Damn, spider. Why you so hairy?
They may put Little Miss Muffet off her curds and whey – but a spider’s hairs are crucial to its survival. Many people suffer from arachnophobia, a treatable phobia of spiders. But what is...
Category: Life Sciences
Could your smartphone diagnose cancer?
In the developed world, cancer is the biggest killer of our age. Following many years of research and clinical experience, the current view is that early detection is the best possible means to tackle...
Paws for Thought: Panda Pregnancy is a Tricky Business
Why is it so hard to get a panda pregnant? As many of us were saddened to find, Edinburgh Zoo’s own panda Tian Tian was confirmed not pregnant after briefly showing signs early this...
Fungal Killer vs. Bacterial Champion: The Battle for Kermit’s Life
There is a killer out there, and its name is Chytrid… Well, actually it is Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). The spores of this aquatic fungus get under the skin, causing it to ulcerate and slough...
Differences in Gene Regulation Between Mice and Humans
Mammalians have around 25,000 genes, but only 62% of the human genome is transcribed in one or more cell types . Considering this, it’s possible to understand that the performance of a cell is...
Peering into the Brain of Adolescent Suicide
Despite the fact that adolescent suicide is a major public health issue, research which investigates its possible neurobiological causes is still sparse. However, so far, researchers have found some intriguing differences in the brain...
The Conservation Beauty Pageant
I will be the first to admit that I am a fan of all things cute and cuddly. Send me a snow leopard adoption pack any day of the week, but a spider conservation...
Using Circulating Tumour Cells to Personalise Cancer Treatment
Rapid technological advances within the past decade now allow the isolation and analysis of individual tumour cells circulating in the blood stream of cancer patients. We are beginning to realise the potential of these...
