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Life Sciences - 25.10.2017
Chimpanzees shown spontaneously ’taking turns’ to solve number puzzle
A new study from Kyoto and Oxford universities and Indianapolis Zoo has shown chimpanzees spontaneously taking turns to complete a number sequencing task. Previous studies have shown chimps working together in strictly alternating turn-taking scenarios. However, these results are the first to demonstrate that chimpanzees can cope with more complex permutations of turn-taking, with no external cues to help time their behaviour.

Health - Life Sciences - 24.10.2017
Study raises possibility of vaccines against allergies and Alzheimer’s
Researchers at the Universities of Dundee and Oxford have shown how combining the tetanus vaccine with a viral particle that normally affects cucumbers can be used to treat psoriasis and allergies, and may even protect against Alzheimer's disease. Scientists led by Dundee's Dr John Foerster and Oxford's Professor Martin Bachmann, were able to take the protein coat of cucumber mosaic virus and incorporate a tetanus vaccine-derived protein structure known to stimulate the immune system in order to create vaccines to treat multiple chronic diseases.

Life Sciences - Health - 24.10.2017
Self-esteem mapped in the human brain
A team of UCL researchers has devised a mathematical equation that can explain how our self-esteem is shaped by what other people think of us, in a new study published in the scientific journal eLife . The researchers used the new equation to identify signals in the human brain that explain why self-esteem goes up and down when we learn other people's judgments of us.

Life Sciences - Health - 23.10.2017
Running on autopilot: scientists find important new role for ’daydreaming’ network
A brain network previously associated with daydreaming has been found to play an important role in allowing us to perform tasks on autopilot. Scientists at the University of Cambridge showed that far from being just 'background activity', the so-called 'default mode network' may be essential to helping us perform routine tasks.

Health - Life Sciences - 23.10.2017
Major study of genetics of breast cancer provides clues to mechanisms behind the disease
Seventy-two new genetic variants that contribute to the risk of developing breast cancer have been identified by a major international collaboration involving hundreds of researchers worldwide.

Environment - Life Sciences - 23.10.2017
Bees feast on fast food
A study of honey bee bread in Lancashire and Cumbria bee hives showed that in some samples nearly 90 per cent of the pollen came from Himalayan balsam Honey bees love the invasive plant Himalayan balsam and eat it like 'fast food' but, like humans, they thrive better on a varied diet. A study of honey bee bread in Lancashire and Cumbria bee hives showed that in some samples nearly 90 per cent of the pollen came from the invasive plant Himalayan balsam.

Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 23.10.2017
Life sciences at Birmingham - what is it and how does it affect me?
A genetic fault has been identified in people with an aggressive type of leukaemia that can significantly affect how they respond to treatment. The findings come from a clinical trial led by the University of Birmingham that examined whether survival times for people with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) could be improved by adding a biological drug called vorinostat to the current standard treatment, a drug called azacitidine.

Environment - Life Sciences - 23.10.2017
Reduced impact logging still harms biodiversity in tropical rainforests
A new study finds that even low levels of logging in the Amazon rainforest may lead to great losses in biodiversity. More than 403 million hectares of tropical forests worldwide have been earmarked for timber concessions with selective logging a common economic activity. The Brazilian Amazon alone holds around 4.5 billion m3 of commercial timber volume, and the demand on Amazonian hardwood is increased as African and Asian timber stocks are exhausted.

Health - Life Sciences - 23.10.2017
Dolphin brains show signs of Alzheimer’s Disease
Study suggests Alzheimer's Disease and Type 2 diabetes might both be the price of a longer lifespan, with altered insulin function the common cause. A review led by Professor Simon Lovestone, an old age psychiatrist from Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, found that humans were almost unique in having Alzheimer's Disease.

