An international team of researchers, including Dr hab. Anna Ziomkiewicz-Wichary, Prof. UJ from the JU Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, has discovered that adverse childhood experiences (ACE) in mothers may affect the composition of breast milk and, consequently, influence the development of their infants’ temperament. The findings were published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

Amphibians are one of the most endangered groups of vertebrates. Their dependence on access to water and susceptibility to a range of diseases make them particularly vulnerable in an era of climate warming and shrinking habitats. Despite the urgent need to protect these animals, relatively few species have been studied in sufficient ecological detail to allow for precise predictions of how a changing, increasingly warmer climate will affect the condition of their populations.

Is there anything to be done if the immune system doesn’t have the means to detect a dangerous pathogen? It turns out there is: these tools can be borrowed from another species. A new study by scientists from the Jagiellonian University suggests that such loans are not the exception, but the rule, leading them to question the emphasis traditionally placed on maintaining the genetic purity of endangered species.

An international team of researchers featuring scientists from the JU Astronomical Observatory has confirmed the presence of two supermassive black holes in the centre of the OJ 287 galaxy. Their existence was first suggested in 1982 by astronomers from the University of Turku in Finland. Now the first clear observations of the smaller of the two black holes have been made.

What do new methods of combating bacteria have in common with furniture from a popular Swedish store? The latest discoveries by researchers at the JU Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology suggest that thing is… viruses. Read on to learn more about how we can use them to treat our own diseases.

Researchers at the Jagiellonian University have developed a new method of storing energy which will make it possible to become independent from foreign suppliers of graphite and expensive metals needed for batteries. The solutions proposed by JU researchers meet the requirements of green energy, some of them leave no carbon footprint, and the prototype batteries have similar or even better parameters than the ones currently produced.

Wild bees are an important part of our environment, though our knowledge about their ecology and evolution is still quite limited. Today, many of their species are at risk of extinction, so understanding the relationship between bees and plants is essential for us to be able to protect them. Dr Michał Filipiak from the JU Faculty of Biology explains the key aspects of the evolution of bees and how this knowledge might be useful to us.

Researchers from the Jagiellonian University have designed a material that could help refill bone cavities and at the same time serve as a carrier for osteoporosis medication. The invention could revolutionise the treatment of osteoporosis, since it could allow doctors to deliver drugs with strong side effects precisely where they are needed, reducing the need to rely on systemic drug administration.

Biological rhythms have an enormous impact on the biochemistry, cell biology, physiology and behaviour of all living organisms. These mechanisms are particularly conspicuous in birds. Unfortunately, the rising human pressure, especially the light pollution, largely distorts the environmental cues regulating the animals’ internal biological clocks. Dr Joanna Sudyka from the JU Institute of Environmental Sciences has been studying the consequences of this phenomenon.

An international team of researchers working on the project ERA-Net-CVD PLAQUEFIGHT has discovered a way in which the brain might regulate the processes in blood vessels that are narrowed due to the build-up of atheromatous plaque. One of the participants of the project, Prof. Tomasz Guzik from the JU Faculty of Medicine, writes how this research could help treat heart disease in the future.