news
Pharmacology - Apr 2
Patients with severe COVID-19 are being recruited to test the drug remdesivir as part of a new trial which is being led by the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL. The trial is the first academic study of the drug as a treatment for coronavirus to take place in the UK The Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial (ACTT-EU/UK) trial, which is taking place in about 75 hospitals globally, recruited its first UK patient this week.
Health - Apr 1
A new blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer with high accuracy has been developed by an international team of researchers co-led by UCL.
Environment - Apr 1
Movement breaks camouflage, making it risky for anything trying to hide. New research, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B today [1 April] has shown that dynamic features common in many natural habitats, such as moving light patterns, can reduce being located when moving.
Environment - Apr 1
Researchers have found evidence of rainforests near the South Pole 90 million years ago, suggesting the climate was exceptionally warm at the time.
Life Sciences - Apr 1
Researchers from Bristol's School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine have been growing the live human SARS-CoV-2 virus in a controlled lab to investigate what the virus is doing inside monkey and human cells.
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Researchers lead trial to test remdesivir drug on COVID-19 patients
Patients with severe COVID-19 are being recruited to test the drug remdesivir as part of a new trial which is being led by the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL. The trial is the first academic study of the drug as a treatment for coronavirus to take place in the UK The Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial (ACTT-EU/UK) trial, which is taking place in about 75 hospitals globally, recruited its first UK patient this week.
Patients with severe COVID-19 are being recruited to test the drug remdesivir as part of a new trial which is being led by the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL. The trial is the first academic study of the drug as a treatment for coronavirus to take place in the UK The Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial (ACTT-EU/UK) trial, which is taking place in about 75 hospitals globally, recruited its first UK patient this week.
A new blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer with high accuracy has been developed by an international team of researchers co-led by UCL. It is expected that the study , published in Annals of Oncology , will play a key role in early detection of cancer, which can often be critical to successful treatment. The test, developed by GRAIL, looks for tell-tale chemical changes to bits of genetic code - cell-free DNA - that leak from tumours into the bloodstream.
Researchers have found evidence of rainforests near the South Pole 90 million years ago, suggesting the climate was exceptionally warm at the time. A team from the UK and Germany discovered forest soil from the Cretaceous period within 900 km of the South Pole. Their analysis of the preserved roots, pollen and spores shows that the world at that time was a lot warmer than previously thought.
Movement breaks camouflage, making it risky for anything trying to hide. New research, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B today [1 April] has shown that dynamic features common in many natural habitats, such as moving light patterns, can reduce being located when moving. Dynamic illumination is particularly common in coral reefs, where patterns known as 'water caustics' play chaotically in the shallows.
UK genome analysis has important implications for COVID-19 clinical trials
Researchers from Bristol's School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine have been growing the live human SARS-CoV-2 virus in a controlled lab to investigate what the virus is doing inside monkey and human cells. Using state-of-the-art scientific techniques, the team isolated parts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to find out how the virus instructs the cell to make virus proteins, which can either be used to form virus particles or slow our immune response.
Researchers from Bristol's School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine have been growing the live human SARS-CoV-2 virus in a controlled lab to investigate what the virus is doing inside monkey and human cells. Using state-of-the-art scientific techniques, the team isolated parts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to find out how the virus instructs the cell to make virus proteins, which can either be used to form virus particles or slow our immune response.
Scientists working to improve facemasks used by COVID-19 frontline NHS staff
Scientists at the Healthcare Technologies Institute, University of Birmingham and King's College London are working on a solution to improve the seal and fit of facemasks used in hospitals during the COVID-19 crisis. Since the onset of the crisis the subject of personal protective equipment (PPE) has become a key discussion point.
Scientists at the Healthcare Technologies Institute, University of Birmingham and King's College London are working on a solution to improve the seal and fit of facemasks used in hospitals during the COVID-19 crisis. Since the onset of the crisis the subject of personal protective equipment (PPE) has become a key discussion point.
