A moss species new to Europe found in Yorkshire

CPS scientist Dr Andy Cuming and colleagues have identified at Lindley Wood Reservoir in Yorkshire a species of moss that has not been found in Europe before. more

Prof Christine Foyer chosen to write the American Society of Plant Biology inaugural Founders Review.

Christine Foyer has been chosen to write the first review in a series that will highlight the work of internationally eminent plant biologists. more

Genetic study uncovers new path to Polynesia

Surprising new evidence which overturns current theories of how humans colonised the Pacific has been discovered by faculty scientists. more

Is organic farming good for wildlife?

Even though organic methods may increase farm biodiversity, a combination of conventional farming and protected areas could sometimes be a better way to maintain food production and protect wildlife. more

Bats with backpacks paint pictures with sound

Researchers have recorded and reproduced the complex images bats make of their environment. more

Organic farming shows limited benefit to wildlife

Organic farms may be seen as wildlife friendly, but the benefits to birds, bees and butterflies don't compensate for the lower yields produced. more

UK team reveals all three structures of single transporter protein

A team of researchers have captured the 3D atomic models of a single transporter protein in each of its three main structural states, a goal of researchers from around the world for over 25 years. more

Follow the leader: how those in charge make themselves known

Do you find yourself leading groups, or are you naturally more comfortable following others? Research shows that if you want to be a leader you're better off at the edges of a crowd, and not in the middle of the action. more

Leeds inflammation research opens route to better pain relief

Research at the University of Leeds could pave the way to a new generation of painkillers by providing a new theory of how inflammation causes pain. more

Fishing discard ban could damage sea bird success, scientists warn

A proposed EU ban on throwing unwanted fish overboard from commercial boats could put one of the North Sea's most successful sea birds at risk, say researchers at the University of Leeds. more

Research builds on genetic link to autism and schizophrenia

A genetic link between schizophrenia and autism is enabling researchers to study the effectiveness of drugs used to treat both illnesses. more

Gardeners must unite to save Britain's wildlife

Householders in the UK should be looking beyond their own garden fence to protect vulnerable British wildlife. more

Research opens door to new thrombosis treatments

The latest findings on how blood clots form could open the door to the development of new and better-targeted drugs for patients at risk of strokes or heart attacks. more

New therapy targets for amyloid disease

A major discovery is challenging accepted thinking about amyloids - the fibrous protein deposits associated with diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's - and may open up a potential new area for therapeutics more

Leeds research finds new piece of BSE puzzle

A new treatment route for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and its human form Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD) could be a step closer thanks to scientists in the FBS. more

Fruit fly sperm makes females do housework after sex

The sperm of male fruit flies are coated with a chemical 'sex peptide' which inhibits the female's usual afternoon siesta and compels her into an intense period of foraging activity. more

Genetically engineered bacteria are sweet success against IBD

For the first time, scientists have used a genetically engineered "friendly" bacterium to deliver a therapy. more

Hepatitis C virus channels its efforts into cell survival

Researchers at the University of Leeds have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that allows the hepatitis C virus (HCV) to remain in the body for decades. more

Scientists halt epilepsy in mice

Scientists at Leeds have prevented epilepsy caused by a gene defect from being passed on to mice offspring - an achievement which may herald new therapies for people suffering from the condition. more

One of the mechanisms governing how our physical features and behavioural traits have evolved over centuries has been discovered by researchers at the University of Leeds. more

New 'molecular clock' aids dating of human migration history

Researchers at the University of Leeds have devised a more accurate method of dating ancient human migration - even when no corroborating archaeological evidence exists. more

Mosquito evolution spells trouble for Galapagos wildlife

The Galapagos giant tortoise and other iconic wildlife are facing a new threat from disease, as some of the islands' mosquitoes develop a taste for reptile blood. more

New hope for advances in treating malaria

Researchers at the University of Leeds have developed chemicals which kill the most deadly malaria-causing parasite, Plasmodium falciparum - including those resistant to existing drugs. more

Food choices evolve through information overload

Ever been so overwhelmed by a huge restaurant menu that you end up choosing an old favourite instead of trying something new? more

Research supports toxoplasmosis link to schizophrenia

Scientists have discovered how the toxoplasmosis parasite may trigger the development of schizophrenia and other bipolar disorders. more

