News
Tetris in the Lab: The surprising link between PTSD and the classic computer game
Image created by Cezary Tomczak, Maxime Lorant [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)] (Source: Wikipedia Creative Commons Licence) Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) impacts people who have experienced extreme traumatic events such as war or torture. Sufferers are vulnerable to involuntary memories of traumatic events, colloquially called “flashbacks”, which are a distressing symptom of the condition. A recent…
Pore over this: Advances in DNA sequencing
Ten years ago, the completion of the Human Genome Project was a milestone in the history of science. The race to be the first team to decode an entire human genome ultimately ended with the two largest groups collaborating and announcing the success of the project in 2001. This was not only a scientific achievement,…
Nancy Roman, ‘Mother of Hubble’ NASA astronomer, has died aged 93
By Amity Roberts Photograph: Nasa Archive/Alamy Nancy Roman, a boundary-breaking astronomer known as the ‘Mother of the Hubble’, died aged 93 on December 25th, 2018. Roman was NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy and supervised the planning and development of the Hubble Space Telescope that would change the way we see the universe. Roman was born…
Yeast on the brain: could fungi be linked to Alzheimer’s Disease?
A fungus that can infect the brain may be the key to understanding Alzheimer’s disease. The blood brain barrier (BBB) is a highly selective barrier that allows very few unwanted substances pass through it. However, there are some bacteria and fungi that have found a way to cross the BBB and cause infections; Candida albicans…
CRISPR’s Consequences: An Ethical Tongue Twister
By Abigail Pavey The power to create, destroy or modify life has always been a source of great debate between scientists and among society as a whole. But what happens when scientists decide to go undercover and do what they please? In November 2018, Chinese researcher He Jiankui announced to the world that he had…
![Image from: Jonathan Bailey / NHGRI [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://i0.wp.com/oxsci.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Circulating-tumor-dna_image.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1 "A 10-minute, universal blood test for cancer")
A 10-minute, universal blood test for cancer
Researchers at the University of Queensland, Australia have developed a blood test that can detect whether a patient has any type of cancer within as little as 10 minutes. Although still in the initial stages of testing, this cheap and simple method could help clinicians to diagnose cancer before symptoms appear, when the widest range…
‘Future of the home’ an interactive web graphic from Carlisle Clifton
Carlisle is a designer and web developer who likes to create innovative and thought provoking content, particularly around science and tech. He lives and works in Leeds, UK, with his wife and son and spends most of his spare time either playing cricket or being chief story teller to his young son. Below is an…
‘The bionic body’ an interactive web graphic from Carlisle Clifton
Carlisle is a designer and web developer who likes to create innovative and thought provoking content, particularly around science and tech. He lives and works in Leeds, UK, with his wife and son and spends most of his spare time either playing cricket or being chief story teller to his young son. Below is an…
Movember: Prostate Cancer Research at the University of Oxford
by Yulia Sudarikova The Movember Foundation is the only charity which focuses entirely on the health of men worldwide. Through their awareness and fundraising projects, Movember deliver ground-breaking research and support programs, aiming to improve the quality and length of men’s lives. By 2030, they’ve committed to reducing the number of men dying prematurely by…
Compound Tool Construction by New Caledonian Crows
Feature Image Credit Ken Bohn / San Diego Zoo Global New Scientist by Laura Steel Humans are constantly creating novel compound tools from otherwise non-functional elements. From large scale technologies such as cars, to simply tying two non-functional bits of string together to make a useful longer piece. This skill comes so easily to us…