Keyword: Press release

The higher education institutions are increasing communications to international students.

An international team of scientists from the University of Turku, Finland and PennState University, USA have solved a long-standing mystery of how living organisms distinguish RNA and DNA building blocks during gene expression paving the way for the design of new antiviral drugs.  The new insights were published in the journal Nature Communications.

The University of Turku has estimated its carbon footprint already for the third time. The carbon footprint of 2020 was 10,500 tCO2 which was about half of the total of the previous year. The reduced emissions were due to the decrease in work commuting as well as the University Properties of Finland Ltd compensating the carbon footprint of their properties.

The article published by the researchers of the Biodiversity Unit at the University of Turku, Finland, highlights how amateur venom-extraction business is threatening scorpion species. Sustainably produced scorpion venoms are important, for example, in the pharmacological industry. However, in the recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people involved in the trade and vast numbers of scorpions are harvested from nature. This development is endangering the future of several scorpion species in a number of areas.

Vaccine hesitancy was recognised as a serious threat by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019. Now, international experts are joining forces to combat vaccine hesitancy by tackling its root cause – misinformation. With EU funding, the project will harness the potential of health care professionals to challenge misconceptions about vaccination, reinforce confidence in vaccines, and encourage uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine, including being immunised themselves.

A recent international study showed that higher pollen concentrations in the air correlate with increased COVID-19 infection rates. Pollen exposure weakens the response of immune system to some seasonal respiratory viruses. The effect was not connected with pollen allergy.

The University of Turku opens the call for applications to the Pentti Malaska Futures Award on the national Futures Day on 5 March 2021. We are looking for bold, research-based, visionary, and boundary-crossing solutions supporting the building of a more sustainable global future. 

The Alum of the Year recognition was awarded to Doctor of Medicine, Medical Counsellor Sakari Alhopuro on Thursday, 25 February 2021, on the eve of the University's 101st anniversary. With the Alum of the Year recognition, the University of Turku wishes to thank Alhopuro for his investment in science and in building social well-being and a sustainable future.

Doctoral Candidate Tapani Hopkins collected over 100,000 parasitoid wasps from the tropical forest of Uganda during his doctoral dissertation. Current results suggest that there is a diverse parasitoid wasp fauna still awaiting discovery in tropical Africa. His dissertation defence on rhyssine wasp species, their ecology, and how their diversity compares to Amazonia will be held online. Questions are welcome after the event.

A Finnish research group has studied how seasons influence the function of the brain. Researchers at the Turku PET Centre showed that the length of daylight affects the opioid receptors, which in turn regulates the mood we experience.