Study offers clues to beating hearing loss

Researchers at the University of Leeds have made a significant step forward in understanding the causes of some forms of deafness. more

Unfolding "nature's origami"

Sometimes known as "nature's origami", the way that proteins fold is vital to ensuring they function correctly. But researchers at the University of Leeds have discovered this is a 'hit and miss' process, with proteins potentially folding wrongly many tim more

Researchers shake up scientific theory on motor protein

An international team of scientists led by the University of Leeds has shed new light on the little-understood motor protein called dynein, thought to be involved in progressive neurological disorders such as motor neurone disease. more

Combination therapies similar to those used for HIV patients may be the best way of treating hepatitis C virus (HCV), say Leeds researchers

A study of a protein called p7, has revealed that differences in the genetic coding of the protein between virus strains - known as genotypes - alter the sensitivity of the virus to drugs that block its function. more

Epilepsy drug shows potential for Alzheimer's treatment

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Leeds researchers reshape the future of drug discovery

Scientists in Leeds have devised a new way to create the next generation of man-made molecules in a breakthrough that could revolutionise drug development. more

Iceman cometh no more

A 5,300 year old human mummy - dubbed Öetzi or 'the Tyrolean Iceman' - is highly unlikely to have modern day relatives, according to new research published today. more

Crossing the boundary: how proteins permit molecules to enter cells

Scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding the inner workings of transporter proteins, which help essential chemicals move around the human body. more

Neighbours from hell: infanticide rife in guillemot colony

One of Britain's best-known species of seabird is increasingly attacking and killing unattended chicks from neighbouring nests due to food shortages. more

Altruism in social insects IS a family affair

Why did insects evolve to put the interests of the colony over the individual? Leeds scientists have reported their take on this altruism in this week's Science. more

New research forces u-turn in population migration theory

Research led by the University of Leeds has discovered genetic evidence that overturns existing theories about human migration into Island Southeast Asia and takes the timeline back by nearly 10,000 years. more

Common drug halts lung damage in emphysema

An antibiotic commonly used to treat acne can prevent tissue damage caused by lung diseases such as emphysema, researchers have found. more

Motor protein offers clues to killer condition

Despite taking different evolutionary paths, turkeys and scallops share a similar motor protein - myosin 2- although for different purposes. For humans this protein may hold the key to understanding potentially fatal conditions such as aneurisms. more

Chloroform provides clue to the enigma of general anaesthesia

One of the earliest general anaesthetics to be used by the medical profession, chloroform, has shed light on a mystery that's puzzled doctors for more than 150 years - how such anaesthetics actually work. more

Subterfuge, counter-surveillance and assassination: scientists reveal the body's fight with cervical cancer

The virus responsible for most cases of cervical cancer has a serious weakness which may provide hope for new treatments for the disease. more

Royal genes linked to cheating and corruption

Far from being a model of social co-operation, the ant world is riddled with cheating and corruption - and it goes all the way to the top, according to scientists from the Universities of Leeds and Copenhagen. more

Golden compass found in bats

Researchers from the Universities of Leeds and Princeton have discovered that bats use a magnetic substance in their body called magnetite as an 'internal compass' to help them navigate. more

Sheep in human clothing - scientists reveal our herd mentality

Have you ever arrived somewhere and wondered how you got there? Prof Krause (IICB) believe he may have found the answer, with research showing humans flock like sheep and birds, subconsciously following a minority of individuals. more

Electronic switch opens doors in rheumatoid joints

A breakthrough in understanding the way atoms move across cell membranes in the human body could pave the way for the development of new treatments for inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. more

The day of the Moss

A joint effort from the University of Leeds, with colleagues from Germany, Japan and the USA, have sequenced the DNA of the simple Moss, providing an opportunity to identify which genes control its survival tactics during drought. more

Research sheds new light on how diseases jump across species

Researchers at the University of Leeds have made a breakthrough in understanding a virus which poses one of the greatest global disease threats to wild carnivores including lions, African wild dogs and several types of seal. more

Fossil record supports evidence of impending mass extinction

Global temperatures predicted for the coming centuries may trigger a new 'mass extinction event,' where over 50 per cent of animal and plant species would be wiped out, warn scientists at the Universities of Leeds and York. more

