Message from the Chief Executive, Linda Conlon
I hope you and your loved ones are safe and coping well, as we continue to hunker down for what is the ‘new normal’.
At Life, the team is continuing to develop online content. A small selection of what we’ve produced since my last column can be found below. The theme for next week is ‘health heroes’ – in part to celebrate the amazing work being done by health workers across the world during this crisis, but also to mark 200 years since the birth of the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale. The online activities are designed to be fun, informative and also to encourage young people to explore science and consider careers in the STEM arena. It’s never been more important to nurture the next generation of health heroes and scientists, and science centres have a vital role to play in this.
For the past 20 years, Life has been home to research that makes international headlines, but we've never been prouder of our partners than we are now. Take a look below for news of COVID-19 research taking place onsite at Life and elsewhere in Newcastle.
These remain challenging times for charities like us. Since closing on 16 March, the vast majority of our income has dried up overnight. If you would like to support us, see the information at the end of this newsletter – any help is much appreciated.
As always, if you have any thoughts, ideas or experiences to share, please get in touch by emailing info@life.org.uk.
Stay safe.
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Life battles the 'infodemic'
The World Health Organisation says the coronavirus pandemic has been accompanied by an overabundance of information – dubbed an 'infodemic'. To help, we've introduced a COVID-19 hub on Life's website, with links to the best resources to help you make sense of what's going on, decipher the facts from the fiction and information on how you can help by contributing to citizen science projects.
We're also pushing out some interesting science facts on our social media channels that offer useful tips for handwashing and hygiene: who knew that cold water is just as effective as warm water for handwashing? That'll be kinder on your hands, too, and save on energy bills!
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Local COVID-19 research: the sweet smell of success!
The pace of research on COVID-19 in North East England is astounding.
Published on 23 April in the prestigious academic journal Nature Medicine, Newcastle University researchers working onsite at Life have identified two cell types in the nose as likely initial infection points for COVID-19.
The identification of these cells could help to explain the high transmission rate of the virus. The research also reveals potential targets for the development of treatments to reduce transmission.
This was an international effort, including Newcastle University's Professor Linda Lako and her team at Life and bioinformatics officer Dr Rachel Queen.
Meanwhile, Life's partner Northumbrian Water is working with Newcastle University researchers, as well as Spanish counterparts, to estimate the prevalence of COVID-19 from the non-infectious genetic residues of the virus that remain in wastewater systems when infected people go to the toilet.
Read the press release >
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#LifeGoesONline: from planet Earth to beyond
Life's digital programming during the lockdown now has themed weeks, making it easier to promote the new content on #LifeGoesONline from week-to-week.
Life recently held Earth Week, chosen to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on 22 April. Activities included building a weather station, an experiment to learn about ocean acidification and making a solar-powered oven using a pizza box.
Meanwhile, Life was bowled over by the number of visitors who built their own cardboard ball mazes, thanks to the inspiring CBBC presenters Maddie Moate and Greg Foot, who teamed up with Life last week for Mini Makers Week. Another popular activity involved seeing how many containers you could make a small ball or marble bounce off after launching it down a tube – an addictive quest for all ages! More than a million households have viewed the Let's Go Live programmes to date and Life has seen a spike in followers across all social media channels as a direct result of the collaboration.
To mark Star Wars Day on 4 May, Life launched Space Week. Visit the online hub to see what's in the night sky this week and take a virtual tour of Life Science Centre's Space Zone. The force is strong with this one!
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Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see what we’ve been producing in the past few weeks, and visit the online content hub to find all of our activities in one place.
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Life recommends
In keeping with this week’s space theme for our online content, here’s a small selection of science content we’ve been enjoying:
- The National Space Centre in the UK is taking its planetarium shows online. The first show, We Are Stars, is available until 8 May.
- If you're missing your local planetarium, why not download one of the many free apps that can help you to explore the night sky? There are many to choose from, but our top pick is Star Walk 2.
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Please support us
The International Centre for Life is a unique science village that is part of the fabric of the city and a valued resource to the region. The work undertaken here has changed lives – and now that work is in jeopardy.
From the thousands of babies born with the help of fertility treatment received onsite, to the patients with debilitating diseases who have benefitted from research and clinical treatments, Life has made a difference to so many. Thousands of young people have been inspired to consider a career in STEM as a result of visits to the science centre or through educational workshops developed and delivered at Life.
Since closing our doors on 16 March, the vast majority of our income has been wiped out overnight. Please help us to continue to make a difference. Help us interpret science to inform our young people, our communities, so that they can make decisions that shape our future. Help us inspire the next generation of scientists, doctors and researchers.
Please click the button below to make a donation.
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