Articles
The British Science Association: An all-new community-led research landscape
The British Science Association (BSA) promotes the development of community-led research projects, interactive and inspiring science engagement, and effective science communication for all. While research in the sciences has often been labelled as insular and disconnected from society at large, the BSA aims to connect communities to researchers to solve pressing, real-world problems. Research Outreach was privileged to talk with […]
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The human vomeronasal organ: To preserve or not?
There is an ongoing debate among scientists regarding the significance of the vomeronasal organ (VNO), a small defined area of uncertain function inside the nose in humans. During nasal surgery, this organ can be permanently damaged, thereby ceasing any associated function. Dr Tjasse D Bruintjes, ear, nose, and throat surgeon at Leiden University Medical Center, and Dr Ronald LAW Bleys, […]
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From mice to men: Will we soon be able to restore hearing loss?
Globally, hearing impairment is a common disability – especially among elderly adults. Hearing loss caused by damaged sensory receptor cells (hair cells) inside the ear cannot be reversed – and regeneration of this type of cell does not occur in humans. Associate Professor Brandon Cox and colleagues at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, USA, have been studying the regeneration […]
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Anamorphic cryptography: How can we ensure private communication?
Cryptosystems have been developed to send secure messages with the assumption that the receiver’s key – what the intended recipient needs to read the message – is secure from adversaries. However, there have been tensions, dubbed as ‘Crypto Wars’. Friction has arisen between governments, hoping to access encryption keys to learn about potential threats, and industry, which believes that the […]
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Urban Drone Operation: How wind in cities could affect air taxis of the future
In cities, many companies are now considering urban air mobility vehicles, from drones for parcel delivery to air taxis for travel. However, gusts of air, especially around buildings, can create pockets of wind with different properties, which could cause areas of turbulence and affect the stability of the aircraft. A research team led by Dr Abdulghani Mohamed, senior lecturer at […]
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Cut of the crop: High-yields of non-browning eggplant via genome editing
Eggplant is cultivated globally – but its production is fraught with issues affecting the crop’s overall yield and post-harvest properties. The fruit can be less appealing when damaged or cut due to the enzymatic browning of tissues. Cultivating high-yielding yet non-browning eggplants is an area of ongoing research at the Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, UAE. The researchers […]
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Science Europe: Building an open network for researchers in Europe with global perspectives
Science Europe represents major public organisations that fund groundbreaking research across Europe, promoting open, collaborative research networks within – but not limited to – the European research arena. Obvious barriers to research collaboration include student mobility. There are also many lesser-known barriers, which Science Europe aims to combat, in part through more effective science communication. Research Outreach was privileged to […]
Boat trip: A significant panorama of Tang Dynasty river basins
Dr Wende Chen of Huaqiao University, China, has analysed Chinese poetry to reveal historical geographies of Tang Dynasty river basins. Taking the Chinese character for ‘boat’ as the dependent variable, characters with significant statistical correlation were identified. These characters were classified into nine themes: structure and use of boats, geographical locations, natural water systems, flora and fauna, official travel, economic […]
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Leading with integrity: How principals influence teacher effectiveness without derailing morale
It was JF Kennedy who said that leadership and learning are indispensable to one another, but what makes for good leadership in educational settings? In a new study, David Grant of the University of Redlands in the United States integrates practices from diverse leadership models which have been debated for many years. His research determined which practices have the greatest […]
Sloppy science, shortcuts, and COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to one of the most public incidences of a phenomenon known as sloppy science (originally slodderwetenschap in Dutch). Shortcuts and simplifications were made during scientific research, which led to the public declaration of incorrect statements or ‘truthies’. Professor Michael Lissack, from the College of Design and Innovation at Tongji University in China, and Brenden Meagher […]