Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine

Institute teams awarded over £1m from new Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF)

Tue, 20 Dec 2016 16:28:00 GMT

Institute members have secured funds to support two major projects, one to develop of a new tool for malaria mosquito surveillance to improve vector control, and another to better understand how people in endemic communities manage their infection risk of parasitic disease Schistosomiasis.

Julie Miller wins Best Data Story in MVLS Competition

Thu, 08 Dec 2016 12:00:00 GMT

Congratulations to IBAHCM's Julie Miller who took first prize in the Best Data Story category of the 2016 MVLS Impact in 60 Seconds Competition.

New diagnostic test invented to detect costly Atlantic salmon disease

Sat, 03 Dec 2016 11:38:00 GMT

Scientists from the University of Glasgow, working with major companies in the aquaculture industry BioMar Ltd and Marine Harvest (Scotland) Ltd, have discovered a ‘simple test’ to aid the diagnosis of a significant disease which affects Atlantic salmon which could save millions to the industry.

Workshop on Diversity in Telomere Dynamics (31 October - 3 November 2016)

Fri, 18 Nov 2016 15:41:00 GMT

Researchers from the University of Glasgow and University of Edinburgh hosted a workshop on comparative aspects of telomere biology. The aim of the workshop was to bring together biologists from different backgrounds, and at different career stages, with research interests in the causes and consequences of variation in telomere length.

University of Glasgow project garnering praise for public engagement

Thu, 27 Oct 2016 16:54:00 BST

"Communities Against Rabies Exposure” (CARE) is a community engagement project coordinated by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control and funded by the UBS Optimus Foundation. The Tanzanian component of the CARE project is led by the University of Glasgow and the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania. The project is a finalist in the NCCPE Engage Competition and is the University of Glasgow Engagement Project of the Year 2016.

Partnership between UNESP and the University of Glasgow

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 12:16:00 BST

Researchers from the University of Glasgow and University of the State of Sao Paulo (UNESP) held a workshop this month in Brazil to explore perspectives for research in veterinary sciences between our universities.

The GNHS and Institute invite submissions for the annual PhotoSCENE competition.

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 15:43:00 BST

The annual PhotoSCENE natural history photography competition is co-hosted by the Glasgow Natural History Society and the Institute, and aims to promote interest in natural history and the work of the Scottish Centre for Ecology & the Natural Environment (SCENE).

Success for sci-art collaboration 'Afterglow' at prestigious digital art award

Fri, 30 Sep 2016 00:01:00 BST

Afterglow—a science-art collaboration between Institute researcher Dr Paddy Brock and artists Vicky Isley and Paul Smith of Boredomresearch—has won The Lumen Prize 'Moving Image Award'. The Lumen Prize is a prestigious digital art prize. Afterglow was part of the Wellcome Trust-funded Silent Signal project that brought together six artists working with animation together with six leading biomedical scientists to create new experimental artworks.

Professor Sarah Cleaveland honoured by the British Veterinary Association

Fri, 23 Sep 2016 15:18:00 BST

Professor Sarah Cleaveland has been honoured by the British Veterinary Association (BVA) for her “outstanding contributions to veterinary science” and named as a “true champion of One Health” research.

New finding offers breakthrough in beating African sleeping sickness

Thu, 22 Sep 2016 09:00:00 BST

DISCUSSION | Annette MacLeod & Paul Capewell discuss their new research that sheds light on how sleeping sickness has avoided elimination and could help finally beat the deadly disease.

Scientists use ‘genetic forecasting’ to predict future invasions of vampire bat rabies virus

Tue, 13 Sep 2016 14:03:00 BST

Scientists have been able to use genetics to predict future outbreaks of vampire bat rabies virus (VBRV) on the Pacific coast of South America within four years – a scenario potentially affecting wildlife conservation, agriculture and human health.

