news 2016

Study indicates 'biomass burning' may play a larger role in climate change than previously realised. The measurements are now starting to produce insight into how the composition of the remote tropical atmosphere is affected by human activities occurring nearly halfway around the world. Neil Harris While efforts to limit emissions of greenhouse gases, including ozone, tend to focus on industrial activities and the burning of fossil fuels, a new study suggests that future regulations may need to address the burning of forests and vegetation.

A new method of analysing crime statistics finds that violent crime in England and Wales is increasing, not decreasing. Distinguished Professor Sylvia Walby, Dr Jude Towers and Professor Brian Francis of Lancaster University developed the method and used it to analyse data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales over a 20 year period from 1994 to 2013/14.

Ants don't get easily distracted by social information when on the move, only fully responding to it when at rest, a new study from the University of Bristol indicates. Such sporadic monitoring of the social environment may reduce information overload and enhance the robustness of complex societies, the researchers suggest.

Patients given kidney dialysis three times per week more likely to be admitted to hospital or die after two day break in treatment Leading Sheffield kidney researcher awarded fellowship to reduce harm caused by break in dialysis treatment Study now aims to improve treatment for patients with chronic kidney disease Patients who have kidney dialysis three times a week are more likely to be admitted to hospital or die after a two day break, according to a study by a leading kidney researcher at the University of Sheffield.

Suppressing levels of a specific brain receptor can help to protect against diet-induced obesity as well as health concerns such as type-2 diabetes and fatty liver disease.‌ Lower levels of p75 neurotrophin receptor (NTR) - a receptor involved in neuron growth and survival - has been shown to "put the brakes" on the body's metabolism of fat.

Men have one copy, women have two, but scientists have long puzzled over why the human X chromosome mostly contains genes that are active in a small number of tissues. Now, a team of researchers led by the University of Bath studying the evolution of this X chromosome has discovered why it contains such an unusual mixture of genes.

DNA has been used as a 'molecular building block' to construct synthetic bio-inspired pores which will improve the way drugs are delivered and help advance the field of synthetic biology, according to scientists from UCL and Nanion Technologies. The study, published today and funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Leverhulme Trust and UCL Chemistry, shows how DNA can be used to build stable and predictable pores that have a defined shape and charge to control which molecules can pass through the pore and when.

Join the study and then find out if you are 'Yorkshire Fit' by using the new Yorkshire Health Calculator The device shows how your drinking, smoking , exercise and happiness levels compare with the rest of Yorkshire 30,000 have already joined - help researchers recruit 100,000 by the end of 2016 Data will inform NHS decision making, make Yorkshire healthier, and could contribute to the next medical breakthrough Whether improving your health is your top New Year's resolution or you're already a regular at the gym, have you ever wondered how fit - or unfit - you are?

Giant icebergs leave trail of carbon sequestration in their wake - a month after they have passed Geographers analysed 175 satellite images of ocean colour which is an indicator of phytoplankton productivity at the ocean's surface Giant icebergs are responsible for storing up to 20 per cent of carbon in the Southern Ocean, a new study has found.

An international team of scientists has shed new light on the earthquake that devastated Nepal in April 2015, killing more than 8,000 people. A study published shows that a kink in the regional fault line below Nepal explains why the highest mountains in the Himalayas are seen to grow between earthquakes.

Offering a standard biomarker test earlier in pregnancy could potentially help doctors to better identify women at risk of giving birth prematurely, thus enabling health services to focus treatments on women at highest risk, according to a new study led by King's College London. A number of factors are used to determine if a woman is at risk of giving birth prematurely, including a history of preterm births or late miscarriages.

David Norman (Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences) discusses how palaeontologists can interpret fossil footprints to find clues as to whether dinosaurs performed dance-like mating rituals. Studying dinosaurs is a lot like being a detective. Just as Sherlock Holmes was noted for his ability to interpret the behaviour of victims or criminals using footprints, palaeontologists have a similar practice when looking for evidence of dinosaur behaviour known as ichnology.

Scientists find inspiration from the sea to monitor wild animal hunting in African forests Researchers hoping to help stem the rate of unsustainable hunting in West and Central Africa have developed two monitoring indicators based in part on methods used to track population trends of organisms in an entirely different ecosystem: the sea.

Computer-based games can have a beneficial effect on learning, according to ground-breaking new research from the University of Bristol. The brain-imaging study shows that - contrary to popular belief - technological game-playing can involve brain activity that positively supports learning. The research, with students at Bristol, is linked to a bigger classroom study which will involve 10,000 secondary school pupils across the UK - and for which participants are currently being recruited.

Archaeological evidence shows that intestinal parasites such as whipworm became increasingly common across Europe during the Roman Period, despite the apparent improvements the empire brought in sanitation technologies.

Lower level of antibodies in saliva is associated with of an elevated risk of mortality, and could be an early indicator of risk, a new study has found. The study, which was led by academics from the University of Birmingham in collaboration with researchers from the University of Glasgow and is published in PLOS ONE , examined associations between secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA), the common antibody found in saliva, and mortality rates in the general population.

Researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered new insights into previously hidden parts of the earth's carbon cycle. The team found that carbon recycling extends into the deep mantle by plate subduction, but is still primarily constrained to upper mantle depths, above 700km.

People with depression that has not responded fully to treatment with antidepressants benefit long-term from receiving a type of talking therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), given in addition to their usual treatment that includes antidepressant medication, a new study has found. Dr Nicola Wiles , from the School of Social and Community Medicine at the University of Bristol said: 'Antidepressants are often prescribed for people with depression, but we know that many people don't fully respond to such treatment.

People with depression, that have not responded fully to treatment with antidepressants, benefit from receiving additional cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a new study has found. The study, which was led by academics from the University of Bristol in collaboration with researchers from the University of Glasgow, found when CBT was given, in addition to usual care that included antidepressants, it was effective in reducing depressive symptoms and improving quality of life over the long term - on average 46 months - for patients whose depression had not responded to medication alone.

Scientists at Imperial College London have discovered how flu viruses 'hijack' cell machinery when they infect the body. The findings which infects over 800 million people worldwide every year. In the research, the team used hamster-chicken hybrid cells to discover why avian influenza virus (bird flu) cannot usually infect mammal cells.