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POSTS FROM 2023

The truth behind ‘Zoom fatigue’ – the impact of videoconferencing on our minds and bodies Rachel McKeown discusses the factors underlying Zoom fatigue Wednesday, 8 November 2023

Rapidx: A Rapid Disease Testing Startup at Cambridge University Using Plasmonics Yan-Yi Lee describes how laser technology is aiming to improve PCR testing for microbial infections Wednesday, 4 October 2023

Uplifting Plants: Hebes in New Zealand’s Southern Alps Anne Thomas discusses the diversification of a flowering shrub in mountain habitats Monday, 25 September 2023

Access to Electricity: A Growing Issue in 2023 and Beyond Chisom Ifeobu highlights how a framework to classify people's access to electricity could help plans to improve global access Thursday, 14 September 2023

Novel Mapping of the Human Immune System Could Unveil New Targets in Medical Therapy Yan-Yi Lee and Sung-Mu Lee discuss how researchers have created a map of the signalling proteins of the human immune system Tuesday, 23 May 2023

Scientists Identify Two Viruses that Trigger Alzheimer’s Disease Sneha Kumar discusses a possible link between brain inflammation and the viruses that cause cold sores and chickenpox Wednesday, 17 May 2023

The Role of Horizontal Gene Transfer in Insects and its Possible Applications Lily Taylor discusses the importance of horizontal gene transfer in insects Monday, 15 May 2023

POSTS FROM 2022

Beep-boop: How Brains Struggle to Detect Change During Dementia Andrew Smith explores new research in dementia Thursday, 4 August 2022

What happens when legislation does not catch up with the thriving surrogacy industry? Jung Chen explores the challenging legislature surrounding surrogacy Thursday, 28 July 2022

New Perspectives on Bilingualism and its Connection to Dementia Yan-Yi Lee unravels three new questions at the intersection of bilingualism and dementia Monday, 2 May 2022

A Breath of Fresh Air: Needle-Free COVID Vaccine Developed in Cambridge Elizabeth English explores research into needle-free vaccines. Sunday, 20 March 2022

The Largest Invertebrate of All Time Adiyant Lamba explores recent fossil evidence of the largest invertebrate. Sunday, 20 March 2022

Glass-Like Super Jelly: A Material for the Future Adiyant Lamba explores research into a new glass-like super jelly. Thursday, 3 March 2022

POSTS FROM 2021

Review: Letterbox Science Letterbox Science is a public engagement project that aims to connect the research work at the Gurdon Institute with people who are often left behind. Thursday, 11 November 2021

Getting to the Heart of COVID-19 Tom Wilkins explains two potential treatments for COVID-19. Thursday, 28 October 2021

Changing Climate Alters How Volcanic Eruptions Affect Our Planet Swastika Issar explains how natural phenomena can impact climate change Thursday, 21 October 2021

AI Learns the Tell-Tale Signs of Dementia Chloe Li explains how machine learning can be used for early diagnosis of dementia Friday, 15 October 2021

Tracing the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance Lauren Lee discusses how antibiotic resistance emerged Tuesday, 18 May 2021

How Much Sugar is in That Drink? James Lee investigates the effects of the UK's sugar tax Tuesday, 11 May 2021

A Giant Vortex of Liquid Light Adiyant Lamba on quantum fluid vortices Tuesday, 4 May 2021

Science Twitter Roundup: February/March 2021 A summary of the opinions and witterings of the science community on Twitter Thursday, 15 April 2021

Enter ‘Monkeydactyl’: The Pterosaur with the Oldest Opposable Thumb New research reveals the first ever pterosaur with an opposable thumb, a structure normally associated with the primate hand Thursday, 15 April 2021

A stomach-churning discovery Our impulse to look away from disgusting images is triggered by changes in the electrical rhythm of our stomach, according... Thursday, 4 March 2021

Making a map of the universe The Gaia mission was launched in 2013 and aims to help us map the universe, as there is still a... Thursday, 25 February 2021

AI: thinking in three dimensions A classical problem in structural biology is the ‘protein folding problem’ – that is, figuring out what final 3D conformation... Thursday, 18 February 2021

Study reveals shared developmental programmes underlying psoriasis and eczema A recent study reveals that cells from patients with inflammatory skin diseases share many of the same molecular pathways as developing skin cells Tuesday, 16 February 2021

Quick Prediction of Long COVID Examination of the immune system in COVID-19 patients shows that the likelihood of severe and ‘long COVID’ may be established very early on following infection Tuesday, 9 February 2021

Science Twitter Roundup: January 2021 A summary of the opinions and witterings of the science community on Twitter Sunday, 31 January 2021

Seeing Is Believing: Researchers Use Viral Gene Therapy to Restore Lost Sight Trial uses targeted gene therapy to ‘edit’ mutated genes and reverse effects of genetic blindness Tuesday, 19 January 2021

POSTS FROM 2020

Science Twitter Roundup: October/November 2020 A summary of the opinions and witterings of the science community on Twitter Friday, 11 December 2020

New Funding for COVID-19 Genomic Surveillance Researchers will be sequencing viral genomes at a huge scale to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic Monday, 30 November 2020

Immune Suppression — From Enemy to Therapy A joint study by the Wellcome Sanger Institute (WSI) and Medical Research Council Cancer Unit in Cambridge, UK, revealed that... Thursday, 5 November 2020

Artificial “mini-lungs” provide new COVID-19 insights Researchers from Cambridge and Seoul used lung organoids to study the mechanisms underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection Monday, 2 November 2020

Four-Stranded DNA: A New Dimension For Cancer Therapy? Researchers at the University of Cambridge have found that four-stranded DNA structures play a role in certain types of breast cancer and could provide a new target for personalised medicine. Thursday, 29 October 2020

Yaws: The Revenge An international research collaboration, including the Wellcome Sanger Institute, tracks the resurgence of the bacterium Treponema pallidum in Papua New Guinea following an eradication campaign Tuesday, 27 October 2020

Green Energy With Your Greens Researchers from the University of Cambridge have demonstrated that using tinted semi-transparent solar panels with crop production can increase profits... Thursday, 22 October 2020

Science Twitter Roundup: Nobel Prize Special A summary of the opinions and witterings of the science community on Twitter Friday, 16 October 2020

What happens when metallic hydrogen melts? A joint effort between Cambridge, EPFL and IBM tasks artificial intelligence with finding out what happens when metallic hydrogen melts Tuesday, 6 October 2020

UN Decade on Biodiversity ends with failure to achieve all conservation targets A new UN report reveals global failure to halt biodiversity declines Saturday, 3 October 2020

A new step forward in the search for life on Venus A microbial by-product detected in Venus’s atmosphere hints at the possibility of life on Earth’s closest neighbour Thursday, 17 September 2020

