science wire

The University of Sydney's Institute of Photonics and Optical Science (IPOS) is set to present a year of research breakthroughs in photonics since its inception when it hosts its first symposium tomorrow and Friday.

A compound produced by a pregnant lizard may provide important information on the origins and treatment of cancer in humans, according to zoologist Bridget Murphy from the School of Biological Sciences who discovered the protein, which is pivotal to the development of the lizard placenta. "Our egg-laying ancestors probably never got cancer, but things changed when we started having live young.

Building on a successful five-year alliance which concluded earlier this year, AstraZeneca and McGill University have signed a two-year research agreement that focuses on new drug-discovery approaches and finding new treatments for patients living with chronic pain.

Visitors to this year's Royal Society Summer Exhibition will have a chance to discover how scientists from the University of Cambridge are studying ways to harness algae as a renewable energy source.

For Immediate Release Friday 25 june 2010 Visitors to a new scientific exhibition on London's Southbank this week will be asked to destroy the 'skin' of an exhibit - an unusual twist to help them und

A study of feral chickens, reported in this week's Current Biology , suggests an evolutionary battle between what's good for old roosters and what's good for their hens - which would benefit from sex with younger, more potent males.

Groundbreaking work by researchers at the University of Bristol that signalled a new age in surgical care by helping to save a woman's life has been celebrated in the Science Museum's new exhibition, 'Who am I'?.

June 25, 2010 Microbial protein restores vision in blind animals Scientists from the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) restore vision in retinitis pigmentosa using an archaebacterial protein. Introducing halorhodopsin into the remaining but nonfunctional cone photoreceptors of the retina of mice not only reactivates the cone cells' ability to interact with the rest of the visual system, it also prompts sophisticating visually guided behavior.

Study of 10,000 human genomes launched 25 Jun 2010, PR 144/10 A project to decode the genomes of 10,000 people over the next three years has been launched, which will be one of the largest genome sequencing programmes ever undertaken.

That's the challenge being set by scientists from the University of Sussex, who will be presenting their research into how insects find their way home at the prestigious Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, which opens today (25 June 2010). Researchers Dr Andrew Philippides (Informatics) and Dr Paul Graham (Life Sciences) from the University's Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics (CCNR) will be explaining to visitors at the London exhibition the surprisingly complex mechanisms used by small-brained nest-dwelling insects as they navigate back home from foraging expeditions.

In response to consumer demand for more natural food, the food industry has reduced the amount of preservatives in food over recent years. A common preservative is acetic acid, which is used to stop bacterial growth in dressings, sauces, cheese and pickles. However, new research shows that a small amount of acetic acid does not have the intended effect, but rather the opposite - it increases the amount of toxin from the harmful bacteria in the food.

OxSciBlog has been building up to the 10th anniversary of the first draft human genome on Saturday with a series of articles looking at how different areas of research have been affected by knowing our DNA code. We talk to Dr Deborah Gill of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences who, with Dr Steve Hyde, runs a group hoping to develop a gene therapy for cystic fibrosis .

Nearly 100 volunteers with heart disease walked both with and without a facemask - designed for occupational use in factories - for two hours along a busy route in Beijing.

Scientists at the University of Leeds have been awarded nearly £1.5m to explore the causes and consequences of threats to bees and other pollinating insects in the UK.

The lure of urban habitats for bees, flies, beetles and butterflies is to be investigated by researchers hoping to find a solution to the declining numbers of insect pollinators, without which, the UK could face severe agricultural setbacks. Environmental changes, pests and diseases have all led to a shrinking population of pollinating insects in recent years, yet strategies based on scientific evidence to prevent further losses have so far been lacking.

New clinical research facilities open at Guy’s 21 Jun 2010, PR 137/10 New state-of-the-art clinical research facilities on the 15th floor of Tower Wing at Guy's are now open.

A pioneering project in the Philippines, which aims to develop a new, higher-yielding rice plant which could ease the threat of hunger for the poor, is being led by an academic at the University of Sheffield.

A consortium of the UK's most prestigious scientific and academic institutions has laid out its plans for the biggest centre for biomedical research and innovation in Europe.

BERKELEY — The University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley, nestled in Strawberry Canyon just above the central campus, features a mind-boggling 12,000 kinds of plants and breathtaking views of the Bay Area.

