News

This is our spot to tell you the most exciting Edinburgh-centric science news we can find. It's also a great place for new writers to learn their trade- so get in touch.

Musical fungus play sold-out show

Submitted by Katherine on Tue, 2011-02-15 11:59

A mushroom performed live jazz improv to a packed house last night at Inspace.  “The Sounds of Spores Spectacular” was the highlight of this week’s Sounds of Spores installation, created by Edinburgh’s Yann Seznec and Patrick Hickey. Accompanying the mushroom was human jazz trio The Dyad, who improvised along with the sounds from the fungus. Read more »

Ancient weather reports help climate experts look into the future

Submitted by Katherine on Tue, 2011-02-15 11:56

Ancient weather reports, including data from weather stations, harvest records and even monks’ diaries, have been scoured by researchers to piece together how the European climate has changed over the last five centuries. Read more »

New insights into the link between chlamydia and ectopic pregnancy

Submitted by Katherine on Tue, 2011-02-15 11:53

Chlamydia infection in women increases their risk of ectopic pregnancy through a lasting effect of the infection, new research has shown. Read more »

Bird flu transmission thwarted by GM chickens

Submitted by Katherine on Mon, 2011-01-31 15:49
Laura Bailey discusses the world's first bird flu resistant chickens

Scientists at the Universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge have created the world's first bird flu resistant chickens.  These genetically modified chickens still succumb to avian influenza but they do not pass the virus onto other birds.  As Dr Laurence Tiley, Senior Lecturer in Molecular Virology at the University of Cambridge, explains “Preventing virus transmission in chickens shoul Read more »

Computing team create earthquake analyser

Submitted by admin on Sun, 2011-01-23 17:34
Computing team create earthquake analyser

A group of computer scientists from the University of Edinburgh have recently unveiled a new system for analysing seismic data. Read more »

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have highlighted nature’s flair for producing new types of flowers

Submitted by admin on Sun, 2011-01-23 17:27
Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have highlighted nature’s flair for producing new types of flowers

DNA from wild evergreen rhododendrons from the Himalayas were analysed in the study. The results suggested that hundreds of species could be made by cross-breeding different species. The rich biodiversity seen in the natural world may be explained by this research, as it shows how random plant pairings millions of years ago has led to the development of the interesting species of today. Read more »

Scientists get insight into malaria resistances

Submitted by admin on Sun, 2011-01-23 17:24
Scientists get insight into malaria resistances

Every year around 250 million people are infected by malaria. Of those, 863,000 people die because the parasite has become resistant to most of the available drugs. In many parts of the world, the only drug that is still effective is artemisinin, a plant-based remedy. However, there are signs that resistance against artemisinin is increasing. Read more »

Study unravels DNA packaging to provide insights into cell renewal

Submitted by Jon Manning on Sun, 2011-01-23 17:14
Study unravels DNA packaging to provide insights into cell renewal

University scientists have shed light on how DNA is compacted in dividing cells, a discovery which will help understand how cell renewal can fail. Read more »

Amateur mountaineers take unnecessary risks

Submitted by Jon Manning on Sun, 2011-01-23 17:10
Amateur mountaineers take unnecessary risks

Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, is becoming more and more popular amongst amateur climbers. Of those 25,000 climbers who crest the summit each year, the majority do not know enough about the risks of altitude sickness, which is potentially lethal in some cases. Read more »

Forecasting damage caused by water and climate change on historic buildings

Submitted by Jon Manning on Sun, 2011-01-23 17:05
Forecasting damage caused by water and climate change on historic buildings

Maintenance of historic buildings can now become easier as a result of work by engineers at the University of Edinburgh. They have developed a method to forecast damage caused to stone and brick monuments by the weather. Read more »

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