Leeds scientists spy enzyme that makes us unique

Have you ever wondered why you inherited your mother's smile but not your father's height? How does nature combine both maternal and paternal DNA to create genetically unique offspring? more

Females promiscuous for the good of their grandchildren

Female animals that mate with multiple partners may be doing so to ensure the optimum health of their grandchildren, according to researchers at the universities of Leeds and Exeter. more

New hope for Huntington's sufferers

Researchers in the Faculty of Biological Sciences have discovered that one of the body's naturally occurring proteins is preventing 57 genes from operating normally in the brains of Huntington's sufferers. more

How a pain in the neck could be bad for your blood pressure

A chance discovery in the lab has helped University of Leeds scientists to show how the treatment for a stiff neck could do wonders for your blood pressure. more

University of Leeds strengthens China links

The UK's largest academic group of membrane and neurobiologists is joining forces with leading scientists from the strongest research groups and institutions across China. more

Alzheimer's prevention role discovered for prions

The mysterious prion proteins has been identified by Professor Hooper's team in IMCB toagainst against Alzeihmer's disease. more

Gannet population under threat from global warming

Researchers at the University of Leeds have warned that global warming is a major threat to the gannet, a species known for its stable populations and constant breeding success. more

Flexible genes allow ants to change destiny

The discovery of a flexible genetic coding in leaf-cutting ants sheds new light on how one of nature's ultimate self-organising species breeds optimum numbers of each worker type to ensure the smooth running of the colony. more

Gene expression changes in heart disease

Research from Ian Wood's lab (IMSB) reveals genetic changes in the hypertrophied heart. more

Declining into failure: the loss of ion channels in aging.

Research on aging reveals loss of ion channel in the heart. more

Task force recommends greater use of exercise testing in chronic disease

A recent study from Professor Sue Ward, from IMSB Sports Science and the European Respiratory Society task force, has recommended the use of clinical exercise training as a diagnostic tool for clinicians. more

Superhuman rowers from Ancient Greece

Fitness has fallen since the days of Ancient Greece, according to research by University of Leeds exercise physiologist, Dr Harry Rossiter, published in New Scientist today (February 10). more

Impact of agriculture on farmland biodiversity

A recent perspective in Science by IICB director Professor Tim Benton comments on a novel simple risk-assessment model which analyses the footprint of agriculture, predicted to double by 2050, on our fragile ecosystem. more

Controlling drug design through 'unnatural' selection

Leeds scientists Dr Alan Berry and Prof Adam Nelson have developed a high-throughput 3-dimensional drug development technique, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. more

Animal magnetism

Bats use the Earth's magnetism to navigate over long distances, according to the research by Leeds and Princeton published in Nature this week. more

Sarcomere formation ? a titin-ic task

In a paper published in Cell Science, Michelle Peckham and co-workers expose the critical role of titin in the development of muscle fibres. more

Herpesvirus mRNA export: A novel role for the nucleolus.

A recent paper in PNAS by Drs Boyne and Whitehouse (IMCB) has identified a novel role for the nucleolus: that trafficking through the nucleolus is essential for the nuclear export of viral mRNA. more

Oxidative stress-induced neurodegeneration - new players in the field

Collaborative effort from Nikita Gamper (IMSB), Mark Shapiro and David Jaffe (University of Texas, USA) resulted in the discovery of novel neuroprotective role for neuronal potassium channels. more

Water, water everywhere - except where it matters

Drs Shimokhina, Bronowska and Professor Homans have quantified the contribution of water in determining the strength of the interaction of a ligand with a protein receptor. Their data suggest ways in which structure-based drug design can be realised. more

A traffic signal failure in neonatal diabetes

A recent publication in the EMBO Journal from Dr Rao's group (Institute of Membrane and Systems Biology) suggests that endocytosis of KATP channels plays a crucial role in the (patho)-physiology of insulin secretion. more

Wild bees and the flowers they pollinate are disappearing together

Koos Biesmeijer and Bill Kunin collaborating with researchers from the UK and Netherlands have shown a dramatic decrease in several types of bee, and surprisingly also in the flowers which they pollinate. more

