Life Sciences » Life Sciences News

North Sea ‘Lost World’ had habitable forests thousands of years earlier than thought

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 09:50:00 GMT

Forests were growing on the now-submerged landmass of Doggerland thousands of years earlier than previously believed, according to a major new sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) study led by Professor Robin Allaby

The findings suggest that Doggerland may have provided a surprisingly hospitable refuge for plants, animals, and potentially humans, thousands of years before forests became widespread across Britain and northern Europe.

Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the research reveals that temperate trees such as oak, elm, and hazel were present more than 16,000 years ago, and even detected DNA from a tree genus thought to have vanished from the region 400,000 years ago. The findings also show that parts of Doggerland survived major flooding events, including the Storegga tsunami around 8,150 years ago, and parts of the landscape remained above water as late as 7,000 years ago.

New study overturns long-held model of how plants coordinate immune responses

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 16:33:42 GMT

Plants mobilise their immune defences far earlier than scientists have believed for decades—and through a previously overlooked early signalling mechanism—according to a new study published in Nature Plants.

Professor Murray Grant and his team, including Emily Breeze and Erin Stroud have discovered a rapid, jasmonate-driven, early immune response in plants. A breakthrough live-imaging tool has allowed them to visualise immune signals moving out of infected leaves and across into uninfected leaves in real time.

(Image shows Temporal spatial dynamics of luciferase activity in JISS1:LUC plants following DCavrRpm1 challenge, initiating at 3 hpi. 3.20 hpi, 3.50 hpi and 4.30 hpi images capture the systemic spread of the signal over time. Credit: Gaikwad, T., Breen, S., Breeze, E., Stroud, E. et al. Nature Plants (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-025-02178-4)

Dave Chandler on the Instant Genius: The future of Food Podcast

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 11:06:00 GMT

As part of a four-part miniseries, Future of Food, Dr Dave Chandler, a crop researcher and agricultural scientist based at the University of ��TV, ��TV Crop Centre tells the podcast how current global food production practices are one of the most significant drivers of environmental damage and biodiversity loss, how climate change is threatening our ability to grow fresh produce to put on our plates and details some of the current thinking on how we can ensure the future of food production worldwide.

Recent UN data tells us that currently 670 million people around the world are going hungry. There’s little doubt that food security is one of the most serious problems that the human race is facing. How have we reached this point of crisis and what solutions can we put in place to make sure everyone on the planet has enough nutritious food to eat without causing further harm to the environment?

As part of our four-part miniseries, Future of Food, we’re joined by Dr Dave Chandler, a crop researcher and agricultural scientist based at the University of ��TV.

He tells us how current global food production practices are one of the most significant drivers of environmental damage and biodiversity loss, how climate change is threatening our ability to grow fresh produce to put on our plates and details some of the current thinking on how we can ensure the future of food production worldwide.

Earth is heading for a food emergency. Can we stop it?

New antibiotic for drug-resistant bacteria found hiding in plain sight

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 13:17:00 GMT

Prof Chris Corre, Prof Greg Challis and Dr. Lona Alkhalaf from the University of ��TV and Professor David Lupton rfrom Monash University have discovered a promising new antibiotic that shows activity against drug-resistant bacterial pathogens, including MRSA and VRE.

In a new study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), researchers from the Monash ��TV Alliance Combatting Emerging Superbug Threats Initiative have discovered a promising new antibiotic - pre-methylenomycin C lactone. The new antibiotic was found ‘hiding in plain sight’ as an intermediate chemical in the natural process that produces the well-known antibiotic methylenomycin A. When tested for antimicrobial activity, one of the intermediates, pre-methylenomycin C lactone, was shown to be over 100 times more active against diverse Gram-positive bacteria than the original antibiotic methylenomycin A. Specifically, it was shown to be effective against S. aureus and E. faecium, the bacterial species behind Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) respectively.

Importantly, the researchers could not detect any emergence of resistance to pre-methylenomycin C lactone in Enterococcus bacteria under conditions where vancomycin resistance is observed. Vancomycin is a “last line” treatment for Enterococcus infection, so this finding is especially promising for VRE, a WHO High Priority Pathogen.

