news 2020

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Results 61 - 80 of 1224.


Administration - 07.12.2020
Design quality of new homes across the UK remains "stubbornly low"
UofG-led new housing study says design quality of new homes across the UK remains "stubbornly low" The design quality of new homes and neighbourhoods across the UK remains stubbornly low, according to an in-depth study on the issue published today by a team led by the University of Glasgow. The report - Delivering design value: The housing design quality conundrum - which looked at all four UK nations, says new homes and neighbourhoods fail to meet the aspirations of the national planning policy statements in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Life Sciences - 07.12.2020
Genetic map of the human face
An international team of researchers has connected specific genetic regions which influence facial features. This means they can see the signals of normal facial features in the genome - but it is also hoped their work can shed light on craniofacial malformations such as cleft lip and palate. The findings are published today in an article .

Health - 04.12.2020
Reusing face masks: are microwaves the answer?
Researchers from Cardiff University have been testing the feasibility of using microwave ovens and dry heat to decontaminate crucial PPE being used to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Reporting their findings in the Journal of Hospital Infection , the team have shown that certain types of respirators can be effectively decontaminated in just 90 seconds using an industrial-grade microwave oven and a baby bottle sterilizer containing water.

Health - Pharmacology - 04.12.2020
Analysis finds four repurposed antiviral drugs have little or no effect on patients hospitalised for COVID-19
Repurposed antiviral drugs - remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir and interferon - to treat COVID-19 appear to have little or no effect on patients hospitalised for the disease, in terms of overall mortality, initiation of ventilation and duration of hospital stay. The interim findings from the WHO Solidarity trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), followed 11,266 adults at 405 hospitals in 30 countries.

Life Sciences - Environment - 03.12.2020
Flightless birds were more common before human-driven extinctions
Dr Ferran Sayol and Professor Tim Blackburn (both UCL Biosciences) discuss their new study, which found there would be at least four times as many flightless bird species on Earth today if it were not for human influences. When the first humans started to colonise all the regions of the world, many species went extinct.

Life Sciences - 03.12.2020
Scientists develop an evolutionary theory of stress
Scientists have created an evolutionary model to predict how animals should react in stressful situations. Almost all organisms have fast-acting stress responses, which help them respond to threats - but being stressed uses energy, and chronic stress can be damaging. The new study by an international team, including researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Exeter, suggests most animals remain stressed for longer than is optimal after a stress-inducing incident.

Astronomy / Space - 03.12.2020
Gaia: scientists take a step closer to revealing origins of our galaxy
An international team of astronomers, led by the University of Cambridge, announced the most detailed ever catalogue of the stars in a huge swathe of our Milky Way galaxy.

Sport - 03.12.2020
Teaching athletes about morality in sport can help reduce doping
Elite athletes can be persuaded not to take banned substances - either by appealing to their sense of morality or educating them about the risks of using performance-enhancing drugs, according to a new study. Researchers developed two separate intervention programmes - one targeting moral factors associated with doping likelihood, the other introducing doping and providing information about the health consequences of banned substances and the risks of sport supplements.

Environment - Life Sciences - 03.12.2020
Flightless birds more common globally before human-driven extinctions
There would be at least four times as many flightless bird species on Earth today if it were not for human influences, finds a study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in Science Advances , finds that flightlessness evolved much more frequently among birds than would be expected if you only looked at current species.

Computer Science - Environment - 03.12.2020
UofG experts contribute to net-zero transition report
Researchers from the University of Glasgow's School of Mathematics and Statistics have contributed to a major new report on how digital technology could help the UK achieve its net-zero goals. The Royal Society's report, published today, suggests that digital technology, from smart meters to supercomputers, weather modelling and AI, could deliver nearly one third of the carbon emission reductions required by 2030.

Astronomy / Space - 03.12.2020
Scientists peer into the 3D structure of the Milky Way
Scientists from Cardiff University have helped produce a brand-new, three-dimensional survey of our galaxy, allowing them to peer into the inner structure and observe its star-forming processes in unprecedented detail. The large-scale survey, called SEDIGISM (Structure, Excitation and Dynamics of the Inner Galactic Interstellar Medium), has revealed a wide range of structures within the Milky Way, from individual star-forming clumps to giant molecular clouds and complexes, that will allow astronomers to start pushing the boundaries of what we know about the structure of our galaxy.

