news 2016

Dementia strikes one in 14 people in the UK over 65, and 47 million people worldwide. Yet scientists are still urgently trying to find why the disease affects some but not others. Dr Ruth Peters, a neuropsychologist from Imperial College London, is one such scientist. Her research involves trying to pinpoint the risk factors for dementia.

Making an assistive robot partner expressive and communicative is likely to make it more satisfying to work with and lead to users trusting it more, even if it makes mistakes, a new study suggests. But the research also shows that giving robots human-like traits could have a flip side - users may even lie to the robot in order to avoid hurting its feelings.

In a paper , scientists explain how they uncovered the effects of a protein called Foxn1, which is a critical factor in the development of an effective immune system. The findings from these studies.. identify new potential strategies to preserve thymus function for longer, raising the prospect of a healthier old age.

Genetically analysing lesions in the food pipe could provide an early and accurate test for oesophageal cancer. The study, led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam and Arizona State University and published , shows that some cells that are 'born to be bad' could be identified early on, preventing the need for repeated endoscopies.

The majority of smokers who successfully switch to vaping say they have fewer respiratory infections, according to a study led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). The online survey of 941 respondents assessed subjective changes in respiratory symptoms in smokers who switched to vaping for at least two months.

The ethnicity of women undergoing fertility treatments like IVF can affect the rate of successful live births, according to new research by experts at The University of Nottingham and the Royal Derby Hospital's Fertility Unit. The research looked at nearly 39,000 women undergoing their first cycle of In-Vitro Fertilisation or Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection between 2000 and 2010.

Satellite image shows a group of lakes atop Langhovde Glacier, East Antarctica. (Satellite image courtesy of DigitalGlobe, Inc. A team of scientists from Lancaster and Durham Universities has monitored, for the first time, the evolution of meltwater ponds on the surface of a glacier at the coast of East Antarctica.

A new low-cost and non-invasive eye test could detect Parkinson's disease before symptoms including tremors and muscle stiffness develop, according to new research in rats led by scientists at UCL. Researchers at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology have discovered a new method of observing changes in the retina which can be seen in Parkinson's before changes in the brain occur and the first symptoms become evident.

Lack of success on the fairway may not be due to your swing - it could be your hips that are to blame. New research from the University of Warwick has found that professional golfers are more likely to have different shaped right and left hips compared to the rest of us. The finding was made by Dr Edward Dickenson and his colleagues at the University of Warwick's Warwick Medical School.

Scientists at the University of Liverpool are using the health records of dogs to monitor the status of a potentially fatal tick-borne disease that appears to have been imported into the UK. Canine babesiosis is transmitted to dogs by infected ticks, with symptoms including a lack of appetite, fever and jaundice.

New research led by scientists from King's College London and the University of Bristol has found that a high-fat, high-sugar diet during pregnancy may be linked to symptoms of ADHD in children who show conduct problems early in life. Published today in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry , this study is the first to indicate that epigenetic changes evident at birth may explain the link between unhealthy diet, conduct problems and ADHD.

A groundbreaking study, led by experts from the University of Oxford and Royal Brompton Hospital, has discovered better methods to interpret the significance of gene mutations in patients who are tested for genetic conditions. The findings mean that, in future, more diagnoses could be made through genetic testing.

A citizen science study has revealed that being next to just one hard surface reduces the diversity of plants and animals in hedgerows. The UK-wide study asked volunteers to record details about hedges both in rural settings, like farmland, and urban settings, like gardens. Nearly 3,000 hedgerows were investigated by members of the public.

Scientists have tracked the behaviour of seabirds migrating across the Atlantic to better understand how these animals use the marine environment and find out where they might come into conflict with human activities. Image by Sam Hobson In a new study, published today in Biology Letters , research led by the Universities of Glasgow and Exeter has found that the Canary Current, a wind-driven ocean upwelling off the west coast of Africa, is a key hotspot for migrating seabirds.

With temperatures soaring across the UK, our ability to detect and avoid places that are too warm is vital for regulating our body temperature. However, until now, little was known about the molecular mechanisms responsible for detecting warmth in the sensory neurons of our skin. A new King's College London study reveals that a gene called TRPM2 initiates a 'warm' signal in mice that drives them to seek cooler environments.

Scientists have discovered a new way to attack Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Scientists have discovered a new way to attack Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The team, from Imperial College London, have revealed how the bacteria regulates its salt levels. The bacteria are a common source of food poisoning and are resistant to heat and high salt concentrations, which are used for food preparation and storage.

A team of British climate scientists comparing today's environment with the warm period before the last ice age has discovered a 65 percent reduction of Antarctic sea ice around 128,000 years ago. The finding is an important contribution towards the challenge of making robust predictions about the Earth's future climate.

Scientists at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) have revealed the network infrastructure used by Netflix for its content delivery, by mimicking the film request process from all over the world and analysing the responses. The study is believed to be the first to map Netflix's physical server distribution all over the world.

We are more susceptible to infection at certain times of the day as our body clock affects the ability of viruses to replicate and spread between cells, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge. The findings, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , may help explain why shift workers, whose body clocks are routinely disrupted, are more prone to health problems, including infections and chronic disease.

Using the common pain-relieving medication acetaminophen - or paracetamol - during pregnancy is associated with increased risk for multiple behavioural problems in children, new research has found. Acetaminophen is generally considered safe in pregnancy, and is used by many pregnant women for pain and fever.