news 2012

Researchers have identified a new means to eradicate malaria infections by rapidly killing the blood-borne Plasmodium parasites that cause the disease. Malaria causes up to 3 million deaths each year, predominantly afflicting vulnerable people such as children under five and pregnant women, in tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Adapted from a news release from Alzheimer's Research UK Scientists at Imperial College London have found that the drug prazosin, used to treat high blood pressure, may have potential benefits in Alzheimer's. The study found that the drug could prevent memory loss in mice showing characteristic features of the disease.

A research team from the University of Bristol's Centre for Quantum Photonics (CQP) have brought the reality of a quantum computer one step closer by experimentally demonstrating a technique for significantly reducing the physical resources required for quantum factoring. The team have shown how it is possible to recycle the particles inside a quantum computer, so that quantum factoring can be achieved with only one third of the particles originally required.

World-leading experts in Magnetic Resonance Imaging from The University of Nottingham's Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre have made a key discovery which could give the medical world a new tool for the improved diagnosis and monitoring of neuro-degenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis.

Researchers at King's College London have identified a gene involved in the development of breast cancer, which could lead to the earlier detection and treatment of the disease. A new study, in collaboration with Institut d'Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), has found that gene changes occur up to five years before the detection of breast cancer, paving the way for treatments aimed specifically at reversing changes in susceptible genes before cancer occurs.

People who exercise later in life may better protect their brain from age-related changes than those who do not, a study suggests. Researchers found that people over 70 who took regular exercise showed less brain shrinkage over a three-year period than those who did little exercise. Psychologists and Neuroimaging experts, based at the University did not find there to be any benefit to brain health for older people from participation in social or mentally stimulating activities.

23 Oct 2012 Professor Terry Brown, working in partnership with Professor Charlotte Roberts from Durham University, used a next generation sequencing approach, including hybridization capture technology, to identify tuberculosis genes in a 19 th century female skeleton found in a crypt in Leeds. Their study is part of wider research into the identification of strains of TB in skeletons dating from 100 AD to the late 19th century.

Infants are more likely to recognise words spoken in the dialect of their local communities than those used by their parents, psychologists have revealed. A study at Plymouth University has shown toddlers are more receptive to regional accents which might be spoken in nurseries and playgroups, even if they are vastly different to those spoken in the home.

New technology that can analyse diseases in ancient skeletons has yielded fascinating results in a study led by Durham University. Professor Charlotte Roberts of Durham's Department of Archaeology , working in partnership with Professor Terry Brown from the University of Manchester, used a new system that can scrutinise millions of gene sequences within seconds.

New data which more accurately measures the rate of ice-melt could help us better understand how Antarctica is changing in the light of global warming. New data which more accurately measures the rate of ice-melt could help us better understand how Antarctica is changing in the light of global warming.

A major research facility aimed at creating more robust digital and innovative healthcare programmes for people living with life-threatening and chronic illnesses has been launched by the Institute of Digital Healthcare at the University of Warwick. This new resource is aimed at understanding and evaluating effectiveness of digital programmes in the health service, as well as trialling novel digital healthcare technologies .

A European team of scientists have built the first atlas of white-matter microstructure in the human brain. The project's final results have the potential to change the face of neuroscience and medicine over the coming decade. The project investigators met today in Paris, after 3 years of research, to announce the conclusion of the project and present a report of their findings.

Scientists have discovered why the 'broken world' following the worst extinction of all time lasted so long - it was simply too hot to survive. The end-Permian mass extinction, which occurred around 250 million years ago in the pre-dinosaur era, wiped out nearly all the world’s species. Typically, a mass extinction is followed by a ‘dead zone’ during which new species are not seen for tens of thousands of years.

18 Oct 2012 The University of Manchester researchers, who were funded by the charities Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research and Cancer Research UK, have shown that, when used in conjunction with radiotherapy, the new drug is potentially four times more likely to lead to long-term survival than radiotherapy alone.

A new study indicates that about one-third of asylum-seeking Afghan children who arrive in the UK without their parents or a guardian are likely to be experience symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. However, they also found those in foster care were less likely to be suffering from PTSD than those in shared accommodation with other asylum-seekers and refugees.

Researchers at the University of Leeds have identified a crucial stage in the lifecycle of simple viruses like polio and the common cold that could open a new front in the war on viral disease. The team are the first to observe at a single-molecule level how the genetic material (genome) that forms the core of a single-strand RNA virus particle packs itself into its outer shell of proteins.

Each year thousands of cattle are slaughtered to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis. New research reveals that testing misses many animals harbouring the disease and shows that large herds are particularly vulnerable to rapid transmission. Around 38 per cent of herds that are cleared experience a recurrent incident within 24 months, suggesting that infection may be persisting within herds." —Dr Andrew Conlan A team of scientists has used mathematical tools to develop models for estimating the efficiency of cattle-based controls for bovine tuberculosis (bTB).

18 Oct 2012 Stunning images, including video footage, from a CT scan of amber have revealed the first evidence of any creature using an adult mayfly for transport. Researchers at the University of Manchester say this 16 million-year-old hitchhiker most likely demonstrates activity that is taking place today but has never previously been recorded.

Do subtitles have an impact on how audiences understand the movie? A University of Nottingham academic published a book on viewers' interpretations of dynamic interactions represented in films via subtitling. Xiaohui Yuan, a lecturer in Translation and Interpreting Studies at The University of Nottingham, shared her views in the latest book Politeness and Audience Response in Chinese-English Subtitling on how the face negotiation is dealt with when subtitling between Chinese and English.

Humans don't have a monopoly on being smart: many other animals, including birds, can solve problems and even make and use tools. But does it always pay for animals to be brainy or are there hidden costs? A recent study of great tits led by Ella Cole of Oxford University's Department of Zoology, published in Current Biology , gives an insight into the trade-offs between problem-solving abilities and other traits.