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Predatory bacteria, capable of invading and consuming harmful bugs such as E.coli and Salmonella, use a unique tool to help them escape the cell they have invaded without harming themselves, according to a new study. Researchers at the Universities of Birmingham and Nottingham have identified a particular enzyme used by the bacteria to rupture the cell wall of its prey bacteria and exit without damaging its own cell wall.

Homicides near schools negatively impact on the educational attainment of children, a new study in the Journal of Labor Economics reports. During this unique study, researchers from the University of Birmingham and University of Surrey investigated if exposure to homicides had an impact on the educational outcomes of children in schools close by.

Engineers need to get more creative in their approach to design and additive manufacturing (AM) systems, by taking inspiration from the way humans grow and develop, say researchers at the University of Birmingham. In a new paper, published in The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology , teams from the University's School of Engineering and Centre for Human Reproductive Science have proposed a design approach for AM, otherwise known as 3D printing, which opens a world of potential for the development of new materials and products.

Research from the University of Birmingham has concluded that the process of giving to charity has to be grounded in evidence rather than reaction.

2.4% of asymptomatic health care workers at work in Birmingham were carriers of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and over a third of those individuals subsequently became unwell with symptoms of COVID-19, a new cross-sectional study by researchers at the University of Birmingham and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has found.

Three-quarters of people over-40 in Sierra Leone have at least one health factor that could contribute to cardiovascular disease - creating a 'ticking time bomb' of death and disability in one of the world's poorest countries, a new study reveals. Researchers found that cardiovascular disease risk factors (CVDRFs) such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity are much more common in Sierra Leone than expected, whilst access to health care for these conditions is low.

Scientists will work in Bangladesh to create a blueprint to help ensure that medics can get a COVID-19 vaccine to everyone who needs it across the Global South. Universal vaccine access is already a major challenge in low-income countries, due to the lack of robust refrigerated cooling networks especially to remote communities.

Astrophysicists investigating gravitational-wave data from the far reaches of the Universe believe they may have found an explanation for a curious signal detected from the collision of two black holes. The signal, named GW190412, was picked up by the LIGO / Virgo detectors, which are set up to observe gravitational waves - the ripples in space and time caused by huge astronomical objects - and use them to make new discoveries about our Universe.

The LIGO and Virgo Collaboration, which includes scientists from the Institute for Gravitational Wave Astronomy at the University of Birmingham, have reported the discovery of a signal from what may be the most massive black hole merger yet observed in gravitational waves. The signal, labelled GW190521, was detected on May 21, 2019, with the LIGO and Virgo detectors.

The study analysed the outcomes of 11,432 pregnant and recently pregnant women from the USA, Europe, Central and South-East Asia and South America. Pregnant women, hospitalised with COVID-19 are less likely to manifest common virus symptoms like fever or muscle pain than non-pregnant women of the same age, and may be at an increased risk of intensive care admission, an international study into the impacts of COVID on pregnancy has found.

The trial found that the combined drug treatment worked in 83% of cases, compared to 76% in the placebo group - and crucially, it reduced the need for surgery. A new drug combination is more effective for women having miscarriages without symptoms than current standard NHS treatment, according to an NIHR funded study from Tommy's National Centre for Miscarriage Research published today in The Lancet.

A newly published study led by the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham has found that, compared to other cancers, patients with blood cancers are more vulnerable to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. As access to treatment remains of upmost importance, this information will help clinicians to guide patients to ensure they can have therapy safely and successfully during this time.

Home-testing kits sold online in the UK and US in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic were provided with incomplete and in some cases, misleading information on how accurate they were, a new UK study by experts the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick has found. Testing has been regarded as critical to managing the pandemic, the two main tests being molecular virus tests to detect current infection and antibody tests to detect previous infection.

Routing apps such as Google Maps or Nokia's Here platform could offer a cost-effective way of calculating emission hotspots in real time, say researchers at the University of Birmingham. These apps routinely capture detailed information as motorists use the GPS technology to plan and navigate routes.

Patients with early onset psychosis may benefit from treatment for depression, including with anti-depressants alongside other medication, new research shows. According to scientists at the University of Birmingham's Institute for Mental Health , depression may be an intrinsic part of early phase psychotic disorders that should be treated together with other more prominent symptoms to improve patient outcomes.

Drivers and passengers can inhale significantly lower levels of air pollution by setting their vehicle's ventilation systems more effectively and taking a 'cleaner' route to their destination, a new study reveals. Road transport emissions are major source of urban air pollution - nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) coming from vehicle exhausts, plus non-exhaust emissions such as brake dust, tyre wear and road dust in the case of PM.

Enzymes used by bacteria to break down mucus in the gut could provide a useful biomarker for intestinal diseases, according to new research published. Researchers at the University of Birmingham and Newcastle University have successfully identified and characterised one of the key enzymes involved in this process.

A newly-described disease occurring in children and linked to COVID-19 has significant changes in white blood cells - a discovery that may allow doctors to better assess their young patients' condition and predict their resistance to current treatments, a new study reveals. Paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection (PIMS-TS) is a new disease which shares some features with Kawasaki disease, as well as toxic shock syndrome.

Rhythms produced by the brain can reliably be used to predict how sensitive we are to pain, new research shows. The living brain is constantly producing regular rhythmic patterns of activity, which can be compared to musical notes. Scientists at the University of Birmingham in the UK, and the University of Maryland School of Dentistry in the US, have successfully demonstrated that one particularly prevalent pattern of brain activity, called alpha waves, strongly relates to the body's susceptibility or resilience to pain.

A way of shrinking the devices used in quantum sensing systems has been developed by researchers at the UK Quantum Technology Hub Sensors and Timing , which is led by the University of Birmingham. Sensing devices have a huge number of industrial uses, from carrying out ground surveys to monitoring volcanoes.