Researchers obtain first ever underwater ultrasound scans of wild reef manta rays

A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge and the Manta Trust has successfully scanned a pregnant wild reef manta ray underwater to obtain clear ultrasound images of her foetus, using the world’s first contactless underwater ultrasound scanner.

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Tags: fertility environment biodiversity spotlight-on-biodiversity-conservation manta-ray

‘Murder map’ reveals medieval London’s meanest streets

First digital map of the murders recorded by the city's Coroner in early 1300s shows Cheapside and Cornhill were homicide ‘hot spots’, and Sundays held the highest risk of violent death for medieval Londoners.

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Tags: spotlight-on-stem-cells placenta reproduction fertility

‘Mini-placentas’ could provide a model for early pregnancy

Researchers say that new ‘mini-placentas’ – a cellular model of the early stages of the placenta – could provide a window into early pregnancy and help transform our understanding of reproductive disorders. Details of this new research are published today in the journal Nature.

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Tags: spotlight-on-stem-cells placenta reproduction fertility