Although fungi of the genus Piloderma are common, scientists have now discovered five previously unknown species. One of these is one of the most widely distributed species in Northern Europe, while another is found only in old-growth forests. The discoveries show that diversity in this genus is much greater than previously thought.
The drug that slows down Alzheimer’s disease is already being used by more than 20,000 patients in 10 different countries – and could soon be available in Europe too. The success story is down to the two founders of BioArctic Lars Lannfelt and Pär Gellerfors and the company’s CEO Gunilla Osswald. Their achievement is now recognised by the Uppsala University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award.
Professor Patrik Johansson is the new director of the flagship project Battery 2030+. He has led many large international research projects and was most recently director of the EU research programme the Graphene Flagship.
Uppsala University inaugurates a new research institute, UUniCORN, aimed at identifying, analysing and navigating conflicting objectives in sustainable societal transition. The new institute is set up on the initiative of Vice-Chancellor Anders Hagfeldt as part of Uppsala University’s ambition to be a more active partner in creating an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable society.
A recent study shows that computer algorithms can be used to find molecules that can be developed into anti-inflammatory drugs. In the article, the researchers also describe how the same strategy can be used to search through 10 sextillion alternatives to identify the best drug candidate.
The gut bacteria of giraffes are not primarily determined by what they eat, but by the species they belong to. This is shown in a new study from Uppsala University and Brown University in which researchers have analysed the link between diet and gut flora in three giraffe species in Kenya. The study also provides new knowledge that can help secure the food supply of endangered giraffe species.
Researchers have uncovered the ancestral origins and genetic diversity of the Fulani, one of Africa’s largest pastoral populations. The study reveals a complex genetic ancestry with influences from both North and West African groups, shaped by historical migrations that have left a lasting impact on their genetic landscape.
The American artist and author Joe Brainard (1942–1994) stood out with his strikingly unique style of writing, manifested among other ways in his many years of correspondence with other well-known artists and writers. Selections from his letters have now been published in a new volume with comments and analyses by Daniel Kane, professor of American literature at Uppsala University.
On the exoplanet WASP-127b, over 500 light years away, wind speeds can reach 33,000 kilometres per hour, according to a study by an international team of scientists. This is the first time winds of this type have been detected and it has been possible thanks to an instrument partly built at Uppsala University. The study is published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Professor Aarti Gupta from Wageningen University and Professor Frank Biermann from Utrecht University will become Visiting Professors of Climate Change Leadership at Uppsala University. The ten-year visiting professorship, with a new professor invited each or every other year, is funded by a donation to Uppsala University by entrepreneur Niklas Zennström and his wife, Catherine Zennström.
A recent study shows that the Semliki Forest virus enters the central nervous system by first entering the cerebrospinal fluid and then binding to a specific cell type before penetrating deeper into the brain. This finding could potentially be used to develop the Semliki Forest virus as an agent for treating brain cancer. The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications.
New study: An app can help parents who are mourning the loss of a child. Parents who used the app for three months reported reduced symptoms of prolonged grief and post-traumatic stress, and also had fewer negative thoughts. Some parents thought that in future, the app should be offered early in the process of mourning. The study is published in the scholarly journal Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
Researchers have analysed the effects of seven different hormone treatments for menopausal symptoms, and the risk of blood clots, stroke and heart attack. The risks differ depending on the active substance and how the medicine is taken. The study involves around one million women aged 50-58 and is the largest and most comprehensive study of currently prescribed hormonal substances in the world.
In an international collaboration, researchers at Uppsala University have been able to identify undigested food remains, plants and prey in the fossilised faeces of dinosaurs. These analyses of hundreds of samples provide clues about the role dinosaurs played in the ecosystem around 200 million years ago. The findings have been published in the journal Nature.
Different species of seabirds can coexist on small, isolated islands despite eating the same kind of fish. A researcher at Uppsala University has been involved in developing a mathematical model that can be used to better understand how this ecosystem works.
By exploiting the genetic variation in cancer cells, an already approved cancer drug demonstrated enhanced effects against cancer cells in specific patient groups. This is shown in a recent study from Uppsala University, published in the journal eBiomedicine. The findings suggest a potential for more individually tailored and more effective cancer therapies.
Uppsala University is contributing an important piece to the puzzle of substantially shortening the radioactive life of nuclear waste. Belgian scientists aiming to create a facility to convert long-lived radioactive fuel waste into shorter-lived waste are now enlisting the help of the FREIA Laboratory in Uppsala.
Researchers at Uppsala University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology have developed a new form of precision medicine, an antibody, with the potential to treat several types of cancer. Researchers have managed to combine three different functions in the antibody, which together strongly amplify the effect of T cells on the cancer tumour. The study has been published in Nature Communications.
All patients who have had a heart attack are typically treated using beta blockers. According to a Swedish study conducted earlier this year, this drug is unlikely to be needed for those heart patients who have a normal pumping ability. Now a sub-study at Uppsala University shows that there is also a risk that these patients will become depressed by the treatment.
Seven of the most common forest trees in Europe have been shown to be able to shelter their genetic diversity from major shifts in environmental conditions. This is despite their ranges having shrunk and the number of trees having fallen sharply during ice age cycles. These are the findings of a study jointly led by Uppsala and Helsinki Universities, published in Nature Communications.
