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  • New model can predict how bacteria develop antibiotic resistance

    Using theoretical models of bacterial metabolism and reproduction, scientists can predict the type of resistance that bacteria will develop when they are exposed to antibiotics. This has now been shown by an Uppsala University research team, in collaboration with colleagues in Cologne, Germany. The study is published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.

  • The figure shows the divided internal structure of a bone from a 380 million-year-old lobe-finned fish(left) contrasting with the open marrow cavity of the limb bone of a tetrapod (right), where haematopoiesis could occur. Credit: Sophie Sanchez

    New light shed on the early evolution of limb bone marrow

    When and how bone marrow first originated in the limbs of early four-legged animals is disputed in evolutionary biology. With the help of powerful X-ray technology, an international research team, led by Uppsala University, has now discovered that this evolutionary adaptation most likely took place after the first tetrapods stepped ashore. The study is published in the scientific journal eLife.

  • Ear membrane and auditory nerve in the cochlea. Humans can perceive frequencies from 20 Hz (the top of the coil) to 20,000 Hz (the base of the coil). Credit: Hao Li

    Sound-frequency map for inner ear created with advanced X-ray technology

    Researchers at Uppsala University have created the first 3D map of the hearing nerve showing where the various sound frequencies are captured. Using what is known as synchrotron X-ray imaging, they were able to trace the fine nerve threads and the vibrating auditory organ, the cochlea, and find out exactly how the frequencies of incoming sound are distributed.

  • Propranolol treatment contributes to reduced number and size of cerebral cavernous malformations. The lesions are outlined in green. Photo: Joppe Oldenburg

    Beta blockers can repair malformed blood vessels in the brain

    Propranolol, a drug that is efficacious against infantile haemangiomas (“strawberry naevi”, resembling birthmarks), can also be used to treat cerebral cavernous malformations, a condition characterised by misshapen blood vessels in the brain and elsewhere. This has been shown by researchers at Uppsala University in a new study published in the scientific journal Stroke.

  • Innate immune system worsens the situation in severe COVID-19

    In patients with severe COVID-19, the innate immune system overreacts. This overreaction may underlie the formation of blood clots (thrombi) and deterioration in oxygen saturation that affect the patients. This is shown in an Uppsala University study published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology.

  • Rana temporaria, Common frog, Foto: Giuliano Petreri

    ​Multigenerational effects of environmental toxins

    The effects of the endocrine disruptor linuron on frogs are not limited to those exposed, but are passed on to their offspring (reduced body weight and decreased fertility) and grand-offspring (increased body weight and a disrupted metabolism). This is demonstrated by a new study (Uppsala University and Stockholm University), published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

  • Metabolic response behind reduced cancer cell growth

    Researchers from Uppsala University show in a new study that inhibition of the protein EZH2 can reduce the growth of cancer cells in the blood cancer multiple myeloma. The reduction is caused by changes in the cancer cells’ metabolism. These changes can be used as markers to discriminate whether a patient would respond to treatment by EZH2 inhibition.

  • The polymer dots in the black solution (inset image) can absorb more light, and show better photocatalytic properties, than the single-component polymer dots in the coloured solutions. Photo: P-Cat

    Producing more sustainable hydrogen with composite polymer dots

    Hydrogen for energy use can be extracted in an environmentally friendly way from water and sunlight, using photocatalytic composite polymer nanoparticles developed by researchers at Uppsala University. In laboratory tests, these “polymer dots” showed promising performance and stability alike. The study has been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

  • New improved dog reference genome will aid a new generation of investigation

    Researchers at Uppsala University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences have used new methods for DNA sequencing and annotation to build a new, and more complete, dog reference genome. This tool will serve as the foundation for a new era of research, helping scientists to better understand the link between DNA and disease, in dogs and in their human friends.

  • New clues to how SARS-CoV-2 infects cells

    The molecular details of how SARS-CoV-2 enters cells and infects them are still not clear. Researchers at Uppsala University have tested the bioinformatic predictions made by another research group and have identified receptors that could be important players in the process. The results are presented in the journal Science Signaling and at the AAAS Annual Meeting held this week.

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