Evolution may be responsible for a range of complex traits, including height and waist-to-hip ratio, and diseases such as schizophrenia, research from The University of Queensland shows. The findings improve understanding of how natural selection shapes human populations, and could lead to better prevention, diagnosis and treatment of complex diseases.

Genetic research aimed at improving healthcare will be the focus of the University of Queensland’s new Genome Innovation Hub.

A University of Queensland researcher will join the ranks of eminent scientists from around the world following his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London.

The biggest study of its kind has allowed researchers to identify genetic risk factors associated with major depression, providing new insights for prevention and treatment. Australian researchers, including Professor Naomi Wray from The University of Queensland, are now seeking volunteers who have been diagnosed with clinical depression to help build on this study to make further advances into the genetics behind the common disorder.

Researchers will soon understand how to better target cancer treatments with the opening of a new Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) facility at The University of Queensland (UQ).

Evolution has shaped the human race, with University of Queensland researchers finding signatures of natural selection in the genome that influence traits associated with fertility and heart function.

Brisbane peptide research will be promoted internationally thanks to UQ researchers receiving an inaugural grant from the Lord Mayor.