Science Twitter Roundup: August 2020 A summary of the opinions and witterings of the science community on Twitter Wednesday, 16 September 2020

Mosquito immune system mapped for the first time Scientists have created the first cell atlas of the mosquito immune system, a vital new tool in the fight against malaria Tuesday, 1 September 2020

Cambridge SARS-CoV-2 vaccine awarded £1.9 million for clinical trial The UK government has awarded £1.9 million in funding to run clinical trials on a promising SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate designed by the Cambridge-based company DIOSynVax Sunday, 30 August 2020

Science Twitter Roundup: July 2020 A summary of the opinions and witterings of the science community on Twitter Tuesday, 18 August 2020

Explosive potential hidden beneath gentle Galápagos volcanoes A multinational research team has found that some volcanoes may not erupt as uniformly as expected, due to chemically diverse magmas hidden beneath the surface Tuesday, 4 August 2020

Supercharged Shellfish - Food for the Future? Scientists at Cambridge University have found a method to enhance shellfish with elevated nutrient levels in order to tackle global micronutrient deficiency Tuesday, 21 July 2020

Meet the tetraquark, a charming new particle The tetraquark is a new subatomic particle that has charmed physicists at CERN Friday, 17 July 2020

Review: Evolution or Extinction: Will Humanity Survive the 21st Century? - Chris Packham Kate Howlett reviews a talk by Chris Packham Tuesday, 14 July 2020

Science Twitter Roundup: June 2020 A summary of the opinions and witterings of the science community on Twitter Tuesday, 7 July 2020

Review: Antimony, Gold, and Jupiter’s Wolf - Peter Wothers Gareth Hart reviews a book by Peter Wothers Friday, 3 July 2020

The Solution to Antibiotic Resistance? In a first, researchers at Princeton University discover a novel broad-spectrum antibiotic against which both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria fail to develop resistance Friday, 26 June 2020

Hunting for the Axion: Needle in a Haystack Shamil Shah and Adiyant Lamba discuss attempts to look for dark matter candidates Friday, 19 June 2020

Science Twitter Roundup: May 2020 A summary of the opinions and witterings of the science community on Twitter Tuesday, 9 June 2020

Facebook Dataset to Improve Social Science Liza Karmannaya discusses the release of a dataset from Facebook Friday, 5 June 2020

Cambridge researchers tackle COVID-19 Juli Cudini examines how researchers from different fields at the University of Cambridge have united to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic Monday, 1 June 2020

New study proves instability in model of the universe In a recent paper, Georgios Moschidis shows that a hypothetical geometry of our universe - known as anti-de Sitter (AdS) space - is unstable. Instabilities in this spacetime lead to the formation of black holes and may hint at the origins of the second law of thermodynamics Monday, 25 May 2020

Review: How is the Scientific Method Doing? - Sabine Hossenfelder Grace Field reviews a talk by Sabine Hossenfelder Saturday, 23 May 2020

Connectomics - a Fly-Brained Contribution to Neuroscience Billy Morris comments on the recent publication of a fruit fly connectome Friday, 22 May 2020

Science Twitter Roundup: April 2020 A summary of the opinions and witterings of the science community on Twitter Thursday, 14 May 2020

Cambridge scientist reveals journey in latest book: ‘The Dance of Life’ Cambridge embryologist Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz reveals her personal and professional journey through science, in her latest book: ‘The Dance of Life: Symmetry, Cells and How We Become Human’. Monday, 4 May 2020

Cancer-driving mutations in cells of human uterus arise early in life Zak Lakota-Baldwin discusses a new study into the early developmental origins of uterine cancer Tuesday, 28 April 2020

Deconstructing the Brain: New Insights into Spatial Organisation Adiyant Lamba explores a new study on the organisation of cells in the mammalian brain. Tuesday, 31 March 2020

Are we in the Insect Apocalypse? Zak Lakota-Baldwin discusses how a new study of insect population levels across Great Britain has provided a more precise view of the much-discussed “insectageddon” Thursday, 12 March 2020

New Superfast Charging Battery Developed by Cambridge University Spinout Company Echion Technologies reveal a new battery which can be fully recharged in 6 minutes, thanks to its Mixed Niobium Oxide anode material. Wednesday, 26 February 2020

Nineteenth century fever A Stanford research group looks into why humans are cooler now. Thursday, 20 February 2020

POSTS FROM 2019

Live bacteria pills, a possibility Pills containing live bacteria on the horizon Monday, 22 April 2019

POSTS FROM 2018

33 million-year-old toothless whale weighs in on the evolution of oral structures The blue whale is the largest animal to ever have lived on our planet, with the heaviest recorded weighing in... Friday, 24 August 2018

POSTS FROM 2016

Viruses help fight drug-resistant bacteria Nowadays, antibiotics are so commonly used that increasing numbers of bacterial strains have evolved resistance to such drugs. The World... Friday, 27 May 2016

Magic mushrooms possibly safe as depression treatment Depression is a large problem around the world, and is estimated to cost the UK £7.5 billion per year. Therefore,... Friday, 20 May 2016

Spread of contagious cancer in dogs tracked by genetic markers Cancer arises due to genetic mutations that cause cells to proliferate uncontrollably and form tumours. While it is a devastating... Thursday, 19 May 2016

‘Unicorns’ roamed Siberia alongside humans A fossil skull recently discovered in Kazakhstan suggests that members of the horned species Elasmotherium sibiricum may have survived until as recently as 29,000 years ago, greatly at odds with the previous estimate of 350,000 years ago. Monday, 11 April 2016

POSTS FROM 2015

Is the flickering of a far-away star caused by comets or aliens? (It’s probably not aliens.) NASA’s Kepler space telescope was launched in March 2009 with the goal of discovering Earth-like exoplanets. It also may have... Thursday, 5 November 2015

Improving on gold dust: a new way to bolster semiconductor devices ‘Silicon Valley’ has become somewhat of a byword for success in the technology industries. The rocky, reddish, Northern Californian valley... Monday, 2 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

Postcards from Pluto: Blue skies, red water ice, and more If we ever travel to Pluto, we might be greeted by blue skies. (This is, of course, assuming we came... Thursday, 22 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

Huge Hydrogen Cloud Bleeding from Nearby Planet The Hubble Space Telescope has detected a huge hydrogen cloud, dubbed “The Behemoth”, evaporating from a Neptune-sized planet in a... Monday, 13 July 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

The bittersweet truth about chocolate and weight loss Many read and shared news stories about the paper when it was released – science shows eating chocolate everyday is... Friday, 26 June 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

Changing social attitudes during sleep Are you biased against Black people? Do you think women are not good at science? Most people would reject such racial and sexual biases when they are asked. But even if you do, does that mean you are truly unbiased? Wednesday, 3 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

