news 2018

Searching through the mountains of published cancer research could be made easier for scientists, thanks to a new AI system. As a cancer researcher, even if you knew what you were looking for, there are literally thousands of papers appearing every day Anna Korhonen The system, called LION LBD and developed by computer scientists and cancer researchers at the University of Cambridge, has been designed to assist scientists in the search for cancer-related discoveries.

Complex systems theory is usually used to study things like the immune system, global climate, ecosystems, transportation or communications systems. But with global politics becoming more unpredictable - highlighted by the UK's vote for Brexit and the presidential elections of Donald Trump in the USA and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil - it is being used to examine the stability of democracies.

A species of rhino considered a giant of the Ice Age survived much later than previously thought and likely lived alongside modern humans, according to new research. Scientists believed that the ancient rhino species Elasmotherium sibiricum, known as the 'Siberian unicorn', due to its extraordinary single horn, went extinct between 200,000 and 100,000 years ago.

University of Nottingham researchers have developed 100 percent biodegradable and edible food packaging made from plant carbohydrates and proteins to replace polluting plastic materials and improve storage, safety and shelf life. The Sino-UK project is led by Professor Saffa Riffat , from the Faculty of Engineering, whose research group is world-renown for innovations in sustainable materials, energy and building technologies.

Eighteen researchers at the University of Bristol have been named in the annual Highly Cited Researchers 2018 List, which recognises influential researchers around the world. Now in its fifth year, the citation analysis identifies those who have published a high number of papers that rank in the top one per cent most cited works in their field.

A drug treatment, already approved for use in patients, could offer new hope for some patients with brain bleeding and strokes. New research, led by the University of Glasgow and published today in Human Molecular Genetics , has shown that the compound sodium phenyl butyric acid could be used to reduce brain bleeding which can cause strokes when it is caused by a defect in a gene called collagen IV.

CERN experiment sees hints of rare kaon decay: University of Birmingham physicists play leading role in design and build of the detector, and in data analysis What if the odds of an event occurring were about one in ten billion? This is the case for the decay of a positively charged particle known as a kaon into another positively charged particle called a pion and a neutrino-antineutrino pair.

A mission to Mars which carries instruments co-designed by Oxford scientists, has successfully landed and will soon begin the first study of the heart of the planet. The NASA InSight mission landed shortly after 19:50 GMT on Monday, 26 November. InSight will study the inside of Mars to learn how planets, moons and meteorites with rocky surfaces, including the Earth and its Moon, formed.

Our bodies contain two types of fat: white fat and brown fat. While white fat stores calories, brown fat burns energy and could help us lose weight. Now, scientists at the University of Cambridge have found a way of making the white fat 'browner' and increasing the efficiency of brown fat.

Days after a plea was issued to Government for 'mental health first aid' (MHFA) to become mandatory, new research led by University of Nottingham academics highlights "significant issues around the lack of clarity with boundaries and potential safety concerns". A feasibility study sheds fresh light on widespread use by companies of employee training to address workplace mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, self-harm and substance misuse.

Facial sense of touch is important to enable babies breastfeed; this new device could help researchers understand when things go wrong. Babies need a sense of touch in their faces to give contact feedback to the brain, which in turn helps the baby find the nipple to breastfeed. For example, if a newborn baby's right cheek is lying on their mother's breast, the baby feeds back the sensory information from its cheek to the brain, which then signals the baby to turn its head to the right and 'root' for the nipple.

Latest research reveals the extent to which conspiracy theories have become "mainstream rather than marginal beliefs" across much of Europe and the US.

Representatives from across industry have called for a whole-system approach to mental health in the workplace, as a new study revealed gaps in the way organisations tackle issues such as depression, anxiety, self-harm and psychosis. Published by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), findings from research by The University of Nottingham reveals both positives and areas for concern, including inadequate boundaries for employees and a lack of proof that MHFA is effective.

Research undertaken at the University of Birmingham has found that young people are able to judge which health related apps are relevant to their age and bodies, are able to source appropriate digital content as well as dismiss app content that might be harmful to them.

The gap between the life expectancy of the richest and poorest sectors of society in England is increasing. This is the finding of new research from Imperial College London. The research, published in the journal Lancet Public Health , also reveals that the life expectancy of England's poorest women has fallen since 2011, in what researchers say is a "deeply worrying" trend.

A new study by the University of Birmingham has found that seven in every eight children who have their tonsils removed are unlikely to benefit from the operation. Researchers, supported by the National Institute for Health Research, analysed the electronic medical records of over 1.6 million children from more than 700 UK general practices dating between 2005 and 2016.

Researchers at Cardiff University are working to understand a relatively common genetic condition that most people haven't heard of. The ECHO study, based at the Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, aims to identify the challenges faced by people with 22q11. Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS), which is thought to be the second most common genetic condition behind Down's Syndrome.

Mannose sugar, a nutritional supplement, can both slow tumour growth and enhance the effects of chemotherapy in mice with multiple types of cancer. This lab study is a step towards understanding how mannose could be used to help treat cancer. The results of the study today (Wednesday). Tumours use more glucose than normal, healthy tissues.

The Mexican tetra fish can repair its heart after damage - something researchers have been striving to achieve in humans for years. Now, new research funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) published in Cell Reports suggests that a gene called lrrc10 may hold the key to this fish's remarkable ability.

Researchers at the University of Bristol have established greater evidence for a causal link between trauma in childhood and psychotic experiences at 18 years old. The findings, published today (21 November) in JAMA Psychiatry , are the first to comprehensively examine the association between different types of trauma, and their timing in childhood with later psychotic experiences using a large population study.