News
The little compass hidden in each of us
Andrea Rogolino explains how a certain biological molecule can detect magnetic fields
Monday, 5 February 2024
Cuttlefish teach cameras to ‘see’ better amid contrasts in illumination
Andrea Rogolino explains how researchers created a new camera based on the eyes of cuttlefish
Friday, 2 February 2024
Researchers discover secret pyramid tunnel
Armaan Shaikh describes how muon radiography identified an undiscovered section of one of the Great Pyramids of Egypt
Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Bluesci Goes Green on the Amazing People, Enquiring Minds Trail at Cambridge University Botanic Garden
Rachel Mckeown explores the new Botanic Garden trail and talks to some of the researchers involved
Friday, 15 December 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
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
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
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
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
Live bacteria pills, a possibility
Pills containing live bacteria on the horizon
Monday, 22 April 2019
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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