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Social Sciences - Life Sciences - 05.10.2021
Sibling brain structure differences make some more susceptible to severe antisocial behaviour
A new study reveals differences in brain structure between antisocial and non-antisocial members of the same families. Last updated on Tuesday 5 October 2021 Structural differences in the area of the brain responsible for decision making could explain why two siblings living in the same family might differ in their risk of developing the condition conduct disorder.
Life Sciences - Physics - 04.10.2021
How apples get their shapes
Using theory, numerical simulations and lab experiments, a team led by UCL and Harvard researchers have shown for the first time how apples get their distinct shape. Apples are among the oldest and most recognisable fruits in the world. Humans have been drawing apples for millennia - their likeness has been captured by everyone from Caravaggio to Picasso.
Health - Life Sciences - 30.09.2021
Higher rates of mutation alone are not to blame for age-related disease
Small mutations accumulating in DNA are unlikely to be fully responsible for the ageing process, finds a new study carried out in collaboration with the University of Birmingham. The research into the theories of ageing found that human cells and tissues can accumulate many more mutations than are normally present, without the body showing the features associated with ageing.
Life Sciences - 30.09.2021
Genetic risks for depression differ between East Asian and European groups
Specific genes increase the risk of developing depression, according to a new study led by UCL researchers, which also shows that the genes associated with depression vary depending on ancestry group. The research, published in JAMA Psychiatry , is the largest study into the genetic risks of depression conducted in non-European populations.
Life Sciences - 28.09.2021
Magnetic stimulation of the brain can improve episodic memory
Inhibitory brain stimulation allows better memorization by reducing the power of beta-waves in the brain. Memories of past events and experiences are what define us as who we are, and yet the ability to form these episodic memories declines with age, certain dementias, and brain injury.
Life Sciences - Health - 28.09.2021
Machine learning can predict which animal viruses risk infecting humans
Scientists have developed a new machine learning method that can accurately predict which animal viruses could go on to infect humans in the future, using only information encoded in the viral genome. Most emerging infectious diseases of humans are caused by 'zoonotic' viruses that originate from other animal species.
Health - Life Sciences - 24.09.2021
New cause of inherited heart condition discovered
A UCL-led research team has identified a new gene as a cause of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an inherited heart condition affecting one in 500 people. The discovery, published in the European Heart Journal , provides a new causal explanation for 1-2% of adults with the condition. (In the UK, this is approx. 1,250-2,500 people.
Paleontology - Life Sciences - 23.09.2021
Bizarre armoured spikes belong to oldest ankylosaur ever discovered
An unusual fossil showing a series of spikes fused to a rib has been revealed to be the remains of the oldest ankylosaur ever found and the first from the African continent. The exciting discovery was made in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco at the same site where researchers from the Natural History Museum (NHM) previously discovered the oldest stegosaur ever found.
Life Sciences - 21.09.2021
Our eyes and brain work together to create a ’pipeline’ of meaning - new study
Humans read by 'pre-processing' written words to create a pipeline of meaning, according to new research at the University of Birmingham. A study, published in Nature Communications , shows that each pre-processing judgement can take place extremely rapidly - within just 100ms after the eye lands on the previous word.
Life Sciences - 15.09.2021
Primate mothers may carry infants after death as a way of grieving
Some primate species may express grief over the death of their infant by carrying the corpse with them, sometimes for months, according to a new UCL-led study - with implications for our understanding of how non-human animals experience emotion. Published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B , the researchers compiled data from anecdotes reported in 126 publications on primate behaviour.
Life Sciences - Health - 15.09.2021
Fixing protein production errors lengthens lifespan
Reducing naturally occurring errors in protein synthesis (production) improves both health and lifespan, finds a new study in simple model organisms led by researchers at UCL and MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences. The novel findings, published in Cell Metabolism , are the first to demonstrate a direct link between fewer protein mistakes and longevity.
Health - Life Sciences - 07.09.2021
Opinion: Multiple sclerosis linked to infection in adolescence - new study
Infections of the central nervous system and respiratory system in youth have been found to increase the risk of MS significantly, says Professor Scott Montgomery (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health). Multiple sclerosis (MS) is most often diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50. Certain genes put a person at greater risk of getting this disease of the central nervous system, but scientists are still trying to understand the triggers.
Life Sciences - Environment - 06.09.2021
Newly developed evolved enzymes produce renewable isobutene
New research published today details a breakthrough in the creation of evolved enzymes to support a renewable process to make one of the key building blocks of the chemical industry used in everything from beauty products to fuel. The newly published findings are the result of collaborative work between Global Bioenergies and the team of Dr. David Leys at The University of Manchester, and have been published today .
Life Sciences - Health - 06.09.2021
Researchers get to the heart of fish health with new diagnostic tool
A group of aquaculture researchers in Scotland is aiming to develop a simple and cost-effective mass testing tool that could significantly enhance fish health and wellbeing, by quickly and proactively detecting and differentiating between a range of cardiac conditions in salmon. The consortium will seek to better screen and characterise the heart health of salmon by studying specific blood biomarkers that indicate the presence of cardiomyopathies such as heart and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI), cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS), and pancreas disease (PD).
Life Sciences - Health - 01.09.2021
New mechanism preventing toxic DNA lesions opens up therapeutic avenues for Huntington’s disease
A new mechanism that stops the progression of Huntington's disease in cells has been identified by scientists at the University of Cambridge and UCL, as part of their research groups at the UK Dementia Research Institute. There are currently more than fifty CAG repeat expansion disorders that are incurable.
Life Sciences - Environment - 26.08.2021
Plants evolved ability to actively control water-loss earlier than previously thought
New research has shed light on when plants first evolved the ability to respond to changing humidity in the air around them, and was probably a feature of a common ancestor of both flowering plants and ferns. Key to the regulation mechanism are tiny holes, or pores, on the surface of leaves, called stomata.
Life Sciences - Health - 26.08.2021
Researchers identify genetic cause of endometriosis and potential drug target
Endometriosis is a painful, chronic condition in which tissue from the uterus inappropriately grows outside the uterus. Current treatments are limited and include surgery and hormone therapy, which can involve unwanted side effects. New research conducted by the University of Oxford, Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Bayer AG, offers new insight into how to treat this debilitating disease.
Life Sciences - Health - 25.08.2021
Mutation rate of Covid19 virus is at least 50 per cent higher than previously thought
New study from the Milner Centre for Evolution shows the virus that causes Covid19 mutates almost once a week. Last updated on Friday 10 September 2021 The virus that causes Covid19 mutates almost once a week - significantly higher than the rate estimated previously - according to a new study by scientists from the Universities of Bath and Edinburgh.
Health - Life Sciences - 24.08.2021
Farmed carnivores may become ’disease reservoirs’ posing human health risk
Carnivorous animals lack key genes needed to detect and respond to infection by pathogens, a study has found. We've found that a whole cohort of inflammatory genes is missing in carnivores Clare Bryant Farming large numbers of carnivores, like mink, could allow the formation of undetected 'disease reservoirs', in which a pathogen could spread to many animals and mutate to become a risk to human health.
Life Sciences - 23.08.2021
’Vegetarian’ giant tortoise filmed attacking and eating seabird
Researchers have captured on film the moment when a Seychelles giant tortoise, Aldabrachelys gigantea , attacked and ate a tern chick. This is the first documentation of deliberate hunting in any wild tortoise species. The whole interaction took seven minutes and was quite horrifying Justin Gerlach The hunting tortoise was seen in July 2020 on Frégate Island, a privately owned island in the Seychelles group managed for ecotourism, where around 3,000 tortoises live.
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