Behind the Paper

The real stories behind the latest research papers, from conception to publication, the highs and the lows

INTRALOCUS SEXUAL CONFLICT CAN RESOLVE THE MALE-FEMALE HEALTH-SURVIVAL PARADOX

Our paper in Nature Communications suggests that sexual conflict could help explain an unusual aspect of human demography – women live longer than men, but are less healthy than men late-in-life. A role of sexual conflict in this “male-female, health-survival” paradox has, so far, been largely neglected. We wish to highlight how evolutionary theory might provide new insights into human health and that collaboration between evolutionary biologists, human demographers and biomedical scientists provides fertile ground for exciting new research.
Go to the profile of Ruth Archer
Dec 05, 2018

Taking care of immune-beneficial infant gut bacteria

Hunting for foods that can help infants build strong immune systems would traditionally have researchers trial potential foods with infants, then do blood analysis to see if there were positive benefits. We describe a technique that dramatically narrowed the efforts required in identifying potential weaning foods to test a boost of infant immunity in clinical trials.
Go to the profile of Rosario Lombardo
Dec 03, 2018