May 2018 Africa initiative latest You have received this monthly newsletter from More on our work to get more African research news into the AlphaGalileo because you are subscribed to the media, this is an extract from “Scientists In Africa Wonder If AlphaGalileo research news There's Bias Against Their Research by Great Jochem in ‘Goats service. AlphaGalileo is the and Soda – stories of life in a changing world’. You can read world’s independent business to business service of breaking the whole article and subscribe to other articles on research news for the media. development here [email protected]

“Abraham Haileamlak is a professor of pediatric cardiology at Jimma University in Ethiopia. He's also the editor-in-chief of the ‘Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences’, a peer-reviewed journal. Dr. Haileamlak does research on children's health and rheumatic heart disease. But when he shares his studies with journals based in high-income countries, he's often greeted with surprise. "They say they do not expect such quality research from a low-income country," he says. Other researchers in Africa report similar experiences. They say they simply don't get the same respect or representation as their Western counterparts. One research platform is trying to change that.

That platform is AlphaGalileo. “Supporting the African research community is a natural part of our work,” commented Peter Green, Managing Director of AlphaGalileo, “we were created to encourage more and better use of the media by researchers. Our role includes support and encouragement not just delivering a world-class service.”

Recent African research news carried by AlphaGalileo has included health research from SANTHE (the Sub-Saharan African Network for TB/HIV Research Excellence) where Professor Thumbi Ndung’u (above) is Programme Director, and also Director of the HIV Pathogenesis Programme (HPP) at UKZN, and a Principal Investigator at the African Health Research Institute (AHRI). Image of the month

Dr Judith Bakker, University of Salford, during a shark dive. Scientists reveal unsuspected shark diversity from DNA in the ocean - The University of Salford - 30 April 2018 New contributors

We are very pleased to count among our new contributors:

Alpro Foundation

Bar-Ilan University

Dinamic Foundation (Dinámica Foundación)

Levers in Heels

Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER)

Scientific Education Support

Université de Limoges

Wits University April’s Hits Parade - Top 5

Our most read news releases in April 2018

1. Artificial molecules that mimic DNA - CNRS (Délégation Michel-Ange) - 03 April 2018

Not only can synthetic molecules imitate the structures of their biological counterparts, they can also assume their functions and even outcompete them. This has recently been demonstrated by researchers from the CNRS, Inserm and Bordeaux University, who have developed an artificial sequence mimicking the surface features of DNA for the first time. This artificial molecule is able to inhibit the activity of several DNA-binding enzymes, including the one used by HIV to insert its genome into that of its host cell. These results, published on April 2, 2018 in Nature Chemistry, pave the way for new pharmacological tools based on inhibiting DNA–protein interactions.

2. Artificial intelligence helps to predict likelihood of life on other worlds - Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) - 03 April 2018

Developments in artificial intelligence may help us to predict the probability of life on other planets, according to new work by a team based at Plymouth University. The study uses artificial neural networks (ANNs) to classify planets into five types, estimating a probability of life in each case, which could be used in future interstellar exploration missions. The work is presented at the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science (EWASS) in Liverpool on 4 April by Mr Christopher Bishop.

3. Found the oldest Neanderthal wood tools in the Iberian Peninsula View - CENIEH - 03 April 2018

Archaeological excavations at Aranbaltza site in the Basque Country coast (Northern Spain), have revealed several episodes of neandertal occupations with preserved wooden remains. The fieldwork is leaded by Joseba Rios-Garaizar, archaeologist from the Spanish Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH). In 2015, the excavation revealed two wooden tools very well preserved, and one of them is a 15 cm long digging stick which has been published in the journal PLOS ONE. 4. to lead blockchain lab during Music Tech Fest at KTH - KTH The Royal Institute of Technology 09 April 2018

Grammy Award-winning recording artist Imogen Heap is scheduled to perform, as well as lead a lab on the development of blockchain technology for the music industry, during Music Tech Fest , which will take place at KTH Royal Institute of Technology September 3 to 9.

5. New magazine introducing Soft Matter Science - Hokkaido University- 05 April 2018

Hokkaido University announced the inaugural publication of the research magazine “Tackling Global Issues.” This first issue, published on March 23rd, 2018, spotlights the research field of soft matter, introducing 11 brilliant researchers who work on hydrogels, soft crystals and molecular machines, all of which are expected to be of great use in medicine and industry.

News Managers' selections in French, German, English and Spanish

La grande accélération atteint des sommets - 04 April 2018 - CNRS (Délégation Paris Michel-Ange)

Une équipe de recherche internationale1 dont un chercheur CNRS du laboratoire Écologie et dynamique des systèmes anthropisés (CNRS / Université de Picardie Jules Verne) a observé une accélération de l’augmentation de la biodiversité au niveau des sommets européens. Il s’agit d’un nouvel indicateur de « la grande accélération » - cette inflation de plus en plus rapide de différents paramètres à travers le monde (recul des glaciers, blanchiment des coraux, etc.) observée ces dernières années en réponse au réchauffement climatique. Les écosystèmes montagnards pourraient ainsi être fortement perturbés à l’avenir. Ces résultats sont publiés dans la revue Nature le 4 avril 2018. « Phyteuma hemisphaericum ». © Swiss National Park/Hans Lozza.

Umdenken statt Einbahnstraße – hohe Flexibilität im Brutpflegeverhalten bei Pfeilgiftfröschen - 27 April 2018 - Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien

Gefahren und lange Distanzen möglichst vermeiden, eigene Wurzeln nicht zwingend bevorzugen und Menge als Vorteil ansehen. Das ist die Strategie des Pfeilgiftfrosches Allobates femoralis bei der Ablage seiner Kaulquappen in Wasserstellen. Gute Ortskenntnis und die Fähigkeit Räuber zu erkennen ermöglichen den Fröschen sich flexibel an ihren leicht veränderlichen Lebensraum anzupassen, wie eine Studie von Forschenden der Vetmeduni Vienna in Molecular Ecology nun zeigte. Pfeilgiftfrösche - vor allem die Männchen - entscheiden flexibel, wenn es um das Abladen der Kaulquappen in der richtigen Wasserstelle geht. (Foto: Eva Ringler)

¿Qué impacto ambiental generan nuestros hábitos de consumo? - 16 April 2018 - Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Investigadores de la UPM concluyen que el impacto de la ciudad de Madrid en el cambio climático es mucho mayor que el que se contabiliza a través de su inventario de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero. Así lo indican los resultados obtenidos de la aplicación de una nueva metodología de cómputo de emisiones que integra todo el ciclo de vida de los bienes y servicios.

Fuente: pixabay

Secret of the Aha!-moment uncovered - 26 April 2017 - Medical University of Vienna

An international research team led by scientists from MedUni Vienna's Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering in collaboration with Goldsmiths University has uncovered the secret of the "Aha!-moment". When people solve a puzzle through a flash of insight, the mood-enhancing substance dopamine is released and deep- brain structures are activated. The researchers were able to identify the nucleus accumbens, a core structure in the basal forebrain, as the central area for the Aha!-moment.

Geheimnis des "Aha-Moments" entschlüsselt

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