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Dr Eleftheria Kodosaki (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) examines new evidence in The Conversation that suggests brain clearance is actually lower during sleep, contrary to the belief that the brain gets rid of more toxic waste when we're asleep than when we're awake. There's no doubt sleep is good for the brain.

Dr Eleftheria Kodosaki (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) examines new evidence in The Conversation that suggests brain clearance is actually lower during sleep, contrary to the belief that the brain gets rid of more toxic waste when we're asleep than when we're awake. There's no doubt sleep is good for the brain.

Two decades of cuckoo research have helped scientists to explain how battles between species can cause new species to arise This exciting new finding could potentially apply to any pairs of species that are in battle with each other..the coevolutionary arms race could cause new species to emerge - and increase biodiversity on our planet Rebecca Kilner The theory of coevolution says that when closely interacting species drive evolutionary changes in each other this can lead to speciation - the evolution of new species.

New research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), UCLA and the University of British Columbia has found that hummingbirds create a 3D map of their body, which may enable them to hover and make nuanced adjustments to their flight dynamics based on the smallest of touches and airflow in their environment.

Researchers have developed a method to make adaptive and eco-friendly sensors that can be directly and imperceptibly printed onto a wide range of biological surfaces, whether that's a finger or a flower petal. The method, developed by researchers from the University of Cambridge, takes its inspiration from spider silk, which can conform and stick to a range of surfaces.

3D reconstructions suggest that simple marine animals living over 560 million years ago drove the emergence of more complex life by mixing the seawater around them It's exciting to learn that the very first animals from 580 million years ago had a significant impact on their environment, despite not being able to move or swim.

Researchers have found that heavily used shipping lanes pass through crucial whale shark feeding grounds, posing a threat to this endangered species. Research published in Science of the Total Environment has revealed areas where the sharks are at the highest risk of colliding with large shipping vessels by mapping the locations of whale shark aggregations and overlaying them with information on shipping traffic.

The brain's ability to rid itself of toxins may actually be reduced during sleep, contrary to the leading scientific theory. Over the past decade, the leading explanation for why we sleep has been that it provides the brain with an opportunity to flush out toxins. However, a new study led by scientists at the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) at Imperial College London indicates that this may not be true.

New analysis has revealed more about the origins of the main bacterial strain involved in an increase in lethal cases. Strep A (Group A Streptococcus) is a common type of bacteria that typically causes throat infections and scarlet fever. While most infections are mild, in rare cases Strep A can cause invasive infections which can be fatal.

A tiny, flexible electronic device that wraps around the spinal cord could represent a new approach to the treatment of spinal injuries, which can cause profound disability and paralysis. Because of recent advances in both engineering and neurosurgery, the planets have aligned and we've made major progress in this important area George Malliaras A team of engineers, neuroscientists and surgeons from the University of Cambridge developed the devices and used them to record the nerve signals going back and forth between the brain and the spinal cord.

A new imaging technique tested on patients could improve the evaluation of cardiac conditions and undiagnosed chest pain. Researchers from Imperial College London's Department of Bioengineering and Faculty of Medicine worked alongside academics from UCL to produce sub-millimetre resolution images of cardiac micro-vessels.

The researchers have already received further funding and are planning to develop an implantable device for use in humans with traumatic spinal cord injury. Patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) could benefit from a future treatment to repair nerve connections using red and near-infrared light. The method, invented by scientists at the University of Birmingham and patented by University of Birmingham Enterprise, involves delivering light directly to the site of the injury.

During sleep, the brain weakens the new connections between neurons that had been forged while awake - but only during the first half of a night's sleep, according to a new study in fish by UCL scientists. The researchers say their findings, published in Nature , provide insight into the role of sleep, but still leave an open question around what function the latter half of a night's sleep serves.

Researchers have developed tiny, flexible devices that can wrap around individual nerve fibres without damaging them. The ability to make an implant that can change shape through electrical activation opens up a range of future possibilities for highly targeted treatments George Malliaras The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, combined flexible electronics and soft robotics techniques to develop the devices, which could be used for the diagnosis and treatment of a range of disorders, including epilepsy and chronic pain, or the control of prosthetic limbs.

New research has highlighted the profound link between dietary choices and brain health. The research, published in the journal Nature , showed that a healthy, balanced diet was linked to superior brain health, cognitive function and mental wellbeing. The study, involving researchers at the University of Warwick, sheds light on how our food preferences not only influence physical health but also significantly impact brain health.

Physical cues in the womb, and not just genetics, influence the normal development of neural crest cells, the embryonic stem cells that form facial features, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study published in Nature Cell Biology found that an increase in hydrostatic pressure sensed by the embryo can hinder the healthy development of facial features in mouse and frog embryos and in human embryoids (cell structures grown in the lab from human stem cells), suggesting that differences in pressure might affect the risk of facial malformations.

While children of mothers with diabetes and more likely to develop ADHD, a new global analysis co-led by UCL and University of Hong Kong researchers suggests the relationship is likely not causal. The authors of the new Nature Medicine study, using data from over 3.6 million mother-baby pairs across three continents, say the link is likely due to genetic and familial factors that are shared between people with diabetes and ADHD.

Human mini-lungs grown by University of Manchester scientists mimic the response of animals when exposed to certain nanomaterials. The study at the University's NanoCell Biology Lab at the Centre for Nanotechnology in Medicine is published in the influential journal nanotoday . Though not expected to replace animal models completely, human organoids could soon lead to significant reductions in research animal numbers, the team led by cell biologist and nanotoxicologist Dr Sandra Vranic argues.

RVC researchers help uncover potential breakthrough in treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's or Colitis) Pathologists from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) have been working with scientists from the Francis Crick Institute (FCI) to untangle a complex pathway that could help explain how interactions between microorganisms and the body's immune defences lead to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Competition between species played a major role in the rise and fall of hominins, and produced a "bizarre" evolutionary pattern for the Homo lineage. This is almost unparalleled in evolutionary science Laura van Holstein Climate has long been held responsible for the emergence and extinction of hominin species.