Seabird migrations reveal the Canary Current is a biodiversity hotspot

Wed, 17 Aug 2016 14:03:00 BST

Institute researchers together with collaborators at University of Exeter have tracked the behaviour of seabirds migrating across the Atlantic to better understand how these animals use the marine environment and find out where they might come into conflict with human activities. The research reveals the Canary Current, a wind-driven ocean upwelling off the west coast of Africa, is a key hotspot for migrating seabirds.

Kathryn Elmer named to the Young Academy of Scotland

Thu, 11 Aug 2016 11:27:00 BST

Dr Kathryn Elmer, a Lecturer in Evolutionary Biology in the Institute, has been named a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Young Academy of Science (YAS). YAS fosters interdisciplinary activities among emerging leaders from the disciplines of science and humanities, the professions, the arts, business and civil society.

Potential biomarkers of mastitis in dairy cattle milk identified

Wed, 20 Jul 2016 16:31:00 BST

Analysis of milk using new technologies has identified potential biomarkers of mastitis enabling real-time diagnostics and targeted therapeutics

Obituary: Professor Keith Vickerman

Fri, 15 Jul 2016 15:45:00 BST

Professor Keith Vickerman, zoologist, was born on March 21, 1933. He was appointment to the John Graham Kerr chair in zoology in 1979, and then a few years later, appointed to the regius chair of zoology. He became a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1970, a fellow of the Royal Society in 1984 and a founder and fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 1998. He was a world authority on protozoa. He died of pancreatic cancer on June 28, 2016, aged 83.

Dr Heather Ferguson awarded Zoological Society of London Scientific Medal

Wed, 22 Jun 2016 15:43:00 BST

The Zoological Society of London has awarded Dr Heather Ferguson the ZSL Scientific Medal, one of the most prestigious awards in the field, given to research scientists with no more than 15 years postdoctoral experience for distinguished work in zoology. The award cited her work on the ecology and control of African malaria vectors over the past 12 years, as part of a longstanding research and training partnership with the Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) in Tanzania.

Markus Borner awarded the 2016 Blue Planet Prize

Mon, 20 Jun 2016 13:55:00 BST

Dr. Markus Borner, an honorary professor at the University of Glasgow and the former Director of Frankfurt Zoological Society’s (FZS) Africa Programme, has recently been awarded the highly-prestigious Blue Planet environmental prize in recognition of his work on wildlife and ecosystem conservation in Africa over the past 40 years.

Telling tails: recreating the nutrition diary of Serengeti wildebeest

Mon, 13 Jun 2016 07:56:00 BST

A team of researchers from the Institute have developed techniques to recreate a personalised diary of an animal’s lifetime. The research allows researchers to recreate nutritional timelines that illuminate the past experiences of Serengeti wildebeest by looking only at the animals’ tail hair.

Tiziana Lembo awarded Royal Society of Edinburgh's Patrick Neill Medal

Thu, 12 May 2016 12:59:00 BST

Dr Tiziana Lembo, a Research Fellow in the Institute, has been awarded the Patrick Neill medal by the Royal Society of Edinburgh for her breadth of expertise in veterinary medicine, data analysis, epidemiology of zoonotic disease, and public and animal health in the developing world.

Sarah Cleaveland elected a Fellow of the Royal Society

Fri, 29 Apr 2016 15:18:00 BST

Professor Sarah Cleaveland, Professor of Comparative Epidemiology in the Institute, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society for her work on human and animal health.

How mobile phones are making rabies elimination possible

Wed, 13 Apr 2016 09:00:00 BST

DISCUSSION | Katie Hampson, Reader in the Institute, discusses how mobile phones are providing a crucial tool in the elimination of rabies from Africa. The initiative, using old handsets, halves rates of the disease in Tanzania, and is now being widened to other health issues.

