With the pressure of assignment deadlines and the excitement of the impending Christmas break it’s easy to miss much of the weird, wonderful, but above all, excellent research that takes place every day across the Uni.
We’re at the end of the month and once again we’re sharing our favourite discoveries from University of Manchester researchers.
Here’s November’s:
Why do some plants live fast and die young?
Ever wondered why some plants “live fast and die young” while others have long and healthy lives? No? Us neither. But, researchers have found that the answer is hidden beneath our feet in the complex relationships between soil microbes and plant roots. This study could help improve nature conservation, natural habitat restoration and growing healthier crops.
New nano tool could pave way for better cancer testing
A new tool designed by UoM scientists has laid the foundations for in depth analysis of blood that allows the identification of previously unknown molecules in blood. The technology – which uses tiny nanoparticles – is a new way of mining blood samples for information about cancer.
X-ray imaging reveals the secrets inside the Enigma machine
New light has been shone on the Enigma machine used by the German military in World War Two and cracked by our very own Alan Turing (the story of which is portrayed in the recent film The Imitation Game).
Jodrell Bank Observatory release 50 year-old audio archive of Soviet Zond 6 lunar mission
Jodrell Bank is releasing audio recordings of a Soviet space mission from fifty years ago, just as the race to the Moon was approaching the finish line.
‘Human brain’ supercomputer with 1 million processors switched on for first time
Just in time for exam season, Manchester researchers have turned on the world’s largest neuromorphic supercomputer designed and built to work in the same way a human brain!