news 2023

The genomes of two hornet species, the European hornet and the Asian hornet (or yellow-legged hornet) have been sequenced for the first time by a team led by UCL scientists. By comparing these decoded genomes with that of the giant northern hornet, which has recently been sequenced by another team, the researchers have revealed clues suggesting why hornets have been so successful as invasive species across the globe.

Here's a batch of fresh news and announcements from across Imperial. From rowing the Atlantic, to uncovering how parasites move, here is some quick-read news from across the College. Endurance rowing In December 2022, a team including a PhD candidate in the Department of Bioengineering tested their endurance by rowing unsupported across the Atlantic.

UK-wide lockdowns gave scientists a unique opportunity to observe wildlife with the absence of traffic, shedding light on what characteristics and traits make iconic British species - like badgers and pheasants - more likely to be involved in collisions with vehicles. Researchers at The Road Lab, based at Cardiff University, used data of roadkill records to assess the 19 wildlife species most frequently involved in vehicular collisions, to see which exhibited changes in road mortality during two major lockdown periods (March- May 2020 and December 2020 - March 2021).

A new discovery by researchers at the University of Warwick could help stop bacteria being contaminated with viruses, reducing disruption and decreasing costs in industry and research. Bacteria are routinely used in biological and biomedical research. They are crucial in food production and emerging industrial biotechnologies, where bacterial -factories- can be used to produce new materials, medicines and chemicals.

Researchers at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology have discovered a network of connections in the brain linked to seizures in people with epilepsy. The team believe that their findings, published in Brain , will help redesign neurological operations for patients whose epilepsy can't be controlled by medication.

People living with long Covid who suffer from loss of smell show different patterns of activity in certain regions of the brain, a new study led by UCL researchers has found. The research used MRI scanning to compare the brain activity of people with long Covid who lost their sense of smell, those whose smell had returned to normal after Covid infection, and people who had never tested positive for Covid-19.

New research has found that rivers in England and Wales have recovered biologically from pollution since the early 1990s, but improvements appear to have slowed in recent years. Researchers from Cardiff University's School of Biosciences investigated invertebrates that live on river beds across England and Wales.

Scientists at UCL and the Francis Crick Institute have uncovered early genetic clues that could indicate where and when cancer cells might spread next. The research, which is funded by Cancer Research UK and published across seven papers in Nature and Nature Medicine , could pave the way for doctors to use blood tests to predict cancer's future, monitor it in real-time and adapt treatments accordingly.

Genomic surveillance could aid in tracking pathogen evolution and crop resistance, preventing crop failures, suggests a new study co-led by UCL researchers. The new PLOS Biology paper, conducted by an international team of researchers from four continents, suggests that surveillance could help manage emerging crop diseases and identify genetic traits for breeding disease-resistant crops.

Scientists at UCL and the Francis Crick Institute have uncovered early genetic clues that could indicate where and when cancer cells might spread next. The research, which is funded by Cancer Research UK and published across seven papers in Nature and Nature Medicine , could pave the way for doctors to use blood tests to predict cancer's future, monitor it in real-time and adapt treatments accordingly.

Equine exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) is a syndrome involving painful, exercise induced episodes of muscle stiffness and acute myonecrosis which can result in renal failure and in severe cases, death. While it is seen in many different species from humans to dogs, horses seem to be particularly predisposed.

A new study provides the first empirical evidence for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via people's hands and frequently touched household surfaces. The Imperial College London-led research sheds new light on the spread of COVID-19 in households, where most transmission of SARS-CoV-2 occurs, and it is the first to link the presence of SARS-CoV-2 on people's hands and frequently touched household surfaces to the risk of infection among contacts.

There is no stable microbial community residing in the bloodstream of healthy humans, according to a new study led by a UCL researcher. The new Nature Microbiology paper makes an important confirmation as blood donations are a crucial part of medical practice. Understanding what types of microbes may be found in blood may allow the development of better microbial tests in blood donations, which would minimise the risk of transfusion-related infections.

Evidence of the widespread, and likely illegal, trading of critically endangered European eels has been uncovered using DNA testing carried out by researchers at UCL and the University of Exeter. The research team carried out "DNA barcoding" on products including jellied eels and unagi, which is used in sushi and donburi.

Illusion involving a hidden thumb confounds capuchin and squirrel monkeys for the same reason as humans - it misdirects the expected outcomes of actions they can carry out. This mirroring in our neural motor system might explain why the French drop worked for the capuchins and squirrel monkeys but not for marmosets Nicola Clayton By performing a famous magic trick for three species of monkey with differing hand structures, scientists have discovered that - in order to deceive - a conjuror needs the same anatomy as their audience.

A study, co-led by researchers at UCL, has revealed how some skin cancers stop responding to treatment at the end of life. The discovery, scientists say, provides vital clues for developing new treatments for those with a terminal diagnosis. An in-depth analysis of 14 patients who died from incurable melanoma has revealed that changes to the order, structure and number of copies of tumour DNA could cause some skin cancers to resist treatment.

Traces of ancient empires that stretched across Africa remain in the DNA of people living on the continent, reveals a new genetics study led by UCL researchers. Published in Science Advances , the collaboration between UCL geneticists working alongside anthropologists, archaeologists, historians and linguists in Africa and beyond found evidence for when different peoples intermixed across the continent.

Researchers have mapped the complete trajectory of placental development, helping shed new light on why pregnancy disorders happen. This can help us improve laboratory models to continue investigating pregnancy disorders, which cause illness and death worldwide. Anna Arutyunyan Researchers from the University of Cambridge, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), Switzerland, EMBL's European

Pathogen mapped for the first time - to understand evolution and potential treatments A parasite which has devastating impacts on agriculture and human health is the first pathogen to have its proteins located and mapped within its cells - providing clues to their function and helping to identify potential drug targets.

Scientists in Cambridge and Berlin have used a form of gene therapy to increase levels of the so-called -cold shock protein- in the brains of mice, protecting them against the potentially devastating impact of prion disease. Essentially, the cold shock protein enables the brain to protect itself - in this case, against the damage nerve cells in the brain during prion disease Giovanna Mallucci The discovery is a step towards harnessing the protective effects of cooling the brain to treat patients with acute brain injury and even to prevent dementias, such as Alzheimer-s.