news 2011

Astronomers from the University have joined a hunt to discover Earth-like planets. Scientists from St Andrews and Edinburgh are joining an international team to build an instrument that can analyse potential planets identified by will be created in a project also involving Queen's University Belfast and the Universities of Geneva, Harvard and the Italian Institute of Astrophysics.

Vitamin D levels do not affect men's chances of developing prostate cancer, according to new research from the University of Bristol published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. In a detailed review, funded by Cancer Research UK, scientists looked at all the available evidence and found there was no link between the amount of vitamin D in men's blood and the risk of prostate cancer.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham's School of Sport and Exercise Sciences are looking for volunteers to take part in a study investigating whether successful weight loss can alter perception. The study will test the effect of significant weight loss on an individual's perception of spatial layout and the built environment and is led by Guy Taylor, Doctoral Researcher for the Behavioural Medicine Group for the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences.

Under embargo until 2200 hrs London time Thursday 10 February 2011 It might be better to implement policies to reduce the impact of a flu epidemic a few weeks after the start of an outbreak rather than straight away, according to a new study that uses mathematical models to simulate the effects of different interventions.

Flu reduction policies don?t need to start at the beginning of an outbreak, study suggests Mathematical models predict that some policy interventions might not be best employed at the start of an epidemic. It might be better to implement policies to reduce the impact of a flu epidemic a few weeks after the start of an outbreak rather than straight away, according to a new study that uses mathematical models to simulate the effects of different interventions.

Chemotherapy that has much-reduced side-effects could be a step closer, thanks to a development by University scientists. Researchers have created a tiny device that triggers reactions in cells. The technology could enable cancer drugs to be activated at the site of a tumour. Targeted treatment Targeting drug treatment where it is needed could safeguard the rest of the patient's body.

A new study from Utrecht and Cambridge Universities has for the first time found that an administration of testosterone under the tongue in volunteers negatively affects a person's ability to 'mind read', an indication of empathy. In addition, the effects of testosterone administration are predicted by a fetal marker of prenatal testosterone, the 2D:4D ratio.

Scientists have made a key genetic discovery that could help explain how people learn language. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have found a gene - called ROBO1 - linked to the mechanism in the brain that helps infants develop speech. Genetic traits They say identifying the gene could help us explain how some aspects of language learning in infants are influenced by genetic traits rather than educational factors.

Simply looking at your body reduces pain, according to new research by scientists from UCL (University College London) and the University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy. Published in the journal Psychological Science, the research shows that viewing your hand reduces the pain experienced when a hot object touches the skin.

Study suggests why HIV-uninfected babies born to mothers with HIV might be more vulnerable to infections Imperial research published in JAMA finds that babies of mothers with HIV have lower levels of several specific antibodies. Babies whose mothers have HIV, but who are not HIV-infected themselves, are born with lower levels of specific proteins in their blood called antibodies, which fight infection, compared with babies not exposed to HIV, a new study has found.

Huge decline in HIV rates in Zimbabwe driven by fear of infection, says study The big drop in the numbers of people infected with HIV in Zimbabwe is because of mass social change, driven by fear of infection, according to an international study reported in PLoS Medicine. The big drop in the numbers of people infected with HIV in Zimbabwe is because of mass social change, driven by fear of infection, according to an international study reported today in the journal PLoS Medicine.

Paternal genes advise maternal immune cells on how to build the best womb for developing foetuses. Researchers at the University of Cambridge and the Babraham Institute have identified a mechanism by which specific combinations of genes can lead to miscarriage and other complications in pregnancies.

Dr Stephen Price (UCL Chemistry) is part of a UCL team that has developed a piece of experimental apparatus to study the chemistry of dications: molecules that have two positive charges. Recent studies of the layers at the top of the atmospheres of Earth, Mars, Venus and Titan have proposed that such doubly?charged molecules are present in significant numbers and that the chemistry of these energetic species affects the composition of these atmospheric regions.

Pair of genes makes plant pest double trouble Research at Imperial could help scientists control one of the world's most important crop diseases, Pseudomonas Syringae - News Monday 7 February 2011 Adapted from a news release issued by the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (BBSRC).

A survey by King's College London and law firm Speechly Bircham reveals that employers are facing a sustained increase in workplace unrest as austerity measures, longer working hours, stress and a genuine skills gap take their toll on the UK workforce. The State of HR Survey report highlights the full extent of the problems faced by employers, as they struggle to find ways to address gender pay inequality and are unprepared for upcoming changes to the default retirement age.

Art 04 Feb 11 The title page of the Cabinet of Love, which appears unannounced at the end of The Works, a copy of which is held in the Bodleian. Credit: Bodleian Libraries An Oxford University academic has explained the secret behind the success of two of the best selling volumes of poetic miscellanies in the 18th Century - a series of pornographic poems were hidden at the back of the book.

Obesity has doubled since 1980, major global analysis of risk factors reveals Study shows western high-income countries have achieved impressive progress in lowering hypertension and cholesterol The worldwide prevalence of obesity has nearly doubled since 1980, according to a major study on how three important heart disease risk factors have changed across the world over the last three decades.

Coral reefs present a treacherous wall of mouths to flea-sized planktonic crustaceans, but the clamour generated by animals on the reef may act like a foghorn to warn them away from danger. In the first study to examine the response to noise of a diverse range of crustaceans, an international team led by the University of Bristol found that many families of crustaceans previously assumed to be deaf could detect, and avoid, reef noise.

University of Manchester scientists have shown that a protein involved in blood clotting can be used to diagnose and subsequently monitor the treatment of a group of childhood genetic diseases. In the study, published in the Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease , the researchers were able to show that the clotting agent, heparan cofactor II/Thrombin (HCII/T) complex, could be used as a 'biomarker', or biological tell, in individuals with mucopolysaccharide (MPS) diseases.

Links: Parkinson's research paper in The Lancet vCJD research paper in The Lancet UCL Institute of Neurology UCL Neuroscience Two high profile research papers from UCL Institute of Neurology scientists have been published this week. Professor Alan Thompson, Director of the UCL Institute of Neurology and Interim Head of UCL Neuroscience domain, said: "These two important studies, both published in The Lancet this week, are a testament to the breadth and significance of neuroscience research at UCL.