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Life Sciences - Pharmacology - 04.04.2019
Scientists fine-tune signalling pathways to tweak responses to stimuli in yeast
Imperial academics have streamlined a signalling pathway in yeast to understand how cell sensing can be tuned by changing protein levels. The research , published in Cell , could eventually help us understand drug side effects in humans, and has immediate implications for biotechnology research. G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are proteins which let cells detect chemical substances like hormones, poisons, and drugs in their environment.

Life Sciences - Health - 02.04.2019
Living in a stressful neighbourhood is biologically ageing
Living in a stressful neighbourhood is related to ageing faster, according to new research using telomeres as a marker for biological ageing. Telomeres are part of people's DNA which give a measure of 'miles on the clock,' or biological age. The study, published today in PLoS One, combined population health and molecular biology research and found that people who reported problems in their local area - such as assaults, burglaries, litter and vandalism - had shorter telomere lengths, and the effect was more marked among women.

Environment - Life Sciences - 01.04.2019
Marine heatwave proves devastating to Shark Bay and dolphins
Dolphin survival and reproductive rates suffered a significant decline following a 2011 marine heatwave affecting around 1,000km of Western Australia's coastline. The findings, published in Current Biology and representing an international collaboration of researchers and universities, including Zurich and Bristol, have important implications for marine conservation and mitigating the effects of climate change.

Health - Life Sciences - 01.04.2019
Tumour-targeting viruses hold hope for incurable brain cancers
Using bacteria-killing viruses to deliver cancer therapies could help to tackle deadly brain cancers, according to new early-stage research. The approach is being explored by researchers to treat glioblastoma, an aggressive, incurable form of brain cancer which kills many patients within the first year following diagnosis.

Paleontology - Life Sciences - 29.03.2019
Untangling the evolution of feeding strategies in ancient crocodiles
Ancient aquatic crocodiles fed on softer and smaller prey than their modern counterparts and the evolution of skull shape and function allowed them to spread into new habitats, reveal paleobiology researchers from the University of Bristol and UCL. For the study, published today in Paleontology , the team digitally reconstructed the skull of an extinct species of marine crocodile and compared it to similar living species to gain new insights into the diet of ancient crocodiles and their role in ecosystems around 230 million years ago.

Environment - Life Sciences - 28.03.2019
Serengeti-Mara squeeze - one of the world’s most iconic ecosystems under pressure
Increased human activity around one of Africa's most iconic ecosystems is "squeezing the wildlife in its core", damaging habitation and disrupting the migration routes of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle, an international study has concluded. ‌ The Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is one of the largest and most protected ecosystems on Earth, spanning 40,000 square kilometres and taking in the Serengeti National Park and Maasai Mara National Reserve in East Africa.

Environment - Life Sciences - 28.03.2019
New, more efficient way to reduce water use and improve plant growth
A team of scientists has revealed a new, sustainable way for plants to increase carbon dioxide (CO2) uptake for photosynthesis while reducing water usage. The breakthrough was led by a team of plant scientists at the University of Glasgow and is published today . The researchers used a new, synthetic light-activated ion channel, engineered from plant and algal virus proteins, to speed up the opening and closing of the stomata - pores in the leaves of plants - through which carbon dioxide (CO2) enters for photosynthesis.

Life Sciences - 27.03.2019
‘Nightmarish’ antlions’ spiral digging techniques create effective and deadly traps
A team of biologists and physicists, led by the University of Bristol, have uncovered new insights into how antlions - one of the fiercest and most terrifying predators in the insect kingdom - build their deadly pit traps. Antlions - with their nightmarish fish-hook sharp jaws which can drain the bodily fluids of its victims within minutes - are iconic within entomology and they have been studied for 200 years.

Life Sciences - 27.03.2019
Antlions create effective and deadly traps using sophisticated techniques
A team of biologists and physicists have discovered how antlions optimise the creation of their deadly pits to draw prey into their jaws. Antlions are small insects with fish-hook sharp jaws that can drain the bodily fluids of their victims within minutes. They build pits lined with fine sand grains that create a slippery surface for prey - typically ants - tumbling them towards the antlion's jaws.

Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 26.03.2019
New ’pulsing’ ultrasound technique improves drug delivery to brains of mice
Using rapid short-pulse sequences of ultrasound helps drugs reach the brains of mice, according to new Imperial College London research. Scientists currently use long-wave pulses of ultrasound to deliver drugs, which can cause side effects. Now, these new findings from Imperial on shorter-wave pulses could change how drugs are used to help patients of Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases.

Life Sciences - 21.03.2019
Half a billion-year-old fossil reveals the origins of comb jellies
One of the ocean's little known carnivores has been allocated a new place in the evolutionary tree of life after scientists discovered its unmistakable resemblance with other sea-floor dwelling creatures. Comb jellies occupy a pivotal place in the history of animal evolution with some arguing that they were among the first animals to evolve.

Health - Life Sciences - 21.03.2019
Excess hormones could cause a condition that can lead to blindness in women
Research led by the University of Birmingham has found that increased levels of hormones including testosterone could cause a brain condition that can lead to blindness in women. Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension - also known as IIH - is caused by high pressure in the brain with consequences from blindness to incapacitating daily long-term headaches.

Life Sciences - 19.03.2019
Starving bacteria can eject their tails to save energy and stay alive
When nutrients are dangerously low, a group of bacteria have been found to take the drastic measure of getting rid of their tails. Some bacteria use tails, or flagella, to swim through liquids - including those in our bodies. However, new research published today in PLOS Biology reveals a surprisingly drastic measure taken by some bacteria when facing starvation: they eject their flagella, leaving themselves paralyzed, but conserving energy so they can stay alive.

Life Sciences - 14.03.2019
Research leads to new discoveries about the Mary Rose
A Cardiff University archaeologist has revealed new insights into the origins of the crew on board the Mary Rose, the flagship of Henry VIII's navy. The scientific findings of Dr Richard Madgwick, Lecturer in Archaeological Science, suggest that crew members on the Tudor warship, which sank in 1545, may have come from as far away as southern Europe and perhaps even Africa.

Life Sciences - 13.03.2019
Courting bugs attract mates using an elastic ’snapping organ’ for vibrational communication
Planthopper bugs may be small, but they attract mates from afar by sending vibrational calls along plant stems and leaves using fast, rhythmic motions of their abdomen. Researchers at the University of Oxford describe how a newly-discovered "snapping organ" enables courting bugs of both sexes to produce this shaking motion through a combination of muscle action and elastic recoil.

Environment - Life Sciences - 08.03.2019
Global analysis of billions of Wikipedia searches reveals a treasure trove of biodiversity secrets
An international team of researchers from the University of Oxford , the University of Birmingham and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have found that the way in which people use the internet is closely tied to patterns and rhythms in the natural world. This finding, published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology , suggests new ways to monitor changes in the world's biodiversity.

Health - Life Sciences - 08.03.2019
New insight into gestational diabetes
Researchers at Cardiff University have found that women taking metformin and/or insulin during gestational diabetes could reduce the risk of long-term complications for their child. The team discovered that the placentas of women treated with the drugs didn't exhibit DNA alterations associated with type 2 diabetes, while those of women not treated with the drugs did.

Chemistry - Life Sciences - 07.03.2019
Advanced chemistry made possible with new suite of start-of-the-art instruments
A new suite of advanced analytical instruments allowing precise chemical measurement has opened in Imperial's Molecular Sciences Research Hub. The Agilent Measurement Suite (AMS) is a collaboration between Agilent Technologies Inc and Imperial College London. Its analytical instruments will help researchers tackle problems in areas ranging from health and environment to energy and fundamental biology.

Life Sciences - Health - 07.03.2019
Deep brain stimulation may significantly improve OCD symptoms
The debilitating behaviours and all-consuming thoughts, which affect people with severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), could be significantly improved with targeted deep brain stimulation, according to new research published today. OCD is characterised by unwanted intrusive thoughts and repetitive rituals and causes pronounced impairment in everyday life.

Life Sciences - 07.03.2019
Pesticides found to affect bees’ genes
The activity of dozens of genes are changed in bees exposed to pesticides, providing clues as to how these chemicals affect bee brains in the wild. The finding could provide clues as to why certain pesticides have been linked to bee colony declines. Our work reveals that neurotoxic pesticides not only directly target the cells of the nervous system, but also indirectly affect the normal activity of the exposed organism's genes.
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