Health - Environment - 03.12.2020
Rise in heat-related deaths linked to climate change
The last two decades have seen a 54% increase in heat-related deaths in older people linked to worsening climate change, a new international report led by UCL researchers has revealed. The 2020 Report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, published in The Lancet , shows a record 2.9 billion additional days of heatwave exposure affecting over-65s in 2019 - almost twice the previous high.

Life Sciences - Health - 02.12.2020
Small and large birth weight linked to genetics of mother and baby - except in tiniest babies
Genetics of mother and baby contribute to most cases where babies are born very large or very small, according to new research. Genetics of mother and baby contribute to most cases where babies are born very large or very small, according to new research. A large scale study, led by the University of Exeter and Cardiff University, has found the strongest evidence to date that genetics play a major role in most cases when babies born at full term are in the top or bottom 10 per cent of the weight spectrum.

Health - 02.12.2020
Global initiative to advance deep tissue imaging will provide new insights into our health
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) has awarded $1m (£750,000) to a team from UCL and the European Synchotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), as part of a global initiative to advance deep tissue imaging to provide new insights into health and the nature of diseases such as COVID-19. Professor Peter Lee (UCL Mechanical Engineering) and Professor Rebecca Shipley (UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering) together with Dr Paul Tafforeau (ESRF) are leading the imaging research project, which will enable cellular-level imaging anywhere in whole organisms, including human organs.

Health - Politics - 01.12.2020
New study to investigate COVID-19 and misinformation
Researchers at the University of Bristol and King's College London are leading a major new study to investigate COVID-19 perceptions and misperceptions, lockdown compliance and vaccine hesitancy. The research team is gathering longitudinal survey data on trust and compliance with public health requirements over the course of the pandemic, enhancing and extending the 'Life Under Lockdown' study fielded between April and June this year.

Health - 01.12.2020
Meningococcus B vaccine prevents disease with 79 per cent effectiveness in under 18s
Meningococcus group B, the most prevalent strain of meningococcal infection, is prevented with 79 per cent effectiveness in children and young adults inoculated with the 4CMenB vaccine, also known as Bexsero, according to a new collaborative study from researchers in Portugal and the UK and led by the University of Bristol which evaluated the vaccine's performance in a real-world setting.

Health - Pharmacology - 01.12.2020
Scientists identify warning signs over effectiveness of HIV ’wonder drug’ in sub-Saharan Africa
Dolutegravir, the current first-line treatment for HIV, may not be as effective as hoped in sub-Saharan Africa, suggests new research published on World AIDS Day. The study finds that this so-called 'wonder drug' may be less effective in patients resistant to older drugs. Dolutegravir was very much seen as a 'wonder drug', but our study suggests it might not be as effective in a significant number of patients who are resistant to another important class of antiretroviral drugs Ravi Gupta As HIV copies itself and replicates, it can develop errors, or 'mutations', in its genetic code (its RNA).

Life Sciences - 01.12.2020
Fingerprints’ moisture-regulating mechanism strengthens human touch - study
Human fingerprints have a self-regulating moisture mechanism that not only helps us to avoid dropping our smartphone, but could help scientists to develop better prosthetic limbs, robotic equipment and virtual reality environments, a new study reveals. Primates - including humans, monkeys and apes - have evolved epidermal ridges on their hands and feet with a higher density of sweat glands than elsewhere on their bodies.

Life Sciences - Environment - 30.11.2020
New aggressive alga threatening the health of Caribbean coral reefs
Hurricanes, pollution, disease, bleaching and the effects of an increasingly warmer planet are all negatively impacting the health of coral reefs around the world. However, those in the Caribbean are facing a new threat - an aggressive, golden-brown, crust-like alga that is rapidly overgrowing shallow reefs.

Social Sciences - 30.11.2020
PTSD contributes to suicide risk, particularly for women
Women with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are nearly seven times more likely than other women to die by suicide, according to a new study led by UCL researchers. The study of over 3 million people in Sweden, published in The Journal of Affective Disorders , found a similar but weaker relationship among men, who were four times more likely to die by suicide if they had a prior PTSD diagnosis.