news 2022

The first genetic data from Palaeolithic human individuals in the UK - the oldest human DNA obtained from the British Isles so far - indicates the presence of two distinct groups that migrated to Britain at the end of the last ice age, according to new research. Published today in Nature Ecology and Evolution, the new study by UCL Institute of Archaeology, the Natural History Museum and the Francis Crick Institute researchers reveals for the first time that the recolonisation of Britain consisted of at least two groups with distinct origins and cultures.

Imperial College London scientists have successfully placed a bioinspired steerable catheter into the brain of an animal for the first time. The early-stage research tested the delivery and safety of the new implantable catheter design in two sheep to determine its potential for use in diagnosing and treating diseases in the brain.

Scientists have discovered that cervical cancer can be divided into two distinct molecular subgroups - one far more aggressive than the other - as part of the largest 'omics' study of its kind, led by researchers at UCL and the University of Southampton. Published in Nature Communications , researchers say the breakthrough findings are a 'major step forward' in understanding disease and provide a tantalising new clue in determining the best treatments for individual patients.

A new analysis by an Imperial researcher for WWF shows krill play a vital role in keeping carbon out of the atmosphere. The analysis, conducted by Dr Emma Cavan from the Department of Life Sciences (Silwood Park) at Imperial, suggests krill should be valued beyond their worth as a fished resource. Life on Earth clearly has an important role in carbon cycling and sequestration.

Chemists at Bath are developing a new test that detects Group B Streptococcus (GBS) bacteria in 45 minutes. Scientists at the University of Bath are looking for volunteers to help them develop a new test that could prevent dangerous bacterial infections in newborn babies which currently kills one baby every week in the UK.

Researchers have programmed bacterial cells to react to changes in light and temperature with the help of synthetic cell machinery. The innovation is a step forward for the field of cell engineering - a discipline which works to alter and harness the power of biological cells for potential applications in medicine, biomanufacturing, and biosensing.

A tool that promises to throw light on the strategies adopted by MRSA to avoid detection by the body's immune system has been developed at Bath. The MRSA superbug is notorious for going undetected by the body's immune system, but the mechanisms behind this evasion are poorly understood. Now biologists at the University of Bath have developed a tool that promises to throw light on the pathogen's tactics by tracking a protein produced by the host's body after the protein sticks to the microbe.

Brain cells living in a dish can perform goal-directed tasks, such as playing the tennis-like computer game, Pong, finds a new study involving UCL researchers. The findings, published in Neuron , could have implications for future research by providing a new perspective on artificial intelligence (AI) models of how the brain works - and a basis for testing the effects of drugs on a little proto-brain, whose decisions can be measured behaviourally.

Genetic analysis key to understanding Legionella risk, study finds Routine sampling of water supplies and genomic sequencing - determination of the entire genetic makeup - of Legionella bacteria could play a key role in identifying the source of Legionnaires' disease outbreaks, research suggests. The measures could also inform public health measures to limit the spread of infection, according to a genomic study of the Legionella bacteria that causes the disease.

Cambridge scientists have shown that it may be possible to spot signs of brain impairment in patients as early as nine years before they receive a diagnosis for one of a number of dementia-related diseases.

Older people may be able to boost working memory with a new approach that couples online therapeutic games with a non-invasive brain stimulation technique. Working memory is critical for people to function well in everyday life. This volatile form of memory holds and manipulates a finite amount of information over a short time interval, enabling people to interact with their environment in an effective and efficient manner.

Following a meditation programme for 18 months can improve attention and socio-emotional regulation capacities for people over 65, finds a new study co-led by a UCL researcher. But the researchers did not identify any significant impact of meditation on the volume and functioning of the brain structures studied, in comparison to control groups, so the potential to prevent dementia remains unclear, they report in JAMA Neurology .

A compound that both inhibits the MRSA superbug in lab experiments and renders it more vulnerable to antibiotics has been discovered by scientists at Bath. A compound that both inhibits the MRSA superbug and renders it more vulnerable to antibiotics has been discovered by scientists at the University of Bath led by Dr Maisem Laabei and Dr Ian Blagbrough.

Three types of neurostimulation technique could have the potential to help people who have the difficulty in swallowing caused by stroke or other neurological diseases, a review of 174 animal and human studies has shown. However, Dr Ivy Cheng, the University of Manchester research associate, who had reviewed evidence from over 30 randomised controlled trials, says there is unfortunately only limited evidence to support the efficacy of traditional swallowing therapy used by speech therapists for dysphagia.

Deep Neural Networks - part of the broader family of machine learning - have become increasingly powerful in everyday real-world applications such as automated face recognition systems and self-driving cars. Researchers use Deep Neural Networks, or DNNs, to model the processing of information, and to investigate how this information processing matches that of humans.

An early step in metabolic evolution enabled the emergence of ATP as the universal energy carrier, setting the stage for the origin of life, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. According to the findings published in PLOS Biology , a simple two-carbon compound may have been a crucial player in the evolution of metabolism before the advent of cells.

More than 1,500 adults and children from the UK are being recruited by researchers at UCL, as part of an international study aiming to discover the genes that cause stammering. The UK arm of the study will be overseen by researchers at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, and aims to provide greater insight into why some people are more likely to develop a stammer, also known as stuttering, in a bid to develop new treatments that target the cause rather than just the symptoms.

Scientists have shown that in one in every 4,000 births, some of the genetic code from our mitochondria - the -batteries- that power our cells - inserts itself into our DNA, revealing a surprising new insight into how humans evolve. Mitochondrial DNA appears to act almost like a Band-Aid, a sticking plaster to help the nuclear genetic code repair itself.

Study reveals high neurodegenerative risk among former international rugby players A study led by the University of Glasgow has revealed the first major insights into lifelong health outcomes in former international rugby union players. In findings published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, the researchers found that former international rugby players had an approximately two and a half times higher risk of neurodegenerative disease than expected, with risk of disease varying by subtype, but not by player position.

Mice who have been tricked into thinking they are fasting manage inflammation more easily, according to neurobiologists at The University of Manchester and collaborators from the University of Naples 'Federico II', in Italy. The study of mice and published in Current Biology is also the first to show that the well-established protective effects of fasting are at least in part mediated by the brain, rather than a lack of nutrients as generally thought.