News
Newly released video shows first pair of angler fish seen alive by scientists
Kristen and Joachim Jakobsen – a husband and wife team of deep sea explorers – have captured on video a mating pair of angler fish at 800 m in a specialized submersible craft. They spotted the creatures by chance whilst returning from a five-hour long dive, and carefully followed them in the sub, filming through…
Missing Cancer Puzzle Piece: Could Interstitium Be the Answer?
A group of researchers has discovered that the interstitial space surrounding cells in numerous tissues such as the lungs, gut, dermis and blood vessels has a unique structure that hasn’t been described before. It has been observed that this space is made up of multiple fluid-filled sinuses that form a network through which interstitial fluid…
Research finds promising technique to combat cancer drug resistance
Multi-drug resistance is the main challenge for chemotherapy – it is the leading cause of tumour recurrence and cancer metastasis. The root of the problem: efflux pumps on the cell surface which serve to protect a cell by pumping out unwanted toxic substances. Unfortunately, these come as a disadvantage when targeting cancer cells with drugs….
Hidden Depths—The Science Behind the Broad Street Sinkhole
“The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down what seemed to be a very deep well.” – so reads one of the many literary quotes shared by Oxford’s…
Research finds a high salt diet causes dementia in mice
The current UK population consumes an average of about 8.5g/day of salt, more than 2g/day above the maximum recommended daily amount. This is worrying given its well-known health implications. Salt raises blood pressure, increasing risk of heart disease and stroke. One in three of UK adults have high blood pressure, and as many people are…
Oxford led team shows that war in Ukraine has aided HIV spread
Oxford University and Public Health England (PHE) have lead an international team of scientists in an analysis of HIV migration patterns across the Ukraine. This study, which used genomic data to reconstruct the spread of the virus, has shown how geopolitical events have helped to conduct the virus to regions where it is more likely…
Clinical Trials Launched for New Universal Flu Vaccine
When we experience a particularly bad flu season, like the current one, the question of how a single disease can vary so wildly is often raised. The answer lies in the simple fact that the virus copies its RNA genome with very poor accuracy which means that the virus is constantly mutating and evolving to…
Peregrine attack strategies could take down rogue drones
Members of the Oxford Department of Zoology have tracked peregrine falcons in the field as they attacked dummy prey – and discovered that they use the same control strategies to catch them as modern projectile weapons. This suggests a new way to tackle the problem of rogue drones. Principle investigator Professor Graham Taylor said “Falcons…
Brain inflammation contributes to progression of Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a major global health problem, with the number of people with the disease in the UK expected to double by 2050. Efforts to develop an effective treatment have not yet been successful as we don’t properly understand what causes it. What do we already know about Alzheimer’s? One of the key features…
Humidity Aspect Set to Worsen the Effects of Climate Change
It is understood that climate change will lead to increased humidity, but why should we care? The reason is that heat stress, which is set to become a prominent and pressing issue as global temperatures rise, is compounded by humidity. Materials provided by The Earth Institute at Columbia University explain that it is more difficult…