29 Oct 2014
‘Robert McGilvray: Time/Tide - Moments from Places’ – exhibition at University of Dundee
A striking series of paintings inspired by the Tay estuary and other Scottish landscapes will be exhibited at the University of Dundee’s Tower Foyer Gallery from Saturday. ‘Time/Tide - Moments from Places’ features recent work by artist Robert McGilvray, who is well-known as a painter and for his various public art projects. He explained, “The paintings are largely concerned with an imaginary diary of many years’ close contact with the skies and waters of the Tay Estuary, absorbing its ever changing light, colour and climatic conditions. “They reflect journeys of memo...
29 Oct 2014
Putting a kink into the cell's key genetic molecule
Scientists at the University of Dundee have discovered a hidden `code’ that tells our bodies key genetic molecules how to structure themselves, thereby allowing them to carry out their work. In a research paper published in the journal Nature Communications, Professor David Lilley and colleagues describe how a crucial part of RNA called the `kink-turn’ operates. Professor David Lilley and colleagues in the College of Life Sciences at Dundee have been studying the function of RNA, the molecules that play a significant role in almost every genetic function of our cells. RNA is chemically simil...
28 Oct 2014
Over 6000 Tayside individuals help determine the genetic basis of a person’s response to statins
An analysis of over 40,000 people undergoing statin treatment has revealed two new genetic variants that may affect how low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol responds to statin therapy. The study, published in Nature Communications, provides further insights into the genetic basis of drug response. Statins have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol levels by up to 55 per cent and are therefore highly effective in the management and prevention of cardiovascular disease. Despite this success, however, patient response can vary widely and this variation is known to have a genetic component. &nb...
28 Oct 2014
University researchers to take Micro the Magnificent to Great British Bioscience Festival
A team of researchers from the University of Dundee will be exhibiting at the Great British Bioscience Festival in London next month, accompanied by ‘Micro the Magnificent’, their popular giant microbe. The festival, which takes place from 14th-16th November at the Museum Gardens in Bethnal Green, is the culmination of a year-long public engagement campaign that showcases the best of British bioscience and enables visitors to explore the fascinating world of biology through interactive exhibits created by scientists across the UK. Dr Nicola Stanley-Wall and colleagues from the University&rsqu...
28 Oct 2014
‘Dundee and Its Scientific Firsts’ – Saturday Evening Lecture on 1st November
More than 150 years of scientific enquiry in the City of Discovery will be celebrated in a public lecture at the University of Dundee this weekend. Eddie Small, an author and tutor at the University, will begin the story of Dundee’s scientific firsts in 1867 when the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) took the controversial decision to hold its annual meeting in the city. His talk at the Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill from 6pm on Saturday, 1st November takes place as part of a partnership between Dundee Science Festival and the University’s flagship Saturday Evening L...
