Blog - Page 35 of 165 - Research Outreach

For the love of chocolate

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A variety of chocolate bars, cocoa powder and cinnamon sticks. Chocolate is linked to endorphin release such as serotonin.

Chocolate. The feeling of delight triggered by a mouthful is familiar to many of us. Its visual aspect, its scent, its taste, the sound it makes when we bite into […]

Cactus: The new leather?

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An image of a prickly pear cactus with fruits growing from the top. This type of cactus is being used to develop plant-based alternatives to leather.

It’s widely known that the production of animal leather is very harmful to the environment, but leather is a staple of many industries. As an answer to this problem a […]

Considering environmental impact in happiness rankings

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Emeritus Professor Yew-Kwang Ng, a leading MalaysianAustralian economist has a particular interest in welfare economics – the optimal allocation of economic resources, goods, and income to best improve the overall good of society. While many may see a country’s GDP and its per capita values as measures of its success, Ng is concerned with its citizens’ overall wellbeing, and their happiness is key to that.

Most, if not all, people want to live a happy life, so surely a measure of a country’s success as a nation is how happy its citizens are? Most international […]

Cooling Cryosim drops for treatment of cough

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Professor Wei researches the mechanisms of cooling agents, in particular Cryosim drops, which soothe inflamed surfaces and alleviate symptoms such as coughing and nasal congestion.

A cough can significantly impact our quality of life, disrupting sleep and daily activities. Coughing is usually a symptom of benign viral infections – but sometimes a cough can linger […]

The science behind a perfect cup of coffee

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A cup of coffee in a green cup and saucer is on a table, next to a scoop that has coffee beans pouring out of it.

There is something about the smell of a good cup of coffee in the morning that just cannot be beaten. Unless you prefer tea of course, in which case it […]

Life on the moons of our Solar System

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A picture of the surface of a moon. Speculating about which moons in our Solar System would be the best candidate for the terraforming process

Spreading out among the stars and building new colonies has long been a dream for humanity, but we shouldn’t just looked at neighbouring planets as potential future homes. Scientists have […]

Dendrimers: Improving calibration standards for mass spectrometry

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Professor Scott M Grayson has developed and optimised SpheriCal®, MS calibrants based on dendrimers – perfectly branched compounds, that offer better standards for calibration in mass spectrometry.

Soft-ionization mass spectrometry (MS) techniques for the analysis of peptides, proteins, and macromolecules are gaining popularity in the medical research community. Specifically, matrix-assisted laser-desorption/ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) can […]

Unlocking the mechanism of action of arsenic trioxide in leukaemia

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Image of cells under a microscope. One cell is much larger and purple, with a green arrow pointing to it. Researchers have identified the mechanism behind treatment for APL (a type of leukaemia) with ATO - arsenic trioxide - and vitamin A.

The blood cancer acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) has recently been transformed from a fatal condition to a curable one, thanks to the development of treatments including vitamin A1 and arsenic […]

Winter swimming: The latest craze that could improve your physical and mental health

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Five people are swimming in lanes that have been cut out of the ice. They are wearing swimming caps, and partaking in the latest craze of winter swimming.

Outdoor swimming was once considered an exclusively summer activity, but swimming outside through the winter – when the water temperature can be as low as 0oC – has seen a […]

Building a psychological toolbox: Actively using neuroplastic methods to develop lasting inner strengths

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Dr Rick Hanson proposes the HEAL framework to actively engage in positive neuroplastic methodsand rewire our brains, providing people with additional psychological resources for dealing with mental health issues.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) makes use of the brain’s neuroplasticity to convert passing experiences into durable psychological resources embedded in altered neural structure or function. But most SEL is passive and […]