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

Book Review: The Trouble with Popsci Kathrin Holtzmann, who previously reviewed Michael Warren's Head Trip for us, returns to the Neuroscience Blog - this time with a critique of the popular science genre. Thursday, 12 March 2015

Deep fried ice cream comet anyone? Hope it doesn’t hit us in (baked) Alaska on a Sundae (sorry). Astronomers may have discovered why comets, like deep fried ice cream, have an outer crust but a colder, more porous inner core. Wednesday, 11 February 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

Probe successfully lands on comet for the first time in history On the 12th of November at 16.00 GMT hours a mission launched by The European Space Agency succeeded on landing... Monday, 17 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 method for finding water on mars A young Washington-based undergraduate student Katie Wall, aged 21, has been looking for evidence that water influences crystal formation in... Thursday, 6 November 2014

Jim Al Khalili – The Edge of Life Professor Jim Al Khalili, science communicator and voice of BBC’s The Life Scientific makes the case for quantum biology in his lecture Life on the Edge, part of the Cambridge Festival of Ideas. Wednesday, 29 October 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

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

Reviews: Issue 31 Experiment Eleven: Deceit and Betrayal in the Discovery of the Cure for Tuberculosis - Peter Pringle Saturday, 11 October 2014

News: Issue 31 Addiction, Addicti-off 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

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder- waves of fear in the brain Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a common consequence of overwhelming stressful or fearful events. Although people suffering from PTSD... Tuesday, 16 September 2014

Yawn Contagion Occurs in Wolves Too We’ve all heard about how yawns can be ‘contagious’ – if you see or hear someone yawn, it makes you more likely to do likewise. But now it seems that wolves experience contagious yawning too, with important potential implications about empathy. Wednesday, 27 August 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

Summer Science! You could spend this weekend lounging in the sun but we all know it's going to rain and you need something better to do. Time to geek out about science and let your nerd flag fly... Friday, 4 July 2014

Using Ancient Faeces to Reconstruct Neanderthals’ Diets We may think it’s only ‘nutritionists’ who are obsessed with our faeces in modern times, but researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of La Laguna have been conducting scientific analyses on some far older samples. Thursday, 26 June 2014

How the Super-Long-Lived Die As we all know, the life expectancy of populations in developed countries such as England is growing. As everyone’s life... Friday, 6 June 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

Overactive bladder? Blame the bacteria New study finds bacteria populations may be to blame for incontinence caused by an 'overactive bladder' (OAB). Sunday, 18 May 2014

News: Issue 30 Bacteria solution to biofuel problem? Tuesday, 13 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

‘Improved’ water sources may not be as safe as previously thought Access to safe water is a basic human right. The Millennium Development Goals, the set of aims agreed globally in... Wednesday, 7 May 2014

Are faeces a drug? Canadian health authority shuts down experimental faecal transplants The harmless bacteria in our gut help us to digest food, but can also wreak havoc on our bodies. Antibiotics... Tuesday, 29 April 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

X-Ray-Generated Model Helps to Reveal How Flies Turn in Flight We often take insect flight for granted and as casual observers, it’s hard to understand – flies move too fast and are too small for our limited eyesight. But a paper published recently in PLOS Biology provides beautiful and novel insights into how flies fly. Thursday, 24 April 2014

Fake birth control pills hit market - scientists develop quick screening method Nearly a quarter of birth control pills analysed in a study were substandard or fake, according to researchers from the Georgia... Friday, 18 April 2014

New Mouse Model Predicts Fialuridine Side Effects Which Killed Five In 1993, five participants of a clinical trial testing fialuridine lost their lives because of the drug’s unexpected liver toxicity,... Wednesday, 16 April 2014

A new smart tag revealing if your food is spoiled Pouring milk onto your cereals only to find out it is spoiled can be a tough way to start your day. Tuesday, 15 April 2014

Tobacco Companies Didn’t Fight Fair on Standardised Packaging The British Government’s decision to introduce standardised packaging on tobacco products has been reached after a hard-won battle with the tobacco companies. A paper recently published in PLOS Medicine suggests that these companies may not have played fair. Monday, 14 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

Welcome to the Science News Blog! We deliver reporting and commentary on the latest and greatest discoveries in science. Saturday, 12 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

Neanderthal lineages excavated from modern human genomes Research has shown that a substantial fraction of the Neanderthal genome exists in modern human populations. Resent research analysing whole... Thursday, 27 February 2014

Probable hydrogen river observed flowing through space Astronomers from West Virginia University have spotted what could be a hydrogen river floating through space. Galaxies have different shapes,... Thursday, 6 February 2014

Reviews: Issue 29 Gravity: Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney Monday, 3 February 2014

News: Issue 29 Babies suppress own immune system Monday, 3 February 2014

Sparrho: A one-stop shop for scientific discovery Sparrho is a scientific discovery platform that allows you to easily browse through scientific content relevant to you. We aggregate,... Wednesday, 29 January 2014

POSTS FROM 2013

Festival of the Spoken Nerd: THE FULL FRONTAL NERDITY TOUR! Fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe, the sell-out comedy phenomenon is back on tour with a brand new show for the insatiably sci-curious. Thursday, 19 December 2013

Mice can transmit fear to their offspring through sperm A study has shown that mice can transfer fear to specific odours through their sperm to their offspring and grand... Wednesday, 18 December 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

Reviews: Issue 28 The Hive: The Story of the Honeybee and Us – Bee Wilson Monday, 25 November 2013

News: Issue 28 Azure Planet Spotted by Hubble Monday, 25 November 2013

New theory to propagate seeds of life in asteroids A new look at the early Solar System has introduced an alternative to the long-taught and accepted theory that explains... Friday, 22 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

Scientists uncover a novel way to tackle Flu The influenza virus continues to pose a serious risk to human health; it is estimated that influenza is responsible for... Friday, 1 November 2013

Major breakthrough in Alzheimer’s treatment research As the number of patients with dementia increases dramatically, research focused on new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease is at its peak. Friday, 25 October 2013

Drinking impairs healing of broken bones A study performed in Loyola University Medical Center has shown that alcohol abuse impairs the healing of broken bones. Alcohol-related... Monday, 21 October 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

Life on Earth has 1.75 billion years left on the clock. Our home planet will remain habitable for a further 1.75 billion years new research suggests. During this time, Earth will... Wednesday, 25 September 2013

New moon on Neptune In an age when we are observing new planets around distant stars almost every day, it is stunning to realise... Thursday, 29 August 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

Can imagination change what our senses perceive? Apparently, yes! According to experiments published in Current Biology by Christopher Berger and Henrik Ehrsson; what you hear can change what... Wednesday, 7 August 2013

