Keyword: Press release

The European Association of Developmental Psychology gives every two years The William Thierry Preyer Award for Excellence in Research on Human Development to a European psychologist or a group of European psychologists – who is/are recognized internationally for an original and substantial contribution to a better understanding of human development and its contexts, as demonstrated by first-rate publications in scholarly journals, based on empirical research into the antecedents, processes and outcomes of human development-in-context.

Diabetes is a risk factor for cognitive decline. In a study of the University of Turku and Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the researchers observed that already a higher two-hour glucose level in the glucose tolerance test predicts worse performance in a test measuring episodic memory after ten years. Decline in episodic memory is one of the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

How do scientists tackle a surprising problem they face? You can witness this in the Science Battle competition, where researchers from the Universities of Pavia, Poitiers and Turku compete against each other. Three teams try to solve questions submitted by the public. The competition can be followed online or on site on university campuses.

Insulin is a key hormone in energy metabolism and blood sugar regulation. Normal insulin function in the body may be disturbed by e.g. overweight, leading to decreased insulin sensitivity and increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In a Finnish collaborative study of Turku PET Centre and UKK institute, the researchers noticed that standing is associated with better insulin sensitivity. Increasing the daily standing time may therefore help prevent chronic diseases.

It is often assumed that families move to improve their economic and social prospects, and that these additional resources can benefit the whole family. However, existing research suggests that many children who have experienced long-distance moves within a country fair worse in general compared to non-moving peers.

An international team of researchers have studied a timber elephant population in Myanmar and discovered that Asian elephants perform better at a task when they are commanded by a handler they have known for a longer time.

Brain regulation of feeding behaviour traits has remained incompletely understood. In their latest study, researchers at the Turku PET Centre, Finland, discovered a connection between the function of the opioid system and food craving triggered by appetitive external stimuli.

Do you have in mind a question you would like to ask researchers? Now is the time for it as researchers from three European universities compete in a playful Science Battle to solve puzzling questions. Send us a question and come follow the search for answers at the first EC2U Science Battle on September 24th.

Master of Social Sciences, Master of Arts Tiia Sudenkaarne introduces queer bioethics into Finnish academia. Her dissertation analyses how LGBTQI+ questions often considered marginal are philosophically robust and socio-politically important.

This year, the Elias Tillandz prize for the best scientific paper published in 2020 in BioCity Turku was awarded to Professor Yagut Allahverdiyeva-Rinne and her research group. The prize was presented on Thursday, 19 August 2021.