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Cambridge researchers have identified genetic variants in two genes that have some of the largest impacts on obesity risk discovered to date. We have identified two genes with variants that have the most profound impact on obesity risk at a population level we've ever seen Giles Yeo The discovery of rare variants in the genes BSN and APBA1 are some of the first obesity-related genes identified for which the increased risk of obesity is not observed until adulthood.

Cambridge researchers have identified genetic variants in two genes that have some of the largest impacts on obesity risk discovered to date. We have identified two genes with variants that have the most profound impact on obesity risk at a population level we've ever seen Giles Yeo The discovery of rare variants in the genes BSN and APBA1 are some of the first obesity-related genes identified for which the increased risk of obesity is not observed until adulthood.

Researchers at Imperial College London have genetically engineered bacteria to grow animaland plastic-free leather that dyes itself. In recent years, scientists and companies have started using microbes to grow sustainable textiles or to make dyes for industry - but this is the first time bacteria have been engineered to produce a material and its own pigment simultaneously.

Scientists from the Milner Centre have published the largest ever evolutionary tree for birds as part of the Bird 10,000 Genomes Project (B10K). Published on Monday 1 April 2024 Last updated on Tuesday 9 April 2024 Bird brains have got bigger relative to their body sizes over evolutionary time, according to research by an international team of scientists, which has published the most comprehensive and detailed family tree of bird species as part of the Bird 10,000 Genomes Project (B10K) in the prestigious journal Nature .

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have created the world's largest catalogue of human breast cells, which has revealed early cell changes in healthy carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations. We're very excited about this discovery, because it opens up potential for a preventative treatment other than surgery for carriers of BRCA breast cancer gene mutations.

Researchers from the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford have used data from UK Biobank participants to reveal that diabetes, traffic-related air pollution and alcohol intake are the most harmful out of 15 modifiable risk factors for dementia. The researchers had previously identified a 'weak spot' in the brain, which is a specific network of higher-order regions that not only develop later during adolescence, but also show earlier degeneration in old age.

Humans pass on more viruses to domestic and wild animals than we catch from them, according to a major new analysis of viral genomes by UCL researchers. For the new paper published in Nature Ecology & Evolution , the team analysed all publicly available viral genome sequences, to reconstruct where viruses have jumped from one host to infect another vertebrate species.

Scientists have taken a major step towards developing a blood test that could identify millions of people who spread tuberculosis unknowingly. A breakthrough study has discovered a group of biological markers that are found in high levels among infectious patients. The researchers hope the findings will pave the way for a simple test that can diagnose and stop the spread of the estimated 10 million cases annually.

Researchers from the University of Southampton have developed technology to help scientists observe proteins in motion. Understanding how proteins move will allow novel drugs to be designed. X-ray crystallography is a scientific method which produces a 3D picture of molecules with exquisite, atomic-level detail.

Reduced snow cover and shifting vegetation patterns in the Alps, both driven by climate change, are having major combined impacts on biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems in the high mountains, according to new research published today. Mountain ranges covering vast areas of the world are warming much faster than surrounding lowland areas, triggering huge reductions in snow cover and rapid upward movement of dwarf-shrubs, such as heather.

A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford has challenged previously held views that brain preservation in the archaeological record is extremely rare. The team carried out the largest study to date of the global archaeological literature about preserved human brains to compile an archive that exceeds 20-fold the number of brains previously compiled.

Genes expressed in human cells harvested from urine are remarkably similar to those of the kidney itself, suggesting they could be an important non-invasive source of information on the kidney. The news offers hope that doctors may one day be able to investigate suspected kidney pathologies without carrying out invasive procedures such as biopsies, raising the tantalising prospect of earlier and simpler disease detection.

Using a mobile phone for extended periods is not linked with an increased risk of brain cancer, a study shows. These are the findings from the COSMOS study, a large international project led by researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Imperial College London. Starting in 2007, researchers studied more than 250,000 mobile phone users to investigate if extensive use of mobile phones increases the risk of brain tumours over time.

A new Imperial College London study has answered a long-held question about why medium-sized land animals like cheetahs tend to be fastest. There's a discrepancy in the animal kingdom. While many key traits such as strength, limb length, lifespan and brain size tend to increase with animals' size, maximum running speeds tend to be greatest in medium-sized animals.

Scientists at The Universities of Manchester and Oxford have developed an AI framework that can identify and track new and concerning COVID-19 variants and could help with other infections in the future. The framework combines dimension reduction techniques and a new explainable clustering algorithm called CLASSIX, developed by mathematicians at The University of Manchester.

A ground-breaking research study has used AI to understand the genetic underpinning of the heart's left ventricle, using three-dimensional images of the organ. It was led by scientists at the University of Manchester, with collaborators from the University of Leeds (UK), the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (Santa Fe, Argentina), and IBM Research (Almaden, CA).

Adults who had amblyopia ('lazy eye') in childhood are more likely to experience hypertension, obesity, and metabolic syndrome in adulthood, as well as an increased risk of heart attack, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. In publishing the study in eClinicalMedicine , the authors stress that while they have identified a correlation, their research does not show a causal relationship between amblyopia and ill health in adulthood.

A UK trial has found a DNA-tailored diet could help manage blood glucose and reduce risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes in high-risk individuals. The findings come from a small Imperial College London and DnaNudge pilot study involving 148 people with high blood sugar levels who were at risk of going on to develop type 2 diabetes (T2D).

New research finds around a quarter of Labrador retriever dogs face a double-whammy of feeling hungry all the time and burning fewer calories due to a genetic mutation. Labradors with this genetic mutation are looking for food all the time, trying to increase their energy intake. It's very difficult to keep these dogs slim, but it can be done.

Artificial Intelligence has helped scientists reveal a new form of aggressive prostate cancer, which could revolutionise how the disease is diagnosed and treated in the future. A Cancer Research study, published in  Cell Genomics , has revealed that prostate cancer, which affects one in eight men in their lifetime, includes two different subtypes termed evotypes.