Voyager 1 crosses the magnetic highway out of our solar system The Voyager 1 spacecraft has encountered an unexpected region at the edge of our solar system which has become known as the “Magnetic Highway”, 18.5 billion km from the Sun. Monday, 29 July 2013

Solar panels as affordable as paint? Solar panels have been hailed as one of the best ways of harnessing renewable energy in homes but purchasing, installing,... Tuesday, 25 June 2013

Key B cell lymphoma gene identified The first step to finding a new treatment for cancer is to identify pivotal factors, such as genes, that the disease cannot survive without. For the majority of B cell lymphomas, Dr Melnick and colleagues in New York have discovered one such gene: EZH2. Friday, 7 June 2013

Extensive glacial retreat in the Mount Everest region Researchers from the University of Milan have found that glaciers in the Mount Everest region are shrinking. Glaciers are large... Friday, 24 May 2013

Cell body clocks are altered in depression Our biological rhythms are tuned to the day-night cycles, light-dark cycles in which we live because the cells of our... Tuesday, 21 May 2013

Initiatives: Making New Scientists Elizabeth Mooney reflects on the opening of the new Cambridge Science Centre Wednesday, 15 May 2013

Reviews: Issue 27 Bad Pharma: how drug companies mislead doctors and harm patients – Ben Goldacre Wednesday, 15 May 2013

News: Issue 27 New Twists in the Tale of DNA Wednesday, 15 May 2013

Supermarkets seriously misinforming customers about health risks In an open letter to ten supermarket CEOs, early career researchers have called on supermarkets to stop misleading customers about health risks. They accuse the supermarkets of playing on unfounded fears about health effects from GM, MSG, parabens and aspartame. Wednesday, 1 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

Genetic flags identify cancer causing genes More than 1000 scientists have been involved in a recent study that has discovered over 80 genetic markers associated with... Wednesday, 24 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

Captain, there’s something on the radar The Royal Navy have just unveiled their new radar system and the Artisan 3D boasts statistics stats that would impress tech-addicts everywhere. Tuesday, 2 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

Observing the birth of a planet An international team of astronomers appear to have made the first observations of a planet being born. The team, led... Friday, 15 March 2013

Game on: why video games help you to read “Stop playing those video games, they rot your brain!” - A phrase likely to become a thing of the past. Wednesday, 6 March 2013

The scars of human evolution and standing on our own two feet The transition from walking on four legs to walking on two legs has resulted in some unwelcome side effects, new research shows. Tuesday, 26 February 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

DNA could store digital files A group led by Nick Goldman in Hinxton, UK, has demonstrated that DNA - the so-called “code of life” - can now be used to accurately archive all-sorts of digital media. Information encoded in DNA could be stored and read for thousands of years. Tuesday, 29 January 2013

Reviews: Issue 26 How the Hippies Saved Physics – David Kaiser Friday, 25 January 2013

News: Issue 26 Does Earth need planetary sun block? Friday, 25 January 2013

One step closer to HIV immunity Researchers at Stanford University have developed a form of gene therapy that stops human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from latching onto... Wednesday, 23 January 2013

The world beneath our feet Ecologists have used a state of the art technique known as ‘metagenomic sequencing’ to unlock the genetic secrets of the microbial underworld that lies within the world’s soils. Tuesday, 22 January 2013

Stem cells cure mice from blindness Published on: Jan 17, 2013 @ 15:08 Thursday, 17 January 2013

Need a use for your old Christmas tree? Give it a second life in biomedicine! You’ve lost and won countless games of Monopoly, consumed your body weight in turkey sandwiches and selection boxes, and sung... Friday, 11 January 2013

How excess holiday eating disturbs your 'food clock' New research from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) shows how your body's 'food clock' can become disturbed when... Monday, 7 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

The pixie of all pixels Scientists at the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge have demonstrated a new use for carbon nanotubes (CNTs).... Tuesday, 27 November 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

Discovery of a geological ‘sombrero’ on the Earth’s surface Magma is a mixture of molten rock, found beneath the Earth’s surface and which often collects in chambers to feed... Wednesday, 31 October 2012

‘Super- Earth’ likely to be made from diamonds A planet twice the size of Earth orbiting a sun-like star, 55 Cancri e has been described by researchers at... Thursday, 25 October 2012

Oxygen and Ice – how geochemistry revolutionised life on Earth The evolution of multicellular animals, or metazoans, was made possible by a huge increase in oxygen levels after a major global warming episode, a new study suggests. Tuesday, 16 October 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

Issue 25 Specials: BlueSci News Louisa Lyon talks about the fast-paced world of science news. Wednesday, 3 October 2012

Reviews: Issue 25 Successful Science Communication - David J Bennett & Richard C Jennings Wednesday, 3 October 2012

News: Issue 25 Microbes Help Immune Cells Function Wednesday, 3 October 2012

The reptilian wiring in our hearts New research by scientists from Aarhus University and the University of Amsterdam has begun to illuminate the evolutionary origin of... Tuesday, 2 October 2012

Exercise for body and mind Scientists have now confirmed that regular exercise is good for the mind as well as the body. Wednesday, 26 September 2012

Do dry soils attract rain? New research indicates that rain storms are more likely to form over drier than wetter soils. Friday, 14 September 2012

X-Rays shed new light on mantle plumes New studies using highly focused X-Rays have moved one step closer to explaining hotspot volcanism by investigating how huge plumes of hot mantle rock could form deep inside the Earth. Tuesday, 4 September 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

Concussions cause brain ageing? The first sign that concussion can prematurely age the brain by breaking down its signalling pathways has been found by... Friday, 17 August 2012

Reaffirming Rio Rio+20 marked 20 years since the Rio Earth Summit of 1992, which made early progress in recognising climate change and... Tuesday, 14 August 2012

Nuclear weapons give climate change research a helping hand Testing nuclear weapons and researching climate change seem to be at opposite sides of the scientific spectrum; the former seeks... Friday, 10 August 2012

The power of suggestion Suggestions exert a powerful influence on how we think, feel, and act but it appears that the effects play a much larger role in shaping our lives than most people realise. Wednesday, 1 August 2012

Fool’s Gold- not such a fool after all? Researchers have found that Fool’s Gold plays an important role in governing atmospheric oxygen concentrations. Wednesday, 25 July 2012

Mickey Mouse fights the flab – Oh boy! June 2012 marked The Walt Disney Company’s announcement of a junk food commercial ban from 2015. Roughly a third of... Wednesday, 18 July 2012

Alzheimer’s early detection ‘timeline’ developed Researchers can now detect signs of Alzheimer’s 25 years before the expected onset of the disease. Saturday, 14 July 2012

Drinking coffee may protect against heart failure Contrary to American Heart Association guidelines discouraging habitual coffee drinking, new research from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre (BIDMC) indicates that moderate coffee consumption may be an effective preventative of heart failure. Friday, 6 July 2012

