news 2017

Researchers at the University of Birmingham have found that Chinese children who go to bed later and sleep less are more likely to be more overweight. The study also indicates that later bedtimes may place children at increased risk of obesity - even if they are getting 'enough' sleep over the course of the night.

An easy to produce prostate cancer tracer, a substance vital for the discovery of cancers, has been developed by King's College London PhD student Jennifer Young. Known as68Ga-THP-PSMA, the new tracer, which was developed with support from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, can be made very quickly and easily in a radio-pharmacy, meaning that smaller hospitals and clinics can produce it.

A Scientist at the University of Birmingham has received a £1.4 million award from Cancer Research UK to carry out pioneering research that may discover how cancer 'steals the keys' from the body's locksmiths, disrupting healthy cell growth and function. Dr Mathew Coleman , of the Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences at the University of Birmingham, is set to receive £1.4m over six years from Cancer Research UK to find out more about three specific proteins that are thought to have a role in cancer.

A team of Imperial researchers has developed a tool which 'lights up' when it detects the chemical signature of harmful bacteria in the lung. In a clinical first, the group from the Department of Medicine used the tools, called cell-free biosensors, to test samples of sputum (phlegm) from patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Although one in 8 couples experience fertility issues and many of them turn to Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) to help them have a child, usage varies significantly across Europe. A new Oxford study has shed light on some of the reasons behind this - pinpointing moral and social acceptance of the treatment and religion as key.

Although one in 8 couples experience fertility issues and many of them turn to Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) to help them have a child, usage varies significantly across Europe. A new Oxford study has shed light on some of the reasons behind this - pinpointing moral and social acceptance of the treatment and religion as key.

Scientists have taken an important step in a long-term project aimed at improving photosynthesis in rice to increase crop yields and help meet the food needs of billions of people around the world. Researchers working on the Oxford-led C4 Rice Project have, by introducing a single maize gene to the plant, moved towards 'supercharging' rice to the level of more efficient crops.

New research shows underwater rivers are more powerful and long-lasting than first thought (5 October 2017) A team of scientists, including experts from Durham University, has discovered that sediment avalanches occurring deep under the ocean are far more frequent and long-lasting than previously thought.

Early humans seem to have recognised the dangers of inbreeding at least 34,000 years ago, and developed surprisingly sophisticated social and mating networks to avoid it, new research has found. When you put the evidence together, it seems to be speaking to us about the really big questions; what made these people who they were as a species, and who we are as a result Eske Willerslev The study examined genetic information from the remains of anatomically modern humans who lived during the Upper Palaeolithic, a period when modern humans from Africa first colonised western Eurasia.

Almost two thirds (57%) of cancer drugs authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) between 2009 and 2013 came onto the market without any clear evidence they improved the quality or quantity of patients' lives, according to research from King's College London and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), published in the BMJ today (Thursday 5 October).

A new UCL-led study has provided the strongest evidence to date that exposure to bullying causes mental health issues such as anxiety years later. The study, published today in JAMA Psychiatry and funded by MQ: Transforming Mental Health and the Economic and Social Research Council, found that the detrimental effects of bullying decreased over time, which the authors say shows the potential for resilience in children exposed to bullying.

Being overweight or obese creates damaging changes to the structure of the heart, according to new research led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). The new research, published in the journal PLoS ONE , uses UK Biobank data to reveal - for the first time - the direct damage that carrying extra weight has on the heart's weight and size, and implicates a range of other modifiable risk factors including high blood pressure.

Analysis of Martian meteorites has uncovered 90 million years' worth of new information about one of the red planet's volcanoes - and helped pinpoint which volcano the meteorites came from. Geologists based in the UK and the USA have used advanced mass spectrometry techniques to learn more about the origins of six meteorites known as 'nakhlites' - pieces of Martian terrain which were blasted from the face of the red planet by an impact event 11 million years ago, then drifted through space before landing on Earth.

Conquering Romans relied on resources from near and far to sustain their forces against the native tribes in Wales, according to new research by Cardiff University archaeologists. In a study published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences , Dr Peter Guest and Dr Richard Madgwick of the University's School of History, Archaeology and Religion, used biochemical techniques of animal remains to reveal the origin of livestock supplied to the legionary fortress at Caerleon.

Bumblebees may be able to tell us why some people are smarter than others, according to new research from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. By examining the brains of bees trained to different tasks, the researchers found that the number of connections between nerve cells may hold the answer to questions about individual cognitive differences.

Cooling babies deprived of oxygen at birth (perinatal asphyxia) can reduce the number of children who develop epilepsy later in childhood, according to a new study published in the journal Epilepsia. The study has been led by Marianne Thoresen , Professor of Neonatal Neuroscience, from the Bristol Medical School: Translational Health Sciences at the University of Bristol.

A landmark study led by King's College London and the Black Dog Institute in Australia has revealed that regular exercise of any intensity can protect against depression - and just one hour can help. Published today in the American Journal of Psychiatry , the results show that even small amounts of exercise could prevent depression, with mental health benefits seen regardless of age or gender.

Severe floods that hit Cumbria in December 2015 led to an increase in calls for natural solutions to be included in flood alleviation schemes. Acknowledging ongoing debates around the evidence for tree cover as an effective flood mitigation measure, the UK's Centre for Ecology & Hydrology has published results of a systematic review of the current evidence.

Earthquakes brought on by human activities, such as mining, building dams and fracking, are becoming more frequent and require evidence-based management, new research suggests. In a study led by Professor Gillian Foulger of the Department of Earth Sciences , and published in the journal Earth Science Reviews , researchers compiled a comprehensive record of over 700 earthquakes claimed to have been caused by human activity over the last 150 years.

A shielded X-ray irradiation assay used to study migration in vivo shows planarian stem cells (green) and their progeny (magenta) distributed throughout the anteroposterior axis (left), in a stripe after targeted X-ray exposure (middle) and then migrating to the anterior (right). Cell nuclei (blue) are labelled with Hoechst.