What is consciousness? What does it mean to be ‘aware’, and how is our consciousness connected to the physical brain? A recent thesis from Uppsala University explores the philosophical aspects of the issue, and proposes a solution: the ‘intrinsic consciousness’ theory.
“We need to combine empirical and conceptual work to assess the significant issues raised by these developments in brain resear
How variable are gene transcripts and proteins, the molecules of life, across the tissues and organs of the human body? Furthermore, how variable are they within the same tissue type from different people? These questions are the focus of a new study led by researchers from Uppsala University, which is published in NAR Genomics and Bioinformatics.
An international experimental research team led from HPSTAR, China and Uppsala University, Sweden, have used experimental research as well as theory to understand high-pressure structural phase transitions in hydrogen which could give rise to metallisation and could even result in superconductivity. The findings were published this week in the online edition of Nature.
Lena Claessonn-Welsh's researcher group from Uppsala University, has revealed for the first time a mechanism for how new blood vessels are formed and have shown the importance of this mechanism for embryo survival and organ function. The results could be developed to control the formation of new blood vessels in different diseases. The new study is published in the journal EMBO Reports.
Physicists at Uppsala University have identified how to distinguish between true and ‘fake’ Majorana states in one of the most commonly used experimental setups, by means of supercurrent measurements. This theoretical study is a crucial step for advancing the field of topological superconductors and applications of Majorana states for robust quantum computers. New experiments are expected next.
A single amino acid change in the light-sensing rhodopsin protein played a critical role when herring adapted to the red-shifted light environment in the Baltic Sea, shows an study by an international team of scientists, led by researchers from Uppsala University, which is published in PNAS. Remarkably about one third of all fish living in brackish or freshwater carry the same change.
Bacterial ribosomes need a single-stranded ribosome binding site (RBS) to initiate protein synthesis, whereas stable RNA structure blocks initiation. Paradoxically, structured mRNAs can nevertheless be efficiently translated. Researchers at Uppsala University have now elucidated the anatomy of a "standby" site and its requirements, to overcome RNA structure problems for translation.
The majority of women who undergo surgery for suspected ovarian cancer do not have cancer. A novel blood test developed by researchers at Uppsala University and University of Gothenburg, now offers the possibility of more precise diagnostics. This could lead to a reduction in unnecessary surgery and to earlier detection and treatment for affected women. (Communications Biology).
New data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), Uppsala University shows that in 2018 the number of fatalities in organised violence reached the lowest level in seven years. However, the large share of internationalised conflicts, to which external states contribute troops, worries researchers. These conflicts tend to be both bloodier and longer.
Both infants and their parents flexibly several behaviors to establish frequent episodes of joint attention. A new study shows that infants who are later diagnosed with autism seldom actively seek to establish such episodes themselves. This finding provides support for the view that children with autism have reduced social motivation already as infants.
Should public health-care systems provide couples with expanded screening for genetic disorders before they decide to become pregnant? Screening programmes could increase our reproductive choices and autonomy. But there are ethical issues at stake.
Uppsala Health Summit will offer up to four travel grants to journalists to attend the summit 7 - 9 October themed Healthy Urban Childhoods at Uppsala Castle, Sweden. The grant is intended for journalists with a demonstrated interest in the area, and who otherwise would not have the possibility to attend due to unavailability of funds. Last day to apply is 3 May 2019.
What do we need to be able to store carbon dioxide in bedrock and thereby reduce the human impact on the global climate? At the Celsius-Linnaeus lectures on 7 February, geologist Martin Blunt and microbiologist and toxicologist Linda S. Birnbaum will present research findings on some of the biggest challenges facing humanity.
The White-browed Shortwing has been considered to be a single species. But now the mainland and Taiwan Island populations have been studied by an international team of researchers, led by Uppsala University. They analysed DNA, plumages, structure, songs and geographical distributions, and concluded that the continental and Taiwanese populations are actually three rather than one species.
Using DNA sequences for 402 of the 452 species of the world’s “babblers”, an international team from China, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and the USA have analysed the evolutionary relationships among these species. Many of these species have not previously been studied using genetic methods, and this is by far the most comprehensive analysis of this group of birds to date.
Norse World is a new database which will make it easier for researchers to study perceptions of the surrounding world in Medieval Scandinavian literature. The new tool is a digital resource aimed at researchers in fields such as language history and philology, comparative literature, manuscript studies and digital humanities. It will be freely available to both researchers and the public.
Through random mutation the sequences of our proteins slowly change over time, usually without affecting function. But sometimes new functions will be invented in this process. Scientists at Uppsala University have studied such a case in molecular detail. The results are published in Science Advances and show how several factors conspire to shape a plastic protein-protein interaction.
Star polymers are within the most topologically entangled macromolecules. With a simulation over a hundred times faster than earlier studies, it is demonstrated that the mean square displacement scales with a power law 1/16 in time, instead of the previously assumed zero. It suggests that star polymer motion is the result of two linear relaxations coinciding in time.
A study that examined the shape of hundreds of fossilized shark teeth suggests that modern shark biodiversity was triggered by the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event, about 66 million years ago. This finding is reported this week in Current Biology.
A new study by researchers at Uppsala University and INGV, Italy, sheds light on magma storage under the currently active Agung volcano on the island of Bali in Indonesia. Magma at Agung is stored at both mantle (~20 km) and shallow crustal (~5 km) depths, which may be a potential cause for sudden pressure-driven eruptions in this densely populated part of the world. (Scientific Reports 180712)