news 2018

A new study published today in Nature shows that getting smaller was a key factor contributing to the exceptional evolution of mammals over the last 200 million years. The origin of modern mammals can be traced back more than 200 million years to the age of dinosaurs. But while dinosaurs evolved to become some of the largest land animals, for the following 150 million years, the ancestors of all modern mammals pursued an entirely different strategy: getting very small.

Researchers from the University of Birmingham have found that survivors of sexual assault are more likely to blame themselves for the incident if they were drunk at the time. People with higher levels of self-blame indicated they would be less willing to report a rape or assault to the police, found the results of the study, published in scientific journal Aggressive Behaviour.

Intergenerational power relations may be just as important as male-female power relations for women's economic empowerment, according to new UCL research. The study, published in  World Development , was conducted in rural Nepal where mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law often have fraught relationships, as their survival and well-being depend on gaining favour with male family members.

Horse owners in the UK are being invited to take part in a new project to help improve the management of the skin and flesh wounds that are a common type of emergency in horses. Researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham have teamed up with the equine charity, The British Horse Society , to launch the Equine Wound Project online today, Monday 1 st October 2018.

Humans did not accelerate the decline of the 'Green Sahara' and may have managed to hold back the onset of the Sahara desert by around 500 years, according to new research led by UCL. The study by a team of geographers and archaeologists from UCL and King's College London, published , suggests that early pastoralists in North Africa combined detailed knowledge of the environment with newly domesticated species to deal with the long-term drying trend.

PA 195/18 A team of eye specialists at the University of Nottingham has made another novel discovery that could help to improve the success of corneal transplants for patients whose sight has been affected by disease. The research, published in the October edition of the American Journal of Ophthalmology , has shed light on a characteristic of a thin membrane called the Descemets membrane which can cause difficulties for surgeons performing the intricate Descemets membrane transplant procedure.

New research has shown that support cells in the brain can be utilised to heal and protect neurones, paving the way for the development of new medicine to treat neurodegenerative diseases. Tackling neurodegeneration remains one of the great challenges for modern medicine. Most of the major neuro-psychiatric conditions (such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases) involve a gradual decline of neuronal populations as neurones in the affected areas die.

A new study reveals that when burying beetle larvae are denied parental support, they evolve bigger jaws to compensate. Our ongoing research investigates the importance of the social environment in evolution Rebecca Kilner In gardens, parks and woods across the UK, the Sexton burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides quietly buries dead mice and other small vertebrates to create edible nests for their young.

Research from Oxford University has revealed that bold male birds focus on forming strong relationships with their future breeding partners while shy male birds play the field. A new study from the Department of Zoology, Oxford University, has found that the individual personalities of male great tits influences how they bond with their future breeding partner.

Researchers at MRC HIU examined the large intestine using sophisticated single cell technology, in work that paves the way for better treatments for IBD. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disease with limited treatment options. The two main forms of the disease, Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis, affect more than 300,000 people in the UK.

A unique source of stem cells in blood helps to build blood vessels according to new UCL-led research with mouse embryos. The findings change scientific understanding of how blood vessels are made and bring scientists one step closer to using stem cells to grow new blood vessels and repair damaged ones.

A new study reveals a stark disparity between male and female participation in a key area of academic life and offers recommendations to ensure all voices are heard. Junior scholars are encountering fewer visible female role models Alecia Carter Women are two and a half times less likely to ask a question in departmental seminars than men, an observational study of 250 events at 35 academic institutions in 10 countries has found.

Research led by Cardiff University's School of Biosciences has revealed that microplastics are widespread in insects from South Wales rivers. Microplastic fragments - pieces of plastic debris under five millimetres - were found to have been ingested by one in every two insects, and at all the sites sampled.

Replacing food with a diet of soups, shakes and bars starting at 810 calories per day alongside regular sessions with a counsellor is a safe and clinically effective way to treat obesity in primary care, finds a study from Oxford University researchers. Total diet replacement programmes are not generally funded by the NHS in England but the authors of this study, published in the BMJ , suggest that there is now enough evidence for these programmes to be one of the treatments recommended for people who are obese.

University of Birmingham scientists are paving the way to swap the lithium in lithium-ion batteries with sodium, according to research published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) are rechargeable and are widely used in laptops, mobile phones and in hybrid and fully electric vehicles.

Imperial scientists have helped unravel the genetic code of tuberculosis (TB), enabling doctors to tailor treatments to each individual patient. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine , may herald a quicker, more tailored treatment for the millions of people around the world living with tuberculosis.

A diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts, plant-based food and fish, typical of a traditional Mediterranean diet, could help lower depression risk, according to new research from UCL. The study, published today in Molecular Psychiatry , is a comprehensive, systematic overview of the current evidence regarding a link between the quality of people's diets and the risk of depression.

Researchers at UCL Cancer Institute have shown for the first time that immune cells found within the urine mirror those found in cancerous bladder tumours. This discovery could potentially help doctors to track patient responses to bladder cancer treatment in the future, in a quick and easy way with a urine test.

Research led by scientists at the University of Birmingham shows more precisely how G protein-coupled receptors, which are the key target of a large number of drugs, work. The human genome encodes hundreds of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). These form the largest group of receptors through which hormones and neurotransmitters exert their functions on our cells, and are of highest importance as drug targets.

Regular use of aspirin could help in the treatment of some cancers, finds a new review of 71 medical studies. The systematic review, which looked at the survival of 120,000 patients with cancer who took aspirin, compared with 400,000 patients who did not, showed that at any time following the diagnosis of some cancers the proportion of patients who were still alive was 20-30% greater in those taking the drug.