Lichen can survive in space Lichens can survive journeys through space – even when exposed to potentially lethal radiation levels and temperature changes. Friday, 29 June 2012

Scientists identify protein required to re-grow injured nerves Nerve cells in the brain are notorious for their inability to heal. But the situation is different for nerve cells... Friday, 29 June 2012

Arctic warming linked to Antarctic ice New findings suggest that the Arctic may be subject to very warm ‘super-interglacials’ linked to the loss of the Antarctic ice sheet on the other side of the world. Monday, 25 June 2012

Plastic-eating fungus discovered in the Amazon Undergraduate students from Yale University have discovered a fungus capable of degrading the common plastic polyurethane. With low costs and high demand, the volume of plastics produced overwhelms waste management systems and threatens ecosystems and human welfare globally. Thursday, 21 June 2012

Genes can determine your ability to quit smoking Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, have found that the same gene variants that make it... Tuesday, 12 June 2012

Gates Foundation and Big Pharma unite to combat neglected tropical diseases The largest yet collaborative effort towards the elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) was unveiled in London earlier this year.... Friday, 8 June 2012

Smallest fossils change understanding about sturdiest dinosaurs Weighed down by the burden of their armour, ankylosaurs were the rhinoceroses of the dinosaur age, defending themselves against predators with their thick dermal plates and tail clubs. Wednesday, 6 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

Facebook could be addictive You could be addicted to Facebook, suggests a new study lead by a team of researchers in Norway. Monday, 28 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

Using photoacoustics to screen for breast cancer 50,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK annually – on average someone every 10 minutes, and although... Sunday, 20 May 2012

Magnetic bacteria can build tomorrow's biocomputers According to a group of researchers at the University of Leeds, microbes are the key to producing tomorrow’s super-fast computers.... Friday, 18 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

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

Reviews: Issue 24 Radioactive: Marie and Pierre Curie – Lauren Redniss Friday, 27 April 2012

News: Issue 24 Promising Alzheimer’s Treatment Friday, 27 April 2012

Final flight of Discovery After a year of decommissioning, NASA’s flagship Space Shuttle Discovery has made its final flight, this time within Earth’s atmosphere... Tuesday, 24 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

Özti the Iceman Although he may look a little like Gollum of ‘Lord of the Rings’ fame, Özti the Iceman is actually the... Tuesday, 3 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

How to detect traces of explosives Scientists at the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology in Trivandrum, India, have developed a simple method for detecting attogram (10-18 g) quantities of the explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT). Wednesday, 21 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

DNA analysis may be open to interpretation The genetic sequence encoded within the double helical strands of an individual’s DNA has long been considered decisive evidence for... Tuesday, 21 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

A human wind turbine At 12 noon on Friday 10th February, Cambridge University students gathered on Parker’s Piece to rally for renewable energy. Thursday, 16 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

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

Energising Cambridge A new student campaign, Energise Cambridge (http://www.energisecambridge.org/), has been launched to try and persuade the University of Cambridge to buy a larger proportion of its energy from renewable suppliers. Friday, 3 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

‘Great Lake’ on Jupiter’s moon may harbour life Scientific analysis of the surface of Jupiter’s moon, Europa, suggests that warm water rises from its deep oceans to form shallow nutrient-rich lakes that could support life. Wednesday, 25 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

Reviews The God Species - Mark Lynas Wednesday, 18 January 2012

News: Issue 23 …and this little piggy corrected mutations 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

New metal is world’s lightest material A team of researchers has developed a ‘micro-lattice’ material that is approximately 100 times lighter than polystyrene. Thursday, 12 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

Earth's survival, thanks to the sacrifice of a gas giant New research published by Dr. David Nesvorny of the Southwest Research Institute provides strong evidence that the solar system may initially have had five giant gas planets, as opposed to the current four. Sunday, 1 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

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

Review: Frank Close - Physics, Prizes and Phantom Particles Winning a Nobel Prize in neutrino physics, is all about longevity. That was the message of Professor Frank Close OBE to a joint audience from BlueSci, Cambridge University's Science Magazine, and the Cambridge University Physics Society. Monday, 12 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

Review: Building Bridges in Medical Sciences Symposium 2011 The 4th annual Building Bridges in Medical Sciences (BBMS) symposium was held in October at the Cancer Research Institute in... Monday, 5 December 2011

Review: The First Chief Scientific Adviser in the Foreign office Government and Science. The two often have an interesting relationship; long term predications and concerns, such as those associated with... Sunday, 4 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

New vaccine reduces risk of malaria A new vaccine tested on African infants may reduce the risk of malaria by half, according to a recent publication... Tuesday, 29 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

Stars send out distress flares Astronomers have revealed that stars send out distress flares as they’re torn apart by black holes. Tuesday, 22 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

Temporal cloaks mask our perception of reality Through a remarkable feat of physics, researchers at Cornell University have been able to hide an event in time by... Tuesday, 15 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

Radar can now see us through walls Since the development of RADAR (Radio Detection And Ranging) in 1940, its ability to pinpoint fixed objects and determine the... Tuesday, 8 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

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

New observations question our understanding of dark matter According to the standard cosmological model, dark matter plays an important role in the description of our universe. Dark matter... Monday, 31 October 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

The personal touch: crizotinib and lung cancer Study shows that the drug crizotinib produces good results in certain non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients Sunday, 23 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

Bigger than the Big Bang - 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to Saul Perlmutter, Brian P. Schmidt and Adam G. Riess, whose efforts during the 1990s led to the astonishing conclusion that the rate of expansion of the Universe is increasing. Wednesday, 12 October 2011

Discoverer of quasi-crystals wins Nobel Prize The Nobel Prize for chemistry has gone this year to Dan Shechtman, the man who discovered quasi-crystals – materials that... Sunday, 9 October 2011

Reviews Cool It - Bjorn Lomborg Monday, 3 October 2011

News: Issue 22 Bat wing hairs act as airflow detectors Monday, 3 October 2011

Online game players solve structure of AIDS protein Players from an online gaming community have solved the crystal structure of a retrovirus protein causing AIDS in rhesus monkeys. The gamers determined in just three weeks something that has eluded scientists for over 10 years. Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Overconfidence is a winning trait Scientists in Edinburgh and California have found that being overconfident can help you succeed. Monday, 26 September 2011

Canadian amber found to hold clues to the evolution of feathers Researchers in Canada have discovered feathers preserved in amber from 70 million years ago. Thursday, 22 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

New material offers superior rate performance for batteries Battery technology could soon see a vast improvement due to the discovery of a new material that could increase power, energy density and safety, as well as reduce charge time. Monday, 12 September 2011

