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Life Sciences - Microtechnics - 13.02.2025
Bioengineering makes robotic limbs feel natural
Researchers have decoded the signals between hand movements and the brain, paving the way for more natural-feeling prosthetics. In the study, published in Science Robotics , researchers unpicked the connections between hand movement patterns and the control patterns from motoneurons in the spinal cord.

Life Sciences - 13.02.2025
Bacteria evolved to help neighbouring cells after death, new research reveals  
Researchers have made the surprising discovery that a type of gut bacteria has evolved to use one of their enzymes to perform an important function after death. Darwin's theory of natural selection provides an explanation for why organisms develop traits that help them survive and reproduce. Because of this, death is often seen as a failure rather than a process shaped by evolution.

History / Archeology - Life Sciences - 12.02.2025
Ukraine was a crossroads of human mobility for thousands of years, shows genetic study
Ukraine was a crossroads of human mobility for thousands of years, shows genetic study
Historical inhabitants of the region that is now Ukraine have had diverse European, Asian and Middle Eastern ancestry for thousands of years, finds a new study co-led by UCL researchers. The analysis of ancient DNA shows the genetic imprint of Ukraine's history as a crossroads of human migrations, connecting people from the vast Eurasian steppe with central Europe.

Life Sciences - 07.02.2025
Brain mechanism that helps overcome fear
Brain mechanism that helps overcome fear
The precise brain mechanisms that enable animals to overcome instinctive fears have been unveiled by researchers at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre at UCL. , the study in mice could have implications for developing therapeutics for fear-related disorders such as phobias, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 06.02.2025
New research seeks to find new ways to target opioid addiction
An international team of researchers, led by the University of Glasgow, hopes to find new ways to target opioid addiction. Supported by a £5m award from the Wellcome Trust, the ground-breaking new project will use genetic and drug-discovery techniques to try to answer the longstanding question: can we have the pain-relief of opioids without the addiction risk?

Health - Life Sciences - 05.02.2025
Map of brain's appetite centre could enable new treatments for obesity and diabetes
Map of brain’s appetite centre could enable new treatments for obesity and diabetes
Scientists have created the most detailed map to date of the human hypothalamus, a crucial brain region that regulates body weight, appetite, sleep, and stress. HYPOMAP confirms the critical role of the hypothalamus in body-weight regulation and has already allowed us to identify new genes linked to obesity Giles Yeo Published today in  Nature , this comprehensive resource, called HYPOMAP, provides an unparalleled view of the brain's appetite centre and promises to accelerate the development of treatments for obesity and diabetes.

Health - Life Sciences - 31.01.2025
Bacterial survival, top marks for maths and a mystery solved: News from Imperial
Bacterial survival, top marks for maths and a mystery solved: News from Imperial
From the crossbow-like tactics used by bacteria, to top marks for homework and a research mystery solved, here is some quick-read news from Imperial. Bacterial survival tactics Bacteria constantly compete with other bacteria for space and nutrients, often by killing others. Researchers from Imperial, Kiel University and the Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Biology analysed the DNA of Pseudomonas aeruginosa , an opportunistic pathogen responsible for 600,000 deaths annually.

Life Sciences - Environment - 30.01.2025
Bioscientists achieve major advancement in protein-metal binding research
Researchers from our top-rated Biosciences department have made an exciting discovery that could revolutionise how scientists design and engineer biological systems. Their new study reveals a way to predict and control how proteins inside cells bind to metals - an essential process for life. Revealing secrets of protein metalation Metals such as iron, manganese, and cobalt are crucial for many biological processes, helping proteins carry out vital functions in cells.

Health - Life Sciences - 30.01.2025
COVID-19 linked to increase in biomarkers for abnormal brain proteins
Researchers have uncovered a link between COVID-19 and blood markers linked to faulty proteins in the brain. In an analysis led by researchers at Imperial College London and the UK Dementia Research Institute, scientists found that people who had previously had COVID-19 were more likely to have increased levels of biomarkers linked to faulty amyloid proteins - a known hallmark for Alzheimer's disease.

Life Sciences - 30.01.2025
Scientists call for urgent action to halt genetic diversity loss
Genetic diversity loss is happening globally and urgent action needs to be taken, according to the largest to date investigation into genetic diversity. A study by researchers from Cardiff University and a large international team has looked at genetic diversity loss across 628 species (animals, plants, fungi and chromists), covering all terrestrial and most marine realms on Earth, spanning 141 countries.

