news 2012

Researchers at King's College London, in collaboration with European research institutes ICFO (Barcelona) and AMOLF (Amsterdam), have succeeded in mapping how light behaves in complex photonic materials inspired by nature, like iridescent butterfly wings. Scientists have broken the limit of light resolution at the nanoscale and delivered a fundamental insight into how light and matter interact, which could lead to the development of enhanced bio-sensors for healthcare and more efficient solar cells and displays.

Psychological interventions such as habit reversal, relaxation and cognitive behavioural therapy have for the first time been shown to help prevent skin conditions, University of Sheffield experts have found. In a study, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, a team from the Department of Psychology at the University of Sheffield analysed the combined results of previous studies and determined that psychological interventions provide benefits to patients with skin conditions like psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.

Dr Barry Campbell: "It is important to understand why this type of bacteria is present in some people and not in others” Scientists at the University of Liverpool have identified a type of E.coli bacteria that may encourage the development of colon cancer. The Liverpool team had previously shown that people with colon cancer and with the inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, have high numbers of a sticky type of E.coli in their colons.

Neighbourhood income deprivation has a strong negative effect on altruistic behaviour when measured by a 'lost letter' experiment, according to new UCL research published today in PLoS One. Researchers from UCL Anthropology used the lost letter technique to measure altruism across 20 London neighbourhoods by dropping 300 letters on the pavement and recording whether they arrived at their destination.

Brain scans have revealed distinctive features in the brain structure of karate experts, which could be linked to their ability to punch powerfully from close range. Researchers from UCL and Imperial College London found that differences in the microstructure of connections in the brain were correlated with how black belts and novices performed in a test of punching ability.

Research at the University of Liverpool has found that more than 1,000 people committed suicide due to the 2008-2010 economic recession in the UK. Suicides began to rise in the UK in 2008 following 20 years of decline - figures rose 8% among men and 9% among women in 2008, compared to 2007. And even though suicides did begin to fall in 2010 figures were still above the 2007 averages.

Decoded process could hold the key to future treatments for a wide range of chronic health problems including Motor Neuron Disease, myotonic dystrophy and a wide range of cancers, University of Sheffield scientists have revealed. Experts from the University's Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, collaborating with scientists from Harvard Medical School in the USA, have revealed how a complicated set of proteins called TREX act as a passport for the transfer of cell blueprints which create proteins that are essential for life.

Researchers at King's College London have developed the first artificial functioning blood vessel outside of the body, made from reprogrammed stem cells from human skin. The team also saw the cells develop into a blood vessel inside the body for the first time. The new technique could have real potential to treat patients with heart disease - the biggest killer in the UK - by either injecting the reprogrammed cells into the leg or heart to restore blood flow or grafting an artificially developed vessel into the body to replace blocked or damaged vessels.

Mounting evidence of Higgs boson a "triumph” for particle physics Mounting evidence that the Higgs boson exists is a "triumph" for particle physics, according to Durham University experts providing the theory and analysis behind a number of experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Scientists at the LHC at CERN, in Geneva, have announced that they have found a new particle consistent with the long-sought Higgs.

Our work shows clearly that the patterns currently seen in the Neanderthal genome are not exceptional, and are in line with our expectations of what we would see without hybridisation." —Dr Andrea Manica, from the University of Cambridge, who led the study New research raises questions about the theory that modern humans and Neanderthals at some point interbred, known as hybridisation.

Professor Andrew Cossins: "It is essential for researchers to monitor the welfare of animals to minimise pain and suffering. Scientists at the Universities of Liverpool and Chester are using a new non-invasive technology, originally piloted in sheltered accommodation for elderly people, to identify when fish experience stress.

Ten more DNA regions linked to type 2 diabetes have been discovered by an international team of researchers, bringing the total to over 60. The study provides a fuller picture of the genetics and biological processes underlying type 2 diabetes, with some clear patterns emerging. The international team, led by researchers from the University of Oxford, the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, used a new DNA chip to probe deeper into the genetic variations that commonly occur in our DNA and which may have some connection to type 2 diabetes.

Using state-of-the-art technology scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered a new class of polymers that are resistant to bacterial attachment. These new materials could lead to a significant reduction in hospital infections and medical device failures. Medical device associated infections can lead to systemic infections or device failure, costing the NHS £1bn a year.

Study successfully reconstructed temperature from the deep sea to reveal how global ice volume has varied over the glacial-interglacial cycles of the past 1.5 million years. The only way we can work out what the likely effects of the changes we are making to the climate will be is by finding analogues in the geological past.

HIGH LEVELS of iron could raise the risk of bowel cancer by switching on a key pathway in people with faults in a critical anti-cancer gene, according to a study published in Cell Reports* today (Thursday). Cancer Research UK scientists, based at the University of Birmingham and the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow, found bowel cancers were two to three times more likely to develop in mice with a faulty APC gene that were fed high amounts of iron compared to mice who still had a working APC gene.

Delirium also found to worsen severity in those already diagnosed with dementia and increase the pace of cognitive decline. Because some delirium is preventable, it is plausible that delirium prevention may lead to dementia prevention." —Dr Daniel Davis Older people who have experienced episodes of delirium are significantly more likely to develop dementia, according to new research.

Exciting new fossils discovered east of Lake Turkana confirm that there were two additional species of our genus - Homo - living alongside our direct human ancestral species, Homo erectus , almost two million years ago. The finds, announced in Nature today, include a face, a remarkably complete lower jaw, and part of a second lower jaw.

Changing climates are impacting on squirrel populations by prolonging their hibernation, a study suggests. Research into Columbian ground squirrels, which live in the Rocky Mountains, has revealed that heavy winter snowfalls are delaying the animals' emergence from their winter burrows. This could prevent female ground squirrels from gaining enough weight during their short summer to give birth to healthy offspring and to survive the next season's hibernation.

A new advance in X-ray imaging has revealed the dramatic three-dimensional shape of gold nanocrystals, and is likely to shine a light on the structure of other nano-scale materials. Described today in Nature , the new technique improves the quality of nanomaterial images, made using X-ray diffraction, by accurately correcting distortions in the X-ray light.

The superficial flexor tendon stretches twice as much as a human achilles tendon Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found a mechanism in the leg that is crucial in preventing tendon injury in horses and human athletes. The research, published in the Royal Society journal, Interface , shows that a component of tendons, known as the interfascicular matrix (IFM) is essential for their function.