news 2013

The Economic and Social Research Council have announced that the next British Election Study will be hosted by a consortium led by The University of Manchester in collaboration with the Universities of Oxford and Nottingham. The scientific leadership team for the 2015 Study will be Professor Ed Fieldhouse, Dr Jane Green, Professor Hermann Schmitt, all from The University of Manchester; Professor Geoff Evans, from Nuffield College, Oxford, and Professor Cees van der Eijk from Nottingham University.

A groundbreaking study of 13 and 14-year-olds in 13 Staffordshire schools has revealed worrying levels of domestic abuse among the young. The research found that over half of the 1,203 Year 9 pupils had some direct experiences of domestic abuse, whether as victims, witnesses, or perpetrators. It was led by Professor David Gadd from The University of Manchester and Dr Claire Fox from The University of Keele.

Neanderthal brains were adapted to allow them to see better and maintain larger bodies, according to new research by the University of Oxford and the Natural History Museum, London. Although Neanderthals' brains were similar in size to their contemporary modern human counterparts, fresh analysis of fossil data suggests that their brain structure was rather different.

Sexual abuse has an often devastating and long-term impact on the lives of many children and young people - for these children the future can be very dark indeed. A new study by Durham and Bristol universities will evaluate the effectiveness of a therapeutic service designed to help children and young people who have been affected by sexual abuse.

Research into adoptive families headed by same-sex couples paints a positive picture of relationships and wellbeing in these new families. The study, which was carried out by Cambridge University, suggests that adoptive families with gay fathers might be faring particularly well. Overall we found markedly more similarities than differences in experiences between family types.

UK legislation to limit paracetamol pack sizes has seen a 43% reduction in the number of deaths due to paracetamol overdoses, a study led by Oxford University researchers has found. 'Paracetamol overdoses result in some 100 to 200 deaths per year. While it is not the most common method of suicide, it is an important one in that deaths often result from impulsive acts where death may not be intended,' says lead researcher Keith Hawton of the Centre for Suicide Research at Oxford.

The study, by researchers from Oxford University and The University of Manchester, found the number of deaths reduced following new legislation introduced by the Government in 1998 to restrict pack sizes to 32 tablets at pharmacies and 16 for non-pharmacy sales. Published in the British Medical Journal today (Friday 8 February), the study analysed data from 1993-2009, comparing the number of deaths before and after the legislation was introduced.

—Dr Markus Z?ttl of the University of Cambridge Cichlid fish are more likely to accept immigrants into their group when they are under threat from predators and need reinforcements, new research shows. The researcher suggests that there are parallels between cooperatively breeding fish's and humans' regulation of immigrants.

The role of online technology in instigating and maintaining control and violence in young people's intimate relationships will be examined in a new study led by researchers at the University of Bristol. Instant messaging and social networking sites are some of the most popular ways young people communicate today.