news 2017

Scientists have designed gold nanoparticles, no bigger than 100 nanometres, which can be coated and used to track blood flow in the smallest blood vessels in the body. By improving our understanding of blood flow in vivo the nanoprobes represent an opportunity to help in the early diagnosis of disease.

One in five pregnant women around the world are harbouring a potentially deadly bacterium that could kill their babies, according to new research. Group B Streptococcus (GBS) disease is a preventable condition caused by bacteria that colonise the vagina and birth canal, and can be fatal to unborn babies and infants if not detected and treated.

Mass extinctions were followed by periods of low diversity in which certain new species dominated wide regions of the supercontinent Pangaea, reports a new study. The findings indicate that mass extinctions may have predictable consequences and provide insights into how biological communities may be expected to change in the future as a result of current high extinction rates.

Dust detected around the closest star to the solar system, Proxima Centauri, may indicate the presence of an elaborate planetary system. The observations, presented in Astrophysical Journal Letters, were made at The ALMA Observatory in Chile by researchers from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC) and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).

The global effect and impact of atmospheric rivers on rainfall, flooding and droughts has been estimated for the first time - revealing that in some regions the risks can be enhanced by up to 80 percent. The work, of which Oxford University is a key partner, also considers the number of people affected by these atmospheric phenomena across the globe.

Scientists have identified a key chemical within the 'memory' region of the brain that allows us to suppress unwanted thoughts, helping explain why people who suffer from disorders such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and schizophrenia often experience persistent intrusive thoughts when these circuits go awry.

Retired professional footballers are far more prone to develop knee pain and osteoarthritis and face problems with their knees earlier in life than the average person, a study has revealed. The study reported that male ex-footballers were two to three times more likely to suffer from knee pain and knee osteoarthritis and require a total knee replacement, even after adjustment for other risk factors including significant knee injury.

Young or middle aged people with Atrial Fibrillation (AF), the most common heart rhythm abnormality, are at greater risk of death if they have other long term health conditions, according to a new study. The research, led by the University of Glasgow and published today in Europace , has suggested that AF patients, who also have other health conditions, should be prioritised for healthcare interventions.

Scientists have shown how vaccinating against a common cause of pneumonia leads to lethal strains of bacteria being replaced by less harmful strains. The study provides a clearer picture of the complex population structures of bacteria and how different strains struggle to establish themselves. According to the researchers, the findings could help to optimise new vaccines by predicting how they will change bacterial populations in the longer term, based on how common certain genes are among the bugs.

An international team, including researchers from Cardiff University, has discovered a new orangutan species within Indonesia. Pongo Tapanuliensis , otherwise known as the Tapanuli Orangutan, was found in the three Tapanuli districts of North Sumatra after close analysis of the ape inhabitants of the Batang Toru Ecosystem.

'Genome editing is not the answer to world poverty, because food shortage isn't the problem' says a group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) surveyed by the University of Nottingham. This is one of three main findings in a report from the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University, which looks at NGO's scepticism of genome editing technology.

Researchers at Imperial College London have explored the placebo effects of a coronary angioplasty procedure with stents for the first time. Coronary artery stents are lifesaving for heart attack patients, but new research suggests that the placebo effect may be larger than previously thought. The findings come from the ORBITA trial; a blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled study of 200 patients with stable angina , in which researchers compared the artery-widening technique (stenting) with a simulated procedure - where a stent was not implanted - for the first time.

Researchers from the Bristol Medical School have found that there is no evidence that any of the newer hip implant combinations, such as ceramic or uncemented, are better than the widely used small head metal-on-plastic cemented hip combination, which has been commonly used since the 1960s. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded research also confirms previous knowledge from observational evidence that resurfacing hip replacements and metal-on-metal implants fail more than the metal-on-plastic small head cemented implants.

The number of reported cases of child neglect in the United States of America increased as a result of the spike in unemployment following the financial crisis of 2007-08, according to new Oxford University research. Defined as the physical, mental, sexual or emotional abuse or neglect of a person under the age of 18, child maltreatment is a prolific problem in American society, with about 700,000 cases reported in 2015 alone.

Horses can read our body language, even when they don't know us Horses can tell the difference between dominant and submissive body postures in humans, even when the humans are not familiar to them, according to a new University of Sussex-led study. The findings enhance our understanding of how animals can communicate using body posture across the species barrier, and are specifically helpful for informing horse handlers and trainers about the ways horses perceive human body language.

Colon cancer, Crohn's, and other gut diseases could be better treated or prevented, thanks to a new link between inflammation and a common cellular process, found by University of Warwick Autophagy - an essential process whereby cells break down and recycle harmful elements to keep our bodies healthy - causes tissue inflammation when dysfunctional, which in turn leaves us susceptible to diseases, particularly in the gut Pomegranates, red grapes,

However, this is not at all the case. Recently, Matthew Baron and colleagues from the University of Cambridge proposed a radical revision to our understanding of the major branches of dinosaurs, but in a critique published today some caution is proposed before we rewrite the textbooks.

Many species, such as vine snakes in the Amazon, favour the darker and more humid forest interiors. Photo: Professor Jos Barlow Breaking up the rainforest into small, isolated patches is forcing more species to live at the forest edge and putting those that are dependent on the forest core at risk. Research published today in the academic journal Nature highlights how biodiversity is changing as a result of deforestation - forcing some species to the brink of extinction while others flourish in the changing environment.

The long term use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), a class of drugs commonly used to treat acid reflux, is linked to a more than doubling in the risk of developing stomach cancer, finds research by UCL and The University of Hong Kong. The observational study, published online in Gut, found that the risk rose in tandem with the dose and duration of treatment following elimination of Helicobacter pylori , the bacteria implicated in the development of stomach cancer.

An imaging technique used to reveal the molecular detail of structures has helped scientists to shed new light on how organisms copy their DNA. The international team, which included Imperial scientists, used cryo-electron microscopy - the technique behind this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry - to reveal the structure of a key enzyme involved in the earliest steps of the DNA replication process.