
The vascular endothelial cell and its growth factor
Both have been connected to lung diseases, and have therefore shed light on potential treatments.
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
The Environmentalist's Paradox: Why are we still doing so well?
Humankind is responsible for causing considerable damage to many of the planet's ecosystems. According to environmentalists, this degradation should also be having a negative effect on our own well-being. But it's not. What's going on?
Thursday, 9 September 2010
New infrared technique could help to understand cancer
Chemists have developed a new technique using infrared light to study the behaviour of lysosomes more clearly and extensively than ever before, potentially taking the fight against cancer and many other diseases to another level.
Sunday, 5 September 2010
Nourishing the ageing brain
Research findings suggest new links between B vitamin deficiency and the degeneration of the ageing brain.
Thursday, 26 August 2010
Species in the Soil
Research in the Panamanian rainforest shows that soil-dwelling organisms promote local species richness and keep the rare trees rare.
Sunday, 15 August 2010
Disease and the dysfunctions of metabolism
Researchers at Harvard and Boston University have found that the different pathways of the human metabolic network interact and induce deep epistasis, the suppression of a mutation by one or more seemingly unrelated genes.
Monday, 9 August 2010
Temperature toggles learning in flies
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology in Germany have used a non-invasive technique to pinpoint neurons required for...
Saturday, 31 July 2010
Continuing education can compensate for dementia symptoms
Researchers have found that increased education is connected to reduced chance of showing dementia symptoms, suggesting increased schooling to have a compensatory effect on the brain.
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
The passion and profession of Richard Ernst
On Wednesday 7 July, an audience of over a thousand scientists gathered to hear Nobel laureate Richard Ernst talk about the scientific investigations on Tibetian religious paintings known as thangkas.
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Revolutionising life
Researchers have discovered 2.1 billion year-old fossils that answer new questions about the origins of life on Earth ((Abderrazak El...
Monday, 5 July 2010
The Casanova antidote: how testosterone increases skepticism in women's perception of men
Dutch researchers have demonstrated that testosterone, which is suggested to have antagonistic properties to oxytocin, downgrades interpersonal trust and enhances...
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Pigeons carry harmful pathogens
Feral pigeons could be asymptomatic or subclinical carriers of the pathogens Chlamydophila psittaci and Campylobacter jejuni, responsible for acute diarrhea in humans.
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Brain's Expectations
A damaged prefrontal cortex leads to impaired preparation and reaction speeds in response to a stimulus.
Monday, 21 June 2010
Natural selection in favour of specialisation
Despite outliving the Ice Age, the Hundsheim rhinoceros rapidly disappeared without any effective changes to its environment, becoming foe to...
Monday, 21 June 2010
Life on Mars? New evidence reinvigorates old questions.
High-levels of carbonate minerals suggest a more favourable environment for life in the Red Planet's past.
Friday, 18 June 2010
Reef restoration: cheap and simple solutions
Researchers from the University of Rhode Island have found that coral reef conservation can be achieved successfully through transplantation of fragmented corals.
Sunday, 13 June 2010
Call for citizen scientists
An international team with researchers fthe UK, Australia and China consider how our views of biodiversity can be distorted by the data we look at.
Monday, 7 June 2010
Disease resistance; not always a bonus.
Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Developmental Biology in Germany have explained an evolutionary dilemma in Nature ((Marco Todesco...
Thursday, 3 June 2010
Bold geese trust themselves
A team of researchers from the Netherlands have fround that the personality of barnacle geese can affect how they use social information ((Ralf H. J. M. Kurvers et al., “Personality predicts the use of social information,” Ecology Letters 13, no. 7 (2010): 829-837.)).
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
How nature's colours could cut bank fraud
Scientists have discovered a way of mimicking the stunningly bright and beautiful colours found on the wings of tropical butterflies. The findings could have important applications in the security printing industry, helping to make bank notes and credit cards harder to forge.
Monday, 31 May 2010
The little things count
Psychologists in California and North Carolina have conducted an in-depth study into how the emotion of gratitude can boost romantic...
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Important enzyme for TB found
Researchers from the USA and Singapore have demonstrated that the enzyme PEPCK (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase), plays a pivotal role in the...
Monday, 24 May 2010
Smallpox vaccine provides protection against HIV
A research study published in Biomed Central (BMC) Immunology by scientists from George Mason University, George Washington University and the...
Monday, 24 May 2010
Silk is the secret to honeycomb strength
Engineers from China and Cardiff have uncovered the microscopic structure of honeycomb, which is responsible for its impressive mechanical properties...
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Stop ageing. Run a marathon!
Researchers in Italy have found that running a marathon stops the cellular processes which lead to cell death ((Gabriella Marfe...
Monday, 17 May 2010
By the Pricking of My Thumbs, Something Fishy This Way Comes
Sharks have a notoriously sensitive sense of smell and can smell a drop of blood from a kilometre away. Researchers have been finding out how.
Friday, 14 May 2010
Bio-Gels for Drug Delivery
Scientists at Ajou University in South Korea have designed a material that forms a gel in vivo and releases protein...
Monday, 10 May 2010
Human Hybrid
The first draft of the Neanderthal genome, published in Science this week, provides evidence of interbreeding with our Homo sapiens ancestors ((R. E. Green et al., “A Draft Sequence of the Neandertal Genome,” Science 328, no. 5979 (2010): 710-722.)).
