A New Year’s resolution for bench scientists is to step out of the lab to study how life really works
led to a treasure trove of observations: the behaviour of cuttlefish, a parasitic ichneumon wasp feasting inside live caterpillars, fossils of extinct giant sloths and ‘mastodons’. The result, of course, was his theory of natural selection.
This year, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory , of which I am director-general, is launching a programme called Molecules to Ecosystems that will pursue new ways of doing exactly this. For example, we will collaborate with ecologists, zoologists, environmental scientists and epidemiologists. And we plan to launch mobile labs with state-of-the-art molecular technologies to explore land–water interfaces across Europe — areas that harbour pollutants and pockets of antimicrobial resistance.
Technological advances will also allow researchers to explore organisms from volcanic coasts to the ocean depths. Sampling at sites that vary in pH, pollution, nutrients and salinity will offer insights into biodiversity and how natural and human-made changes influence it. Metabolic pathways are often at the heart of environmentally induced change.
Multidisciplinary collaboration enhances everyone’s research. For instance, the artificial-intelligence system AlphaFold, which predicts 3D protein structures from amino-acid sequences, was the fruit of work involving structural biologists and deep-learning specialists. It gives researchers a head start on any problem involving protein structures.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
EPA's First New Air Pollutant Addition in 30 Years Reveals Agency Failings: Critics'This isn't proof that our environmental laws are working,' said one public health advocate. 'It's proof that they aren't.'
Read more »
Myanmar's Suu Kyi faces six years in jail after new sentences -sourceA court in military-ruled Myanmar sentenced on Monday ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to four years in jail on charges including possession of unlicensed walkie-talkies, a source familiar with the proceedings said.
Read more »
Apple iPhone: Awesome New Feature Surfaces In New ReportA new report claims that the iPhone, in its Pro iterations, will have a dazzling new camera system. But there’s a snag…
Read more »
‘Dexter: New Blood’ Boss On Shocking Finale; Teases Possible New SeasonSPOILER ALERT: The interview below reveals major storylines from Showtime’s Dexter: New Blood finale. When Clyde Phillips met with Michael C. Hall about returning to the role of Dexter Morgan…
Read more »
Mali eyes elections in four years as West African bloc mulls sanctionsMali's interim authorities have slightly reduced the proposed length of a transition back to democracy following a 2020 military coup to four years from five years, the chairman of the West African bloc said on Sunday.
Read more »
Josh Duhamel Engaged to Audra Mari After 2 Years of Dating: PicThe 49-year-old actor and the 28-year-old former Miss World America have been linked since 2019.
Read more »