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Physics - Mathematics - 29.07.2020
’Quantum negativity’ can power ultra-precise measurements
Scientists have found that a physical property called 'quantum negativity' can be used to take more precise measurements of everything from molecular distances to gravitational waves. We've shown that filtering quantum particles can condense the information of a million particles into one David Arvidsson-Shukur The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, Harvard and MIT, have shown that quantum particles can carry an unlimited amount of information about things they have interacted with.
Mathematics - Health - 09.07.2020
Doing more with less: Sperm without a fully active tail move faster and more efficiently, new UK study finds
Sperm cells moving their long tail to swim through the body in search of an egg is a familiar image, but a fully 'powered' tail may not be the key to success, according to a new UK study which could be crucial for improving the outcomes of assisted fertility treatments. Propulsion of sperm and how the cell uses its tail to move through the thick fluids of the reproductive tract to reach and fertilise an egg has been well studied.
Mathematics - Economics - 03.07.2020
New mathematical principle used to prevent AI from making unethical decisions
A new mathematical principle has been designed to combat AI bias towards making unethical and costly commercial choices. Researchers from the University of Warwick, Imperial College London, EPFL (Lausanne) and Sciteb Ltd have found a mathematical means of helping regulators and businesses manage artificial intelligence (AI) systems' biases towards making unethical, and potentially very costly and damaging, commercial choices.
Life Sciences - Mathematics - 03.07.2020
Analysis: How the brain builds a sense of self from the people around us - new research
MBPhD researcher Sam Ereira (UCL Medical School) shares his research on brains and discusses how we distinguish between thinking about our minds versus those of others. We are highly sensitive to people around us. As infants, we observe our parents and teachers, and from them we learn how to walk, talk, read - and use smartphones.
Health - Mathematics - 22.06.2020
United States COVID-19 model passes Codecheck
The software behind a major Imperial study warning of a potential US coronavirus resurgence has received a Codecheck endorsement. The key findings in the 'Report 23' from Imperial College were reproducible. Dr Stephen Eglen University of Cambridge The independent review of the Imperial COVID-19 Response Team's code for Report 23 was led by Dr Stephen Eglen, Reader in Computational Neuroscience in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge.
Mathematics - Life Sciences - 19.06.2020
An ant-inspired approach to mathematical sampling
In a paper published by the Royal Society, a team of Bristol researchers observed the exploratory behaviour of ants to inform the development of a more efficient mathematical sampling technique. Animals like ants have the challenge of exploring their environment to look for food and potential places to live.
Health - Mathematics - 01.06.2020
Codecheck confirms reproducibility of COVID-19 model results
Imperial's COVID-19 Response Team has published the script to reproduce its high-profile 16 March coronavirus report, as it passes a codecheck. The code, script and documentation, which is available on Github , was subject to an independent review led by Dr Stephen Eglen , Reader in Computational Neuroscience in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge.
Mathematics - Health - 29.05.2020
Solution to century-old math problem could predict transmission of infectious diseases
A Bristol academic has achieved a milestone in statistical/mathematical physics by solving a 100-year-old physics problem - the discrete diffusion equation in finite space. The long-sought-after solution could be used to accurately predict encounter and transmission probability between individuals in a closed environment, without the need for time-consuming computer simulations.
Mathematics - 19.03.2020
Most beneficial places to plant new woodland revealed
A Research Fellow from the University of Sussex has worked with a team of mathematicians to help Natural England identify the most beneficial places to plant 10,000 hectares of new woodland. Eduard Campillo-Funollet collaborated with a team from the University of Bath to produce mathematical models and maps to help identify the hotspots for tree planting throughout England.
Mathematics - 12.02.2020
Secularism and tolerance of minority groups predicts future prosperity of countries
Secular cultures which are tolerant of minority groups and respectful of individuals' rights tend to have more wealth, education and democracy, a new study by University of Bristol scientists has found. New research, which surveyed nearly half a million people across 109 countries, shows that changes in culture generally come before any improvements in wealth, education and democracy, rather than the other way around.
