By Chloe James, Professor of Microbiology, University of Salford
Martha Clokie, Professor of Microbiology, University of Leicester
Artificial intelligence has designed viruses that can infect bacteria and reproduce – a first that shows AI is beginning to do more than analyse the genetic code of living things. It can write new versions of it, too.
The viruses in question are bacteriophages, or phages – viruses that infect bacteria rather than people, animals or plants. Researchers used AI to design hundreds of new versions of a well-studied phage, then built the viruses from scratch in the laboratory.
Of 285 AI-designed…
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By Daniel Jolley, Associate Professor in Social Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Nottingham
Laura Blackie, Associate Professor of Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Nottingham
New research shows experiences of adversity are linked with stronger perceptions of injustice – and a greater tendency to believe in conspiracy theories.
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By Jamie Medhurst, Professor of Film and Media, Aberystwyth University
What we watch on television, hear on the radio and see on our screens is shaped by decisions that are still largely made in Westminster. That includes the rules governing broadcasters, how public service media are funded and regulated and how the UK’s nations and regions are represented.
In Wales, there is now a growing argument that those decisions shouldn’t be made without Wales having a much stronger say.
Following Plaid Cymru’s victory…
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By Tim Forssman, Senior Lecturer, University of Mpumalanga
What is the past? It may seem a simple question to answer, but it is more complex than we might think at first. As science, politics, technologies and ways of thinking change, so does our understanding of what went before.
Tim Forssman is an archaeologist who has conducted research in South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Mozambique. He recently completed a book about…
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By Nathalie Rothschild, Director, Early Childhood and Elementary Education, Concordia University
Early French immersion programs, designed for students who don’t speak French as a first language, are offered in every province and territory in Canada, except Nunavut..
The starting point, anywhere from pre-kindergarten to Grade 2, may vary between regions. Programs highlight the importance of oral language development, particularly in the first few years.
I…
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By Ed Armston-Sheret, Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research, School of Advanced Study, University of London
Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton were comrades on their first Antarctic adventure but the expedition would sow the seeds of future rivalry.
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By Jerry Tsang, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Queen Mary University of London
A fall from an electric scooter (e-scooter) can look deceptively minor. The rider is standing only a short distance above the road and, unlike a motorcycle, most e-scooters are limited to relatively modest speeds.
Yet trauma surgeons are seeing injuries that tell a different story. E-scooter crashes can cause serious head injuries, damage to internal organs, and complex fractures – sometimes after what appears to have been a simple fall.
This matters as e-scooters become an increasingly common…
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By Martha Clokie, Professor of Microbiology, University of Leicester
Andrew Millard, Lecturer in Bacteriophage Bioinformatics, University of Leicester
AI helped design a working virus that kills bacteria. Researchers explain what it could mean for the fight against antibiotic resistance.
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By Glenn McGregor, Professor of Climatology, Durham University
Emergency workers attempting to rescue survivors after a recent earthquake in Kyushu, Japan, also had to cope with extreme summer heat.
After the earthquake killed at least 38 people and left thousands homeless in late July, daytime temperatures climbed into the high 30°Cs and in some places hit…
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By Sven Batke, Associate Head of Research and Knowledge Exchange - Reader in Plant Science, Edge Hill University
When most people picture British farming, they probably imagine fields of wheat, potatoes or vegetables stretching across the countryside. But some of the food on supermarket shelves is produced in environments that look very different.
A tomato might spend its entire life inside a glasshouse, growing more than 20 metres tall with water and nutrients delivered directly to its roots. A lettuce could be grown inside a building, stacked on shelves under LED lights without ever seeing natural sunlight.
These…
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