exeter

A test using genetics to predict who is at the highest risk of developing type 1 diabetes could one day be applied to largescale health studies, to identify adults who could benefit from new drugs, new research shows. Known as a genetic risk score, the test uses all genetic information to predict risk of going on to develop type 1 diabetes. This genetic risk score also feeds into an online clinical calculator, previously developed by the team led…

The effectiveness of ambitious efforts to attract over £1 billion annually into nature recovery by 2030 could be undermined without stronger governance and regulatory oversight, according to new analysis from the University of Exeter. Market-based instruments are crucial for addressing nature degradation and financing gaps, but the current framework risks market failures due to inherent complexities in valuing biodiversity, issues within existing schemes like Biodiversity Net Gain and a lack of robust regulatory control, the study shows. The…

Twenty-four clinicians and laboratory technicians have enrolled in a bespoke training programme designed to strengthen the diagnosis and treatment of deadly fungal diseases. With infections soaring globally and two million deaths every year, the programme was hugely oversubscribed as health professionals urgently seek to master early detection techniques that can save lives.  Fungal infections pose a significant and growing threat to global health, with the heaviest burden falling on low- and middle-income countries. The increasing number of new fungal cases appearing in hospitals worldwide is…

A new book suggests that the pictures we use to tell stories about climate change fundamentally shape how we respond to the issue. The Visual Life of Climate Change, by Professor Saffron O’Neill from the University of Exeter, says we often rely on a small set of images to illustrate climate change – and these exclude many people and places from the discussion about climate action. Every day, journalists and editors around the world grapple with how to…