9 Oct 2016

Why are our cells the size they are?

New research from the University of Dundee has discovered that cells of average size are the Olympic athletes of the cellular world, performing better than those which are too big or two small. When cells and tissue are observed under the microscope, the size of the cells is one of the most obvious features. However, while cells are small in general, cell size varies from one cell type to another - a muscle cell for example is much bigger than a white blood cell. The research by the team in the School of Life Sciences at Dundee now sheds light on the question of why animal cells are of certain size. It h...

7 Oct 2016

‘Poetry Machine’ exploring the human genome project on view at the site of its decoding

A unique artwork commissioned by the University of Dundee that explores the human genome has gone on display at the UK home of the Human Genome Project for the first time. Stutterer, created by renowned visual artists Thomson & Craighead, both graduates of Dundee, together with computational biologists in the School of Life Sciences was originally commissioned in 2014 by the University’s LifeSpace Science Art Research Gallery. It will go on display at the Wellcome Genome Campus in Cambridge from Friday, 7th October until January next year. The work, which the artists call a ‘poetry machin...

7 Oct 2016

‘Pimp Your Memory: Lessons from Psychology’– Café Science on 10th October

A University of Dundee lecturer will be giving tips on how to study effectively at next week’s Café Science event. ‘Pimp Your Memory: Lessons from Psychology’ will see Dr Carolina Kuepper-Tetzel talk about Cognitive Psychology, a subject that examines how we learn, think, judge, perceive and remember, on Monday, 10th October. She will give an overview on the most promising learning principles and will provide strategies that can improve memory. Dr Kuepper-Tetzel said, “People will leave my talk with a better understanding on how learning principles from Cognitive Psychology...

6 Oct 2016

Scientist awarded over £1 million to bring cutting-edge cancer research to Dundee

A talented international scientist has been awarded £1.35million from Cancer Research UK to bring her ground breaking research into how tumours develop to the University of Dundee. Dr Constance Alabert is one of only three researchers this year to have been awarded a prestigious Career Development Fellowship by the charity. Originally from France, Dr Alabert is currently based at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. The funding will allow her to set up a research group at Dundee to study if the mechanisms cells use to maintain their identity and function during and after cell division – f...

6 Oct 2016

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease increases ageing process by decades.

Researchers have discovered that a common lung condition can accelerate the ageing process by decades. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an inflammation of the airways, leading to damage of the lung’s air sacs. It is most commonly caused by heavy smoking. The collaborative study, involving the universities of Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Nottingham and GSK R&D on behalf of the ECLIPSE study investigators, measured a breakdown of elastin, a protein responsible for the elasticity of many tissues like the lungs, arteries and skin. The loss of elastin fibres can compromise the structur...