May | 2020 | Biology, ecology and biomedical science at Brighton

COVID-19 – a tragedy but there are reasons to be proud

A Brighton virologist has been “heartbroken” by the COVID-19 tragedy but maintains the pandemic has produced moments to be proud of. Dr Sarah Pitt, virologist and biomedical scientist at the University of Brighton, said: “What has happened is an absolute tragedy and totally heart breaking. “I’m just as upset as everyone else but it is…

Sammuel Penny examining a frog in Madagascar

Hopping onto the world’s stage – meet the new species of frog no bigger than a 5p coin

A Brighton scientist has co-discovered a new, tiny species of frog – just 1cm in length – and it is already being classed as critically endangered. The miniature stump-toed ‘Stumpffia’ froschaueri, a member of a frog genus which is endemic to Madagascar, was discovered in north-western region of the island and differs from all others…

Vitamin D – it won’t prevent COVID-19

Top scientists have dismissed social media reports that high doses of Vitamin D can protect people from COVID-19 but have emphasised the importance of maintaining a healthy level of vitamin D in the body. Among them are Professor Colin Smith, the University of Brighton’s Professor of Functional Genomics, who said: “There are currently some very…

University helps with hospital COVID test

University of Brighton technical staff stepped up when a hospital ran short of vital equipment for running COVIC-19 tests. The microbiology laboratory at Brighton’s Royal Sussex County Hospital had to change one part of its COVID-19 testing protocol and needed special pipettes – multichannel pipettes capable of transferring small quantities of liquids – to perform…

COVID-19 may be here to stay – but it could get better

University of Brighton virologist Dr Sarah Pitt says it’s possible coronavirus will mutate into something less harmful.