New quantum technology could help diagnose and treat heart condition
The conductivity of living organs, such as the heart, could be imaged non-invasively using quantum technology developed by UCL researchers, which has the potential to revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a heart condition that causes an irregular and abnormally fast heart rate, potentially leading to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.
The conductivity of living organs, such as the heart, could be imaged non-invasively using quantum technology developed by UCL researchers, which has the potential to revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a heart condition that causes an irregular and abnormally fast heart rate, potentially leading to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.
Way to extract colour from black
Scientists have developed a way of extracting a richer palette of colours from the available spectrum by harnessing disordered patterns inspired by nature that would typically be seen as black. Colours that we see in nature often come from nanoscale patterns that reflect light back in particular ways.
Scientists have developed a way of extracting a richer palette of colours from the available spectrum by harnessing disordered patterns inspired by nature that would typically be seen as black. Colours that we see in nature often come from nanoscale patterns that reflect light back in particular ways.
Opinion: Can cats really get or pass on COVID-19, as a report from Belgium suggests?
Should we be concerned about the coronavirus spreading to cats' Not yet, says Dr Sarah Caddy in this article for The Conversation, even after a concerning report from Belgium. After reports of two dogs testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 in Hong Kong, the most recent news to cause alarm among animal owners is that of a cat in Belgium with apparent symptoms of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Should we be concerned about the coronavirus spreading to cats' Not yet, says Dr Sarah Caddy in this article for The Conversation, even after a concerning report from Belgium. After reports of two dogs testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 in Hong Kong, the most recent news to cause alarm among animal owners is that of a cat in Belgium with apparent symptoms of the virus that causes COVID-19.
A new multinational study has shown how the process of distinguishing viruses and bacteria could be accelerated through the use of computational methods. The researchers, led by the University of Edinburgh, with colleagues from Cambridge, London, Slovenia and China, used a combination of theoretical and experimental methods to develop a strategy to detect the DNA of infectious diseases.
Universities join forces to help pandemic fight
Scientists at the Universities of Dundee are Glasgow are combining their expertise to aid the global battle against coronavirus. The collaboration brings world-leading researchers at Medical Research Council-funded units at both institutions together to generate biological tools that will enable them to study the virus and identify ways of defeating it.
Scientists at the Universities of Dundee are Glasgow are combining their expertise to aid the global battle against coronavirus. The collaboration brings world-leading researchers at Medical Research Council-funded units at both institutions together to generate biological tools that will enable them to study the virus and identify ways of defeating it.
Historical coronaviruses show evidence of seasonality & immunity
Using historical data, a UCL research team has found that levels of infection from three common coronaviruses appear to have followed a seasonal pattern in England, with peaks occurring during winter and broadly at the same time as influenza. The researchers found that only small amounts of coronavirus were transmitted in the summer.
Using historical data, a UCL research team has found that levels of infection from three common coronaviruses appear to have followed a seasonal pattern in England, with peaks occurring during winter and broadly at the same time as influenza. The researchers found that only small amounts of coronavirus were transmitted in the summer.
The gap between children with the highest and lowest socio-emotional skills has increased over the past three decades, and the socio-economic status of mothers is a significant contributing factor, according to a new UCL study. The study, published in the Journal of Public Economics , compares the socio-emotional skills of two cohorts of children born in England 30 years apart, and shows for the first time that inequality in these early skills has increased.
Quantum leap for photon entanglement could revolutionise secure communications
A breakthrough in the development of quantum-enhanced optical systems could pave the way for advances in encryption, communication and measurement, scientists say. In a new paper published today in the journal Science Advances, a group of researchers, led by Matteo Clerici at the University of Glasgow's James Watt School of Engineering and colleagues from the UK, Japan and Germany, demonstrates a new method of generating and detecting quantum-entangled photons at a wavelength of 2.1 micrometres.
