When the worlds of sport and medicine colaborate
There was a time when sports science was viewed by many as a track-suited football trainer running onto the pitch clutching a magic sponge. It was all rather rudimentary, all groin strains and hamstrings.
However,...
Will Man ever run the 100m in less than nine seconds? *
It is never easy to run 100m in less than ten seconds, as the recent Commonwealth Games demonstrated. However, as the world record stands at 9.58 seconds, the attention in recent years has turned...
How do bioscience companies ensure a strong talent pipeline for the future?
The UK science industry is facing a national shortage of highly skilled workers, an issue linked previously to STEM subjects being a less favourable option at A Level.
But the tides are changing; this year...
No time to breathe easy as the battle against asthma intensifies
Asthma is one of those conditions that can strike the very young and stay with them as they head into old age, often developing over many years into the more serious illness Chronic Obstructive...
The animal impasse
Must anti aging drugs rely on animal testing?
The use of animals in scientific research, including in the development of cosmetics and medicine, has long been a matter of contention.
Researchers argue that the developments of...
MenB – RIP
The UK Department of Health has announced that it will work to introduce the meningococcal B (MenB) vaccine into the childhood vaccination programme – But to what impact?
Officials made the announcement following independent advice...
Mighty Mitochondria
Damaged protein could be one of the keys to premature ageing
Scientists have found that the condition of key proteins in the mitochondria -the batteries of cells- could be used to predict, and eventually treat,...
Are genetics the key to arthritis treatment?
New international studies have revealed how genetics could explain why different environmental exposures can trigger the onset of different forms of rheumatoid arthritis.
As our joints succumb to wear and tear, chronic pain becomes more...
Why are obesity rates increasing?
I know what’s been causing obesity rates to rise. So do you. So does just about everyone. Unfortunately, most of us are probably wrong.
As I tell my students, correlation doesn’t prove causation, but that’s...
The surprising Science of fat: You can get fatter and become healthier
A new study in obese mice suggests that increasing the growth of fat located under the skin (subcutaneous) actually led to an improvement in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, both precursors to diabetes. The...
Child sleeping study reveals obesity risk
One of the most comprehensive studies of the potential link between reduced sleep and childhood obesity finds compelling evidence that children who consistently received less than the recommended hours of sleep during infancy and...
Research offers hope to diabetes sufferers
The insulin-producing cells in the pancreas play a crucial role in the management of our blood sugar levels. If they don’t work properly, the body can no longer cope with glucose.
New imaging techniques developed...
Taking a global view
Work being done by Romanian and Ukranian scientists in the Danube Delta is helping to drive a research programme that could have global ramifications.
Findings by the Danube Delta Research Institute show that algae bloom...
Caring for the carers
The problems associated with the daily challenge of living with dementia is also concentrating scientific minds in Ireland where the health and well-being of partners who care for people with dementia is the subject...
Research looks at living with dementia
The work being done is not just about diagnosis, some of it focuses on improving the way sufferers and their carers live day to day with the condition. In that field, the UK Economic and...
Not gone, not forgotten..
The penny finally drops as politicians pledge support for dementia research
Ironically, given that it is one of the planet’s biggest illnesses, dementia also appeared to creep up on world leaders more focused on other...