Mathematics - 11.02.2020
Opinion: School ability grouping is potentially harmful
In light of recent research findings, involving 9,000 pupils, that suggest attainment groupings may have an effect on pupils' self-confidence, Dr Becky Taylor (UCL Institute of Education) explains how schools may want to reflect on existing teaching practices. England's schools make more use of within-school "ability" grouping than those in other similar countries, yet there is no evidence that this practice results in better outcomes overall for students.
Computer Science - Mathematics - 24.09.2019
Numbers limit how accurately digital computers model chaos
Digital computers use numbers based on flawed representations of real numbers, which may lead to inaccuracies when simulating the motion of molecules, weather systems and fluids, find UCL and Tufts University scientists. The study, published today in Advanced Theory and Simulations , shows that digital computers cannot reliably reproduce the behaviour of 'chaotic systems' which are widespread.
Life Sciences - Mathematics - 07.08.2019
Thriving animal collectives like ants should move through their environment like ‘savvy gamblers’
Many animals have to move around in their environment to find resources to live and reproduce. Scientists have studied particular examples of this for many years but there are not many unifying frameworks to understand the general organising principles of animal movement. This is especially true for animal collectives like ant colonies, whose individual routes as they search for food can look rather like a 'random walk'.
Mathematics - 03.07.2019
Common scents don’t always make the best perfumes, suggests mathematical study
Perfumes that use the most popular scents do not always obtain the highest number of ratings, according to an analysis of online perfume reviews. A study of 10,000 perfumes and their online ratings reveals which odours are likely to bring success, with some surprising combinations providing a boost to ratings.
Mathematics - Pharmacology - 07.06.2019
New technique will help experts make heads or tails of male fertility
A new way of analysing sperm that tracks the movement of the sperm tail could enable substantial improvements to male fertility testing. The technique measures the speed and action of the sperm flagellum, or tail, which provides vital information for understanding whether sperm in an ejaculate have the potential to reach and fertilise the egg.
Mathematics - 02.05.2019
Opportunistic cancer cells ’slip through the gaps’ to spread through blood vessels
Cancer cells may rely on opportunism, as well as chemical signalling, to spread through the body, according to new findings by mathematicians at the University of Birmingham. Cancer spreads by sending cells out from the primary tumour to travel through the vascular or lymphatic system to colonise other organs in a process called metastasis.
Mathematics - 15.04.2019
Support for Conservative Party rises with UK house prices
Support for Conservative Party rises with UK house prices, new research reveals The big increase in housing wealth inequality in the UK over the period from 1995 to 2007 increased homeowners' probability of supporting the Conservative party. However, it did not make homeowners more averse to the state's ownership of public services.
Mathematics - 01.04.2019
Bristol mathematician cracks Diophantine puzzle
A mathematician from the University of Bristol has found a solution to part of a 64-year old mathematical problem - expressing the number 33 as the sum of three cubes. Since the 1950s, mathematicians have wondered if all whole numbers could be expressed as the sum of three cubes; whether the equation k = x³+ y³+ z³ always has a solution.
Mathematics - 09.01.2019
Census data could be used to improve city neighbourhoods
A new analysis of the 2011 census has revealed that social differences among city populations significantly influence how neighbourhoods take shape. Researchers hope that their insights could help councils to make better planning decisions. Dr Thilo Gross and Dr Edmund Barter in the Department of Engineering Mathematics at the University of Bristol, used a new algorithm to gain insight into city neighbourhood characteristics, starting with Bristol.
Mathematics - 07.09.2018
BBC’s book of brainteasers includes puzzles from Sussex mathematician
A senior lecturer from the University of Sussex has contributed to a book of brainteasers from BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, which published yesterday. The Today Programme Puzzle Book contains over 280 cryptic, linguistic and numerical brainteasers created by top mathematicians and logicians from around the country, including Dr Nicos Georgiou, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics at Sussex.