Keyword: Press release

New study by the University of Turku and Cornell University shows that long-term elimination of herbivorous insects from plants changes the way they communicate with each other. The study focused on Solidago altissima, i.e. tall goldenrod, and indicated that communicating about threats also benefits the plant sharing the information. Different communication strategies between plants can be explained with the differences in the volatile organic compounds the plants release.

Researchers from the Turku Bioscience Centre have found changes in molecules in the blood that might be new markers of type 1 diabetes. The new findings may help understand the early pathogenesis of the disease.

The proportion of young people in Finland diagnosed with depression in specialised services is increasing, showed a study based on an extensive set of national data. An increasing number of adolescents seek and get help, but the increase in service use burdens specialised services. The study was conducted by the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry at the University of Turku.

Enteroviral infections are common viral infections with usually rather few symptoms, and they are also believed to be linked to the onset of type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a disorder in which the pancreatic insulin-producing beta-cells are destroyed, and it is more common in Finland than anywhere else in the world.

The University of Turku participates in the SHIFT Business Festival on 29–30 August with two themes: using technology in the sustainable development of the maritime and food industries and the interaction between humans and machines. The theme of SHIFT 2019 is Shapeshifting intelligence, which looks beyond the hype for a more holistic view of intelligent business.

There are nearly fifty open vacancies for fixed-term doctoral candidate positions at the University of Turku from 1 January 2020 onwards. The call for applications is open 2–20 September 2019. This is already the seventh year that the University of Turku Graduate School (UTUGS) opens a call for paid doctoral candidate positions. This time, the programmes include the new doctoral programme of the INVEST project that is part of the flagship programme of the Academy of Finland.

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.

Astro-polarimetry is an important method in astronomical observation, aimed at detecting and measuring polarisation of light emitted, reflected, or scattered by astronomical objects such as asteroids, planets, nebulae, stars and exoplanets.  The astro-polamiter built with the lead of a research group from the University of Turku made its first observations in July 2019 at the Nordic Optical Telescope on the Canary Islands. In October 2019, the University of Turku becomes the joint owner of the Telescope.

The University of Turku and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa aim to promote the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 9 on creating a sustainable industry, innovations, and infrastructures. Rector of the University of Turku Jukka Kola, Minister for Education Li Andersson, and Mayor of Turku Minna Arve will participate in the opening seminar for the Finland-Africa Platform for Sustainable Development Goal 9 which will be held at the University of Turku on 26–27 August 2019. 

Bullying experienced by 13–16-year-old pupils reduced clearly when schools invested in antibullying interventions. Researchers suggest that rooting out cyberbullying has to be more effective and new methods for supporting and strengthening the mental well-being of bullied adolescents have to be introduced. The study published by the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry of the University of Turku was based on reports from Finnish adolescents in 2008 and 2014.