The story comes from our friends at the Wellcome Trust who highlight work by Sam Brown of Oxford University's Department of Zoology published in Current Biology today.

Europe's largest service for cardiac and respiratory health is created today New agreement between Imperial College London, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS

Stunning wildlife images from around the world will be on show at Cambridge University's Museum of Zoology from June 19-July 24 as it hosts the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition.

Prominent ANU scientist Frank Fenner doesn't engage in the skirmishes of the climate wars. To him, the evidence of global warming is in. Our fate is sealed, writes Cheryl Jones in The Australian . Fenner is an authority on extinction. The emeritus professor in microbiology at The Australian National University played a leading role in sending one species into oblivion: the variola virus that causes smallpox.

Researchers at Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna) are currently coordinating an EU project.

UCL is starting a PhD training programme designed to attract researchers with the highest intellectual and scientific skills to the field of biomedical and life sciences.

Parasites in the gut such as whipworm have an essential role in developing a healthy immune system, University of Manchester scientists have found. It has long been known that microbes in the gut help to develop a healthy immune system, hence the rise in popularity of probiotic yoghurts that encourage 'friendly' bacteria.

Vitamin D is crucial for maintaining the health of bones and muscle tissue, and severe deficiencies can lead to debilitating diseases like rickets, which makes bones soft and easy to fracture. Recent studies have also linked inadequate vitamin D levels to increased risk for cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, among other conditions.

Scientists analysed the way brain cells communicate at times of peak activity - such as the creation of new memories or in epileptic seizures - when electrical signalling by the brain's neurons is increased. This raises the possibility that drugs could be developed to block the effect of this enzyme, increasing chemical messaging between brain cells, researchers say.

Researchers have concerns that brain scans - used in some US death row trials - could be used by police to determine whether a suspect is lying, or has planned a crime they have yet to commit. Experts from around the world, including neuroscientists, policymakers and judges, discussed whether cutting-edge brain imaging could be exploited to read people's thoughts and preferences.

Scientists analysed the way brain cells communicate at times of peak activity - such as the creation of new memories or in epileptic seizures - when electrical signalling by the brain's neurons is increased. This raises the possibility that drugs could be developed to block the effect of this enzyme, increasing chemical messaging between brain cells, researchers say.

Researchers have concerns that brain scans - used in some US death row trials - could be used by police to determine whether a suspect is lying, or has planned a crime they have yet to commit. Experts from around the world, including neuroscientists, policymakers and judges, discussed whether cutting-edge brain imaging could be exploited to read people's thoughts and preferences.

Researchers were able to pinpoint which proteins in the virus triggered a reaction in the body's immune system and discovered that certain patients respond to different proteins.

A medical and technological collaboration between the UCL Institute of Neurology and UCL's Multimedia team has developed 'Read-Right', a therapeutic website designed to help people with Hemianopic Alexia (HA) to improve and test their reading ability from their own homes.

Losses and duplications of whole chunks of DNA at sites across our genomes are likely to play a role in autism spectrum disorders, suggests a new international study involving Oxford University researchers and published in the journal Nature . The Oxford team now hope to carry out a pilot study to see whether tests that look for this type of genetic change can help in the diagnosis of new cases of autism.

Researchers were able to pinpoint which proteins in the virus triggered a reaction in the body's immune system and discovered that certain patients respond to different proteins.

Chagas disease is one of the most deadly parasitic diseases in the world. It affects more than 10 million people, primarily in the Americas. In South America alone it kills 50 000 people each year. A reliable and rapid diagnosis is the key in the battle against infection but until now, this has been next to impossible.

Stanford marine scientists and anthropologists are developing strategies for sustainable fishing by comparing two remote coral reef ecosystems - one inhabited, the other a "no-catch" reserve.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory found that single brain cells, if confronted with a difficult task, can identify objects as dissimilar as sports cars and dogs.

Rats exhibit different patterns of neural activity in the dorsolateral and dorsomedial parts of the striatum while learning to navigate a maze. Dorsolateral striatal neurons are most active (red) when the rat performs specific actions like starting, turning, and stopping. Dorsomedial striatal neurons are most active when the rat is deciding which way to turn, but this activity declines over time as the rat masters the task.