news 2014

09 Oct 2014 Scientists at The University of Manchester have used a new way of working to identify a new gene linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. The discovery fills in another piece of the jigsaw when it comes to identifying people most at risk of developing the condition. Researcher David Ashbrook and colleagues from the UK and USA used two of the world's largest collections of scientific data to compare the genes in mice and humans.

King's College London is part of a major global initiative to discover factors that affect the brain, either by helping or harming it. By pooling brain scans and DNA collected from 30,000 people at over 185 sites globally, the ENIGMA Project aims to identify risk factors behind mental illness, and understand when treatments are most likely to work.

09 Oct 2014 An international team of astronomers has been able to see into the heart of an exploding star, by combining data from telescopes that are hundreds or even thousands of kilometres apart. Highly-detailed images produced using radio telescopes from across Europe and America have pinpointed the locations where a stellar explosion (called a nova), emitted gamma rays (extremely high energy radiation).

New research reveals family carers of those living with terminal illnesses are not being provided with the support and information they need when managing and administering medication at home. 'Managing end of life medications at home' published in the BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care Journal , is the first report from Unpacking the Home, a pioneering new piece of research from Lancaster University, funded by Marie Curie.

A new crystallographic technique developed at the University of Leeds is set to transform scientists' ability to observe how molecules work. A research paper, published Methods, describes a new way of doing time-resolved crystallography, a method that researchers use to observe changes within the structure of molecules.

Scientists from the University of Leeds have taken a crucial step forward in bio-nanotechnology, a field that uses biology to develop new tools for science, technology and medicine. The new study, published in print today in the journal Nano Letters, demonstrates how stable ‘lipid membranes’ – the thin ‘skin’ that surrounds all biological cells – can be applied to synthetic surfaces.

Scientists from the University of Leeds have taken a crucial step forward in bio-nanotechnology, a field that uses biology to develop new tools for science, technology and medicine. The new study, published in print today in the journal Nano Letters, demonstrates how stable ‘lipid membranes’ – the thin ‘skin’ that surrounds all biological cells – can be applied to synthetic surfaces.

Researchers have identified a key mechanism in the birth of new brain cells, with implications for treating brain injury and diseases. Neurogenesis is the process by which new brain cells are generated. The details of how and why brain cells continue to generate in adults remains a relative mystery and one that would be very valuable to solve for clinical application.

Press release issued: 6 October 2014 The next generation of aircraft could be thinner and lighter thanks to the development of a new imaging technique that could detect damage previously invisible to acoustic imaging systems. The nonlinear acoustic technique developed by researchers from the University of Bristol's Ultrasonics and Non-destructive Testing (NDT) research group is published in the current issue of Physical Review Letters together with an accompanying article in Physics .

Research has begun at Lancaster to investigate exactly how plants pass on their immunity to their offspring. In 2012 plant scientists at Lancaster were among the first in the world to publish data explaining how plants exposed to pests or disease can pass on their immunity to their seedlings, giving them an inherited advantage which can still be seen several generations down the line.

Engineers from Lancaster University have helped explorers discover the world's biggest cave. The exciting discovery of the giant Miao Room cavern, in China, was featured by National Geographic News and in the July issue of National Geographic magazine The cavern was scanned as part of a 2013 expedition into the cave, which was co-led by Richard Walters from Penrith-based company Commendium Ltd. The scan data was provided to engineers at Lancaster University, who used this raw data to make calculations on the area, volume and other values of the underground spaces.

Press release issued: 6 October 2014 New research by scientists at the University of Bristol has challenged one of the key axioms in biology - that enzymes need water to function. The breakthrough could eventually lead to the development of new industrial catalysts for processing biodiesel. Enzymes are large biological molecules that catalyse thousands of different chemical reactions that are essential for all life, from converting food into energy, to controlling how our cells replicate DNA.

A new and potentially more revealing way of studying how animal evolution is affected by the geography of climate has been designed by researchers at The University of Nottingham and Harvard University. The research, published in the prestigious journal, ' The American Naturalist ', uses a new approach to investigate how animals across (inter-specific) and within (intra-specific) species change in size along temperature gradients, shedding light on a 150-year-old evolutionary puzzle.

British Gut - the UK's largest open-source science project to understand the microbial diversity of the human gut - has been launched today by the Department of Twin Research at King's College London, in collaboration with American Gut. The project will give people in the UK and across Europe the opportunity to learn more about the microbes which live in their gut, skin and mouth, and to find out how these microbes are affected by diet and lifestyle.

New research, led by King's College London finds that the high heritability of exam grades reflects many genetically influenced traits such as personality, behaviour problems, and self-efficacy and not just intelligence. The study, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) , looked at 13,306 twins at age 16 who were part of the Medical Research Council (MRC) funded UK Twins Early Development Study (TEDS).

Scientists have taken pictures of the BRCA2 protein for the first time, showing how it works to repair damaged DNA. Mutations in the gene that encodes BRCA2 are well known for raising the risk of breast cancer and other cancers. Although the protein was known to be involved in DNA repair, its shape and mechanism have been unclear, making it impossible to target with therapies.

New research has shown current practices for treating stroke victims may be leaving patients overburdened by their treatment plans putting them at risk of adverse side effects. A study led by researchers from University of Glasgow found most stroke patients are dealing with several other health conditions, leaving them with a considerable 'treatment burden'.

A new study, led by King's College London, has found that omega-3 fatty acids reduce the rates of depression among patients with high levels of inflammation. Patients with increased inflammation have a greatly increased risk of depression. The study, published in Biological Psychiatry , involved patients who were receiving medical treatment (interferon-alpha therapy) over 6 months for chronic hepatitis C. Approximately 30% of patients receiving this type of treatment become depressed, and it is a commonly-used model of inflammation-induced depression.

During the Second World War, analysts pored over stereoscopic aerial reconnaissance photographs, becoming experts at identifying potential targets from camouflaged or visually noisy backgrounds, and then at distinguishing between V-weapons and innocuous electricity pylons.

02 Oct 2014 A new test developed by researchers from the University of Manchester could revolutionise the discovery of new prescription drugs. A new test developed by researchers from the University of Manchester could revolutionise the discovery of new prescription drugs. The test will help determine which drugs are unlikely to work at an early stage, speeding up the time it takes to make safe and effective medicines available.