news 2013

Scientists have detected a rocky planet that is smaller than Mercury, the smallest planet in our solar system, orbiting a solar-type star 80% of the size and mass of the Sun, according to research published today (Wednesday 20 February 2013). The exact dimensions of the star, and the absolute size of the planet, were determined by asteroseismologists led by the University of Birmingham.

Both AMD, which affects around 50 million people worldwide, and aHUS, a rare kidney disease that affects children, are associated with incorrectly controlled immune systems. A protein called complement factor H (CFH) is responsible for regulating part of our immune system called the complement cascade.

Hypnosis has begun to attract renewed interest from neuroscientists interested in using hypnotic suggestion to test predictions about normal cognitive functioning. To demonstrate the future potential of this growing field, guest editors Peter Halligan from the School of Psychology at Cardiff University and David A. Oakley of University College London, brought together leading researchers from cognitive neuroscience and hypnosis to contribute to this month's special issue of the international journal, Cortex.

For social animals such as schooling fish, the loss of their numbers to human activity could eventually threaten entire populations, according to new research which found that such animals rely heavily on grouping to effectively navigate their environment. Collective intelligence is vital to certain animals' ability to evaluate and respond to their environment according to the study, which was led by researchers from Princeton University and co-authored by Christos Ioannou, now at the University of Bristol.

Researchers have produced a mathematical model to describe how conflicting opinions are resolved over articles that appear on Wikipedia, the collaboratively-edited encyclopaedia. The study maps the evolution of opinion over time, showing that even widely diverging opinions eventually converge. The researchers say this pattern in collective human behaviour is reminiscent of the interaction of particles in physics, such as when wind-blown grains of sand eventually create sand dunes.

Greater conservation of threatened acacia trees is needed to preserve vulnerable species of rare insectivorous bats in Israel, according to new research by biologists at the University of Bristol. Dense areas of flourishing acacia trees are in decline due to increasing water stress and the encroachment of human activity into their ecosystem, but such trees represent the only habitat that supports some rare and endangered species of bat.

51/13 New research by The University of Nottingham and energy company E.ON could help people to save money on their energy bills by identifying which of their household electrical appliances are using the most power. Smart meters, which could help consumers to save money, are planned to be installed in every UK home by 2019.

The daffodil is one of the few plants with a 'corona', a crown-like structure also referred to as the 'trumpet'. New research suggests that the corona is not an extension of the petals as previously thought, but is a distinct organ sharing more genetic identity with stamens, the pollen-producing reproductive organs.

Hundreds of tiny fungal particles found in the lungs of asthma sufferers could offer new clues in the development of new treatments, according to a team of University scientists. In the first large study of its type, published in the journal, BMC Infectious Diseases , a team of researchers from the School of Medicine have uncovered large numbers of fungi present in healthy lungs.

A year-long research programme at the University of Sheffield is aiming to improve urban life in the UK through the use of living walls. The research will quantify the long term effects of living wall systems in the UK climate over all four seasons of the year. Living walls are made by covering surfaces of buildings in plants and creating conditions for them to grow and live successfully there.

The findings by academics at The University of Manchester, published in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing, compared Johnson's Baby Top-to-Toe wash against plain bath water on 307 newborn babies over a four week period. The findings challenge the current advice from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines, that baby wash should be avoided in the first 6-8 weeks after birth.

A study has gained new insight into domestic dogs' fear responses to noises. The behavioural response by dogs to noises can be extreme in nature, distressing for owners and a welfare issue for dogs. The research by academics from the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol, and funded by the RSPCA , is published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science .

The risk posed by global warming and rising ocean temperatures to the future health of the world’s marine ecosystem has been highlighted by scientists studying fossil records. Researchers at Plymouth University believe that findings from fieldwork along the North Yorkshire coast reveal strong parallels between the Early Jurassic era of 180 million years ago and current climate predictions over the next century.

Between 1990 and 2010 new HIV infections in the UK rose in men who have sex with men (MSM). The rise was driven by a 26 per cent increase in the proportion having condomless sex, according to new research by UCL and the Health Protection Agency. However, the findings suggest the increase in new infections would have been 68 per cent greater without the introduction of antiretrovirals (ART) in the same period, and 400 per cent greater if MSM condom use had ceased entirely from 2000 onwards.

It's thought abnormalities in their ability to do play an important role in a broad range of disorders, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. The study's findings are outlined in the journal Molecular Cell and describe a surprising new aspect of cell adhesion involving the family of cell adhesion molecules known as integrins, which are found on the surfaces of most cells.

Research shows that a new scan offering patients a less invasive diagnostic test for possible bowel cancer is more effective than the current radiological standard of barium enema and should be considered alongside the 'gold standard' of colonoscopy. Computed tomographic colonography is the name of the newer procedure.

Microbes present in the gut can affect the severity of kidney disease brought on by melamine poisoning, according to an international study led by Wei Jia at the University of North Carolina in collaboration with the research group of Jeremy Nicholson at Imperial College London. In 2008, nearly 300,000 Chinese children were hospitalised with kidney disease brought on by supplies of powdered milk deliberately contaminated with melamine to boost the apparent protein content.

Supposedly 'primitive' reflexes may involve more sophisticated brain function than previously thought, according to researchers at Imperial College London. The vestibular-ocular reflex (or VOR), common to most vertebrates, is what allows us to keep our eyes focused on a fixed point even while our heads are moving.

Based on a news release by Cancer Research UK A less invasive 'virtual colonoscopy' using CT scans is more effective for investigating patients with possible bowel cancer than the traditional X-ray test, according to a new study. The researchers say CT colonography (CTC) should now be considered alongside the 'gold standard' of colonoscopy.

Chemists at the University of Liverpool have created a new technique that could be used in industry to separate complex organic chemical mixtures. Chemical feedstocks containing benzene are used extensively in industry to create modern materials and polymers. Distillation techniques Their use relies heavily on distillation techniques which separate complex mixtures into more simple molecules used as building blocks to develop drugs, plastics and new materials.