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Superhydrophobic fern gives clue to help ships economise on fuel
Researchers from Bonn, Rostoc and Karlsruhe have deciphered how the water fern Salvinia molesta manages to keep its super hydrophobic...
Friday, 7 May 2010
Elegant Folding of Pollen Grains
The structures adopted by pollen grains as they dry out have been analysed and modelled by a team of physicists...
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Technology: Lighting Up Disease
Lindsey Nield sheds light on the uses of biomarkers
Monday, 3 May 2010
History: Increasing the Yield
Alex Jenkin looks at the past, present and future of agriculture
Monday, 3 May 2010
Arts & Reviews: Movements Frozen in Time
Swetha Suresh examines a unique juxtaposition of science and art that reveals the intricacies of movement
Monday, 3 May 2010
Perspective: Funding in Crisis?
Gemma Thornton gives her perspective on the future of scientific funding
Monday, 3 May 2010
Behind the Science: The People’s Palaeontologist
Taylor Burns describes the life behind the science of Stephen Jay Gould
Monday, 3 May 2010
Feature: I Think, Therefore I Am?
Rupak Doshi investigates how scientists hope to find an answer to an ancient philosophical debate
Monday, 3 May 2010
Feature: Never-Ending Hunger
Kate McAllister looks into Prader-Willi Syndrome and the insatiable desire to eat
Monday, 3 May 2010
Feature: In Search of the $1000 Genome
Elizabeth Batty outlines the race for cheaper genome sequencing
Monday, 3 May 2010
Pavilion: Issue 18
Sharks possess a skeleton that is made almost entirely of cartilage. Clearing the tissue and staining the remaining cartilage reveals forms of increasingly delicate intricacy.
Monday, 3 May 2010
Cover: New Neurons From Old
Jessica Robinson reviews the story behind this issue’s cover image
Monday, 3 May 2010
Haemophiliac mice lead the way to safer cures by eating their greens
Researchers from Florida have developed a new way of delivering protein replacements for treating diseases such as haemophilia, without triggering...
Friday, 30 April 2010
Smells classified by neuronal patterns
Recent research by scientists at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) has shed new light upon the neurological mechanisms behind our sense of smell.
Friday, 30 April 2010
Is That Egg Mine?
At the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany, a flock of zebra finches are getting a little bit confused...
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
History: The Nature of the Beast
Lindsey Nield traces the contributions and controversies in the history of animal research
Monday, 4 January 2010
Arts & Reviews: A Significant Interaction
Cat Davies talks to Nicola Clayton, Professor of Comparative Cognition and Fellow at Clare College, about her collaboration with the Rambert Dance Company
Monday, 4 January 2010
Away from the Bench: An Ancestor's Tools
Kathelijne Koops roams the African rainforest to study chimpanzee culture
Monday, 4 January 2010
Focus: The End of Ageing?
BlueSci looks at the biology of ageing, how research is helping us to understand and overcome it and the impact on society if we could live longer.
Monday, 4 January 2010
Feature: Have We Got a Pill For You?
Warren Hochfeld explores the inadequacies of prescription drugs
Monday, 4 January 2010
Feature: Mind Over Matter
Amy Miller considers why science and maths can be so hard to learn
Monday, 4 January 2010
Feature: Getting the Girl
Natalie Lawrence illustrates the bizarre mating habits of the animal kingdom
Monday, 4 January 2010
Cover: Habitat Hopping
Katherine Thomas examines how frogs are responding to conservation efforts
Monday, 4 January 2010
POSTS FROM 2009
Away From the Bench
Alison Peel braves the wilds of Africa to look at the spread of viruses in bats.
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Initiatives: Tackling Tuberculosis
Sahil Kirpekar and Ali Ansary introduce their innovative strategy for tackling the challenges of drug delivery for recovering turberculosis patients.
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Feature: The Protecting Virus
Chih-Chin (Kevin) Chen discusses the latest hope in the fight against the flu virus.
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Feature: Evolution Inside Us
Robert Williams looks at the incredible feat of B Lymphocytes.
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Pavillion: Issue 16
The golden ratio is an irrational inherent aesthetic preference. It can be found in paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci, the violins of Stradivarius, the Pantheon, the Great Pyramids of Giza, Stonehenge, your body and all of nature.
Thursday, 1 October 2009
POSTS FROM 2007
Males evolved to die young
Cambridge scientists have found that fighting for mates might have made males evolve to die young
Saturday, 27 October 2007
First marsupial genome sequenced
An international collaboration of researchers has successfully sequenced the genome of a female, grey, short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica)
Friday, 11 May 2007
Plants don't emit methane
Dutch scientists have contested recent discoveries that plants emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas
Friday, 4 May 2007
POSTS FROM 2006
Meerkats Ain't So Meek
When pregnant, dominant female meerkats harass their subordinates so much that they become temporarily infertile, according to a new study from the Department of Zoology
Thursday, 10 August 2006
The Bees and the Flowers
Cambridge scientists have shown that bumblebees associate the colours of flowers with the temperature of their nectar and preferentially choose ‘warmer’ flowers
Thursday, 10 August 2006
Infection with Salmonella can Prevent Diabetes in Mice
A new study by Cambridge researchers has shown that infection with a live but weakened form of Salmonella typhimurium can prevent the onset of diabetes in a mouse model of the disease
Thursday, 10 August 2006
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