news 2016

A team of researchers at the University of Bristol have used ultrasonic forces to accurately pattern thousands of microscopic water-based droplets. Each droplet can be designed to perform a biochemical experiment, which could pave the way for highly efficient lab-on-a-chip devices with future applications in drug discovery and clinical diagnostics.

Rapid advances in neuroscience are driving a huge shift in our understanding of how the brain works and could improve both our cognitive abilities and our brain health, writes Professor Barbara Sahakian (Department of Psychiatry) on The Conversation website. A recent explosion of neuroscience techniques is driving substantial advances in our understanding of the brain.

Rapid advances in neuroscience are driving a huge shift in our understanding of how the brain works and could improve both our cognitive abilities and our brain health, writes Professor Barbara Sahakian (Department of Psychiatry) on The Conversation website. A recent explosion of neuroscience techniques is driving substantial advances in our understanding of the brain.

Using a simple decision rule and a finger prick to test blood, GPs could substantially reduce the number of ill children being referred to hospital, if the test is used on children identified as 'at-risk' of a serious infection.

The Zika virus outbreak in the Americas has transformed a previously little-known virus into a World Health Organization (WHO) declared global public health emergency. Yet scientists still don't know enough about Zika, including why and how it has spread so rapidly in recent months and what has led to the rise of new disease symptoms.

Despite an assessment in 2007 that night shift work was probably carcinogenic, data from three new studies and a review of currently available evidence indicate that night shift work has little or no effect on breast cancer incidence. The work was led by Oxford University and is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute .

Researchers conclude that being kind to others causes a small but significant improvement in subjective well-being. The review found that the effect is lower than some pop-psychology articles have claimed, but also concluded that future research might help identify which kind acts are most effective at boosting happiness.

It is often necessary to identify unfamiliar people by comparing face images: for example a CCTV image to a mugshot, or a passport photograph to a traveller. ‌‌‌ Now researchers have shown, in a new study published in Royal Society Open Science, that the accuracy of these decisions is impaired by poor sleep.

University of Sussex research reveals individual differences in adult male voices emerge long before puberty New research from University of Sussex psychologists shows that voice pitch in males is determined long before a surge of sex hormones at puberty lengthens their vocal folds. In fact, the researchers found that individual differences in voice pitch that are known to play an important role in men's social and reproductive success are largely determined by age seven.

A number of new links between families of genes and brain size have been identified by UK scientists, opening up a whole new avenue of research to better understand brain development and diseases like dementia. A team of scientists from the Universities of Bath and Lincoln compared the genomes of 28 mammals with differing sizes of neocortex - the region of the brain that is involved in higher cognitive behaviours such as language and decision-making.

People who carry variants in a particular gene have an increased preference for high fat food, but a decreased preference for sugary foods, according to a new study led by the University of Cambridge. The research has provided insights into why we make particular food choices, with potential implications for our understanding of obesity.

In contrast to previous research, scientists have found that habitat warming can reduce the diversity of species in marine environments, but increase speciation in freshwater habitats. Scientists from the University of Bath's Milner Centre for Evolution working with colleagues at the University of York have shown that for an important group of aquatic crustaceans called the Anomura, which includes hermit crabs, king crabs and squat lobsters, habitat warming decreases species diversity in marine environments.

Researchers from Cardiff University's Centre for Trials Research are part of a team which has won a prestigious award for research into the diagnosis of urinary tract infections in children. The research won category three (Children, Reproduction, Genetics, Infection) in the Royal College of GP's Research Paper of the Year, published in conjunction with colleagues at Oxford University and Bristol.

Bumblebees can learn to pull strings for food and pass on the ability to a colony, according to researchers at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). Pulling strings to obtain food is an experiment often used to test the intelligence of apes and birds, but it is the first time this technique has been discovered in an insect.

Newborn infants may be at risk of breathing difficulties if left in car safety seats for long periods, particularly when travelling, new research from the University of Bristol has shown. Most UK hospitals require premature infants to complete a 'car seat challenge' before discharge. Infants are observed for breathing difficulties or changes in heart rate while in a car seat.

Experts from Cardiff University have proposed a much cheaper and more efficient way of producing a promising new catalyst that is used in reactions to produce a whole host of everyday materials, from electronics and cosmetics to sanitisation and pharmaceuticals. The team, from the Cardiff Catalysis Institute, have devised a new way of creating the catalyst graphitic oxide - a compound that is a pre-cursor to the 'wonder material' graphene - and shown how this can be effectively used in reactions to produce a widely used material called epoxide.

Following the news that the UK government is to ban plastic microbeads by the end of 2017, a team of scientists led by the University of Oxford has discovered the first evidence of microplastics being ingested by deep-sea animals. Researchers working on the Royal Research Ship (RRS) James Cook at two sites in the mid-Atlantic and south-west Indian Ocean found plastic microfibres inside creatures including hermit crabs, squat lobsters and sea cucumbers at depths of between 300m and 1800m.

Mice that are given toys and placed in stimulating surroundings have healthier immune systems, according to a study by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). Little is known about the influence of environmental factors on the immune system, but factors such as pollution, location, psychological state and social status have been proposed as determinants in the development of human autoimmune disorders.

Following the news that the UK government is to ban plastic microbeads by the end of 2017, a team of scientists led by the University of Oxford has discovered the first evidence of microplastics being ingested by deep-sea animals. Researchers working on the Royal Research Ship (RRS) James Cook at two sites in the mid-Atlantic and south-west Indian Ocean found plastic microfibres inside creatures including hermit crabs, squat lobsters and sea cucumbers at depths of between 300m and 1800m.

Around 90% of people in England now take their own bags with them when food shopping as a result of the plastic carrier bag charge, new research has revealed. This has increased from 70% before the charge was introduced and was independent of age, gender or income. In addition to this, less than 1 in 15 shoppers (7%) are now regularly taking single-use carrier bags at the checkout, the research from Cardiff University shows, as opposed to 1 in 4 shoppers before the charge.