Neurogenetics

Magnetoreception is a mysterious ‘sixth sense’. This presentation will discuss one of the main mechanisms that nature has devised to ‘sense’ magnetic fields using a ‘spooky’ property of physics. Curiously, this ability may be more widespread than previously thought.

Vision results from the neural integration of light stimuli. Interpretation of it varies depending on species and individual. How do optical illusion work? From butterflies to humans, the brain lies to us when generating a colour picture of the world. This has a strong impact on resources and mating choice, explaining the emergence of new species and various food/mate preferences across the globe.

Nothing lasts forever. Without constant maintenance all things decay to entropy. A pertinent example of this is our hearing. We will all experience age-related hearing loss and many of us already expose our ears to damaging levels of noise. Unravelling this multifaceted disorder is complex and in my lab we use an insect model to uncover fundamental principles of hearing loss. There are uncanny similarities between insect and mammalian hearing – come to my talk to find out more.

Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar that first occurs during pregnancy and goes away after birth. However, it increases the risk of developing conditions including type 2 diabetes (a lifelong type of diabetes) and heart disease. This talk discusses research investigating the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, depression or gestational diabetes in future pregnancy in women previously diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Findings suggest that ethnicity and level of deprivation are linked to the likelihood of developing these conditions, revealing health inequalities.