Articles
Do phytoplankton hold the key to the evolution of marine biodiversity?
Life exploded in our oceans 250 million years ago, leading to the biodiversity that we see today. Before this point, however, the plant and animal life in our seas was considerably less diverse. Several theories have been proffered to explain this – often considering both habitat and climate changes – but very few studies have considered the role of phytoplankton. […]
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Awakn: Welcoming a new era of psychedelic-assisted therapy
Dr Ben Sessa is a psychiatrist, researcher, writer, and Co-founder and Head of Psychedelic Medicine at Awakn Life Sciences. His academic research coupled with his therapeutic practice have yielded vital insights into the safety and efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Now, practicing with the biotechnology company Awakn Life Sciences, he is working to increase the availability of these revolutionary treatments. As […]
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Novel immunoassays for detection of faecal calprotectin and neutrophil extracellular traps in the gut
Faecal calprotectin (CP) is a valuable biomarker for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Nevertheless, commercial assays do not display comparable clinical sensitivities and specificities. Dr Magne Fagerhol at the Oslo University Hospital, Norway, explored the structure of faecal CP to understand the sources of variation and developed new monoclonal antibody mixtures and immunoassay procedures that improved the sensitivity. Moreover, Fagerhol demonstrated […]
Using patient datasets to track COVID-19 prevalence
Obtaining an accurate picture of COVID-19 cases has provided a major challenge throughout the pandemic. Changes in testing methods and skewed selection of higher-risk groups may bias the results. Dr Amy Hou, Dr Genevieve Pang, and Dr Lorrin Pang at the Hawaii State Department of Health, Maui District Health Office, US, propose a novel way to estimate local prevalence of […]
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Improving the safety of unmanned aerial systems: A fuzzy logic–AI approach
With their ever-increasing capabilities and applications, the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) is set to soar. This creates an urgent need for solutions that safely manage UAS operations in congested low-altitude airspace. Some advanced UAS-control methods are based on reinforcement learning techniques, but these are not yet fully validated. Taking a fuzzy logic-based approach to this problem are Dr […]
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Targeting cancer stemness: A new approach to target tumour metastasis in colorectal cancer
At COARE Holdings in the US, Dr Courtney W Houchen and Edwin Bannerman-Menson examine innovative ways to target and treat metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Their research focuses on the ‘stemness’ of cancer cells – a property by which the cells within a tumour are able to divide and give rise to every cancerous cell within the tumour. When these cancerous […]
START – addressing underrepresentation in STEM careers
When US neuroscientist Dr Luke H Bradley at the University of Kentucky helped design a STEM education programme for underrepresented students, his bold approach of interdisciplinary collaborations, near-peer mentoring, and teacher coaching promised to reshape a culture of negative reinforcement. The START Program embraces authentic research and training through direct contact between underrepresented students and teachers and a network of […]
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Improving dog welfare: Helping owners decode their dogs’ behavior
Many dogs with behavioral problems are surrendered to shelters each year and are at risk of euthanasia. The Center for Canine Behavior Studies (CCBS) works with dog owners and canine professionals to gain a better understanding of canine behavior issues and the techniques that work best for treating these issues. This information is used to educate dog owners, veterinarians, and […]
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Antilope: A low-cost portable sensor system for air quality monitoring
Monitoring air quality and assessing personal pollutant exposure in urban settings remain challenging tasks in atmospheric science. As part of this monitoring, low-cost sensors have become increasingly available. This allows makers to assemble their own air quality stations according to online instructions, and institutions to multiply the number of measurement points. However, most of these commercial devices suffer from limitations […]
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Usher syndrome: Recent advances in our understanding of genes and therapeutics
Usher syndrome is a rare disease that affects the sensory systems of vision, hearing, and balance. Recent advances in scientific technologies reveal the genes involved in Usher syndrome, their varying phenotypic outcomes, and avenues for therapeutic development. Dr Aziz El-Amraoui of the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France, and Dr Gwenaelle Géléoc of Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in […]
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