mtDNA damage in human oocytesI am collecting links to papers which look at mtDNA damage in human oocytes. Mitochondrial DNA Damage and Its Repair Mechanisms in Aging Oocytes Human ovarian aging is characterized by oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction Mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid deletions in oocytes and reproductive aging in women Mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid deletions in oocytes and reproductive (more) |
All four seats change hands in council by-electionsThere were four principal authority council by-elections this week and all four saw seats change hands. All took place on Maundy Thursday, which old electoral hands will remember as a day that used to be excluded from election timetables, along with weekends and bank holidays. It became a normal day for electoral purposes following the Electoral Administration Act 2006, the legislation which also gave the Electoral Commission the power to performance standards for many Returning Officers. Elections on Maundy Thursday are now a normal occurrence. On to the results: [IMG: Jayne Mackie] Double council by-election winner Jayne Mackie. Fremington (North ... (more) |
Ex -Welsh Reform candidate issues warning about his former partyNation Cymru reports on the continuing disintegration of Reform's campaign for the Welsh Senedd, saying that one of the party's former candidates has issued a stark warning to Welsh voters, claiming that Farage's top candidates are driven by "power, money and self-interest" amid deepening internal turmoil. The news site says that following the publication of an image of lead candidate and former Conservative aide Corey Edwards performing a Nazi salute, Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg candidate Owain Clatworthy announced on Tuesday (March 31) he was leaving Reform UK, citing concerns about the selection process used to choose the party's top candidates for ... (more) |
2 April 2026 - today's press releasesSNP set to miss key child poverty target Welsh Lib Dems urge Reeves to scrap fuel duty hike as global instability drives rising petrol prices Cole-Hamilton sets out mental health plan with visit to therapy llamas Greene: Reform set to lose 26 constituency candidates by polling day, figures show Murray: Lib Dem 10p fuel duty cut will get Scotland moving again Welsh Lib Dems slam Reform's "fantasy" coal plans as a threat to jobs, bills and climate Reform candidate's Ukraine comments spark outrage as Lib Dems warn of "dangerous" pro-Kremlin rhetoric SNP set to miss key child poverty target Responding ... (more) |
Council by-election results scorecard 2025-2026Here's the tally of seats changing hands in principal authority council by-elections held between the May 2025 and the May 2026 local elections: Con Lab Lib Dem Green Reform SNP Plaid Ind/ Other Net Con [17] +2 (+2/0) -9 (+3/-12) +2 (+2/0) -21 (+2/-23) -1 (0/-1) – +2 (+3/-1) -25 Lab -2 (0/-2) [16] -5 (0/-5) -8 (0/-8) -30 (+1/-31) – -2 (0/-2) -7 (0/-7) -54 Lib Dem +9 (+12/-3) +5 (+5/0) [35] +2 (+4/-2) -2 (+2/-4) +2 (+2/0) – +4 (+4/0) +20 Grn -2 (0/-2) +8 (+8/0) -2 (+2/-4) [8] +1 (+1/0) – – -1 (0/-1) +4 Ref +21 ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1498Peter Juul argues that Donald Trump sees America not as the leader of a global posse bringing international gangsters to heel, but as a mob boss threatening America's allies and neighbours while carving up the world with other gangster powers. "The government's plans will patch up the water system, particularly with the boost in revenue from bill payers. But the private sector has found unanticipated ways to maximise profits in the past and may well do so again. Rather than continually tweaking the failed private model, the only real route to operating water in the public interest is for it ... (more) |
Fly me to the moon - reflections on the overview effectThere is a moment, presumably, just before the engines ignite, when even the most committed astronaut thinks: what on earth am I doing? But then, if they take a moment to look out of the portal at what is happening on the surface of this ball of rock and water we call home - well, who can fault them for wanting to get as far away as possible? Four astronauts left Earth yesterday, climbing aboard what is, in engineering terms, a controlled explosion and trusting it to hurl them away from the planet at speeds no living thing was designed ... (more) |
GUEST POST To realise the health benefits of nature we must first admit we are part of itStuart Whomsley reminds us that, though we evolved as a species surrounded by the blue and green stuff, we also have the power to destroy it. Let me start by stating what should be obvious, but it is something that can be lost in the way the discourse on this topic is constructed, humans are part of nature. We are not an entity separate from the rest of nature. We need to break the demarcation of humans as separate from nature, humans vs nature. This includes where the aims are positive, such as nature as a treatment that can be ... (more) |
How declining public services boost the populist rightWelcome to the latest in my occasional series highlighting interesting findings from academic research. Today – new research which bolsters the argument that declining public services fuel support for the populist right. As one of the authors, Zach Dickson, explains: We study NHS GP practice closures in England: nearly 1,700 practices closed since 2013, directly affecting 600k+ patients. Using a staggered DID design, we find that closures reduce patient satisfaction AND increase support for populist right parties (UKIP, Brexit Party, Reform UK) by 2-4 percentage points. The effects are immediate, persistent (4-5 years), and replicated across two independent panel datasets... ... (more) |
Back to BridgesOn Sunday Gateshead Lib Dems had the last action day before the election expenses kick in. Again, it was another mopping up day in which bundles of manifesto leaflets were delivered. We split into 4 groups. All deliveries in the morning were in the blocks of flats on or near the Quayside. The final bundles were delivered on a new estate near Gateshead Stadium. The to Tesco (yet again) for (more) |