Articles Archives

Biology

Energy transformation in living cells: The role of vitamin C

The biochemical processes responsible for energy production in cells and for its utilisation in cellular metabolism have been studied extensively. Although several details of how these complex chemical reactions take place have progressively been clarified, far less is known about the structure of the biomolecules involved and their interactions. Professor emeritus János Hunyady, from the University of Debrecen, Hungary, is […]

Behavioural Sciences

Using agent-based modelling to understand social phenomena

Agent-based modelling (ABM) is used to understand the behaviour of a system and establish what governs its outcomes. Professor Shigeaki Ogibayashi, from the Chiba Institute of Technology, Japan, proposes that, if the agent-based model is constructed entirely bottom-up, it should be possible to build a model where the causal relationship emerging from the artificial society is the same as that […]

Health & Medicine

Take a breath: Is it time to re-think how we diagnose COPD?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has significant health, social, and economic impacts. However, the diagnosis criteria for the condition remains broadly general and relies on the use of lung function tests, such as spirometry, which can be inaccurate in some cases. Professors Marie Breyer and Emiel Wouters, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Health, Austria, explain that a new taxonomy is […]

Behavioural Sciences

Invoking human rights to stop ivory tower bullies

Higher education institutions are not immune to workplace bullying. In fact, research shows that they can be virulent breeding grounds for a particularly pernicious form of bullying – one cloaked in popular perceptions of civility. In higher education, bullying is even delegated to subordinates. However, because workplace bullying inhabits a grey legal area, prosecuting cases is challenging. Dr Leah P […]

Thought Leaders

The importance of nuanced scientific communication in an age of rising distrust

Dr Karen Jacqueline Cloete is an interdisciplinary scientific researcher whose work spans a multitude of areas. She is affiliated to the UNESCO-University of South Africa Africa Chair in Nanosciences-Nanotechnology, and the Nanosciences African Network-iThemba LABS-National Research Foundation. As well as currently working at the rich intersection between nanotechnology, chemistry and biology, Dr Cloete asks broader questions about the relationship between […]

Behavioural Sciences

Can deeply religious people be intellectually humble?

Intellectual humility – the conscious awareness of the limits and fallibility of one’s intelligence – is a virtue in the search for wisdom. But is what’s true for philosophers also true for deeply religious people whose humility is tied to unquestioning deference to the divine? It is a question that both baffles and inspires those studying the psychology of religion. […]

Physical Sciences

Galactic archaeology: Using chemical abundances to map our galaxy’s history

The different chemical elements we observe across the Milky Way have gone through drastically different formation processes – which have taken place on drastically different timescales. Crucially for astronomers, these differences can be clearly seen in the abundances of chemical elements contained in stars today, providing important clues about our Galaxy’s distant past. In a new overview, Professor Francesca Matteucci […]

Business & Economics

Uncomfortable ethics for autonomous vehicles

Self-driving cars, or autonomous vehicles (AVs), are an inevitability on our roads. That’s probably a good thing – most accidents are the result of human error. Ironically, humans will still need to programme the ’thinking’ part of an AV, especially when it’s presented with ethical dilemmas. But how important is this for AV manufacturers? Dr Tripat Gill of Wilfrid Laurier […]

Health & Medicine

Heart health, fat consumption and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

Cardiovascular disease is a major contributor to deaths globally. One of the most prominent risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL). Special focus has been placed on looking at the effects of fat consumption on LDL particle size in healthy individuals as a way to increase awareness among people in terms of diet and lifestyle. Dr […]

Physical Sciences

Optimising solvent extraction for metal recycling

The platinum-group metals play a central role in several technological applications including fuel cells, electronic devices, and catalysts for oil refining and automobile converters. Owing to the scarcity of these metals, methods for their recycling from end-of-life devices are in increasing demand. Hydrometallurgy, which exploits the ability of specific molecules to selectively dissolve metal ions and separate them from unwanted […]