Keyword: Department of Biology

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BioCity Student Symposium – Students are the Solution, 24 August 2022

13.05.2022

This year BioCity Student Symposium titled Students are the Solution is arranged on-site by PhD researchers from The University of Turku and Abo Akademi University together with BioCity Turku and InFLAMES Flagship in Cave theatre - Visitor and Innovation Centre Joki, 24th August 2022.

Rare trophic eggs behind the success of snakehead fish?

15.03.2022

Fish rarely feed their young. An exception are certain species of snakeheads whose offspring feed on trophic eggs provided by their parent. A new study shows that this exceptional adaptation developed in snakehead fish around 12 million years ago. This behaviour might have enabled the fish to conquer new environments and led to the high diversity of species seen in one particular group of snakeheads.  

A common plant disease was found to defend its host against pests

11.02.2022

Scientists from University of Turku observed that ergot, a common plant disease on rye, defended its host plant chemically against grass feeding insects. The ergot disease in grains spoils the yield and causes seed loss to the plant. Based on this, it is classified as harmful from the human perspective. A new study states that the ergot appears to be a beneficial protector for its host plant capable of even increasing plant fitness.
 

Dietary Overlap of Birds, Bats and Dragonflies Disadvantageous in Insect Decline

10.11.2020

According to a new Finnish study, different groups of insectivores compete for the same type of food. Researchers of the University of Turku and the Finnish Museum of Natural History made the discovery by comparing birds, bats and dragonflies that forage in the same area in Southwest Finland. These very distantly related predators consumed the same insect groups, such as flies, mosquitoes, and other dipterans. The results shed new light on the decline in insect populations, because a remarkable portion of insectivores may actually be in greater danger than previously believed.

Researchers Discovered New Information on the Regulation of Cancer Cell Motility

19.08.2020

PIM kinases are enzymes that promote metastatic growth and spread of cancer cells. Researchers from the University of Turku, Finland, have obtained new information on how the PIM kinases enhance cancer cell motility by regulating the formation of actin fibres in the cytoskeleton. The published results support the development of PIM-targeted therapies to prevent metastasis formation in cancer patients.

Multispecies bacterial communities have the ability to bounce back from environmental disturbances

13.08.2020

Perturbations in the environment are common, and bacterial communities consisting of several species seem to find their way around the crisis. Species immigration is beneficial for community recovery, an international study shows. Associate Professor Teppo Hiltunen from the University of Turku led the study that investigated how environmental disturbances affect the species diversity and evolution of bacterial communities.

New Information on Regulation of Sense of Smell with the Help of Nematodes

27.08.2019

PIM kinases are enzymes that are evolutionarily well conserved in both humans and nematodes. Led by Dr Päivi Koskinen, a research group from the Department of Biology of the University of Turku has previously proven that PIM kinases promote the motility and survival of cancer cells, but now the group has shown that these enzymes also regulate the sense of smell.