Molecular 'stevedores' take a break when they have no load to transport

Astbury researchers show how Myosin 5 molecular motors are shut down. more

Sniffing out solutions to drug-resistant infections

Leeds researchers are studying the 'noses' of disease-causing bacteria more

Hospital cleaning regimes may facilitate some bacterial infections

Keith Stephenson, Mark Wilcox and Rob Owens Jr (USA) present evidence that some hospital cleaning and decontamination agents may actually facilitate Clostridium difficile persistence in hospitals ... more

TRPC channels in vascular disease

David Beech's group reporting in Circulation Research, have shown a clinical link between a TRPC potassium channel and occlusive vascular disease. more

Inference in Bayesian Networks

Nature Biotechnology have published a primer from David Westhead in the last few days. It describes mathematical treatment of network behaviours in cell signalling contexts. more

The Queen of Trees

The fig tree and fig wasp differ in size a billion times over, but neither could exist without the other. more

Modelling nematode populations: 20 years of progress

Stephen Cornell has a review in Trends in Parasitology. more

Angiotensin-converting enzyme as a GPIase: a critical re-evaluation

Results cast doubt upon the idea that CAE itself is directly responsible for the in-vivo shedding of GPI-anchored proteins. more

pH sensing in the two-pore domain K+ channel, TASK2.

The Malcom Hunter and Asipu Sivraprasadrao (Rao) research groups have shown that pH sensing in TASK2 channels is conferred by the combined action of several charged residues in the large extracellular M1-P1 loop. more

Reactive Oxygen Species-mediated β-Cleavage of the Prion Protein in the Cellular Response to Oxidative stress.

Nigel Hooper?s team have shown that lack of ROS-mediated beta-cleavage of PrP correlates with the sensitivity of the cells to oxidative stress. more

Pharmacology made easy by E3-targeting

The group led by Professor Beech has recently made a major break-through by developing a new and simple method for the production of ion channel agents that block the function of ion channels in a highly-specific manner. more

Endocytosis of prion proteins

Assigning functions to distinct regions of the N-terminus of the prion protein that are involved in its copper-stimulated, clathrin-dependent endocytosis. more

Rab11-FIP3 and FIP4 interact with Arf6 and the exocyst to control membrane traffic in cytokinesis.

Collaborating with a group at Glasgow University, Steven Baldwin has published a study on the Rab11-interacting proteins FIP3 and FIP4. more

Revealing the centre of an RNA world

Work from the laboratory of Kenneth McDowall is published in Nature reports a study on RNase E, a ribonuclease that controls the balance and composition of the transcript population. more

Silencing cardiovascular disease

Downregulated REST transcription factor is a switch enabling critical potassium channel expression and cell proliferation. more

Alzheimer's disease

Proteolytic mechanisms in amyloid-beta metabolism: therapeutic implications for Alzheimer's disease. more

Instant Notes Biochemistry (3rd ed.)

Nigel Hooper and David Hames have co-authored a new textbook to help students master biochemistry. more

Sea anenome toxins are not as specific as thought

Modulation of Kv3 subfamily potassium currents by the sea anenome toxin BDS: significance for CNS and biophysical studies. more

ISDB Congress

John Reece-Hoyes presented at the prestigious 15th International Society of Developmental Biologists Congress in Sydney more

Orientation and migration in bats.

Richard Holland has been awarded a three year Marie Curie Outgoing International fellowship with a value of 361,511 euros. more

ACE for SARS

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha convertase (ADAM17) mediates regulated ectodomain shedding of the severe-acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2). more

Toxoplasmosis passes from ewes to their lambs

Judith Smith?s work on Toxoplasma has been highlighted in the NERC Annual Report under section 4 (using our knowledge). more

Out of Africa

It has long been known that the human species evolved in Africa more

Neurospora crassa Gene List goes live

Alan Radford has recently completed and made available to the fungal genetics community ?The Neurospora crassa Gene List' more

Secrets of the sino-atrial node

There is an international effort to build an anatomically and biophysically detailed virtual heart ... more

A Letter to Nature

Jens Krause and his colleagues have received international recognition for their work on effective leadership and decision making in animal groups on the move, with a letter published in Nature. more

Nuclear calcium transients

Fluorescence imaging of live, isolated cardiac myocytes. more