Department Of Biological And Medical Sciences - Oxford Brookes

Dame Katherine Grainger PhD, Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University shares innovative research from the labs of our Department of Biological and Medical Sciences. #MadeAtUni

Watch our BMS Alumnus Dr Julian Bayliss discuss how he discovered a “lost” rainforest in an uncharted area around Mount Mabu in Mozambique. He also helped create a long-term conservation strategy! #MountainsMatter

It's International Mountain Day! ⛰️ #MountainsMatter
Mountains are incredibly important, playing a crucial role in our ecosystem.
... Senior Lecturer in Biology and Environment, Dr Andrew Lack leads a group of first year students on a biological field trip to the Cévennes National Park in the southern part of France's beautiful Massif Central. They situate at around 1200m altitude on the granite of one of the Massif's highest peaks, Mont Lozère.
The idea of the trip is to show students a part of western Europe that is rich in wildlife and teach them methods of studying the plants and the invertebrates. Students look at three main aspects: trees and ground flora of the woods and heathland, insects of the meadows and other habitats, including the rich butterfly fauna, and the invertebrates of the streams that run off the mountains. 🦋
The trip includes visits to the spectacular Tarn gorge and a centre for the reintroduction of vultures to the area and explore ideas about habitat conservation and restoration. The air at this altitude is noticeably thinner than at sea level and the remoteness of the location means that there is no light pollution giving particularly clear night skies✨. The wildlife includes wild boar and beavers and a large variety of birds.
This field trip is part of our Animal Biology and conservation and Biological Sciences (Zoology) degrees.
www.brookes.ac.uk/…/underg…/animal-bi ology-and-conservation/
www.brookes.ac.uk/…/undergra…/biologi cal-sciences--zoology-/
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John Runions, one of our professors in the Department of Biological and Medical Sciences and regular contributor to BBC radio is giving a FREE lecture. On 5th December come hear more about his research! Find out more here bit.ly/2rjY0a9

Ever wondered why some people are incredible with words? What makes someone able to speak fluently in reverse? Oxford Brookes scientist Dr Hayley Mountford is part of a new study looking into the genetics of backwards speech.
By studying the genes of people who can fluently speak backwards, the research team have identified a genetic change which leads to extra fast working memory, giving people who carry this change the ability to reverse words incredibly quickly.
... The researchers aim to find more genes involved in backwards speaking, and this will lead to a better understanding of how our brains learn and process language.
If you think you might be able to speak backwards and would like to be part of the study, then please get in touch. Ew dluow evol ot raeh morf uoy! Twitter @hayley_s_m Email hmountford@brookes.ac.uk https://bit.ly/2P2I5XM
#AdaLoveLaceDay #FindingAda
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Dr Jo Grogono is a cardiology registrar at the John Radcliffe Hospital who has taken time out of her specialty training to undertake a PhD at Brookes, funded by The British Heart Foundation. Jo's research involves assessing the underlying mechanisms of breathlessness and investigating a new treatment option to relieve breathlessness. #AdaLovelaceDay #FindingAda

In tribute to #AdaLovelaceDay we’re celebrating our fantastic Brookes female #STEM researchers! ✊🏻🔬🌿

Ever wondered how a Scanning Electron Microscope works? Professor Chris Hawes explains!

A free event open to everyone!
Science provides the best way of understanding the world in which we live. As many funders recognise, this understanding - knowledge for its own sake - is important in its own right, but can also lead to improvements in health and our quality of life.
We don’t always know which lines of research will lead to practical outcomes - a principle Jim will illustrate using some of his own work (among other examples). But supporting research with the s...ole intention of improving understanding is never money wasted. It is important that this is understood by the public and by policymakers, so that science continues to drive the UK economy.
Sir Jim is Director of Science at Wellcome. He is an award-winning developmental biologist who has identified the molecular signals that pass between cells in developing embryos to drive the formation of tissues and organs. His current research is exploring what occurs within cells after they receive such signals.
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Fantastic opportunity for Brookes students!

Check out our 'Biomedical Science Placement Profile' video featuring one of our fantastic Biomedical Science Students Andrada Tomoni talking about her experiences on placement at the prestigious UK Biocentre in Milton Keynes. #hellobrookes

Our Brookes scientists have pinpointed a key gene that controls segmentation during spider development, which reveals a further similarity to the control of segmentation in insects 🕸 ow.ly/OBm230lB61G