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Cutting down on fat, without dieting, will result in a slimmer figure - according to new research co-authored by Durham University Findings published today in the British Medical Journal show that exchanging fatty foods for lower fat alternatives will help people shift around three-and-a-half pounds - without dieting.

An international team involving Durham University experts has produced the most accurate assessment of ice losses from Antarctica and Greenland to date, ending 20 years of uncertainty. In a landmark study the researchers show that melting of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets has contributed 11.1 millimetres to global sea levels since 1992.

We know that unborn babies hiccup, swallow and stretch in the womb but new observational research concludes that they also yawn. The 4D scans of 15 healthy fetuses, by Durham and Lancaster Universities, also suggest that yawning is a developmental process which could potentially give doctors another index of a fetus' health.

Some grey seal mums adopt risky tactics when it comes to the future of their young, a strategy that can give their pup a real advantage, according to scientists. Researchers from Durham University and the University of St Andrews, looking at grey seal colonies in Scotland, found that some seal mothers are flexible in the parenting style they adopt and 'gamble' on the outcome of their actions, whilst other play it safe and steady.

Astronomers from Durham University used a prototype of a new instrument being developed in collaboration with a team from Yunnan Astronomical Observatory in China, to observe the outer layers of the sun during a total solar eclipse visible from northern Queensland, Australia. The new instrument, named FASOT, is designed to measure the tangled magnetic field of the corona - the outer layer of the sun - leading to predictions of major "storms" which could affect the weather on earth and even knock out tele and power distribution.

The recent storms that have battered settlements on the east coast of America may have been much more frequent in the region 450 million years ago, according to scientists. New research pinpointing the positions of the Equator and the landmasses of the USA, Canada and Greenland, during the Ordovician Period 450 million years ago, indicates that the equator ran down the western side of North America with a hurricane belt to the east.

An international team of scientists, including researchers at Durham University, have revealed the genetic code of pigs for the first time, providing new insights into their domestication and the movements of early humans. Researchers compared the genome or genetic make-up of domestic pigs with those of wild boars - from which domestic pigs are descended.

British women's obsession for thin bodies could potentially be changed if advertising showed more plus size models, suggests a new preliminary study. The Durham University researchers, who studied over 100 women, provide evidence to back calls for models in adverts to be more representative of the actual population.

New technology that can analyse diseases in ancient skeletons has yielded fascinating results in a study led by Durham University. Professor Charlotte Roberts of Durham's Department of Archaeology , working in partnership with Professor Terry Brown from the University of Manchester, used a new system that can scrutinise millions of gene sequences within seconds.

New data which more accurately measures the rate of ice-melt could help us better understand how Antarctica is changing in the light of global warming. New data which more accurately measures the rate of ice-melt could help us better understand how Antarctica is changing in the light of global warming.

Ice-sheet retreat can halt temporarily during long phases of climate warming, according to scientists. A UK team led by Durham University has found that the geometry of channels beneath the ice can be a strong control on ice behaviour, temporarily hiding the signals of retreat. The findings, which provide the first simulation of past ice-sheet retreat and collapse over a tenthousand year period in Antarctica, shed new light on what makes ice stable or unstable and will help refine predictions of future ice extent and global sea-level rise, the researchers say.

Little Ice Age led to migration of island hopping arctic foxes The Little Ice Age allowed a new wave of arctic foxes to colonise Iceland, according to new research. A "bridge" of sea ice appeared during a dip in temperatures between 200 to 500 years ago allowing arctic foxes to migrate to Iceland from different Arctic regions including Russia, North America and Greenland.

Mounting evidence of Higgs boson a "triumph” for particle physics Mounting evidence that the Higgs boson exists is a "triumph" for particle physics, according to Durham University experts providing the theory and analysis behind a number of experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Scientists at the LHC at CERN, in Geneva, have announced that they have found a new particle consistent with the long-sought Higgs.

Bowel cancer patients diagnosed through screening more likely to survive Bowel cancer patients whose disease was found through screening have a better chance of beating their disease than those diagnosed after developing symptoms, according to new research by Durham University. The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, also adds to evidence that the test used in bowel screening - which looks for blood in stool samples - is better at finding bowel cancers in men, and in the lower part of the bowel.

Mounting evidence of Higgs boson a "triumph” for particle physics, says Durham University expert Mounting evidence that the Higgs boson exists is a "triumph" for particle physics and could help answer other questions about the Universe, according to a Durham University expert. Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, in Geneva, have announced that they have found a new particle consistent with the long-sought Higgs.

Ice extended further across the UK than previously thought and played a part in sculpting the rocky landscape of Dartmoor in South West England during the last Ice Age, according to new research which challenges previously held theories. A study of the National Park area of Dartmoor, UK, shows for the first time that an ice cap and  valley glaciers were present in its centre and that the naturally castellated stone outcrops, known as tors, were survivors.

Modern dog breeds "genetically disconnected” from ancient ancestors Cross-breeding of dogs over thousands of years has made it extremely difficult to trace the ancient genetic roots of today's pets, according to a new study led by Durham University. An international team of scientists analysed data of the genetic make-up of modern-day dogs, alongside an assessment of the global archaeological record of dog remains, and found that modern breeds genetically have little in common with their ancient ancestors.

Experts from Durham University have identified a new gene that could help the development of fertility treatments in humans in the future. Scientists from Durham University, UK, and Osaka University, Japan, looking at fertility in mice, have discovered for the first time that the gene, which makes a protein called PDILT, enables sperm to bind to an egg, a process essential to fertilisation.

Breastfeeding less common and much shorter with unplanned pregnancy, according to new research Women who did not plan to get pregnant stop breastfeeding sooner than women who did and are ten times as likely to stop breastfeeding exclusively by 12 weeks, according to new research by a Durham University expert The study suggests that women whose pregnancies weren't deliberate often experience more emotional and physical discomfort with breastfeeding compared to women who had fully intended to have a baby.

Spectacularly bright object in Andromeda caused by "normal” black hole A spectacularly bright object recently spotted in one of the Milky Way's neighbouring galaxies is the result of a "normal" stellar black hole, astronomers have found. An international team of scientists, led by Matt Middleton of Durham University, analysed the Ultraluminous X-ray Source (ULX) which was originally discovered in the Andromeda galaxy by NASA's Chandra x-ray observatory.