Processing rewards (e.g. food/water/social interactions) is a complex mechanism performed by most organisms for survival. Three main mechanisms involved in this include, generating the motivation to attain a reward, cognitive processes that enable learning about rewarding stimuli in the environment, and hedonic Read More …
There is an urgent need to address the use of synthetic pesticides, and sustainably intensify agricultural practices to meet global food security demands. Naturally beneficial microorganisms have been successfully exploited to protect crops from attack from a diverse range of Read More …
CRISPR is an adaptive immune system used by bacteria to prevent infection by viruses. With CRISPR, bacteria use small pieces of virus DNA to target and destroy invaders, but the viruses can overcome it by mutation. This mutation allows them Read More …
Bacteria are constantly being infected by viruses, or phage. To combat this, many species have evolved a defense mechanism known as CRISPR. This allows a bacterial cell to remember which phages have infected it, so that the next time it Read More …
Abstract Hedgerows provide valuable habitats and corridors for many species in farmland, yet a lack of appropriate management may threaten their benefits to biodiversity. Although agri-environment scheme (AES) prescriptions on hedgerow management have the potential to reverse the detrimental effect of Read More …
Nicole Pacchiarini has just received a Trainee Professional Development Award from the Society of Neuroscience. These awards promote the advancement of career training for neuroscientists, and recognise young scientists who demonstrate scientific merit and excellence in their research. The award includes Read More …
On the 15th and 16th May, Emily Nixon visited IBM Research in Almaden, California as an invited speaker at the Distinguished Speaker Forum, a bi-weekly series which is live-streamed globally across IBM. The aim of the forum is to bring Read More …
Last week I was lucky enough to be welcomed back to Sense about Science (SaS) to help run Evidence Week in Parliament. The first of its kind, Evidence Week brought together MPs, peers, parliamentary services and people from all walks Read More …
Puffy skin disease (PSD) is an emerging skin condition which affects rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum). The transmission pattern of PSD suggests an infectious aetiology, however, the actual causative infectious agent(s) remain(s) unknown. In the present study, the rainbow trout epidermal immune Read More …
We tend to think of microbes as ‘simple’ organisms that are not capable of the ‘complex’ behaviour that we see in animals like ourselves. But this assumption more often stems from our own ignorance of other life-forms than it reflects Read More …
PhD students from across the BBSRC-funded South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP) enjoyed a student-led day of training at the Bristol Aquarium. Bioscience PhD Students from the universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter, alongside Rothamsted Research, were joined by wildlife experts and entrepreneurs; Bristol Post’s Steve England, Ed Drewitt Read More …
James Clark (fourth year SWBio DTP student) has recently had some of his work published as part of a paper that demonstrates how plants colonised the earth 100 millions years earlier than previously thought! These findings have then been featured Read More …
