Monthly Archives: February 2015

A history of Aloe vera: from the Arabian desert to that cream you use on your hands

800px-Aloe_vera_offsets

Christopher Foote

Aloe vera has been widely used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Yet why this species, rather than one of its 500 relatives, came to have such a dominant position in these markets is unclear. New research, published today in BMC Evolutionary Biology, asks if uncovering the evolutionary history of Aloe vera will also reveal the reasons behind its longstanding relationship with mankind.

Biology Health

BMC Ecology Image Competition Announcement 2015

Catherine Potenski

We are very happy to announce that the BMC Ecology Image Competition 2015 has now begun!  Please share with us your most striking images of how you study the natural world. Our previous competition was highly successful, and we look forward to another year of outstanding entries. Anyone who is affiliated with a research institution can enter. … Read more »

Biology
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Evidence is only good with proper consideration for why and how it should be used: why we need more interdisciplinary discussion between researchers in public health

bridging

Dr Garrett Wallace Brown

Garrett Brown is a reader in Political Theory and Global Ethics at the University of Sheffield. In this blog, he discusses a recent article published in BMC International Health and Human Rights by Gorik Ooms about the need for communication between researchers involved in different aspects of global public health research. Global public health research… Read more »

Developing World Health

How to tell if a female cannibal spider likes you

Cannibal spider 2

Christopher Foote

It’s no surprise that mating can be complex for male cannibal spiders. Those that avoid becoming dinner for their prospective mates have a trick of their own; they can plug the female’s genital tract, preventing her mating with other males. However new research, published today in BMC Evolutionary Biology, suggests that even here it is… Read more »

Biology

Laser surgery and the dangers of button batteries: news from the UK’s National Ear, Nose & Throat conference

Head and clock

Magdalena Morawska

Last month BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders was at the 7th National Ear, Nose & Throat Conference in London, a meeting aimed at practicing consultants and senior trainees in the ENT specialty. Organized by MA Healthcare limited and coordinated by Andrew Swift, the conference brought together experts from a range of otorhinolaryngology specialties. The… Read more »

Health Medicine

Climate change, “Neurophobia”, social behavior and flu spread: highlights of the BMC Series in January 2015

Irene Pala

Chimps threatened by climate change • Learning objectives for veterinary neurology • Social behaviors and epidemic dynamics • High-risk medication in high-risk patients • An adapted tool to measure food insecurity • The Asian honey bee genome Evolutionary Biology: Chimps threatened by climate change Ecology niche models look at the relationship between the distribution of… Read more »

Biology Medicine