Self-cleaning fabrics could be cleaner than ever Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have developed a new self-cleaning fabric that is more robust, has improved antibacterial qualities, and is easier to manufacture. Saturday, 10 September 2011

A man-made mountain in the Netherlands? A Dutch journalist has proposed the idea of creating a mountain in the Netherlands, believing it will benefit the nation’s athletes and become a top attraction. Thursday, 8 September 2011

Rivers of ice discovered in the Antarctic The ice flow of the Antarctic ice sheet has been mapped in high resolution for the first time. Thursday, 1 September 2011

Fighting malaria with microwaves Researchers at Penn State University have been awarded a grant by the Gates Foundation to develop their idea of treating malaria with microwaves. Friday, 26 August 2011

DRACOnian measures for disease-causing microbes Scientists from the Lincoln Laboratory at MIT have unveiled DRACO, a new drug designed to kill all viruses. Thursday, 18 August 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

A universal flu vaccine? Scientists have used the 2009 swine flu outbreak to bring us closer to a universal vaccine. Thursday, 4 August 2011

Superconductor model fits with extreme correlation Physicists at the University of California have developed a technique that helps to explain the behaviour of electrons in a high-temperature superconductor. Wednesday, 3 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

BlueSci gets Creative The BlueSci committee are pleased to announce that from now on we will be placing all material published by BlueSci,... Saturday, 30 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

Eye test could be used to detect Alzheimer's disease A simple eye test could help detect Alzheimer’s disease in its earliest stages, Australian scientists report. Friday, 15 July 2011

Spearheads and minds sharpened by humans 200,000 years ago Archaeologists at Lund University in Sweden have found that the development of spearhead technology played an important part in the advancement of human thinking and behaviour 80,000 years ago. Friday, 8 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

Enceladus plumes come from underground ocean Direct sampling of water plumes jetting into space from Saturn’s moon Enceladus suggest that liquid water exists in large underground reservoirs. Friday, 1 July 2011

Putting waste energy to good use A prototype produced by engineers in the United States can capture wasted heat from exhausts and use it for air conditioning and the generation of electricity. Tuesday, 21 June 2011

Ancient-language dictionary completed after 90 years The first dictionary of an ancient Mesopotamian language is finally complete after ninety years in the making. At 21 volumes, this creates an unparalleled resource for studying the first urban civilisations in history. Monday, 20 June 2011

Study reveals neurobiological mechanism that links smoking with food intake A receptor in neurons of the brain that links nicotine with reduced food intake has been identified and offers a new target for weight loss drugs. Monday, 13 June 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

Fjords revealed under Antarctic ice sheet Recent surveying of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet reveals a landscape of mountains and fjords, with dynamic ice sheet configurations. Saturday, 4 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

Reprogrammed cells are rejected in mice Stem cells can trigger an immune reaction in the same strain of mice from which they were derived, according to a recent report. Wednesday, 25 May 2011

The last Neanderthals may have lived near the Arctic Circle The recent dating of remains from northern Russia suggests that Neanderthals may have survived near the Arctic Circle until around 31,000 to 34,000 years ago. Monday, 23 May 2011

Serendipitous supercapacitors The unexpected discovery of a new three-dimensional porous carbon material could allow supercapacitors to rival the performance of the standard lead-acid battery. Sunday, 22 May 2011

A new method to harness solar energy Scientists reporting in Nature Materials have built a prototype to show that the thermoelectric effect might provide an alternative way to generate electricity from sunlight. Saturday, 21 May 2011

Atlas of the stars An amateur astrophotographer has travelled over 60,000 miles to capture images of the stars and produce a stunning interactive atlas of the night sky. Thursday, 19 May 2011

Health risks associated with ‘new ecstasy’ revealed The serious side effects of a drug termed the ‘new ecstasy’ have been revealed through studies at Anglia Ruskin University. Tuesday, 17 May 2011

An innovation odyssey- from basic research to the world’s fastest selling consumer electronics product Review of Centre for Science and Policy ((http://www.csap.cam.ac.uk/)) Distinguished Lecture Series. 12th May 2011, Professor Chris Bishop, Microsoft Research, Cambridge. Saturday, 14 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

Carbon nanotube microsensors designed to improve gas masks A new type of sensor described recently in the journal Advanced Materials could lead to safer respirators for emergency workers. Tuesday, 10 May 2011

News: Issue 21 The Sun as we’ve never seen it before 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

Antihelium discovered in STAR experiment Physicists at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider have detected 18 examples of antihelium, breaking their own a world record for the heaviest particle of antimatter ever found. Wednesday, 4 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

The Human Brain Atlas The Human Brain Atlas is the first computational map of the brain, developed over four years by the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle and costing $55 million ((http://www.brain-map.org/)). Saturday, 30 April 2011

Plasmonic resonances in semiconductors Scientists have demonstrated localised surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in semiconductors, extending the range of materials that can be used for photonics and offering new possibilities for light harvesting, nonlinear optics and quantum information processes. Thursday, 28 April 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

Earliest non-marine multicellular life seen in Scottish fossils Large populations of diverse microfossils from lochs in the northwest of Scotland indicate that the evolution of multi-cellular organisms may have commenced on land far earlier than previously thought. Saturday, 16 April 2011

The search for antimatter This month the space shuttle Endeavour will make its final journey after a loyal 19 years service and its last... Thursday, 14 April 2011

Overprescription of pain-relief drugs Increasing prescription rates of pain-relieving drugs suggest a worrying trend of drug abuse in the United States. Friday, 8 April 2011

New maps of Earth's gravity unveiled Models illustrating the most accurate measurements ever recorded of the variation in gravity across the Earth have been unveiled at an international conference at the Technische Universitat in Munich, Germany. Monday, 4 April 2011

Renewable petroleum to the rescue Researchers at the University of Minnesota have taken a step closer to making a renewable hydrocarbon fuel. Thursday, 31 March 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

Metamaterials for superheroes The invisibility cloaks of comic books may not be all that far-fetched according to a paper recently published in the journal Nature. Their origins lie with the 19th Centrury physicist James Clerk Maxwell. Thursday, 24 March 2011

New look at a bacterial weapon The needle complex that makes Salmonella and related bacteria such infectious pathogens has been modelled at the subnanometre scale. Tuesday, 22 March 2011

MESSENGER spacecraft begins historic Mercury orbit A space probe launched over six and a half years ago has achieved orbit around the planet Mercury, an engineering and scientific milestone for NASA. Monday, 21 March 2011

Neurotransmitter key to motor learning behaviour? Researchers from the University of Oxford have investigated the cellular basis of learning and have helped to explain why some people are quicker to learn piano pieces or perfect dance routines. Friday, 18 March 2011

Polymer failure Researchers at Duke University in the United States have shown for the first time how soft polymers can break down when exposed to high electric fields. Thursday, 17 March 2011

