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Topics: Research

  • Better Water Purification with Seeds from Moringa trees

    Seeds from Moringa oleifera trees can be used to purify water. Uppsala University leads a research group which has discovered that seed material can give a more efficient purification process than conventional synthetic materials in use today.

  • Errant gliding proteins yield long-sought insight

    In order to react effectively to changes in the surroundings, bacteria must be able to quickly turn specific genes on or off. Although the overall mechanisms behind gene regulation have long been known, the fine details have eluded scientists for decades. Researchers at Uppsala University can now provide a picture of how proteins regulate genetic expression at the atomic level.

  • Grazers and pollinators shape plant evolution

    It has long been known that the characteristics of many plants with wide ranges can vary geographically, depending on differences in climate. But changes in grazing pressure and pollination can also affect the genetic composition of natural plant populations, according to a new study.

  • 3D model reveals new information about iconic volcano

    The volcano on the Scottish peninsula Ardnamurchan is a popular place for the study of rocks and structures in the core of a volcano. Geologists have been certain that the Ardnamurchan volcano have three successive magma chambers. However, an international group of researchers, lead from Uppsala University, Sweden, has now showed that the volcano only has one single magma chamber.

  • EU project will increase researcher access to biobanks

    All of us stand to benefit from large European health studies, but it is not always easy for researchers to collaborate across national borders. To help enable collaboration, the international EU-funded project BBMRI-LPC will spend the next four years working to increase researchers’ access to samples and data. Researchers at Uppsala University have a key role in the project.

  • Genes behind obesity mapped in large-scale study

    An international research team has identified seven new gene loci linked to obesity. Researchers were also able to show that the genetic mechanisms that cause extreme obesity are similar to those that cause milder forms of overweight and obesity.

  • PCBs can increase risk of lowered heart function

    There is a connection between high levels of PCBs and the heart’s ability to pump. The study is the latest of several from the Uppsala University research group showing health issues caused by PCBs, even though their use has been banned for some time.

  • Scientists have a responsibility for research that can be used to harm

    Do scientists have a responsibility for research that is used to harm others? In a doctoral thesis from Uppsala University, Frida Kuhlau discusses to what extent Life Science researchers have a responsibility to prevent their research from being used to develop biological weapons.

  • Lack of sleep? Keep away from the buffet

    New research from Uppsala University shows that sleep-deprived people select greater portion sizes of energy-dense snacks and meals than they do after one night of normal sleep. Poor sleep habits can therefore affect people’s risk of becoming overweight in the long run. The findings are published in Psychoneuroendocrinology.

  • Researchers guardians of trust in biobank research

    Do we trust biobank researchers? In a doctoral thesis from Uppsala University, medical doctor and bioethicist Linus Johnsson claims that we do: At least in Sweden. And since we do, researchers in turn have a moral responsibility towards us.

  • Ethical challenges of human brain simulation

    One of the greatest challenges of modern science is understanding the human brain. Uppsala University’s Centre for Research Ethics & Bioethics (CRB) is part of the European Commission flagship initiative to simulate the human brain and will look at the philosophical and ethical implications of this.

  • Finally! The pig genome is mapped

    In a major international study, the pig genome is now mapped. Researchers from Uppsala University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) have contributed to the study by analysing genes that played a key role in the evolution of the domesticated pig and by mapping endogenous retroviruses (ERV), retroviruses whose genes have become part of the host organism’s genome.

  • Disorder in protein interactions

    It was long believed that proteins need to be well structured to function, but during the last decade it has become clear that disorder is often crucial for function. Now, a research team at Uppsala University has shed light on how such disordered proteins interact with each other.

  • New DNA study shows humankind’s complex origins in Africa

    The Khoe and San peoples in southern Africa play an important role for our understanding of the evolutionary history of humans. These peoples are directly descended from the first branching of the genealogical tree for today’s humans. This is shown in a study led by Uppsala University and being presented in the Web version of the journal Science today.

  • Disturbance during foetal period behind severe eye disease

    The congenital eye disease persistent foetal vasculature syndrome leads to bleeding, detached retina, and a cloudy lens. Now researchers at Uppsala University show in a model for the disease that it may be associated with an excessive expression of a growth factor during the foetal period.

  • Link found between environmental pollutants and stroke

    Individuals with elevated levels of PCBs and DDT in their blood run a greater risk of having a stroke. This is shown in a study from Uppsala University that is being published today in the scientific journal Environmental International.

  • Genes shed light on spread of agriculture in Stone Age Europe

    One of the most debated developments in human history is the transition from hunter-gatherer to agricultural societies. This week’s edition of Science presents the genetic findings of a Swedish-Danish research team, which show that agriculture spread to Northern Europe via migration from Southern Europe.

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