Life Sciences - Health - 23.10.2017
Key discoveries offer significant hope of reversing antibiotic resistance
Two recent studies led by the University of Bristol provide significant new hope in the fight against antibiotic resistance. By identifying what makes some bacteria resistant to the most commonly prescribed antibiotics, and how this can be reversed, the findings have demonstrated potentially life-saving consequences and could help reverse the tide of antibiotic resistance.

Earth Sciences - Life Sciences - 23.10.2017
World’s oldest and most complex trees
The first trees to have ever grown on Earth were also the most complex, new research has revealed. Fossils from a 374-million-year-old tree found in north-west China have revealed an interconnected web of woody strands within the trunk of the tree that is much more intricate than that of the trees we see around us today.

Health - Life Sciences - 20.10.2017
Leicester and Nottingham scientists discover new gene associated with debilitating lung disease
Health scientists at the University of Leicester and University of Nottingham have heralded the discovery of a gene associated with lung fibrosis as 'a potential new avenue of treatment for further research into this terrible disease.' The breakthrough is announced today in a paper published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine .

Life Sciences - Environment - 20.10.2017
British birds adapt their beaks to birdfeeders
Certain British birds have evolved longer beaks than other species, and new research suggests that our fondness for feeding them may be the reason why. Image credit: Dennis Van De Water Certain British birds have evolved longer beaks than other species, and new research suggests that our fondness for feeding them may be the reason why.

Life Sciences - 20.10.2017
’Selfish brain’ wins out when competing with muscle power, study finds
New research on our internal trade-off when physical and mental performance are put in direct competition has found that cognition takes less of a hit, suggesting more energy is diverted to the brain than body muscle. Researchers say the findings support the 'selfish brain' theory of human evolution.

Health - Life Sciences - 19.10.2017
Researchers target ’undruggable’ cancers
A new approach to targeting key cancer-linked proteins, thought to be 'undruggable', has been discovered through an alliance between industry and academia. The study published in Nature shows that two novel and specific small-molecule inhibitors developed by the research teams can bind to and deactivate an enzyme that controls the stability of the p53 tumour suppressor protein.

Health - Life Sciences - 19.10.2017
PET scans for Alzheimer’s could bring benefit to more patients
An imaging tool honed to spot rogue proteins in the brain could benefit some patients with suspected Alzheimer's, according to a new study. The technique, called positron emission tomography (PET), is already used in hospitals to generate 3D images of organs and internal structures, helping doctors to spot signs of disease and confirm diagnoses.

Physics - Life Sciences - 18.10.2017
Petals produce a ’blue halo’ to help bees find flowers
New study finds "messy" microscopic structures on petals of some flowers manipulate light to produce a blue colour effect that is easily seen by bee pollinators. Researchers say these petal grooves evolved independently multiple times across flowering plants, but produce the same result: a floral halo of blue-to-ultraviolet light.

Health - Life Sciences - 18.10.2017
Gene therapy can cure lameness in horses, research finds
Injecting DNA into injured horse tendons and ligaments can cure lameness, new research involving scientists at Kazan Federal University , Moscow State Academy and The University of Nottingham has found. The gene therapy technology was used in horses that had gone lame due to injury and within two to three weeks the horses were able to walk and trot.

Life Sciences - Social Sciences - 18.10.2017
Exploring why some primates have bigger brains
The accepted view of why some primates, including apes and humans, have evolved to have large brains is contested in new research from the Department of Anthropology. The study also questions whether brain size is a useful indicator of cognitive ability. Brain size and behaviour The research project, led by PhD student Lauren Powell, and published in Royal Society's Proceedings B journal , has found little evidence to support a long-held view that larger brains have developed to help primates cope with increasingly complex social structures - known as the Social Brain Hypothesis.

Physics - Life Sciences - 18.10.2017
Petals produce a ’blue halo’ that helps bees find flowers
New study finds "messy" microscopic structures on petals of some flowers manipulate light to produce a blue colour effect that is easily seen by bee pollinators. Researchers say these petal grooves evolved independently multiple times across flowering plants, but produce the same result: a floral halo of blue-to-ultraviolet light.