news 2026

Scientists at the Dark Energy Survey have published their most detailed explanation yet of how the universe has expanded over the last six billion years, thanks to an unprecedented combination of cosmic measurements. The international group of researchers, including researchers from the University of Cambridge, is led by the US Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

Scientists studying the fossil remains of giant prehistoric kangaroos have found that even animals weighing more than 200kg may not have been too big to bounce, overturning long-held assumptions about the limits of hopping. Today, the red kangaroo is the largest living hopping animal and weighs around 90kg.

A remarkable prehistoric hammer made from elephant bone, dating back nearly half a million years ago, has been uncovered in southern England and analysed by archaeologists from UCL and the Natural History Museum, London. It is the oldest elephant bone tool to ever be discovered in Europe and provides an extraordinary glimpse into the ingenuity of the early human ancestors who made it.

A new University of Manchester and Edinburgh study published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity has found that people who have had a stroke have fewer of a specific type of immune cell called B cells, which normally produce antibodies to fight off infections. Surprisingly, the same compromising immune changes were seen when healthy B cells were exposed to noradrenaline - a chemical released by the body after stroke, but also during stress, illness, or intense physical activity.

The mpox virus appears to be circulating silently in parts of Nigeria, in many cases without the symptoms typically associated with the disease, according to new research led by scientists from the University of Cambridge and partners in Nigeria. The findings may have implications for controlling the spread of the disease.

Native trees, such as oaks, have long held a special place in our culture and countryside. Now, researchers have shown that these trees are also important to woodland birds and their offspring. A new study, led by the University of Glasgow and published in the journal Ecology, shows that common woodland birds, such as blue tits, produce more chicks when surrounded by a greater abundance of native tree foliage.

Scientists seeking answers to the mystery of why cancer occurs in certain parts of the body and not others may have found a new way to tackle some hard-to-treat cancers. The research team focused on genetic faults that allow cancer to hijack a signalling system in the body which tells cells when, and when not, to grow.

Researchers have developed a wearable, comfortable and washable device called Revoice that could help people regain the ability to communicate naturally and fluently following a stroke, without the need for invasive brain implants. The device, whose development was led by researchers at the University of Cambridge, uses a combination of ultra-sensitive sensors and artificial intelligence to decode speech signals and emotional cues to allow people with post-stroke speech impairment to communicate naturally.

Researchers at UCL have uncovered a key mechanism that helps the body switch off inflammation - a breakthrough that could lead to new treatments for chronic diseases affecting millions worldwide. Inflammation is the body's frontline defence against infection and injury, but when it doesn't switch off properly, it can drive serious health conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes.

A mysterious bar-shaped cloud of iron has been discovered inside the iconic Ring Nebula by a European team of astronomers. The cloud of iron atoms, described for the first time in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , just fits inside the inner layer of the elliptically shaped nebula - a colourful shell of gas thrown off by a star as it ends the nuclear fuel-burning phase of its life.

Women and people with anxiety are both prone to low confidence in their own abilities, but a new study by UCL researchers has found that the two groups are prone to two distinct types of underconfidence. When they took more time to reflect on their answers in a simple experimental task, people with anxiety grew less confident in their answers, while women who were underconfident gained confidence.

A major new study from The University of Manchester has found little evidence that social media use or video gaming are causing mental health problems in young teenagers, challenging one of the most widespread concerns among parents and teachers today. The research - published in the Journal of Public Health - is based on the experiences of more than 25,000 pupils across Greater Manchester, and is one of the largest and most detailed studies of its kind.

A test that rapidly detects signs of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in stool samples could improve future diagnosis and monitoring of the condition. An international team of scientists, including researchers from the University of Glasgow, has developed a tool to measure the activity of a molecule linked to gut inflammation within faecal samples.

Tropical forests can recover twice as quickly after deforestation if they have adequate soil nitrogen, according to new research published today. A team of scientists led by the University of Leeds established the world's largest and longest experiment to see how nutrients affect forest regrowth in areas cleared for activities such as logging and agriculture.

Veteran male athletes who have spent years training at high intensity may be at greater risk of serious heart problems while exercising, new University of Leeds research shows. Funded by the British Heart Foundation, the study shows that male endurance athletes aged over 50 may be more likely to experience abnormal heart rhythms during training if they already have scarring in their heart.

Air-polluting microplastics have been found in rural areas in greater quantities than in cities, researchers say. The study, led by the University of Leeds, detected up to 500 microscopic particles of plastic per square metre per day in an area of woodland during the three-month study - almost twice as much as in a sample collected in a city centre.

A real world study led by University of Manchester neuroscientists has shown that higher daytime light exposure positively influences different aspects of cognition. The first study of its kind, published in the journal Communications Psychology and funded by Wellcome Trust, also showed that stable light exposure across a week and uninterrupted exposure during a day had similar effects.

Potentially more than 90% of Alzheimer's disease cases would not occur without the contribution of a single gene (APoe), according to a new analysis led by UCL researchers. The scientists also found that close to half of all dementia cases would probably not arise without the gene's influence. The researchers say that the findings, published today in npj Dementia , highlight this gene (and the protein it produces) as a powerful yet under-recognised target for drug development, which could have the scope to prevent or treat a large proportion of all dementia.

An international group of researchers says that biodiversity conservation and scientific research are not benefiting from the vast knowledge about the world's plants held by botanic gardens, because of fragmented data systems and a lack of standardisation. The digital infrastructure needed to manage, share, and safeguard living plant diversity wasn't designed to operate at a global scale.

A simple blood test can tell doctors when it is safe to stop antibiotics in patients recovering from sepsis, a review led by University of Manchester researchers has found. The review including 21 studies involving more than 6,000 patients who underwent blood tests for procalcitonin, a biomarker that becomes elevated during bacterial infections, is published in the journal Anaesthesia today (9/01/26).