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Researchers at the University of Leeds aim to pin-point genetic defects involved in the development of schizophrenia within families. Schizophrenia is a common yet poorly understood condition believed to be caused, in part, by genetic mutations. The two year project, funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), builds on previous research at Leeds that suggests the existence of a genetic mutation, possibly causing an inherited form of the illness.

It's official: older adults are naturally inclined to drive in the middle of the road, leaving the younger generation to cut corners. This tendency to sit mid-lane is an in-built safety mechanism that helps pensioners stay safe behind the wheel, according to researchers at the University of Leeds. The findings of the study, which are published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology Human Perception and Performance , have shown how older people naturally adapt when they can no longer move with the freedom they once had.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan for coronary heart disease is better than the most commonly-used alternative, a major UK trial of heart disease patients has shown. The findings by University of Leeds researchers could change the way that people with suspected heart disease are assessed, potentially avoiding the need for tests that are invasive or use ionising radiation.

Scientists have discovered a mechanism they believe may play a key role in the spread of foot-and-mouth disease in animals. Researchers at the University of Leeds have been studying an enzyme - called 3D - which plays a vital role in the replication of the virus behind the disease. They have found that this enzyme forms fibrous structures (or fibrils) during the replication process.

An international team of researchers from Leeds, London and Berlin has discovered more about the function of muscle stem cells, thanks to next-generation DNA sequencing techniques. The work, which was co-led from the University of Leeds' School of Medicine and the Charité, Berlin, is published this week.

Research shows infection by the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii, found in 10-20 per cent of the UK's population, directly affects the production of dopamine, a key chemical messenger in the brain. Findings from the University of Leeds research group are the first to demonstrate that a parasite found in the brain of mammals can affect dopamine levels.

New study suggests major roads significantly reduce bat numbers, activity and diversity - raising serious issues for how road construction projects mitigate their impact on these protected species. The findings - published today in the Journal of Applied Ecology - show that the negative impact of a major road stretches a considerable distance, with bat activity three times lower at the roadside than 1.6km away.

Traces of bizarre, bone-eating 'zombie' worms have been found on a three million year old fossil whale bone from Tuscany in Italy. It is the first time the genus Osedax has been found in the Mediterranean, and suggests Osedax were widespread throughout the world's oceans 6 million years ago. The new find, published in the journal Historical Biology, confirms what scientists have long suspected - that Osedax were likely responsible for erasing parts of the fossil record by destroying bones before they could become fossils.

Doctors should not only treat the heart muscle in chronic heart failure patients, but also their leg muscles through exercise, say researchers in a major new study. Heart failure causes breathlessness and fatigue that severely limits normal daily activities such as walking. The University of Leeds research team has, for the first time, shown that leg muscle dysfunction is related to the severity of symptoms in heart failure patients.

Research has finally provided proof that a regular dose of aspirin reduces the long-term risk of cancer in people with a family history of the disease by around 60 per cent. The international collaboration, including researchers at the Universities of Leeds and Newcastle, reveals that the benefits only become obvious several years after taking the aspirin.

Despite substantial reductions in the hospital death rates for heart attack patients, there are still worrying inequalities in heart attack management for the elderly, a new study has shown. The research, carried out by the University of Leeds and funded by the British Heart Foundation, showed that the risk of a heart patient dying in hospital almost halved across all age groups between 2003 and 2010.

An international team of researchers has discovered the first DNA faults linked to melanoma - the deadliest skin cancer - that are not related to hair, skin or eye colour. Cancer Research UK scientists at the University of Leeds, together with a team from the GenoMEL consortium, scanned the genes in blood samples from almost 3000 Europeans with melanoma, and compared these with samples taken from the general population.

The final throws of one of the largest and rarest stars in our galaxy have been discovered by astrophysicists using the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The discovery will enable research into the evolution of stars, and provide invaluable insight into their explosive deaths. The research was carried out by academics from ESO, the Universities of Leeds and Manchester in the UK, and other institutions in Europe.

New research from the University of Leeds shows that past trends in climate must be very carefully understood before using them to model the future. Climate scientists found that models are generally good at seeing past trends - but that there are important differences that must be recognised when predicting future climate patterns.

Deforestation in the rainforests of West Africa reduces rainfall over the rest of the forest, according to new University of Leeds research published in Geophysical Research Letters. The study shows that changing land use from forest to crop land reduces rainfall over neighbouring trees by around 50% due to changes in the surface temperature which affects the formation of rain clouds.

Archaeology is no longer just about digging holes. New research by a team led from the University of Leeds promises to improve the investigation of our heritage from the air. The work should revolutionise the use of 'state-of-the-art' remote sensing technology, improving the 'hit rate' of aerial archaeology without physically disturbing sites of cultural heritage.

While in the early 1990s, an average of 1.5 articles linked to HIV/AIDS could be found in every issue of the main broadsheet newspapers, levels of coverage have dropped to below 0.5 articles per newspaper issue since 2008. Coverage in French and US-based newspapers has decreased particularly dramatically during this period.

Allowing them to examine the precise configuration of this important nanomaterial. Scientists from the University of Leeds, the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory say the breakthrough will allow them to study in much greater detail a scientific phenomenon known as 'magnetic monopoles', which are thought to exist in such structures.

They may help to explain why decades of study into the causes of the disease have so far failed to lead to a cure. Alzheimer's disease is widely believed to be caused by the gradual accumulation in the brain of amyloid-beta peptide which is toxic to nerve cells. Amyloid beta peptide is formed from a protein known as APP, which is found in three forms.

Patients who have laparoscopic or 'keyhole' surgery spend less time in hospital and recover more quickly from the operation. Now long-term follow-up data has confirmed that this way of doing surgery does not make patients with colorectal cancer more vulnerable to the disease returning, as some had feared.