Filming inside living cells A new design of microscope has been developed which produces amazingly detailed 3-dimensional movies of live cells, and could potentially open up whole new areas of research. Wednesday, 16 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

Epileptic self-defence Researchers from Brown University have found that after an epileptic event the brain has the capacity to protect itself from further seizures. If this finding can be confirmed in human cases, it may provide a new approach to treat epilepsy. Monday, 14 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

Organic monitors A completely organic series of compounds are being developed to make display screens cheaper, more efficient and more flexible. Friday, 11 March 2011

Egyptians first to use prosthetics A researcher from the University of Manchester believes that two artificial toes dating from before 600BC may have been the world’s earliest functional prosthetic body parts. Thursday, 10 March 2011

Last flight of Discovery NASA’s workhorse, ambassador, scientist and equal opportunity emissary the Space Shuttle Discovery today completes its final mission. Wednesday, 9 March 2011

Brain matter makes the mind A multi-institutional group of researchers from the University of Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre have uncovered a possible basis for differences in mental abilities by identifying links between genetic makeup and the efficiency of brain function. Tuesday, 8 March 2011

Avoiding stereotypes Researchers from the University of Michigan have developed a method that uses novel organic catalysts to produce pure chiral products... Monday, 7 March 2011

World-leading computer vision techniques used to create giant sculpture Software developed by a team of engineers from the University of Cambridge has been used by the artist Antony Gormley to create a 60-tonne monumental sculpture. Sunday, 6 March 2011

Sitting is not so pretty A long-term study on the associations between sedentary behaviour and mortality has suggested that the amount of time people spend sitting down has an effect on their lifespan that is independent of the amount of physical exercise they take. Friday, 4 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

Spacecraft that think for themselves Scientists at the University of Southampton have developed a new control system for spacecraft, allowing them to make decisions more independently than ever before using artificially intelligent ‘sysbrains’ ((http://www.sesnet.soton.ac.uk/people/smv/avs_lab/index.htm)). Saturday, 26 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

New class of magnetic atomic clusters discovered Atomic clusters are particles containing a small number of atoms, which often possess unique properties that make them different from... Sunday, 20 February 2011

Twirly-whirly electrons Transmission electron microscopes (TEM) are used to study and image a wide variety of materials due to their sub-nanometre resolving power. In a TEM electrons are shot through an object and adsorption, deflection and energy loss of the electrons is measured. Saturday, 19 February 2011

New strategy to engineer universal vascular grafts The need for donor organs and tissues for transplants is a well known and so far unsolved problem. Patients suffering from... Wednesday, 16 February 2011

Eggs show arctic mercury cycling may be linked to ice cover A team of researchers has used seabird eggs to suggest that the level of mercury cycling in the flora and fauna of the Arctic is related to the amount of ice cover. Sunday, 13 February 2011

Can meditation change your brain? Meditation has been used for thousands of years in religious rituals and as an aid to relaxation and thought. A... Friday, 11 February 2011

New theory reveals fractal nature of arithmetic A full mathematical description of partition numbers, the basis for addition, has long eluded mathematicians. Ken Ono of Emory University... Tuesday, 8 February 2011

Deep space monitored by world’s largest telescope Giant radio telescopes in the Netherlands, France, Germany and the United Kingdom have been used together for the first time... Saturday, 5 February 2011

New hope for the hard of hearing The problem of progressive hearing loss affects a large proportion of the population, young and old, but findings released recently from... Thursday, 3 February 2011

London’s top secret discovery Security service helicopters circle MI6 headquarters, armed police surround the building and all the while a small team are busy... Monday, 31 January 2011

News: Issue 20 Benefits to weaker immune system Saturday, 29 January 2011

The dawn of dinosaurs A new dinosaur has been discovered in Argentina ((Ricardo N. Martinez et al., “A Basal Dinosaur from the Dawn of... Saturday, 29 January 2011

Small-scale earthquakes hit Britain Mention earthquakes and most people will think of places such as Japan and California, where major damaging earthquakes happen once... Wednesday, 26 January 2011

Tsunami warning systems Six years have passed since the Boxing Day tsunami disaster which claimed 5,400 victims and devastated coastlines of Thailand, Indian,... Sunday, 23 January 2011

FIT incentives and free solar panels Feed-In Tariffs (FITs) were introduced in April 2010 to encourage homeowners to generate their own electricity. Technologies such as solar... Tuesday, 18 January 2011

An average approach to managing risk New research suggests that there may be a serious flaw in the way that many investors approach risk. A report... Friday, 14 January 2011

Enjoying the VISTA 2011 is already proving to be a significant year for astronomy. In addition to a conjunction of the planets, a partial solar eclipse and the Quadrantid meteor shower we have obtained spectacular new images of both the Andromeda galaxy and our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Tuesday, 11 January 2011

Neural mechanisms link sleep, general anaesthesia and coma General anaesthetics are widely administered to patients before surgery. While anaesthesia is often referred to as “sleep”, the process is... Sunday, 9 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

Hope in the water 2010 was a year for extreme weather including some of the strongest illustrations of the global environmental crisis. As the country recovers from the “big freeze” it is reassuring that, at least in small ways, we are improving the world around us. Thursday, 6 January 2011

Blue light to combat cancer A team of researchers, led by the University of Warwick, have developed a new light-activated, platinum-cased, anti-cancer drug. The drug... Wednesday, 5 January 2011

Scientific balloons launched from Antarctica NASA and the National Science Foundation of the United States are launching a series of large high-altitude scientific balloons on... Tuesday, 4 January 2011

Feature: The secret life of an element Katarzyna Kopanska examines the importance of a well-known element. Monday, 3 January 2011

“Living” rock art The Bradshaw rock art in the Kimberly region of Australia is of interest to archaeologists, not only because of its... Sunday, 2 January 2011

POSTS FROM 2010

How many lightbulbs? Cambridge University physicist, David Mackay, offers a passionate yet simple, quantitative analysis of the energy crisis in the UK. The film is based on his book "Sustainable Energy without the hot air", which is available free on his website. Friday, 31 December 2010

Feature: Aliens found using arsenic - fact or fiction? Wendy Mak investigates the supposed arsenic loving bacteria. Tuesday, 28 December 2010

A sustainable Christmas? Tucking into second helpings of turkey? Why not treat yourself to another glass of Chardonnay and turn the thermostat up... Sunday, 26 December 2010

Right or left handling at birth: does it matter? <img class="size-medium wp-image-703" title="From: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baby%27s_hand.JPG" src="http://www.bluesci.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/babys-hand-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Wednesday, 22 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

Carbon hot-house planet examined by NASA’s Spitzer The blazing-hot exoplanet Wasp 12b has revealed its black stripes as its carbon-rich composition helps it live up to its... Saturday, 18 December 2010

