news 2015

It took 100 million years for oxygen levels in the oceans and atmosphere to increase to the level that allowed the explosion of animal life on Earth about 600 million years ago, according to a UCL-led study funded by the Natural Environment Research Council. Before now it was not known how quickly Earth's oceans and atmosphere became oxygenated and if animal life expanded before or after oxygen levels rose.

An Oxford University study says children's centres across England have successfully reached out to support vulnerable families in disadvantaged communities, especially in supporting parenting skills and confidence Organised activities, such as 'Stay and Play' sessions where parents and their children played and learned songs, were linked to small but significant reductions in parenting stress, improvements in mothers' health, and better learning environments in the children's own homes.

New digital techniques have allowed researchers to predict structural evolution of the skull in the lineage of Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, in an effort to fill in blanks in the fossil record, and provide the first 3D rendering of their last common ancestor. The study suggests populations that led to the lineage split were older than previously thought.

How disposable Lithium batteries degrade during normal use has been tracked in real-time by a UCL-led team using sophisticated 3D imaging, giving a new way to non-invasively monitor performance loss and guide the development of more effective commercial battery designs. The team recently used the same technique to show how rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries fail when they are exposed to extreme levels of heat, but this is the first time the extent of day-to-day damage of disposable Lithium batteries has been shown.

Researchers from the University of Glasgow have found a way to make swallowable cameras more effective at detecting cancers of the throat and gut. In recent years, tiny sensing systems small enough for patients to swallow have proven to be a valuable clinical alternative to more intrusive imaging methods such as endoscopes.

Do you often feel overwhelmed with the amount of information coming at you? Forgotten your shopping list as soon as you've heard the sports results? Don't worry, it's all completely normal - and necessary - according to new research which shows that such forgetting is a key part of learning. The study, by researchers from the University of Glasgow's Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, is published today in Current Biology and has found that our inability to hold onto new memories is essential to the brain's learning process.

Scientists from King's College London and the University of Roehampton have identified a key mechanism in the brain which might be associated with the onset and development of psychosis. Using a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technique they found that 52 young people deemed to be at ultra high risk of psychosis had increased or 'hyperactive'levels of blood flow compared to 27 healthy controls in the hippocampus, striatum and midbrain - all brain regions that are particularly implicated in the onset of psychotic disorders like schizophrenia.

HIV infection is the leading risk factor for stroke in young African adults, a new study by the University of Liverpool's Institute of Infection and Global Health has found. The incidence of stroke is on the increase across most of sub-Saharan Africa. In countries like Malawi, a substantial proportion of stroke patients are young adults, and have a low prevalence of established risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and smoking.

Cambridge researchers have found the strongest evidence to date that human pluripotent stem cells - cells that can give rise to all tissues of the body - will develop normally once transplanted into an embryo. The findings, published today in the journal Cell Stem Cell, could have important implications for regenerative medicine.

First evidence to suggest that screening for ovarian cancer may save lives New results from the world's biggest ovarian cancer screening trial, led by UCL in collaboration with Cardiff and other centres in the UK, suggest that screening based on an annual blood test may help reduce the number of women dying from the disease by around 20%.

New study suggests that screening for ovarian cancer may save lives New results from the world's biggest ovarian cancer screening trial suggest that screening based on an annual blood test may help reduce the number of women dying from the disease by around 20%. Professor Lesley Fallowfield , Director of Sussex Health Outcomes, Research and Education in Cancer ( SHORE-C ) on the University of Sussex campus, was Principal Investigator for the psycho-social arm of the study, which SHORE-C has been conducting over the past 14 years with 185,693 women.

Scientists determine how to control parasite without harming bees Scientists at the University of Sussex have determined the best way of controlling Varroa mites - one of the biggest threats facing honey bees - without harming the bees themselves. A team from the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects (LASI) has determined the best dose and method for treating hives with oxalic acid, a naturally occurring chemical already being used by beekeepers to control Varroa.

Cambridge researchers have found the strongest evidence to date that human pluripotent stem cells - cells that can give rise to all tissues of the body - will develop normally once transplanted into an embryo. The findings, published today in the journal Cell Stem Cell, could have important implications for regenerative medicine.

Existing drug used to treat osteoporosis protects stem cells from ageing Scientists now want to understand if the drug can be used to revert ageing in stem cells Stem cells can be protected from the effects of ageing by a drug currently used to treat patients with osteoporosis, a breakthrough study has found.

Harry Cliff (Cavendish Laboratory) discusses the potential discovery of a new particle at the Large Hadron Collider and its implications for particle physics. At the start of December a rumour swirled around the internet and physics lab coffee rooms that researchers at the Large Hadron Collider had spotted a new particle.

Contrary to popular belief, the oral health of US citizens is not better than the English, finds a study in the Christmas issue of The BMJ. In addition, the research suggests there are consistently wider educational and income inequalities in oral health in the US compared with England. There is a popular belief in the US, dating back over a century, that the English have terrible teeth, much worse than Americans.

Reducing toddlers' portion sizes or number of eating occasions could potentially help to target weight gain in later life according to new research from UCL. It is the first study to look at how the appetitive traits of 'food responsiveness' (the urge to eat in response to the sight or smell of appetising food) and 'satiety responsiveness' (sensitivity to internal 'fullness' signals') relate to the eating behaviours of toddlers in an everyday context.

New results from the world's biggest ovarian cancer screening trial led by UCL suggest that screening based on an annual blood test may help reduce the number of women dying from the disease by around 20%. The research, published today (Thursday) in the Lancet , also cautions that longer follow up is needed to establish more certain estimates of how many deaths from ovarian cancer could be prevented by screening.

Research commissioned by government following housing benefit reforms finds increase in tenants self-selecting to downsize, but the areas hardest hit by reform are those least equipped with appropriate housing stock. Researchers found households increasingly cutting back on essentials such as food and heating to make up benefits shortfall.

University of Warwick researchers developed the test to help identify molecules in collagen The researchers say same test, 2DMS, can also be used to identify cancer and diabetes biomarkers in bloodstream New test is also 100% faster than currently used techniques Research originates from the work of Warwick undergraduate student A new test for detecting biomarkers for cancer and diabetes is more than 1000x more detailed and 100% faster than existing methods, new research by the University of Warwick suggests.