Apr 06, 2017
4.4K

New drugs show promise against sleeping sickness and Chagas disease

A new research has developed specific, potent drugs against Chagas disease and sleeping sickness. These diseases , caused by Trypanosoma protists,...
Dec 26, 2016
6.4K

High-tech agriculture can prevent oncoming global water wars

Forget about oil or gas – you should be worrying about the less discussed but far more concerning fact that...
Nov 30, 2016
9.6K

Why school biology textbooks need to redraw the plant and animal cell

Does anyone remember what a catalase is? It’s one of the most popular antioxidant enzymes there is. I still remember doing...
Nov 25, 2016
5.8K

100-word explainer: How plants recognise gravity?

Plants have specialised gravity sensing cells at the root tip that contain ‘amyloplasts’. Amyloplasts are starch-filled structures that are heavier...
Nov 19, 2016
6.5K

Why producing antibiotics is a bad investment?

I’m currently in Nepal where anyone – even a six-year-old – can buy antibiotics, and I know that this is...
Sep 23, 2016
4.4K

The guardians of the genome safeguard DNA to increase seed lifespan

New research has identified crucial biological sensors that determine seed longevity and control germination. ATM and ATR proteins sense DNA...
Aug 10, 2016
5.3K

Fatty food and Alzheimer’s disease – what’s the link?

The effects of high-fat food and obesity are reported daily in the media. But despite this, we still love a...
Jul 29, 2016
13.1K

Silent killers: Zellweger syndrome and related diseases, a group of rare genetic disorders

Abraham Lincoln and King George III are just two of many people who achieved great things despite living with genetic disorders . Fortunately for...
Jul 19, 2016
4.4K

Outsourcing in science: 21st century collaboration

As a scientist, I spend a lot of my time optimising a technique that has been perfected by many others....
Jul 14, 2016
6K

Be in the know: knowing when to say “I don’t know”

The recent Brexit vote demonstrates the power of communication and the effect of disseminating misinformation. Sending an effective, accurate message...