news 2024

From new surgical techniques and treatments to studies on neurodegenerative disease, here are five of the top brain science stories from this year. Liraglutide slowing Alzheimer's Liraglutide, popularly known as Ozempic, has been trending as the latest weight loss drug in Hollywood, but researchers at Imperial have discovered a new possible use for it.

An international study involving researchers at the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science has found significant effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on many causes of death across 24 countries. Researchers from the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science , Australian National University and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, analysed cause-of-death data for 24 countries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Researchers develop a way to test the ability of red blood cells to deliver oxygen by measuring their shape Scientists have developed a way of assessing the ability of red blood cells to deliver oxygen by measuring their shape. This test could improve specialist transplant and transfusion practice as well as blood banking.

Young people have given important insights into what mental health support they prefer and what does not work for them or meet their needs, as part of a major new study of thousands of adolescents. The study, led by teams at the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge, found that adolescents access a variety of different types of support including informal (such as friends and family), semi-formal (like school-based support), and formal services (such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services).

Mothers living within 20 kilometres of waste incinerators may have a small increase in the total levels of two chemical pollutants in their body. In an analysis led by researchers at Imperial College London, scientists have shown an association between women's exposure to emissions from municipal waste incinerators (MWIs) and small increased levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins found in their milk.

A team of scientists has discovered that an ancient medicinal clay known as Lemnian Earth (LE) could inspire new understanding of how to support present-day gut health. The team also think that that LE was probably the prototype for the modern medicinal pill as far back as the 1st millennium, before the Common Era (BCE), since it was shaped into a small pellet, stamped with a seal and taken with liquids such as wine.

Scientists have identified strains of one of the world's most dangerous fungal pathogens, already resistant to our most effective antifungal drugs, which are also 5-times more likely to acquire resistance to desperately needed new treatments in development. The study - led by two University of Manchester researchers and published in Nature Communications - significantly advances our understanding of how Aspergillus fumigatus rapidly develops drug resistance.

Cancer is one of the four most likely conditions for clinicians to consider in older men who go to their GP with new-onset fatigue, a study led by UCL researchers has found. For the study, published in the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP) , researchers analysed the health records of more than a quarter of a million people in England whose doctor noted that they were tired.

A new review by researchers from Oxford Population Health and the University of Iceland, published in Nature Aging , reveals how your DNA shapes reproductive health, fertility, and even life expectancy. Led by researchers from the University of Oxford's Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science and the University of Iceland, the review explores how genetic variations can explain differences in reproductive health and longevity.

From hard-working newspaper reporter to world-saving superhero, Clark Kent makes the transition to Superman in just a few seconds. Now, scientists have discovered that human cells are home to their own hidden superheroes, secretly helping us to fight off a range of viruses. The latest study, led by the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research in collaboration with the Rosalind Franklin Institute, has uncovered intriguing new insights into how our cells respond to viral infection.

Genetic variants that determine the shape of your teeth - including a gene inherited from Neanderthals - have been identified by a team co-led by UCL researchers. In a new paper published in Current Biology , scientists found substantial tooth differences between ethnicities, potentially due in part to a gene inherited from Neanderthals that was only found in study participants of European origin.

The short-term boost our brains get after we do exercise persists throughout the following day, suggests a new study led by UCL researchers. Previous research in a laboratory setting has shown that people's cognitive performance improves in the hours after exercise, but how long this benefit lasts is unknown.

University of Birmingham researchers have found that biomass burning contributes significantly to fine particulate matter levels in the region. Woodburning has a major impact on air quality in Birmingham and the West Midlands - accounting for a substantial proportion of all fine pollution particles and representing a significant risk to public health, a new study reveals.

A new study has found no evidence that common modifiable health and lifestyle risk factors are responsible for the elevated dementia risk observed among former professional footballers. Led by consultant neuropathologist Professor Willie Stewart, Honorary Professor at the University of Glasgow, these latest findings from the FIELD study shed more light on the potential reasons why former professional footballers experience higher risk of dementia compared with the general population.

New research highlights how gender inequalities in sports could be distorting injury data and calls for more accurate measurements A new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine , involving the University of Bath, questions the widely cited claim that women are 2-10 times more likely than men to sustain ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries.

Scientists reveal how coffee wilt fungi gained genes to better infect arabica and robusta crops. A new study reveals how genetic interactions between fungal pathogens contributed to the repeated outbreaks of coffee wilt disease threatening arabica and robusta coffee. Coffee wilt disease is caused by Fusarium xylarioides , a soil-borne fungus that invades coffee plants through the roots, eventually blocking water uptake and causing the plants to wilt.

An MRI-based imaging technique developed at the University of Cambridge predicts the response of ovarian cancer tumours to treatment, and rapidly reveals how well treatment is working, in patient-derived cell models. We can image a tumour pre-treatment to predict how likely it is to respond, and then we can image again immediately after treatment to confirm whether it has indeed responded Kevin Brindle The technique, called hyperpolarised carbon-13 imaging, can increase the detected signal in an MRI scanner by more than 10,000 times.

Cambridge scientists have developed a urine test for early detection of lung cancer. The test, the first of its kind, detects 'zombie' cells that could indicate the first signs of the disease. Researchers hope that early detection, through the simple urine test, could enable earlier treatment interventions, significantly improving patient outcomes and prognosis.

Adults who frequently post on social media are at more risk of developing mental health problems than those who passively view social media content, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, investigated how different types of social media use might affect the mental health of adults over time.

People who are either too trusting or too mistrustful are more likely to believe conspiracy theories and ascribe to vaccine hesitancy, finds a new study by UCL researchers. The research, published in PLOS Global Public Health, also found that people who are highly credulous are less capable of recognising fake news.