“The insatiable human appetite for wildlife products drives species to extinction, spreads disease and has negative consequences for the economies of source countries.” Thus opens the article, recently published in Current Biology, detailing a new method to investigate illegal trade in turtle eggs by using GPS-enabled decoy eggs. The team, led by researchers from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology at the University of … Continue reading Make way for the InvestEGGator, the decoy egg shedding light on the illegal trade of wildlife

A collaboration between German and Japanese research teams has shown that a gene specific to humans causes marmoset monkeys to grow larger, folded, brains. Wieland Huttner has been studying ARHGAP11B for years. This human-specific gene underwent a single mutation between 1.5 million and 500,000 years ago which gave it a whole new function linked to brain size. “Such point mutations occur relatively frequently, but in … Continue reading The size and folding of the foetal brain have been increased in marmosets by insertion of the ARHGAP11B gene

There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s disease. This condition is caused by the death of a specific set of neurons (nerve cells) in the brain: the dopamine-producing neurons. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter – a chemical used by neurons to signal to one another. People with Parkinson’s initially experience small tremors in their hands, but as they lose more and more neurons, they eventually have … Continue reading One-time treatment generates new neurons and reverses Parkinson’s disease in mice

We like to think that, as individuals, we are unique and original. In fact, as a group, we are utterly predictable. Monday through Friday, the majority of the UK population wakes up around 7, commutes, works 9 to 5, then jumps into evening traffic, and arrives home to make themselves some dinner and a nice cup of tea. This translates into a very typical, U-shaped … Continue reading Has lockdown sparked a change in our energy habits?

What if the evolutionary changes which made us human also laid the foundation for some of the most complex disorders which affect us?  Arguably, the most important feature of our species is our brain, an organ which enables us to do everything from walking and breathing to solving complex equations and reflecting on the meaning of life itself. As far as we know, no other … Continue reading A good deal gone bad: how evolving more intricate brains made us vulnerable to autism spectrum disorders

A third of people who survive traumatic events experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD survivors involuntarily and vividly relive their trauma through flashbacks and nightmares. To escape these painful reminders, they try to avoid any potential triggers, and they are constantly on edge. This has devastating consequences on their quality of life. Jacqui, a rape survivor and founder of PTSD UK, explains: “[My PTSD] left … Continue reading PTSD: The evolutionary advantage

Loretta had been hoping for a promotion. Instead, she woke up one morning to find that her entire left side, from her face to her leg, had stopped working. A&E suspected she’d had a stroke, but a battery of tests revealed nothing. Six weeks later, Loretta was still housebound. “I would have some days that both my legs were completely numb,” she explained. “My right … Continue reading Functional neurological disorder: Investigating an invisible illness

We finally have a way to connect archeological findings with genetic studies, using ancient chewing gum. In a new study published in Communications Biology, researchers from Stockholm University have found a way to extract DNA from saliva preserved in ancient chewing gum. This innovative technique could provide a source of DNA in excavation sites with no human remains, or when these are too damaged to … Continue reading How Ancient Chewing Gum Could Revolutionise Archeology