No fences needed: new research shows humans and lions can coexist

Wed, 23 Mar 2016 12:04:00 GMT

New Institute research published in the Journal of Applied Ecology describes how humans and lions can coexist through the creation of community conservancies. These are privately protected areas that engage local people in conservation and ecotourism. Conservancies can help stem the unrelenting loss of lions, whose population has been in decline across Africa, and pose a viable solution to an old problem.

University of Glasgow successful in additional Zika funding

Mon, 21 Mar 2016 18:30:00 GMT

Researchers at the University of Glasgow, including Institute researchers, have been awarded funding to three projects that will expand work on the Zika virus. Dr Heather Ferguson will lead a grant looking at the ecology of Zika transmission in Ecuador and Colombia. Two other projects in at the College of MVLS will investigate the pathogenesis of Zika-induced disease (Prof Willison, III) and will structurally characterise the virus (Dr Bhella, CVR).

University of Glasgow to take directorship of EPIC Centre of Excellence

Mon, 21 Mar 2016 12:00:00 GMT

The Scottish Government has today announced the re-commissioning of EPIC, the Pan-Scottish Centre of Expertise on Animal Disease Outbreaks. For the next 5 years EPIC will be led from the University of Glasgow, led by Prof Dominic Mellor (School of Veterinary Medicine) and funds researchers in both the School and the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine.

Success for Institute research team at the Guardian University Awards

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 22:04:00 GMT

A project that developed and implemented a mobile phone-based surveillance for rabies elimination in Tanzania has won the international category of the Guardian University Awards 2016.

Institute Professor wins University Postdoc Mentor of the Year award

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 16:27:00 GMT

Congratulations to Professor Pat Monaghan who won the Postdoc Mentor of the Year award on Thursday 3rd March, at the University Research Staff Conference. This is the second time in a row an Institute member has won the award.

An Institute research project has been shortlisted for a Guardian University Award.

Mon, 29 Feb 2016 09:00:00 GMT

An Institute research project has led to the University of Glasgow being shortlisted for a Guardian University Award in the International Projects category. The project is work of a team of Institute researchers and is led by Reader Dr Katie Hampson. The winners will be announced on Wednesday 16 March at a ceremony in London, after which we will be able to reveal the full story behind the shortlisted project.

Government and communities in Tanzania benefit from foot-and-mouth disease work

Tue, 09 Feb 2016 18:28:00 GMT

The BBSRC have published a report today that describes how research by Institute and Boyd Orr Centre for Population & Ecosystem Health researchers is informing Government policy in‪ Tanzania‬ on the best way to address foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the country.

What's the Grey Matter with Gregory? Institute team join school outreach event

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 18:28:00 GMT

Institute researchers Prof Neil Evans, Dr Michelle Bellingham & Dr Jane Robinson have been introducing high school students to the science of hormones in a public engagement project funded by the Wellcome Trust. ‘What’s the Grey Matter with Gregory’ was a collaboration between Cinelive and BFI Education to provide an immersive educational cinema event for 12–15 yr olds based on the film Gregory’s Girl—Bill Forsyth’s 1981 cult classic about awkward adolescent romance.

Scientists reveal the origins of sleeping sickness parasite

Tue, 26 Jan 2016 00:01:00 GMT

A parasite which kills thousands of people each year in sub-Saharan Africa arose comparatively recently, and its unusual sex life may lead to its own extinction. Researchers in the Institute reveal that T.b. gambiense, the main cause of sleeping sickness, has existed for thousands of years without reproducing sexually. The team show that T.b. gambiense jumped into to humans in the past 10,000 with present day populations all descended from a single ancestor.

Tree Top Manu - Amazon’s rarest and most elusive wildlife on video

Wed, 13 Jan 2016 10:37:00 GMT

Back in September 2015, we featured the first rare glimpses of rare Peruvian animals taken in camera traps—part of the Sustainable Manu conservation project run by PhD student Andy Whitworth & Research Fellow Dr Ross McLeod. Late last year the team released new footage that has captured some of the Amazon’s rarest and most elusive wildlife on video.