Frontier research

Researchers used forensic architectural techniques to calculate the ‘height of burst’ of a white phosphorus projectile in Rafah, Gaza, on 11 January 2009. Image credit - Iyad El Baba/UNICEF

03 June 2019

The forensic architects piecing together the story of war

Around the world there are 10 wars being fought, according to recent figures. That covers humanity’s most deadly clashes, but the figure rises to 49 if you count those state-based conflicts where ‘only’ 1,000 people or fewer have been killed in the past year. The captain’s share of all this fighting happens in cities.

The way emotions affect eating behaviours as well as dieting style can help predict when an eating disorder in an individual may occur. Image credit - Pixabay/MikesPhotos

health | frontier research

29 May 2019

To treat an eating disorder, we need to know what emotion fuels it

Pinpointing how different emotional states and neural pathways influence our eating behaviours could pave the way for better ways to tackle eating disorders and obesity.

Prof. Wendland believes it is possible to restore the Notre Dame in Paris in an authentic and most respectful way by the 2024 Olympics. Image credit - Prof. David Wendland

interview | frontier research

07 May 2019

Notre Dame: Medieval stonemasons built vaulted ceilings to protect against fires

Medieval stonemasons built soaring vaulted ceilings such as those of the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, France, using techniques that are still not completely understood today.

frontier research | social sciences

24 April 2019

DNA gives insight into prehistoric bonds between dogs and humans

Domestic dogs come in all shapes and sizes, but the animals we now regard as man’s best friend may have originated from just two populations of wolves, research suggests. The findings, along with studies on other domesticated animals, are providing new insights into how our ancestors' lives and movements transformed these creatures forever.

Researchers are testing the therapeutic vaccine on dogs with the hope that trials could progress to humans. Image Credit - Pixabay/No License

health | frontier research

23 April 2019

Danish dogs to receive virus-inspired cancer vaccine treatment

Fifteen Danish dogs with advanced cancer are to receive a new type of therapeutic vaccine which, it is hoped, will rid them of the disease and pave the way for human testing.

Scientists have linked post-operative changes in gut bacteria to improvements in metabolic diseases. Image Credit - Sue Sapp (CC BY 2.0)

health | frontier research

16 April 2019

Can gut microbes and genes do the job of weight loss surgery?

Mice that have undergone weight loss surgery experience a change in the composition of their gut bacteria and the functioning of their genes, leading scientists to explore the possibility of mimicking these changes to develop a non-surgical treatment for obesity and liver disease in humans.

Artificial intelligence can be used to create deep fakes - audio, pictures and videos that make people say and do things they never did. Image credit - PxHere

frontier research | industry | social sciences

15 April 2019

Can artificial intelligence help end fake news?

Fake news has already fanned the flames of distrust towards media, politics and established institutions around the world. And while new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) might make things even worse, it can also be used to combat misinformation.

M87’s supermassive black hole, imaged for the first time, is 53 million light years away, but wide enough for astronomers to see it from Earth. Image credit - EHT Collaboration

space | frontier research

10 April 2019

Astronomers reveal first-ever image of a black hole

Scientists have revealed the first ever image of a black hole, a major milestone in astrophysics which not only backs up Einstein’s theory of general relativity but also opens up a new era of black hole observations.

M87’s supermassive black hole, imaged for the first time, is six billion times as massive as our sun. Image credit - EHT Collaboration

space | frontier research

10 April 2019

In a picture: ‘Now we know what a black hole looks like’

The first-ever image of an event horizon – the gravitational boundary of a black hole beyond which light cannot escape – was revealed on 10 April and is the best evidence yet that these phenomena really do exist. It was the result of a global collaboration of hundreds of scientists, using multiple telescopes around the world to pick up the high-frequency radio waves emitted by matter pulled into the event horizon.

When two objects such as black holes or neutron stars merge, they cause the frequency of the gravitational waves to increase, which would sound like a chirp. Image Credit - LSC/Alex Nitz

space | frontier research

05 April 2019

Gravitational waves helping to expose black holes, dark matter and theoretical particles

Gravitational waves – the invisible ripples in the fabric of space predicted by Albert Einstein – are opening up a new era of astronomy that is allowing scientists to see parts of the universe once thought to be invisible, such as black holes, dark matter and theoretical subatomic particles called axions.