OBESITY: MANIPULATING OUR GUT MICROBIOTA IN THE QUEST TO BE LEAN

This is the second instalment of my three-part series that investigates how the correlative link between the gut microbiota and our weight has come to be. Obesity is a worldwide epidemiological epidemic and current interventions, both medical and lifestyle, are failing to thwart its increasing prevalence. Part 2 takes a close look at the association between obesity and the gut microbiota. We hold a microscope to a selection of studies that have provided a compelling link between the microbial community and our expanding waistlines. Continue reading OBESITY: MANIPULATING OUR GUT MICROBIOTA IN THE QUEST TO BE LEAN

tabijenkinsOctober 31, 2018November 6, 20182 Comments

Historical, Research, Student-focused, Uncategorized

OBESITY: MANIPULATING OUR GUT MICROBIOTA IN THE QUEST TO BE LEAN

This is the first instalment of my three-part series that investigates how the correlative link between the gut microbiota and our weight has come to be. Obesity is a worldwide epidemiological epidemic and current interventions, both medical and lifestyle, are failing to thwart its increasing prevalence. The discovery of that the gut microbial community is implicated in our expanding waistlines has spurred attempts to manipulate its composition – with novel procedures exploding onto the wellness scene. Continue reading OBESITY: MANIPULATING OUR GUT MICROBIOTA IN THE QUEST TO BE LEAN

tabijenkinsOctober 29, 2018November 23, 20183 Comments

Research, Student-focused, Uncategorized

The hidden power of type III CRISPR immunity: how a prokaryote avoids an autoimmune catastrophe

This article discusses the events that follow a viral infection and reveals how an extended period of self-targeting, a side-effect that is otherwise associated with immunity, is minimised so as to avoid cell death. Continue reading The hidden power of type III CRISPR immunity: how a prokaryote avoids an autoimmune catastrophe

tabijenkinsOctober 24, 2018November 7, 2018Leave a comment

Biochemical Society, Education & careers, Events, Science communication & public engagement, Uncategorized

The Biology Week Debate: Can artificial intelligence save the world?

‘AI will take over my job’; ‘It will end up like the terminator and end the world’; ‘It will outsmart the human race’; ‘If it makes a mistake it could be catastrophic’; ‘Can we really put that much trust into a machine?’.
There is a lot of negative association with AI, but is that because there often confusion about what artificial intelligence actually is, what it can do, and what it will be able to do in the future? Continue reading The Biology Week Debate: Can artificial intelligence save the world?

tabijenkinsOctober 18, 2018November 7, 2018Leave a comment