Creative problem-solving for computers Have you ever had one of those ‘light bulb moments’ - flashes of insight that present you with an instant... Friday, 17 December 2010

New paradigm for cancer therapies Cancer treatments could undergo a complete transformation in the way they are designed in an attempt to significantly improve their... Thursday, 16 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

Haitian outbreak of cholera likely originated from South Asian source Following the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010, thousands of families were displaced from their homes and were forced to... Wednesday, 15 December 2010

90GB of data stored in 1g of bacteria Researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong have succeeded in demonstrating data storage and encryption with bacteria. Monday, 13 December 2010

One step closer to nano-machines A team of scientists, led by Johannes Barth at TU Muenchen, have succeeded in the self-assembly of rod-shaped molecules to form nano-rotors within a honeycomb structure. Sunday, 12 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

Closing the gender gap Education researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder have claimed success in reducing the gender performance gap in physics exams using only a simple writing exercise. Tuesday, 7 December 2010

Space observations show warming of Earth’s lakes Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have used satellite nighttime thermal infrared imagery to measure the surface temperature of inland lakes over the period 1985 to 2009. The data show an average rate of warming of 0.045oC per year. Monday, 6 December 2010

Let there be light Scientists from the University of Bonn in Germany have developed an entirely new source of light, based on a quantum... Saturday, 4 December 2010

Oldest known salt mine found in Azerbaijan Rock salt deposits at Duzdagi, in the Araxes basin in Azerbaijan, have been found to have been exploited as early... Thursday, 2 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

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

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

Icy Mars mystery - solved? Scientists believe that they have finally found a theory to explain the phenomena of disappearing ice on Mars, also shedding light on the planet's water cycle. Monday, 11 October 2010

Lower suicide rates not necessarily linked to antidepressant switch Neither a rapid increase in the total use of antidepressants nor a decline in potentially toxic ones are related to a simultaneous drop in suicide rates, according to a study analysing drug sales and causes-of-death registers in Nordic countries over the past 30 years. Saturday, 9 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

Quarks: strange, colourful and now, apparently, dancing randomly The world of quarks is a bizarre one. Seemingly everyday words are employed to provide tangible names for otherwise abstract... 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

Song of a distant star could solve mysteries close to home By eavesdropping on far-away stars, scientists hope to better understand the Sun's magnetic properties and its influence on our lives. Monday, 13 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

Links between iron deficiency and Chronic Heart Failure syndrome established Low iron in red blood cells causes anaemia and may be linked to heart failure Wednesday, 8 September 2010

Global CO₂ emissions on the decline Recent measures show the global financial crisis leading to this decade's first drop in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel consumption. Tuesday, 7 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

Why matter matters: a new kind of physics? Particle collision experiments reveal inadequacies in existing theory. Thursday, 2 September 2010

Sun + Plastic Sheet = Energy Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a major improvement for organic solar cells, reporting their results in the... Tuesday, 31 August 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

Earliest Animals Discovered Princeton University geoscientists have discovered what they believe to be the earliest body-fossil evidence of animal life. Monday, 23 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

Carbonate rocks and life on Mars? Scientists writing in Earth and Planetary Science Letters ((Adrian J. Brown et al., “Hydrothermal formation of Clay-Carbonate alteration assemblages in... Tuesday, 10 August 2010

Culture: Shaping the brain Psychological scientists have reported growing evidence that different cultures can have a marked effect on fundamental brain function and structure. Monday, 9 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

Scientists create artificial mini black hole Chinese researchers at the Southeast University in Nanjing have successfully built an electromagnetic absorbing device for microwave frequencies. They have utilised the special properties of metamaterials- a class of ordered composites which can distort light and other waves. Monday, 14 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

Name That Audio File Engineers at the University of Jaen have developed a system that can automatically identify the musical notes in an audio... Tuesday, 4 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

News: Issue 17 The fall of the Nazcas Monday, 4 January 2010

POSTS FROM 2009

Spying on catalysts A new method for measuring catalytic activity has been developed using nanoparticles ((E. M. Larsson et al., “Nanoplasmonic Probes of Catalytic Reactions,” Science 326, no. 5956 (2009): 1091-1094.)). Friday, 30 October 2009

Book Reviews The Lives of Ants - Laurent Keller and Elisabeth Gordon Thursday, 1 October 2009

POSTS FROM 2007

New Insight on Bone Structure Cambridge researchers have edged tantalisingly closer to understanding the complex causes of some debilitating bone diseases. Saturday, 27 October 2007

Cambridge scientists win 'Research Team of the Year' The 2007 award was presented at the House of Lords for outstanding contribution to research of breast cancer Friday, 26 October 2007

Nanotubes made easier A new process for manufacturing carbon nanotubes could lead to their widespread use in applications such as body armour Friday, 26 October 2007

Scientists come one step closer to achieving invisibility A computer model shows how still objects can be made invisible by bending light without diffraction Friday, 11 May 2007

Earth Mark II Astronomers have discovered an Earth-like planet: Gliese 581, which might support life Friday, 4 May 2007

POSTS FROM 2006

Building With Biology In the summer of 2005 we worked within a team of Cambridge undergraduates to produce the UK’s first entry for the annual International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition Sunday, 21 May 2006

Dr Hypothesis If you have any worries (purely of a scientific nature, obviously) that you would like Dr Hypothesis to answer, then... Wednesday, 17 May 2006

Our Second-Hand Universe A cyclic universe, bouncing through a series of ‘Big Bangs’ and ‘Big Crunches’, could solve the mystery of the cosmological constant Thursday, 11 May 2006

POSTS FROM 2001

Mir reentry on Friday morning Space station Mir will provide a spectacular celestial event as it finishes a 15-year service this Friday morning, according to... Thursday, 22 March 2001

John Sulston receives knighthood Contributed by Sphyg Monday, 1 January 2001

POSTS FROM 2000

Biomail - Medline references by email Contributed by Sphyg Saturday, 16 December 2000

Protein folding@home Contributed by Sphyg Friday, 24 November 2000

Seven new Top Level Domains (TLD's) have been decided ICANN have finally made a decision on the next 7 Top Level Domain names (TLD's) and the uses for them... Saturday, 18 November 2000

Microsoft's network cracked On Wednesday 25 October, Microsoft found its network had been attacked by crackers who had managed to read the source code of a new piece of software Tuesday, 31 October 2000

Space probe communications trouble from the Doppler effect ESA's Huygens probe which is to explore Saturn's moon Titan in 2004, is expected to have communications problems due to Doppler effect, an elementary physical phenomenon that could have been predicted Saturday, 28 October 2000

Bermuda Triangle Mystery Solved An old theory, by which gas bubbles in water can cause ships to sink, has now been verified by experiments.... Wednesday, 27 September 2000