Life Sciences - Health - 28.01.2025
Driving advances in biosciences
Our Department of Biosciences is making strides in understanding antibiotic resistance, boosted by a prestigious Leverhulme award. Professor Jonathan Heddle joined our Department of Biosciences in 2023 with the support of a £4.8 million Leverhulme International Professorship award. The Leverhulme award helped establish the Centre for Programmable Biological Matter at Durham University, which has already yielded results that could help us fight antibiotic-resistant infections.

Environment - Life Sciences - 27.01.2025
Botanic Gardens must team up to save wild plants from extinction
Botanic Gardens must team up to save wild plants from extinction
The world's botanic gardens must pull together to protect global plant biodiversity in the face of the extinction crisis, amid restrictions on wild-collecting, say researchers. A concerted, collaborative effort across the world's botanic gardens is now needed to conserve a genetically diverse range of plants.

Life Sciences - Psychology - 24.01.2025
Genetic links with bipolar disorder identified
In the largest genome-wide study of bipolar disorder to date, an international team involving UCL researchers has identified 298 regions of the genome containing DNA variations that increase risk for the disorder. The research published in  Nature  heralds a more than four-fold increase over the number of genetic links previously identified.

Life Sciences - Health - 17.01.2025
Brain changes in Huntington's disease decades before diagnosis will guide future prevention trials
Brain changes in Huntington’s disease decades before diagnosis will guide future prevention trials
Subtle changes in the brain, detectable through advanced imaging, blood and spinal fluid analysis, happen approximately twenty years before a clinical motor diagnosis in people with Huntington's disease, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The research, published in Nature Medicine , was in collaboration with experts at the Universities of Glasgow, Gothenburg, Iowa, and Cambridge.

Health - Life Sciences - 14.01.2025
Genetic driver of aggressive bone cancer discovered
Genetic driver of aggressive bone cancer discovered
A major driver of the bone cancer osteosarcoma has been discovered by researchers from UCL, EMBL EBI and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, providing insights that could help to predict cancer severity and how patients will respond to treatment. Osteosarcoma is a type of aggressive bone cancer that most commonly affects children and young adults between the ages of 10 and 20, during times of rapid bone growth.

Life Sciences - Psychology - 14.01.2025
Global study pinpoints genes for depression across ethnicities
New genetic risk factors for depression have been identified across all major global populations for the first time by a team co-led by UCL researchers, allowing scientists to predict risk of depression regardless of ethnicity. The world's largest and most diverse genetic study ever into major depression, published in Cell , has revealed nearly 300 previously unknown genetic links to the condition.

Health - Life Sciences - 13.01.2025
Blood test to enable early detection of multiple cancers
Oxford researchers have unveiled a new blood test, powered by machine learning, which shows real promise in detecting multiple types of cancer in their earliest stages, when the disease is hardest to detect. Named TriOx, this innovative test analyses multiple features of DNA in the blood to identify subtle signs of cancer, which could offer a fast, sensitive and minimally invasive alternative to current detection methods.

Life Sciences - Health - 13.01.2025
Syringe-wielding germs could crack antimicrobial resistance crisis
Friendly germs armed with their own biological syringes and poisons could hold the key to overcoming the antimicrobial resistance crisis, according to a new study by biologists at the Universities of Manchester and Basel. The study of special bacteria, which have evolved nanoscopic syringes -Type 6 Secretion Systems (T6SSs) - that inject cocktails of deadly toxins into rival microorganisms, is published today in the journal PNAS.

Life Sciences - Social Sciences - 10.01.2025
Genetics, childhood aspirations and family background work together to shape status, career and health
A study of occupational status published in Nature Human Behaviour identifies 106 genetic variants, the importance of the interplay of genetics and family environment, childhood educational and occupational aspirations, and differences across the life course and links to health.

Life Sciences - Health - 10.01.2025
Chimpanzees are genetically adapted to local habitats and infections such as malaria
Chimpanzees are genetically adapted to local habitats and infections such as malaria
Chimpanzees bear genetic adaptations that help them thrive in their different forest and savannah habitats, some of which may protect against malaria, according to a study by an international team led by UCL researchers. Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, sharing over 98% of their DNA with humans, and the scientists say that their findings, published in Science , can not only teach us about our own evolutionary history, but also about the biology of malaria infection in humans.
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