BBSRC Business Winter 2013

Headlines
- The Pirbright Institute opens new laboratory doors to the public
  This weekend, pupils from Pirbright Village Primary School, Pirbright Parish Council and more than 120 other visitors from the local community were able to glimpse behind the scenes at The Pirbright Institute's…
- Pilot study explores new avenue for public dialogue
  BBSRC has today published findings from a public dialogue project which piloted a mechanism for exploring public views around a broad area of research which could then feed into BBSRC's strategic decision making processes…
- Babraham announce initiative in open-innovation
  Three leading Cambridge based organisations today reaffirmed their commitment to the open-innovation agenda through a new initiative at the heart of the Cambridge Bioscience cluster…
- Chris Packham helps test cutting-edge soil sampling
  Chris Packham is helping scientists to unlock the secrets of soil by unravelling its genetic fingerprint. His garden soil has had its 'DNA' sequenced in a race against the clock…
- Innovative awards launched to foster innovation
  BBSRC has launched a suite of competitions to recognise the full breadth of impacts from the research and capabilities that it funds. Building on the success of current impact competitions…
- Microneedles pioneer pins down top industry award
  A biomedical pioneer who has used BBSRC funding to develop needleless injections based on advanced but painless microneedles has scooped a new award to add to his growing collection of accolades…
- BBSRC congratulates UK Nobel winner
  BBSRC warmly congratulates Prof Sir John Gurdon who has been awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Prof Gurdon has been awarded the prize, together with Prof Shinya Yamanaka…
- Major international push to maximise bioscience research to help world’s poorest farmers
  Over 40 international research organisations are joining forces in a unique £16M initiative that will harness bioscience to improve food security in developing countries…
- Hair loss entrepreneurs triumph in biotechnology business plan competition
  A team of aspiring biotechnology entrepreneurs from the University of Cambridge has won the Biotechnology Young Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES) 2012 after a day of tough competition in London…
- School pupils contribute to crop science with BBSRC-funded GROW initiative
  Pupils at schools across the country will have the chance to get involved in authentic scientific research by taking part in a BBSRC-funded project to develop drought resistant wheat…
Features
- Meet the gribbles
  It's said that great things happen from small beginnings. In this case, a tiny marine crustacean could revolutionise biofuel production and usher in a new generation of liquid propellants for buses…
- Pig genome could save our bacon
  An international consortium of scientists, including experts from three BBSRC-funded institutes, has published a high-quality analysis of the pig genome. The research, published in the journal Nature, will help to unlock new ways…
- Major breakthrough in deciphering bread wheat’s genetic code
  Scientists have unlocked key components of the genetic code of one of the world's most important crops. The first analysis of the complex and exceptionally large bread wheat genome, published today in Nature…
- Barley genome could hold key to better beer
  An international consortium of scientists has published a high resolution draft of the barley genome. The research, published in the journal Nature, will help to produce new and better barley varieties that are vital for the beer…
- Why flies have the fastest vision
  Fly eyes have the fastest visual responses in the animal kingdom, but how they achieve this has long been an enigma. A new study shows that their rapid vision may be a result of their photoreceptors…
- Biologists and physicists collaborate to investigate ‘quantum biology’
  The bizarre world of quantum mechanics might not seem a likely place from which to find answers to biological questions, but increasing numbers of scientists are turning to it to better explain the living world…
- Combined pesticide exposure linked to impaired bumblebee colony success
  Cndividual worker behaviour and colony success are both affected when bees are exposed to a combination of pesticides, according to research conducted by Dr Richard Gill and Dr Nigel Raine at Royal Holloway, University of London…
- Small weed helps unravel complex plant defence system
  Arabidopsis thaliana, or thale cress as it is commonly known, made history back in 2000 by becoming the first plant to have its entire genetic code read by scientists, contributing to what is often referred to as biology's…
- Rapeseed oil gets biotech boost
  Vegetable oils are obtained from the seeds and fruits of crop plants such as oilseed rape, sunflower, soybean and palm. They are a major global commodity and contribute significantly to our bio-economy…
- Unique spinal nerve cell activity discovery
  Scientists from the University of Leicester have hit upon unique forms of spinal nerve activity that shape output of nerve cell networks controlling motor behaviours…
- Women may benefit more from eating oily fish than men
  New research, conducted at the University of Reading and funded by BBSRC, shows that oily fish is twice as healthy for women's hearts than men's and that in general fish oils could…
- Rare parasitic fungi could have anti-flammatory benefits
  Caterpillar fungi (Cordyceps) are rare parasites found on hibernating caterpillars in the mountains of Tibet. For centuries they have been highly prized as a traditional Chinese medicine - just a small amount can fetch hundreds…
- Profile feature – Kieran Jones
  From an undergraduate degree at the University of Bradford to a first paper in Nature in just six years, Kieran Jones compares lab life in the US and the UK researching stem cells under a BBSRC PhD studentship…
- New evidence for epigenetic effects of diet on healthy ageing
  New research in human volunteers has shown that molecular changes to our genes, known as epigenetic marks, are driven mainly by ageing but are also affected by what we eat…

BBSRC Business Winter 2013

Headlines

Features