Articles
The intricate world of the centrosome
Dr Ryoko Kuriyama is a Professor at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Alongside Dr Cody Fisher, she studies mammalian centrosomes, composite organelles responsible for the segregation of chromosomes during mammalian somatic cell division. Together, Kuriyama and Fisher, with the help of the United States National Science Foundation, investigate the detailed complexity of centrosome maturation, identifying the pericentriolar material protein […]
Master and counter narratives: Same facts – different stories
The research of Professor Michael Bamberg of Clark University is dedicated to understanding narratives and the dynamics of narratives. His studies outline how dominant narratives emerge and how counter narratives get created and believed. Through the analysis of narrative practices, Professor Bamberg proposes that we can intentionally begin to present stories that enable social change, by looking beyond the story, […]
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Democratic statecraft in the ‘unsettled’ global south
The global economy has stalled in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic and the future is uncertain, particularly for developing countries. The move from a state of unsettled globalisation to global crisis is the latest in a series of critical junctures for the international political economy. In a concept paper for the International Political Science Association (IPSA), Lourdes Sola from […]
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Centhaquine: A new resuscitative agent for haemorrhagic shock
Triggered by severe blood loss, haemorrhagic shock is a type of hypovolemic shock, an often-fatal condition. Treatments are available but haven’t been updated for a long time – there is a need for a new resuscitative agent to help patients survive and recover. Luckily, Dr Anil Gulati, of Pharmazz, Inc., has developed centhaquine, aka Lyfaquin®. This drug has shown very […]
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Progesterone signalling is involved in marsupial pregnancy
Marsupials have a notoriously short pregnancy, and, for many years, researchers believed that progesterone played no part in this process. However, Professor Yolanda Cruz from Oberlin College, Ohio, USA, has studied pregnancy in the lab opossum (Monodelphis domestica) most of her career and believes this is not the case. The researcher unveiled a critical period between day 5 and day […]
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Using β3 integrin to control reactive astrocytes, and help neurons survive
The long-ignored astrocyte is of more interest than ever in neuroscience. When the central nervous system is damaged, astrocytes undergo astrogliosis, morphing into reactive astrocytes to protect neurons from further damage. But, as it turns out, this process could be doing more harm than good by not allowing damaged neurons to mend themselves. Professor Lisette Leyton of the University of […]
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Scientific communication: Learning from the COVID-19 ‘Infodemic’
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken place in an age of rapid digital communication. Scientific voices can become lost in the noise. Worse, some were not accessible to the general public in the first place. On 7th December 2020, Project ECHO held a Global Series webinar: “COVID-19 global learning collaborative – science and the response to the COVID-19 ‘infodemic’”. The goal […]
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Building a climatology for tornadoes across Europe
Tornadoes happen all over the world, despite being most commonly associated with central USA. When a tornado strikes a city, it can be devastating to both infrastructure and lives. As infrequent as tornadoes may seem in Europe, it is important for their risk to be modelled, so we can prepare for the worst. Dr Juergen Grieser and Dr Phil Haines […]
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Fertility preservation options in gender reassignment
39% of transgender men and 21.9% of transgender women express the desire to become parents. This is complicated by gender confirmation therapies usually occurring at a young age, before consolidation of parental desire. These therapies can involve hormone treatment and gender confirming surgery which can remove the possibility of reproduction. Fertility preservation knowledge and information is limited for transgender people. […]
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The Orangutan Project: How a successful not-for-profit organisation is working to protect Critically Endangered orangutans from extinction
The Orangutan Project was founded in 1998 by orangutan expert and conservationist Leif Cocks. Today, it takes a multifaceted approach to conservation, targeting the key threats facing the Critically Endangered orangutan population. Leif Cocks told us about the vital work of the Project, and about his own ethics which underpin the conservation work. Orangutans are facing an existential threat. As vast tracts […]