news 2011

Researchers from Children of the 90s at the University of Bristol, in collaboration with 22 other studies from across the world, have discovered three new genetic variants associated with the skin condition eczema, a chronic inflammatory disease that afflicts millions of patients around the world. Previous research in Europeans had only identified two major genes, so this is a significant breakthrough that will help diagnose and treat the condition in the long term.

A collaboration between virologists and neuroscientists at Cambridge University has demonstrated how viruses that cross the blood/brain barrier could be exploited to slow down, or even halt, the progress of Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Diabetes is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and can reduce blood supply to the heart tissue and damage cardiac cells, resulting in heart failure. New research has investigated if nerve growth factor (NGF) gene therapy can prevent diabetic heart failure and small vascular disease in mice.

A new malaria vaccine with the potential to neutralise all strains of the most deadly species of malaria parasite has been developed by an Oxford University-led team. The scientists from the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford have shown that their vaccine induces an antibody response in animal models that is capable of neutralising all the strains they tested of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum .

Learning is when you change your behaviour in the light of new experience, and this is what a locust needs to do when it gets caught up in the crowd." —Dr Swidbert Ott from the University of Cambridge Department of Zoology New research has found that a protein associated with learning and memory plays an integral role in changing the behaviour of locusts from that of harmless grasshoppers into swarming pests.

Complex sex life of goats could have implications for wildlife management A new study of the mating habits of mountain goats reveals the vastly different strategies of males in different populations. A Durham University-led research team has found that male chamois (a species of wild goat-antelope) adopt different strategies in different populations in order to succeed in the rut: some put a lot of energy in at a young age, while others wait until they are much older.

Scientists studying the behavioural traits of the common sea anemone have discovered that 'fortune favours the brave' when it comes to fighting and setting territorial disputes. Proving the old adage about the 'size of the fight in the dog', marine biologists at Plymouth University have found that the personality of a sea anemone will play just as crucial a role as physical size and weapon strength when fighting.

Scientists discover why buttercups reflect yellow on chins - and it doesn't have anything to do with whether you like butter Our research provides exciting insight into not only a children's game but also into the lengths to which flowers will go to attract pollinators." —Dr Beverley Glover, Department of Plant Sciences Scientists have found that the distinctive glossiness of the buttercup flower ( Ranunculus repens ), which children like to shine under the chin to test whether their friends like butter, is related to its unique anatomical structure.

Human hairs help stop the bed bugs biting Hairy humans do not let the bed bugs bite according to research at the University of Sheffield which shows how hair helps us defend against and detect bloodthirsty invaders on our bodies. Sensitive, fine hairs which cover our bodies allow us to feel parasitic insects on our skin as well as creating a natural barrier to stop them biting us.

Crops that can cope with sudden changes in the weather could be developed, thanks to fresh discoveries about plants. University scientists have studied how tiny algae survive by renewing old or damaged cell proteins. They say their findings could be useful in developing crops suited to climates in which weather changes quickly.

The use of nanoparticles in medicine is ever increasing and it is important to understand the effects these particles might have on human tissues and health in general. Scientists have shown that signalling molecules that damage the DNA of cells grown underneath a barrier are transmitted only when the barrier is more than one layer thick and DNA damage and cytokine release is signalled across the barrier.

Scientists have discovered a mechanism they believe may play a key role in the spread of foot-and-mouth disease in animals. Researchers at the University of Leeds have been studying an enzyme - called 3D - which plays a vital role in the replication of the virus behind the disease. They have found that this enzyme forms fibrous structures (or fibrils) during the replication process.

A rare genetic variant that appears to be directly and causally linked to multiple sclerosis (MS) has been identified by Oxford University researchers. Importantly, the mutation in the CYP27B1 gene affects a key enzyme which leads people with the variant to have lower levels of vitamin D, adding weight to the suggested link between vitamin D and MS.

Three new locations for Crohn's Disease genes have been uncovered by scientists at UCL using a novel gene mapping approach. The complex genetic and environmental causes of Crohn's Disease (CD) have long been difficult to untangle. CD, a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease that affects about 100 to 150 people per 100,000 in Europe, is characterised by inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract.

Avoiding deadlock in group decision making is a common problem for committees - but house-hunting honey bees may hold the answer, according to new research from Cornell University, the University of Cailfornia-Riverside, the University of Sheffield and the University of Bristol. The study also reveals a striking similarity between how honey bee swarms and our own brains choose between alternatives.

Scientists at Warwick Medical School have made an important discovery about the mechanism controlling the body's 'fat switch', shedding new light on our understanding of how proteins regulate appetite control and insulin secretion. This research, led by Professor Victor Zammit, Head of Metabolic and Vascular Health at Warwick Medical School, found that the enzyme known as 'Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A' (CPT1) has a switch which is thrown depending on the composition and curvature of its cellular membrane.

Scientists studying populations of gray wolves in the USA's Yellowstone National Park have developed a way to predict how changes in the environment will impact on the animals' number, body size and genetics, amongst other biological traits. Writing in the journal Science , the researchers say they now have a way to predict the extent to which climate change could simultaneously impact animal numbers and the ways in which animals are likely to evolve.

A protein linked to the immune system could play a key role in helping scientists understand how vCJD spreads throughout the body. The disease occurs after corrupted proteins - known as prions - accumulate in the spleen, lymph nodes and tonsils. The prions then spread to the brain where the disease destroys nerve cells.

The astrophysicist Stephen Hawking believes that if humanity is to survive we will have to up sticks and colonise space. But is the human body up to the challenge? Scientists at The University of Nottingham believe that Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a microscopic worm which is biologically very similar to the human being, could help us understand how humans might cope with long-duration space exploration.

A University of Cambridge study, which set out to investigate DNA methylation in the human heart and the "missing link" between our lifestyle and our health, has now mapped the link in detail across the entire human genome.