A breakthrough in the development of quantum-enhanced optical systems could pave the way for advances in encryption, communication and measurement, scientists say. In a new paper published today in the journal Science Advances, a group of researchers, led by Matteo Clerici at the University of Glasgow's James Watt School of Engineering and colleagues from the UK, Japan and Germany, demonstrates a new method of generating and detecting quantum-entangled photons at a wavelength of 2.1 micrometres.
University of Oxford researchers working in an unprecedented vaccine development effort to prevent COVID-19 have started screening healthy volunteers (aged 18-55) today for their upcoming ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine trial in the Thames Valley Region. The vaccine based on an adenovirus vaccine vector and the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is already in production but won't be ready for some weeks still.
Scientists document seasonal migrations of fish across the deep-sea floor for the first time
Scientists have, for the first time, documented seasonal migrations of fish across the seafloor in deep-sea fish, revealing an important insight that will further scientific understanding of the nature of our planet. The study - published today in the Journal of Animal Ecology and led by the University of Glasgow and Nova Southeastern University in Florida - analysed over seven years of deep-sea photographic data from West Africa, linking seasonal patterns in surface-ocean productivity with observed behavioural patterns of fishes at 1500 metres.
Scientists have, for the first time, documented seasonal migrations of fish across the seafloor in deep-sea fish, revealing an important insight that will further scientific understanding of the nature of our planet. The study - published today in the Journal of Animal Ecology and led by the University of Glasgow and Nova Southeastern University in Florida - analysed over seven years of deep-sea photographic data from West Africa, linking seasonal patterns in surface-ocean productivity with observed behavioural patterns of fishes at 1500 metres.
Scientists predict the size of plastics animals can eat
A team of scientists at Cardiff University has, for the first time, developed a way of predicting the size of plastics different animals are likely to ingest. The researchers, from the University's Water Research Institute, looked at the gut contents of more than 2,000 animals to create a simple equation to predict the size of a plastic item an animal can eat, based on the length of its body.
A team of scientists at Cardiff University has, for the first time, developed a way of predicting the size of plastics different animals are likely to ingest. The researchers, from the University's Water Research Institute, looked at the gut contents of more than 2,000 animals to create a simple equation to predict the size of a plastic item an animal can eat, based on the length of its body.
The outbreak of COVID-19 would likely have caused 40 million deaths this year in the absence of any preventative measures. This is one of the findings of a new analysis by researchers at Imperial College London, which estimated the potential scale of the coronavirus pandemic across the globe, highlighting that failure to mitigate the impact could lead to huge loss of life.
Marine species respond as oceans warm
A global analysis of over 300 marine species spanning more than 100 years, shows that mammals, plankton, fish, plants and seabirds have been changing in abundance as our climate warms. At the cool edge of species ranges marine life is doing well as warming opens up habitat that was previously inaccessible, while at the warmer edge species are declining as conditions become too warm to tolerate.
A global analysis of over 300 marine species spanning more than 100 years, shows that mammals, plankton, fish, plants and seabirds have been changing in abundance as our climate warms. At the cool edge of species ranges marine life is doing well as warming opens up habitat that was previously inaccessible, while at the warmer edge species are declining as conditions become too warm to tolerate.
Stresses the urgent need for serologic testing to help tackle the COVID-19 outbreak
Serologic tests are blood tests that look for antibodies in your blood, and would allow scientists to decipher what fraction of the British public have already had COVID-19 and recovered, and provide an improved estimate of the number remaining at risk of serious illness. The research led by Professor Sunetra Gupta and Dr Jose Lourenco from Oxford's Department of Zoology, used a well-understood and widely studied modelling approach.
Serologic tests are blood tests that look for antibodies in your blood, and would allow scientists to decipher what fraction of the British public have already had COVID-19 and recovered, and provide an improved estimate of the number remaining at risk of serious illness. The research led by Professor Sunetra Gupta and Dr Jose Lourenco from Oxford's Department of Zoology, used a well-understood and widely studied modelling approach.
News from the Lab is a selection of science news that are significant or interesting for a broad readership.
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