news 2016

Method devised for making large quantities of georgeite with unprecedented ability as a catalyst to produce hydrogen from water An extremely rare mineral, found only in two locations around the world, including an old copper mine in Snowdonia , has been manufactured in large quantities for the very first time by researchers at Cardiff.

Eric Levy (Cambridge Judge Business School) discusses how thinking about meeting a new partner can impact our shopping decisions. Money might not buy you love, but according to some studies in psychology and consumer behaviour, how you spend it could reveal a thing or two about your romantic intentions.

Fish are commonly used in experiments to identify environmental hazards and pollutants in water. As gills are in constant with the water, they are often the focal point for studies seeking to understand the effects of exposure to toxicants. In a new study led by King's College London, researchers have validated a pioneering technique to recreate a freshwater gill system in the lab.

An immersive virtual reality therapy could help people with depression to be less critical and more compassionate towards themselves, reducing depressive symptoms, finds a new study from UCL and ICREA-University of Barcelona. The therapy, previously tested by healthy volunteers, was used by 15 depression patients aged 23-61.

The gradual rise in oceanic acidity is weakening the shells of shellfish, corals and sea urchins, making them vulnerable to predation and damage from oceanic movements. Many marine animals produce protective shells and exoskeletons from calcium carbonate from seawater, but higher CO2 concentrations absorbed into seawater from the environment is lowering the oceanic PH.

Eating breakfast causes obese people to be more active, according to the latest research published from our health researchers. The study, from health scientists based within the  Department for Health and published in the leading diet and nutrition journal the  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , analysed the links between breakfast and health for individuals classed as 'obese', comparing the results from a fasting group with a breakfasting group.

An approved anti-cancer drug successfully targets the first step in the toxic chain reaction that leads to Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that treatments may be found to lower the risk of developing the neurodegenerative condition. The body has a variety of natural defences to protect itself against neurodegeneration, but as we age, these defences become progressively impaired and can get overwhelmed.

Physicists have discovered how electrons travel through the novel 2D material graphene. Graphene is a one atom thick supermaterial made from carbon with unique properties and the potential to revolutionise many areas from electronics to transport and energy. An international team of researchers with a crucial input from Lancaster University have discovered that electrons in graphene move like molecules in liquid water.

A type of study commonly used to pinpoint genetic variants associated with diseases can also be used to identify the lifestyle predictors that increase the risk of a disease - something that is often overlooked in genetic studies Genome wide association studies (GWAS) scan the entire genome in order to pinpoint genetic variants associated with a particular disease.

The first gravitational waves - ripples in spacetime - have been detected, allowing physicists to explore the universe in a whole new way. Physicists from Imperial's community yesterday were celebrating as the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) facility in the US announced it had detected the first gravitational waves.

Scientists have compiled their analysis on how to find success in the world of online dating into a new book released this week. The book is the first of its kind to be based on robust studies of human behaviour. ' Clueless, Dateless, Loveless: There is No Catch; Find Your Perfect Match ', is co-written by Professor Khalid Khan of Queen Mary University of London and Professor Sameer Chaudhry of the University of Texas.

Concentrations of iron similar to those delivered in standard treatments can trigger DNA damage within 10 minutes, when given to cells in the lab. This is the finding of scientists from Imperial College London , who suggest that researchers need to look carefully at the amount of iron given in standard treatments, such as tablets and infusions, and the effects this could be having on the body.

The Advanced LIGO team has just announced the direct detection of gravitational waves , a major milestone in the history of science that confirms one of Einstein's predictions and opens a new window into the near and far Universe. However, it came as a major surprise that the observed gravitational-wave signal was produced by a pair of two merging black holes with individual masses of about 30 times the mass of our Sun.

Research into disease prevention on British dairy farms has revealed a variation in how vaccination strategies are implemented by farmers and vets. The study on the perceptions and challenges of vaccination among farmers and vets was carried out by researchers at The University of Nottingham's Vet School on behalf of ADHB Dairy , a not-for-profit organisation working on behalf of Britain's dairy farmers.

David Sobral who discovered the brightest distant galaxy in the Universe - CR7 - has joined Lancaster University. He leads an international team of astronomers which in 2015 carried out the widest survey of very distant galaxies ever attempted, with surprising results. Using the Subaru Telescope, the 8.2-metre ESO Very Large Telescope, the 10-metre W. and the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, Sobral's team peered billions of years back in time to find an impressive number bright galaxies, only a few hundred millions years after the Big Bang.

For the first time, scientists have observed ripples in the fabric of spacetime called gravitational waves, arriving at the earth from a cataclysmic event in the distant universe. This confirms a major prediction of Albert Einstein's 1915 general theory of relativity and opens an unprecedented new window onto the cosmos.

University scientists open a new window into the Universe as gravitational waves are detected for the first time An international team of scientists, including a group of researchers from Cardiff University's School of Physics and Astronomy, have directly observed gravitational waves for the very first time, adding the final piece of the jigsaw to Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity that he proposed exactly 100 years ago.

New window on the universe is opened with the observation of gravitational waves - ripples in spacetime - caused by the collision of two black holes. I feel incredibly lucky to be part of the team - this discovery will change the way we do astronomy. Christopher Moore An international team of scientists have observed ripples in the fabric of spacetime called gravitational waves, arriving at the earth from a cataclysmic event in the distant universe.

A group of drugs being developed to treat mood disorders could also relieve chronic pain, finds new UCL research funded by the Medical Research Council. The study reveals how a protein that shapes the body's response to stress also drives chronic pain and so offers new targets for future pain treatments.

Researchers from the University of Warwick have discovered how cells in the human body build their own 'railway networks', throwing light on how diseases such as bowel cancer work. The results have just been published in Nature Scientific Reports . Professor Rob Cross, Professor of Mechanochemical Cell Biology at Warwick Medical School, said: "Every cell in our bodies contains a railway network, a system of tiny tracks called microtubules that run between important destinations inside the cell and allow cargo to be carried from one place to another.