imperialbiosciencereview

What causes the variation in susceptibility to COVID-19?

By Linya Thng Mortality and mortality rates are increasing drastically with age and current health conditions. Through attempts to explain the inconsistent variation in susceptibility of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), a new set of 68 genes (associated with high risk of developing severe COVID-19) reveal important insights. COVID-19, caused by the severely acute respiratory syndromeContinue reading “What causes the variation in susceptibility to COVID-19?”

CRISPR-Cas9 and its exciting prospects for biofuels

By Cara Burke The need for renewable and sustainable fuels is growing more and more urgent as the current climate crisis continues to worsen. Fossil fuels which contribute to the ever-growing rise of greenhouse gas emissions are not only continuing to be used but used to such extent that they are running out. AContinue reading “CRISPR-Cas9 and its exciting prospects for biofuels”

The Language of Trees: How do trees talk amongst one another?

By Yujean Kim As children, we used to envision the woods and forests as oddly magical places. By Reading numerous novels, from ‘Bridge to Terabithia’ to ‘Lord of the Rings’, a picture of talking and moving trees formed. The enchanted forests. Although this beautiful yet ‘childlike’ perception of forests slowly dwindled away with age, weContinue reading “The Language of Trees: How do trees talk amongst one another?”

Veganism: truth or trend?

By Nitara Wijayatilake The adoption of vegan diets has increased majorly in the past decade, with people growing more and more concerned about their health and environment. Long-lasting beliefs about meat-centric meals are dying out and being slowly replaced with a desire for plant-based power. Celebrities rave over kale smoothies and avocado on toast, butContinue reading “Veganism: truth or trend?”

An Introduction to HPV & how it contributes to Cancer

By Ching Nam Wong Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a DNA virus, from the Papillomaviridae family, and one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. Studies have shown that if you are a sexually active person, there is a 75% chance of you catching HPV at some stage of your life, given that you live toContinue reading “An Introduction to HPV & how it contributes to Cancer”

Eat Insects to Save the World!

By Heiloi Yip Entomophagy is the practice of eating insects as part of a regular diet. Many cultures all around the world practice entomophagy, incorporating insects as a staple into the diets of the indigenous people. Curiously, western culture is the odd-one-out in this regard, where insects are very strongly associated with disgust. This feelingContinue reading “Eat Insects to Save the World!”

Food for thought: the gut-brain axis

By Wang Jia Hua The proverbial saying “You are what you eat” is one that we are all too familiar with, but it appears that nutrition is not the only dietary factor influencing our mental and physical health. Recent research strongly supports the role of microbial communities in our guts in shaping our brain function,Continue reading “Food for thought: the gut-brain axis”

The potential medicinal use of psilocybin in the treatment of major depressive disorder

By Morgan Phelps This review article will aim to focus on the potential for the medicinal and therapeutic use of psilocybin to treat major depressive disorder (MDD). The ‘feel good hormone’ serotonin (5-HT) is a neurotransmitter and is believed to play a large role in MDD (Berger et al, 2018). On a basic level, itContinue reading “The potential medicinal use of psilocybin in the treatment of major depressive disorder”

Cancer and Gene Therapy

By Wei Yi Ooi DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid is known as the universal basic unit of life. It is a double stranded, complementary polynucleotide molecule intertwined together in an antiparallel manner, forming a double helix. The nucleotide sequences in DNA provide the genetic information needed for biological functions of growth, development and reproduction of almostContinue reading “Cancer and Gene Therapy”

Why dogs could be the key to understanding the evolution of the human mind

By Jemima Frame Scientists estimate that dogs (Canis familiaris) were the first animal to be domesticated, sometime between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago . Consequently, they were often shunned by ethologists studying animal minds, due to the idea that domesticated animals were not as intelligent as their wild counterparts. In 1994 Vilmos Csányi, an internationallyContinue reading “Why dogs could be the key to understanding the evolution of the human mind”