News and features: 2012

Feb | Jan

February

Here Comes Good Health! 'Here Comes Good Health!', a new display at Wellcome Collection, explores Bermondsey Borough Council's innovative public health work through leaflets, photos and the pioneering educational films they produced. 22 Feb 2012 Scientists identify link between size of brain region and conformity Every generation has its James Dean: the rebel who refuses to follow their peers. Now, a new study has found a link between the amount of grey matter in one brain region and an individual's likelihood of conforming. 21 Feb 2012 Royal Society and Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Fellowships now open for application These fellowships provide support for outstanding postdoctoral scientists wishing to build their own UK-based independent research career addressing an important biomedical question. 21 Feb 2012 Feature A burst from the blue: is bulimia nervosa really a modern disease? Named in a scientific paper for the first time in 1979, bulimia nervosa has been studied extensively since - but the origins of the condition have attracted considerably less attention than its causes, diagnoses and treatment. 20 Feb 2012 Successful third round Investigators named The latest Investigator Awards in the biomedical sciences have been made. The eight Awards range in value from just over £900 000 to £1.9 million and will last between five and seven years. 17 Feb 2012 Fatal devil cancer genome sequenced Researchers, including several from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute near Cambridge, have sequenced the genome of a cancer that is threatening the existence of the Tasmanian devil. 17 Feb 2012 Computer programs may be able to identify individuals most at risk of anxiety and mood disorders Computer programs can be taught to differentiate between the brain scans of healthy adolescents and those most at risk of developing psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression. 16 Feb 2012 New lab model of Alzheimer's disease will help research A new way of studying Alzheimer's disease in the lab, developed by scientists at the Wellcome Trust and Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, will help researchers understand how the disease progresses. 16 Feb 2012 Ultrasound study provides first direct evidence of effect of malaria on fetal growth A study of almost 3800 pregnancies has provided the most accurate and direct evidence to date that malaria infection reduces early fetal growth. The research highlights the importance of preventing malaria in pregnancy. 10 Feb 2012 Wellcome Trust "creates science legacy" from London 2012 From today, pupils at every school and college across the UK will get the opportunity to learn how their bodies work during exercise, movement and rest with free experiment kits from the Wellcome Trust's In the Zone initiative. 09 Feb 2012 Feature Diamond light, brighter than the sun It's the size of five football pitches and generates light 10 billion times brighter than the sun. As the Diamond Light Source celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, Penny Bailey visits to see how it works. 07 Feb 2012 New scheme tackles orphan and neglected diseases A new funding scheme to support academic-industry partnerships for early-stage applied research and development projects in orphan and neglected disease areas launches today. 06 Feb 2012 Genetic variant increases risk of common type of stroke A genetic variant that increases the risk of a common type of stroke has been identified. This is one of the few genetic variants to be associated with the risk of stroke and opens up new possibilities for treatment. 06 Feb 2012 'Goldilocks' gene could determine best treatment for tuberculosis patients Tuberculosis (TB) patients may receive treatments in the future according to which version they have of a single 'Goldilocks' gene, says an international research team part-funded by the Wellcome Trust. 03 Feb 2012 Old drug shows new promise to treat leishmaniasis A study published yesterday shows that a drug called fexinidazole could potentially be used to treat visceral leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease that kills 50 000 to 60 000 people a year in Africa, Asia and Latin America. 02 Feb 2012 Testosterone makes us less cooperative and more egocentric Testosterone makes us overvalue our own opinions at the expense of cooperation, recent research has found. The findings may have implications for how group decisions are affected by dominant individuals. 01 Feb 2012 First award under Irish partnership examines links between obesity, diet and heart disease Dr Fiona McGillicuddy from University College Dublin has become the first recipient of funding under the Science Foundation Ireland-Health Research Board-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Partnership. 01 Feb 2012
January

