news 2018

Researchers have set a new efficiency record for LEDs based on perovskite semiconductors, rivalling that of the best organic LEDs (OLEDs). Compared to OLEDs, which are widely used in high-end consumer electronics, the perovskite-based LEDs, developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, can be made at much lower costs, and can be tuned to emit light across the visible and near-infrared spectra with high colour purity.

Breast cancer cells hit blood vessel walls with up to 200 times the mechanical force exerted by normal healthy cells, finds a new UCL study. Using a novel instrument, which mimics blood vessel walls, researchers have gained new insights into the physical aspects of cancer migration and have revealed how cancer cells are able to coordinate their invasion to different parts of the body.

29 October 2018 Specially-designed beermats have been created to highlight the important role traditional pubs have to play in tackling loneliness in older men. As traditional pubs decline, and face-to-face socialising is replaced by social media, researchers at the University of Bristol have examined the role pubs play in the lives of men over 65.

People with higher iron levels may be at greater risk of certain types of stroke, a new study has found. Researchers from Imperial College London analysed genetic data from over 48,000 people and revealed that higher iron levels are associated with an elevated risk of a certain type of stroke, called a cardioembolic stroke.

Researchers have developed a three-dimensional 'organ on a chip' which enables real-time continuous monitoring of cells, and could be used to develop new treatments for disease while reducing the number of animals used in research.

26 October 2018 Researchers from the University of Bristol have found significant ongoing emissions of a potent ozone-depleting substance from eastern China. The compound, carbon tetrachloride, contributes to the destruction of the Earth's ozone layer, which protects us from harmful ultraviolet radiation.

A cutting-edge material, inspired by nature, that can regulate its own temperature and could equally be used to treat burns and help space capsules withstand atmospheric forces is under development at the University of Nottingham. The research paper, Temperature - dependent polymer absorber as a switchable state NIR reactor , is published in the journal Scientific Reports today (Friday 26 October).

Scientists have developed a computer tool that can spot if somebody has filed a fake police statement based purely on the text included in the document. Using a combination of automatic text analysis and advanced machine learning techniques, the tool has been able to successfully identify false robbery reports with over 80 per cent accuracy.

Roll-Your-Own (or hand-rolling) tobacco should be taxed at almost triple its current rate to protect public health, according to a new international study from researchers at the University of Bath and King's College London. This would push the price of the most popular brand in the UK from around £13 for the smallest 30g pouch, to about £25.

Treating periodontitis (gum disease) could help people with Type 2 diabetes manage their blood glucose levels, according to a new study led by UCL. The research, published in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal and funded by Diabetes UK and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre also showed that treating oral health is linked to improvements in kidney and blood vessel function.

25 October 2018 A team of scientists has shown that rapid CO2 release from the ocean around Antarctica helped end the last ice age. The findings published in the journal Nature , found that CO2 was stored in the deep Southern Ocean during the last ice age and then released into the atmosphere as the ice age ended, linked to pulses of rapid climate change and melting sea ice.

A combination of three drugs has been used to target the most common genetic mutation responsible for cystic fibrosis in patients for the first time. In the trial, patients who received one new drug as well as two existing drugs had a significant improvement in lung function compared to patients taking the two existing tablets or placebo.

25 October 2018 Elevated body mass index (BMI) - a measure of weight accounting for a person's height - has been shown to be a likely causal contributor to population patterns in mortality, according to a new study led by the University of Bristol using measurements and mortality data from 500,000 people.

The influenza virus can evolve resistance to an anti-flu drug currently in development for use in pandemics, a study has found. Scientists at Imperial College London, in collaboration with Public Health England, have discovered that two genetic mutations would be needed for the virus to develop resistance to favipiravir, an experimental antiviral developed in Japan.

A new £20m research centre aimed at finding effective treatments for dementia was officially opened at Cardiff University today. More than 70 scientists from around the world have been recruited to the centre with the aim of expanding the group to 100 in the near future. The Cardiff centre is one of six that together make up the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) which has been established across Britain with a total £290m investment.

TV advertising could be responsible for encouraging young people to drink alcohol, a study led by The University of Nottingham has revealed. The research, published in the Journal of Public Health and involving researchers from the University of Bath, showed that alcohol imagery on UK television is extremely common, appearing in more than half of all programmes and almost half of all advertising breaks between programmes.

People at high genetic risk of stroke can still reduce their chance of having a stroke by sticking to a healthy lifestyle, in particular stopping smoking and not being overweight, finds a study in The BMJ today. This drives home just how important a healthy lifestyle is for all of us, even those without an obvious genetic predisposition Hugh Markus Stroke is a complex disease caused by both genetic and environmental factors, including diet and lifestyle.

A recently-approved breast cancer drug could be used to target and treat a life-threatening leukaemia, new research has revealed. Experts at the Universities of Birmingham and Newcastle have identified that the drug, palbociclib, used for advanced breast cancer, can work effectively on treating acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

Experts from Cardiff University are leading on a major new research project which will assess how new technologies are influencing transnational organised crime (Cyber-TNOC). Professor Mike Levi, Dr Luca Giommoni and Professor Matthew Williams, criminologists at the School of Social Sciences, along with Professor Pete Burnap from the School of Computer Science and Informatics, have secured funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to investigate the ways in which criminals are making use of cyber and allied technologies.

A team from UCL, University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) has operated on the abnormally developed spinal cords of two babies in the womb, in a medical first for the UK. The team repaired the defect in the spine of two babies with open spina bifida, in separate operations this summer.