Sewage signals early warning of Covid-19 outbreaks |
Fragments of coronavirus have been detected in wastewater samples across the UK, in projects designed to enable early warning of local outbreaks of Covid-19 infection. The approach, developed with support from Roslin scientists, tests for genetic material from coronavirus in wastewater. Most people infected with the virus are believed to shed it in their faeces even if they have no symptoms, so wastewater analysis can help identify local outbreaks ahead of rising hospital admissions. Read more
In the news: Glasgow Evening Times, Southern Reporter, Edinburgh News |
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Schools project honoured with animal research award |
A project led by the Roslin Institute to support teachers in educating children about science was recognised at the annual Openness Awards, organised by Understanding Animal Research. The free toolkit, called Opening a Can of Worms, is designed for teachers of pupils aged 9-14 years old to download and use in classrooms, with a series of simple, pupil-guided experiments with earthworms. It has reached more than 13,000 people globally. The award follows recognition of the University of Edinburgh as a Leader in Openness, in light of its efforts to improve transparency around the use of animals in research. Read more
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Sustainable lab scheme cuts plastic waste and costs |
A new approach could reduce plastic waste in a laboratory by more than 500kg a year and result in considerable savings, scientists at the Roslin Institute found. A scheme based on plastic reduction and reuse has resulted in savings of more than £400 over a three-month period. Other labs worldwide could adopt similar measures to reduce plastic waste, researchers suggest. Read more
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Gene findings could help treat costly poultry virus |
Scientists have identified genes strongly associated with resistance to a virus that causes cancer in poultry and costs the global poultry industry more than US$2bn a year. The study, relating to the highly contagious Marek’s disease virus, provides a large number of potential targets for future therapies or techniques to manage the disease. Findings from the analysis also reveal details about the biology behind susceptibility to the virus, which could lead to more precise selective breeding strategies. Read more
In the news: Farming UK, The Poultry Site, MRCVS | | |
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Breeding for disease resilience is cost-effective |
Breeding animals for disease resilience would be three times more profitable than breeding based on production traits, according to a study by scientists from Roslin and pig breeding company PIC. Improved statistical methods to quantify how animals respond to infection, and to what extent this is controlled by genes that give rise to these traits, pave the way towards selective breeding for optimum disease resilience. Their approach could help limit the cost of infectious diseases in livestock production. Read more
In the news: The Pig Site, National Hog Farmer | | |
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