news 2016

Cambridge research that will enable scientists to grow and study embryos in the lab for almost two weeks has been named as the People's Choice for Science magazine's 'Breakthrough of the Year 2016' It's a natural human instinct to be curious about where we come from, but until now, technical hurdles have meant there's been a huge gap in our understanding of how embryos develop Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz The work, led by Professor Magdalena Zernicka

Scientists have identified an unexpected cause of poor performance in a new class of flexible and cheap solar cells, bringing them closer to market. Solar cells are the building blocks of photovoltaic solar panels. They are made from light-absorbing materials that convert sunlight into electricity. Normally the light-absorbing material is silicon, which has an energy-intensive manufacturing process.

It helps to have a larger brain if you're living in an extreme climate, according to a study of birds published in Nature Communications . The research suggests that birds have evolved larger brains to cope in harsh environments where the tasks of finding food, evading predators and finding shelter are more demanding.

New disease could signal hope for sufferers of brain ageing conditions A new genetic disease which results in neurodegeneration has been discovered by experts at the University of Sussex. In a study published today, Wednesday 21 December, in the top scientific journal Nature, the team from the University of Sussex's Genome Damage and Stability Centre (GDSC) reveal they have discovered the disease, ataxia oculomotor apraxia type XRCC1 , which is caused by a genetic mutation that disrupts the repair of our DNA.

UCL researchers have discovered a new genetic cause for dystonia, a movement disorder, enabling treatment with Deep Brain Stimulation which has been so successful that children have been able to walk again. The team of researchers from UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University of Cambridge and the NIHR Rare Disease Bioresource have identified mutations in a gene, called KMT2B, in 28 patients with dystonia.

An international team of scientists has announced a new advance in the fight against Alzheimer's disease by identifying a new drug target for not only improving symptoms of brain degeneration - but also to extend the life-span of the terminally ill mice. The four-year study by Medical Research Council (MRC) scientists based at the MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

DNA sequencing has defined a new genetic disorder that affects movement, enabling patients with dystonia - a disabling condition that affects voluntary movement - to be targeted for treatment that brings remarkable improvements, including restoring independent walking.

People who have a greater risk of developing schizophrenia are more likely to try cannabis, according to new research, which also found a causal link between trying the drug and an increased risk of the condition. The study from the University of Bristol comes on the back of public health warnings issued earlier this year by scientists who voiced concerns about the increased risk of psychosis for vulnerable people who use the drug.

UK scientists have created a synthetic molecule that, when applied to crops, has been shown to increase the size and starch content of wheat grains in the lab by up to 20%. The new plant application, developed by Rothamsted Research and Oxford University, could help solve the issue of increasing food insecurity across the globe.

Owners of dogs showing signs of osteoarthritis are being asked by the University of Bristol's School of Veterinary Sciences to take part in the first study of its kind to find out whether an omega-3 oil derived from algae can help dogs with osteoarthritis (OA). The double blind placebo-controlled trial , funded by the Dogs Trust , is led by Dr Jo Murrell and a team of animal health and welfare specialists in the Vet School.

The size of a female animals' brain may determine whether they live longer and have more healthy offspring, according to new research led by the University of Cambridge. We found that some of the cross-species predictions about brain size held for female red deer, and that none of the predictions were supported in male red deer.

Scientists based at Oxford University have created a new method for counting lions that they say is the most robust yet devised. Using the Maasai Mara National Reserve and surrounding conservancies in Kenya as a case study, they estimate there to be 420 lions over the age of one in this key territory.

A leak of a protein called haemoglobin from damaged red blood cells may be associated with brain shrinkage in multiple sclerosis. This is the conclusion of a team from Imperial College London , whose early-stage findings suggest treatments that lower levels of haemoglobin could slow progression of the disease.

How our brains are biologically tuned to be influenced by confident people Scientists have uncovered that the added influence of confident people may be down to our biology. By studying brain activity, academics discerned that human brains are geared for placing added value on opinions of confident people.

Scientists have discovered a gene network in the brain associated with epilepsy. The team, led by scientists at Imperial College London , believe the discovery may lead to more treatments for the condition. The study, published in the journal Genome Biology , has revealed an 'epileptic network' of 320 genes, called M30, that is associated with the condition.

EnzBond, a new biotechnology company from Oxford University, has been formed to commercialise in-silico technology, which makes utilising enzymes in drug manufacturing both cost-effective and time-efficient. At present, discovering the right enzymes for production in drug development can prove both prohibitively expensive and time consuming, as identifying the right enzyme is a trial and error process that can see companies go through potentially thousands of enzymes during the search.

Two new studies led by scientists at Oxford University have highlighted the threat posed to lions by human activity - including trophy hunting. The first paper, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology , analysed the deaths of 206 lions in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe - home of Cecil the lion - between 1999 and 2012.

Researchers from China, Canada, and the University of Bristol have discovered a dinosaur tail complete with its feathers trapped in a piece of amber. The finding reported today in Current Biology helps to fill in details of the dinosaurs' feather structure and evolution, which can't be surmised from fossil evidence.

New research from King's College London and the University of Bristol has found that smoking during pregnancy is associated with substance use in adolescence, and that this link may be partially explained by epigenetic changes evident at birth. Substance abuse is one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide.

New research from the University of Liverpool has identified the role of a specific protein in the human body that can help prevent the survival and spread of eye cancer, by initiating cancer 'cell-suicide'. The new findings may help revolutionise the approach to metastatic uveal melanoma (UM) – a cancer that arises from the pigment cells (melanocytes) in the eye, and for which there is currently no effective treatment.