Articles
The Synapse Neurobiology Training Program, training the next generation of neuroscientists
Research into the functions of synapses is crucial to understanding the mechanisms of highly prevalent brain disorders such as epilepsy, autism and Alzheimer’s disease. Professor Michele Jacob is the director of the Synapse Neurobiology Training Program (SNTP), located at Tufts Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences in Boston. SNTP provides predoctoral students with individualised, in-depth, multidisciplinary research training to investigate […]
Expanding capacity of non-communicable disease research and training in Thailand
Dr Kathleen Potempa is Professor at the School of Nursing in the University of Michigan, where she served as Dean from 2006 to 2016. A globally renowned leader in nursing, education and science, she has a long academic career focusing on cardiovascular fitness in physically impaired populations, nursing, leadership, and community-based approaches to improving health. She is currently collaborating with […]
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Taking inspiration from nature for a new generation of quiet aerofoils
Constant exposure to noise is an increasing problem in developed countries, with impacts not only on industry but also our health. Key culprits often accused of creating noise include airports and wind farms. Professor Phil Joseph from University of Southampton is heading up a team of scientists focused on reducing noise pollution through the development of new aerofoil design. The […]
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Evading the rise of ransomware
Ransomware, malicious software that takes users’ files “hostage” and demands payment from users to get back their files, has become a popular income stream for cybercriminals. While not all ransomware attacks are effective money earners, they often cause immense disruption for key services such as the healthcare industry. In the case of ransomware, prevention is often better than cure, and […]
A needle in a haystack – the future of big data
Dr Yang Feng is Associate Professor of Statistics at Columbia University. His research aims to structure, into a useful form, the voluminous data available from many areas of science, humanity, industry and governments, like social networks, the study of the genome, understanding economics or finance and health sciences. Using network modelling, he has focused on novel ways of detecting “communities” more […]
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Fossilising fossil fuels with green alternatives
Green Biologics are a renewable chemicals company who are not only changing the face of renewable chemicals, but are changing the world while they are at it. Dr Liz Jenkinson is one of the lead researchers at the company, and it is her work that is providing the answer to the question: is there an alternative to fossil fuels? Her […]
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Development of immunity in basal metazoans
Dr Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty from Florida International University (FIU), is currently conducting research that focuses on immunological priming in corals and anemones, a process by which an animal can resist pathogens through repeated, non-lethal exposure. As corals are at risk due to climate change, this is an important project to help further our understanding of their immunology. The project also includes […]
Understanding how ‘grain boundaries’ cause the structural integrity of materials fail
After receiving a Young Investigator Program award from the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Dr Srikanth Patala and his research team at North Carolina State University have studied the impact of ‘grain boundaries’ on the structural integrity of many materials used in critical applications. This includes materials commonly found in jet engine turbine blades, nuclear power stations and internal […]
Biases from Big Data: the prejudiced computer
Big Data and Machine Learning seem to be the modern buzzword answers for every problem. Areas such as healthcare, fraud prevention and sales are just a few of the places that are thought to benefit from self-learning and improving machines that can be trained on huge datasets. However, how carefully do we scrutinise these algorithms and investigate possible biases that […]
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Crossing kingdoms between plants, fungi and bacteria
Professor Teresa Pawlowska and her team from the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University have performed an in-depth study on the evolutionary genomics of the recently discovered mycoplasma-related endobacteria (MRE). They are currently in the process of investigating the complex interrelationship between these endobacteria, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and their host – terrestrial plants. This is one of […]
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