30 May 2017
Knitted biological specimens on display in Dundee
Knitting and biology will come together to celebrate the reopening of the University of Dundee’s D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum for the summer season. ‘Botanica Mathematica’, which will open on Friday, 2nd June, is an exhibition of knitted artworks inspired by mathematical biology. Mathematician Julia Collins and Textile Artist Madeleine Shepherd have combined their skills to create the pieces on display. They took inspiration from ‘On Growth and Form’, the seminal book written by Dundee’s first professor of Biology, D’Arcy Thompson. The specimen collection...
29 May 2017
Gusi Peace Prize for Professor Ronald Harden
Ronald Harden, Emeritus Professor of Medical Education at the University of Dundee, has been awarded a prestigious international prize recognising his contribution to healthcare around the world. He will receive a Gusi Peace Prize in Manila, Philippines, in November. The prize is awarded annually by the Gusi Peace Prize Foundation, who chose Professor Harden for his “untiring efforts working for people’s amelioration through contributions in the field of medical education”. Professor Harden is recognised as one of the leading international figures in medical education. He was formerly T...
26 May 2017
Smokers asked to help measure effects of electronic and tobacco cigarettes on World No Tobacco Day
World No Tobacco Day arrives next Wednesday, May 31st, at a time when increasing numbers of smokers are switching to e-cigarettes and vaping. New tobacco legislation which has just come into effect is also anticipated to have an impact, with the packaging and size of cigarette packs changing. The cheapest packs now cost close to £9. As more smokers make the move from tobacco cigarettes to electronic versions, researchers at the University of Dundee are asking them to help with a research project looking into the effects of e-cigarettes. “This is a vital question we need to answer – wha...
25 May 2017
Fishing net bikinis to help protect oceans
Fishing nets and bikinis may not be obvious bedfellows but a student from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design believes combining the two offers a way of protecting the world’s oceans from ecological damage. Scott Fraser-Hirst, who is currently exhibiting at this year’s University of Dundee Art, Design and Architecture Degree Show, hit upon the idea of using recycled fishing nets to make swimwear after reading an article about the devastation that climate change has wreaked upon the Great Barrier Reef. Textile Design graduand Scott spent the final year of his course researching w...
25 May 2017
Damaging immune response may be cause of COPD infections
Researchers at the University of Dundee have made an important discovery about why patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) suffer frequent chest infections, potentially paving the way for new treatments. The team, led by Dr James Chalmers, has shown that the behaviour of a type of white blood cell, called neutrophils, changes when patients have COPD. Normally neutrophils remove bacteria from the lungs by ‘eating’ them, a highly efficient process called phagocytosis that causes no damage to the lung. This study, however, shows that in patients with COPD, the ability to eat b...