Feature A delicate balance: investigating intestinal inflammation Professor Fiona Powrie has made significant contributions to our understanding of the immune system in the gut and inflammatory bowel disease. Michael Regnier spoke to Fiona about her research and career. 31 Jan 2012 Genetics study reveals how bacteria behind serious childhood diseases evolve to evade vaccines Genetics has provided surprising insights into why vaccines used to combat serious childhood infections can eventually fail. The study has implications for how future vaccines can be made more effective. 30 Jan 2012 Wellcome Trust and Cambridge University Press work together to secure the future of 'Medical History' Cambridge University Press has announced that it will publish the leading journal 'Medical History', an international journal for the history of medicine and related sciences, from January 2012. 30 Jan 2012 Genetics study boosts search for better ways to treat human African trypanosomiasis The findings of a genetic screening study reported in 'Nature' have identified how the parasite that causes human African trypanosomiasis interacts with the drugs currently used to treat the disease. 26 Jan 2012 New malaria maps to guide battle against the disease A new suite of malaria maps has revealed the current global pattern of the disease in unprecedented detail, allowing researchers to see how malaria has changed over several years. 24 Jan 2012 Feature Opinion: "The only way is Wikipedia" In a world in which anti-science appears to be on the increase, it is imperative that scientists improve how they engage with the general public about their research and do not simply preach to the converted. 24 Jan 2012 Comedy tour exposes the maths of death The critically acclaimed comedy tour 'Your Days are Numbered' is embarking on a national tour with support from a Wellcome Trust People Award. 23 Jan 2012 Ways to prevent mitochondrial diseases to be assessed in new £5.8 million Wellcome Trust centre Research that could pave the way for IVF treatment to prevent mitochondrial diseases will take place at the new Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Research at Newcastle University thanks to a £5.8m funding boost. 19 Jan 2012 Feature Nuts and Bolts: the neuron Neurons are highly specialised cells that conduct and process information in animals, enabling thought, perception and control of movement. Here, Lydia Harriss presents a quick guide to these remarkable cells. 19 Jan 2012 Feature Appliance of Science: "There's no such thing as a non-science story" Science is part of absolutely everything. I hate science being confined to science programmes and science festivals and science pages. To me, science isn't a domain but a way of looking at things. 17 Jan 2012 Counterfeit and substandard antimalaria drugs threaten crisis in Africa Hopes of controlling malaria in Africa could be dashed by the emergence of poor-quality and fraudulent antimalarial medicines, warn experts. Unless urgent action is taken, millions of lives could be put at risk. 16 Jan 2012 Scientists find link between gene and sensitivity to emotional environment Researchers at the University of Essex have shown that a genetic variant could make some people more sensitive to their emotional environment - and more susceptible to anxiety disorders - than others. 13 Jan 2012 Artist collects false memories at free event Have you ever remembered something a certain way, only to find that it never happened? Artist Alasdair Hopwood is inviting you to contribute your false memories to a new project called the False Memory Archive. 12 Jan 2012 Spasticity gene finding provides clues to causes of nerve cell degeneration The discovery of a gene that causes a form of hereditary spastic paraplegia may provide an important insight into what causes axons, the stems of our nerve cells, to degenerate in conditions such as multiple sclerosis. 10 Jan 2012 Feature Professor Clare Williams: how I got into medical sociology As a professor of medical sociology at Brunel University, Clare Williams looks at the social forces that shape the use of medical technologies and how they might affect clinicians, scientists and patients. 10 Jan 2012 New guide to boost science media relations in African institutions A new guide for media relations practitioners working in African institutions aims to encourage better practice and to help the media officers position African research in the global arena. 09 Jan 2012 Wellcome Trust initiative links science to the Olympic and Paralympic Games for everyone in 2012 As the world focuses on the feats of human performance that will take place in London next summer, the Wellcome Trust is leading an initiative to engage the public with the science of how their own body works. 06 Jan 2012 Feature Neglected tropical diseases: a new handle on old problems Neglected tropical diseases cause long-term suffering among the world's poorest people. Research into NTDs has been happening for decades, but the fruits of this research have not always reached the people most in need. 06 Jan 2012 Inquiry-based learning Three education experts, with differing viewpoints, will offer their opinions on the role of inquiry-based learning in science education at an event at the ASE annual conference in Liverpool tomorrow. 05 Jan 2012

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