news

For the first time, a new study simultaneously tracks brain activity, eye movements and body movements of a pro race car driver in extreme conditions. The Imperial College London research team worked with Formula E World Champion Lucas di Grassi to compare how his brain and body reacted to steep curves and straight segments of the Top Gear race track under wet and rainy conditions.

Here's a batch of fresh news and announcements from across Imperial. From a study into the risks of smokers developing more severe forms of COVID-19, to a new method for automatically detecting the 'fingerprint' of soundscapes, here is some quick-read news from across the College. Smokers more at risk? Smokers hospitalised with COVID-19 may be more likely to progress to more severe forms of the disease, including admission to intensive care.

Experts at Imperial have outlined their work to develop effective antibody tests to monitor the spread of COVID-19 infections in a new video. Researchers at Imperial College London are working with clinicians at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust on a programme of work to develop a 'gold standard' antibody test to support the Trust's testing programme.

China has contained coronavirus by introducing control measures early and adjusting them to respond to changes in transmission, a report finds. In Report 30 from the Imperial College London COVID-19 Response Team the team found that early implementation and timely adjustment of control measures could be important in containing coronavirus transmission.

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.

Here's a batch of fresh news and announcements from across Imperial. From commencing a space study despite COVID-19 challenges, to a new drug and diet combo treatment for cancer, here is some quick-read news from across the College. Operating a spacecraft in lockdown After launching in February , the European Space Agency's (ESA) Solar Orbiter spacecraft has successfully completed four months of technical verification, known as commissioning.

Researchers have solved the mystery of why a species of bacteria that causes food poisoning can swim faster in stickier liquids, such as within guts. The findings could potentially help scientists halt the bacteria in its tracks, because they show how the shape of the bacteria's body and the components that help it swim are all dependent on each other to work.

An Imperial researcher discussed a trial giving UK COVID-19 patients blood plasma from people who have recovered from coronavirus, in a recent talk. Professor Anthony Gordon, Chair in Anaesthesia and Critical Care at Imperial College London and a Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, is leading a trial to investigate whether convalescent plasma transfusions improve the speed of recovery and chances of survival for patients with COVID-19.

The researcher developing a potential new coronavirus vaccine said the technology behind it could also be used for future pandemics, in a recent talk. Professor Robin Shattock, from the Department of Infectious Diseases at Imperial College London, is leading the development of a candidate vaccine. It is currently being tested in human trials to establish whether it can be well tolerated and produce an effective immune response against COVID-19.

There have been big reductions in people attending hospital A&E departments in England since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to a new report. The report looked in detail at the number of people attending Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments in two hospitals in Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust , as well as at the wider picture across English hospitals.

Scientists have for the first time linked the deep Earth's water cycle to earthquakes and volcanic activity. Water, sulphur and carbon dioxide, which are cycled through the deep Earth, play a key role in the evolution of our planet - including in the formation of continents, the emergence of life, the concentration of mineral resources, and the distribution of volcanoes and earthquakes.

A study of COVID-19 in the quarantined Italian town of Vò, where most of the population was tested, reveals the importance of asymptomatic cases. The authors of the new research suggest asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic people are an important factor in the transmission of COVID-19. They also argue that widespread testing, isolating infected people, and a community lockdown effectively stopped the outbreak in its tracks.

Modelling of the Chicxulub asteroid impact 66 million years ago shows it created a world largely unsuitable for dinosaurs to live in. The asteroid, which struck the Earth off the coast of Mexico at the end of the Cretaceous era 66 million years ago, has long been believed to be the cause of the demise of all dinosaur species except those that became birds.

Researchers have demonstrated how machine learning could help design lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells with better performance. A new machine learning algorithm allows researchers to explore possible designs for the microstructure of fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries, before running 3D simulations that help researchers make changes to improve performance.

New research has shown that microbubbles, which can be used to deliver drugs to remote parts of the body, can be manipulated by sound waves. Drugs can sometimes be difficult to deliver to specific areas of the body. One way to reach these areas is via microbubbles, which are the subject of intense research for this purpose.

The first healthy volunteers have now received a candidate coronavirus vaccine developed by researchers. The clinical team, who delivered a small dose of the vaccine to participants at a West London facility, are closely monitoring the participants and report they are in good health, with no safety concerns.

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.

Scientists have completed large-scale tests on a new type of five-minute urine test that measures the health of a person's diet. The test also produces an individual's unique urine 'fingerprint'.

COVID-19 patients with very high levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood are more likely to deteriorate quickly and die, say researchers. The study , led by NIHR Research Professor Waljit Dhillo from Imperial College London and Consultant Endocrinologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust , provides the first data to show that cortisol levels are a marker of the severity of the illness.

Around 9,000 non-COVID-19 deaths in England during three months of the pandemic would not have occurred had the pandemic not happened. This is one of the findings of a new report looking at excess non-COVID-19 deaths in the period between 29 February to 5 June 2020, using historic trends. Although the majority of deaths over this time were not directly attributed to COVID-19, some may have indirectly been caused by the pandemic.