Biology

Researchers have developed revolutionary new robots that adapt to the culture and customs of the elderly people they assist.

Better treatment options on the horizon for patients, as researchers engineer materials that could be used to improve medical devices and implants.

Researchers have identified genetic variants linked to the search for life’s meaning and happiness.

Researchers have found that smoking initiation rates during early adolescence show a marked increase in the past 40 years.

A new interactive 4D model makes it possible to track proteins during human cell division.

Scientists have found that man-made structures in the North Sea could play a crucial role in holding coral populations together and increasing their resilience.

Scientists have identified a new therapeutic strategy for treating a very aggressive form of breast cancer.

Effective prevention, diagnosis and treatment of chronic lung diseases in disadvantaged areas? An international team of scientists shows us how to do it.

An affordable, multifunctional printing device rests content in Braille or tactile format at the fingertips of the visually impaired.

What happens when industry and academia join forces for the good of science? They launch an open access website that helps researchers to discover new medical treatments.

A team of researchers have shown that micro-size granular particles in plant cells behave like liquids when they respond to gravity. Their findings could pave the way for new engineering design and technological applications that mimic biological systems.

First direct dating of an early human tooth confirms the antiquity of Homo antecessor, western Europe’s oldest known human fossil species.

Cases of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and dementia in the senior population are often the result of lifestyle-related risk factors. This offers opportunities for prevention – a call to which one EU-funded project is responding with an interactive online platform.

New research on the bony labyrinth inside the ear provides clues about human population history.

Open-source and collaborative approaches for medical device design will help address patients’ needs and citizens’ views. Information sharing and peer-to-peer evaluations along the development pipeline will make the engineering design process more sustainable, resource efficient and safe.

A new, wearable sensor tests pH levels in sweat, opening the door to needle-free monitoring of chronic conditions.

New research shows that a high-fat Mediterranean diet with nuts and extra virgin olive oil could modify the function of specific cell genes. This should help in the fight against several conditions, especially cardiovascular disease.

Scientists show that tiny, nano-engineered capsules relieve pain up to 20 times longer than a standard injection, and with no side effects.

Scientists show that DNA repair genes in bats could be the key to understanding the ageing process.

Scientists show that tetrapods survived the mass plant extinction in Europe and North America 307 million years ago and spread further afield, forming new habitats.

With the growing global demand for sustainable and energy-saving products and processes, biosurfactants have come under the spotlight in recent years. A new study reviews their use in biotechnology applications, focusing on microorganisms in cold habitats.

Scientists have discovered that lack of genetic diversity may have driven the passenger pigeon towards extinction, but human pressures gave it the final nudge over the edge.

The dramatic diversification of animals could be explained by a revolution within their own biology, rather than the planet’s rising oxygen levels. This is the novel hypothesis of a team of researchers who presented their findings of a recent study based on evidence from proteins found in tumours.

Tired, a few aches and pains, more interested in sitting comfortably by the fire than a wet walk in the woods? Dog or owner, staying mentally active at whatever age creates positive emotions and can slow down mental deterioration.

With the prevalence of allergy and asthma on the rise around the world, the race is on to explain this increase and stem the tide. A recent study finds a clue in an unlikely source… intestinal worms.