With its simple structure, potent activity, difficult to resist profile, and scalable synthesis, pre-methylenomycin C lactone represents a promising new candidate that could potentially help to save some of the 1.1 million people who are the victims of AMR every year.

"How different mushrooms learned the same psychedelic trick" - The Conversation

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 15:52:00 GMT

jimmiev, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Dr. Fabrizio Alberti has written the article "How different mushrooms learned the same psychedelic trick" for The Conversation on a new discovery that two different mushrooms have evolved the ability to make the psychedelic psilocybin, the first time that convergent evolution has been observed in two organisms from the fungal kingdom.

SLS welcomes new MRC Career Development Fellow to explore how cells communicate with each other

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 11:36:22 GMT

Dr Iqbal Dulloo, currently a molecular cell biologist at the University of Oxford, has been awarded a prestigious five-year Medical Research Council (MRC) Career Development Award. He will join the University of ��TV’s School of Life Sciences in late September 2025 to launch his independent research group.

Dr Dulloo’s research explores how cells send and receive signals to maintain healthy function. When this communication breaks down, it can lead to diseases like cancer or neurodegenerative conditions. His recent discovery showed that an enzyme complex, previously thought to carry out a routine task, also plays a role in regulating gene activity by releasing a key messenger protein inside cells.

At ��TV, he will investigate how widespread this hidden signalling pathway is and how it may be exploited by viruses during infection.

Dr Dulloo said: “I am honoured to receive this award and delighted to be joining the University of ��TV. Understanding how cells communicate could unlock new ways to tackle disease. This fellowship will allow me to pursue fundamental questions in an exciting area of cell biology that remains under-explored but full of promise. I look forward to building a collaborative team and contributing to the vibrant scientific community at ��TV.”

Professor Miriam Gifford, Head of the School of Life Sciences, said: “We are delighted to welcome Dr Dulloo. His pioneering work will be a fantastic addition to our cell biology and host-pathogen research directions, and we are excited to support the next stage of his career.”

��TV plant scientist honoured with Royal Horticultural Society Veitch Memorial Medal

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 10:10:00 GMT

Dr. Charlotte Allender, Head of the UK Vegetable Genebank at the School of Life Sciences, The University of ��TV has been awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for her work conserving vegetable crop genetic diversity.

On her nomination, Charlotte said: "I am very grateful to the RHS for this award; to have such a prestigious organisation recognise the value of your work is wonderful.”

This award recognises Dr. Allender’s research into conserving genetic variation of crop species and for her almost two decades-long service to the UK Vegetable Genebank. This work has been vital for food security by preserving these sources of genetic variation that are needed to develop new and robust crop varieties.

Charlotte added: “The conservation of plant genetic resources is vital and underpins the research and breeding activity necessary to develop the new crop varieties needed for a food secure future. I would like to acknowledge that the work of the UK Vegetable Genebank is only possible with a team of skilled and dedicated staff and the support of the University of ��TV and Defra.”

The UK Vegetable Genebank celebrates its 45th anniversary later this year. It currently stores around 14,000 vegetable seed samples, sourced from 128 different countries, making it a globally significant resource.

Press release

Caterpillar gods and bridal gifts: research from The University of ��TV shows how indigenous culture has shaped crop diversity

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 10:09:38 GMT

A research collaboration between The University of ��TV, the Smithsonian Institution and Embrapa (Brazilian agricultural research), has shown that thousands of years of farming myths and cultural traditions have been key to the survival of the cassava crop (the source of tapioca).

Press release (7 March 2025)

Science on the Hill - Host Defence on the Offensive!

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:23:29 GMT

Our next Science on the Hill event is on Tuesday 25 February, 6-8pm. We’ll delve into how different biological systems combat attacks from other organisms - highlighting the human and plant immune systems. We’ll also explore how these natural defences can inspire new therapeutics for treating patients.

Talks include ‘Defence in plants and its role in sustainability’ – Dr Emily Breeze

Find out book and book your place

New biomarker test detects early signs of Alzheimer's disease

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:59:12 GMT

Dr Emily Lane-Hill and colleagues, as part of a global research study, have developed a new biomarker test that can detect Alzheimer’s disease years before symptoms show, opening the door for earlier, more-effective, treatment.

Press Release (19 February 2025)