News: January 2019

Investigating why oak trees are dying is helping scientists understand how infectious diseases work

British oak trees are under threat from a disease known as Acute Oak Decline. Mainly affecting mature trees, it can kill them within four to five years of symptoms appearing. However, while researchers like myself have been looking into what causes it, and trying to find a way to prevent it, our work has been hindered in part by the fact that we have to follow a set of scientific rules known as Koch’s postulates.

This article by James Doonan, Postdoctoral Research Officer, School of Natural Sciences is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Publication date: 14 January 2019