news 2016

A team of researchers has discovered that tiny clusters of single-celled organisms that inhabit the world's oceans and lakes, are capable of navigating their way to oxygen. Writing in e-Life scientists at the University of Cambridge describe how choanaflagellates, the closest relatives of animals, form small colonies that can sense a large range of concentrations of oxygen in the water.

Scientists from the University of Glasgow, working with major companies in the aquaculture industry BioMar Ltd and Marine Harvest (Scotland) Ltd, have discovered a 'simple test' to aid the diagnosis of a significant disease which affects Atlantic salmon which could save millions to the industry. The group has published their findings in a study today in the Journal of Fish Diseases, including data showing that a simple measurement procedure could be used to detect Atlantic salmon infected with salmonid alpha virus, which causes Pancreas Disease.

In their notorious battles with snakes, dwarf mongooses are more likely to help attack the enemy if they are closely bonded to the individual raising the alarm, reports new experimental research from scientists at the University of Bristol. Strong bonds, or 'friendships', occur between group members in many species, not just humans.

Women and men look at faces and absorb visual information in different ways, which suggests there is a gender difference in understanding visual cues, according to a team of scientists that included psychologists from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). The researchers used an eye tracking device on almost 500 participants at the Science Museum over a five-week period to monitor and judge how much eye they felt comfortable with while looking at a face on a computer screen.

The discovery of the shape and binding capability of epidermal cells could explain how skin maintains a barrier even when it is shedding. The discovery of the shape and binding capability of epidermal cells could explain how skin maintains a barrier even when it is shedding. Our study is also helping us to see how the cells that make up our skin can switch on a mechanism to make a kind of glue, which binds the cells together, ensuring that our skin maintains its integrity.

A liver hormone called FGF21 may regulate alcohol drinking by acting directly on a receptor in the brain, according to a new study. The new study, by researchers from Imperial College London, King's College London, and UT Southwestern Medical Center, for the first time highlights a liver-brain axis which plays an important role in regulating the consumption of alcohol.

A liver hormone called 'FGF21' may regulate alcohol drinking by acting directly on a receptor in the brain, according to a new study by researchers from King's College London, Imperial College London and UT Southwestern Medical Center. For the first time this study highlights a liver-brain axis which plays an important role in regulating the consumption of alcohol, raising the possibility of a new therapeutic pathway that could one day be targeted to reduce the desire for alcohol in problem drinkers.

Researchers have found a link between the activity in nerve clusters in the brain and the amount of force generated in a physical action, opening the way for the development of better devices to assist paralysed patients. A clear link between the activity in nerve clusters in the brain and the amount of force generated in a physical action has been demonstrated by Oxford University researchers, opening the way for the development of better devices to assist paralysed patients.

Animal welfare legislation has been developed for many countries and many species but its impact depends on whether it is followed. New research has found an online training tool can improve participants' understanding of EU tail docking and enrichment legislation, as well as risk factors for tail biting.

A new super-resolution imaging technique allows researchers to track how surface changes in proteins are related to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. These proteins start out in a relatively harmless form, but when they clump together, something important changes.

Scientists have discovered that Salmonella causes disease by preventing deployment of the immune system's 'SAS'. When harmful bacteria invade our body, the immune system releases an elite force of cells to destroy the invader. Salmonella are sometimes able to overcome these 'SAS' cells - called T-cells - but until now, scientists didn't know how.

A new study from scientists at Imperial College London suggests a gene variant can trigger heart failure when the organ is under stress. The research showed that around one in 100 people carry a faulty gene which could trigger a dangerous heart condition in seemingly healthy people, if the heart is placed under abnormal stress, such as through pregnancy or high blood pressure.

Researchers have discovered a way to remove specific fears from the brain, using a combination of artificial intelligence and brain scanning technology. Their technique could lead to a new way of treating patients with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and phobias. The challenge then was to find a way to reduce or remove the fear memory, without ever consciously evoking it Ben Seymour Fear related disorders affect around one in 14 people and place considerable pressure on mental health services.

Cambridge researchers have played a leading role in several studies released today looking at how variation in and potentially heritable changes to our DNA, known as epigenetic modifications, affect blood and immune cells, and how this can lead to disease.

Researchers have increased plant productivity by boosting levels of three proteins involved in photosynthesis, according to a new study . Researchers have increased plant productivity by boosting levels of three proteins involved in photosynthesis, according to a new study . In field trials, the scientists saw 14 to 20 percent increases in the productivity of their modified tobacco plants.

The mystery of an outbreak of lymphoma and leukaemia in gibbon colonies in the US, Bermuda and Thailand in the late 1960s and early 1970s has been solved by animal disease detectives at The University of Nottingham. The virology experts from the University's Vet School have carried out an investigation into the cancer outbreak which was caused by the gibbon ape leukaemia retrovirus (GALV).

Regular cannabis use over many years lowers levels of dopamine, which plays a key role in how the brain processes motivation, pleasure and reward. This can reduce motivation and inducenegative emotions, which may help to explain why cannabis is associated with mental illness. In a review of the state of current research published in the journal Nature , scientists examined the action of dopamine through detailed analysis of multiple studies involving brain scans of long-term cannabis users.

An inter-disciplinary team of scientists and archaeologists have discovered widespread evidence of prehistoric milk production in southern Europe. The study uncovered evidence that humans have been utilising milk and dairy products across the northern Mediterranean region from the onset of agriculture - some 9,000 years ago.

Microbiologists have identified how MRSA may be more effectively treated by modern-day antibiotics, if old-fashioned penicillin is also used. The team from the University of Liverpool and the National University of Ireland Galway have shown that, although penicillin does not kill the bacteria, it does weaken their virulence, making it easier for our immune system and other antibiotics to eradicate the infection.

New research by scientists from the University of Bristol has revealed that domestic LED lights are much less attractive to nuisance insects such as biting midges than traditional filament lamps. The team now highlights the urgent need for further research on other heat-seeking flies that transmit disease, including mosquitoes that are carriers of pathogens that cause damaging diseases such as malaria and Zika fever.