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Life Sciences - Health - 17.06.2021

Study identifies trigger for ’head-to-tail’ axis development in human embryo
Scientists have identified key molecular events in the developing human embryo between days 7 and 14 - one of the most mysterious, yet critical, stages of our development.  We have revealed the patterns of gene expression in the developing embryo just after it implants in the womb Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz The second week of gestation represents a critical stage of embryo development, or embryogenesis.

Life Sciences - 17.06.2021

Ocean warming could hit shark survival
Infant sharks that live in the familiar mermaids' purses found on most beaches in the UK and throughout the world are more vulnerable to predation because of ocean warming, new research suggests. According to Daniel Ripley from The University of Manchester, higher temperatures reduce freeze response times which the animals employ to avoid being eaten by predators.

Life Sciences - Paleontology - 16.06.2021

New species of extinct lizard previously misidentified as a bird
An international research team involving UCL scientists has described a new species of Oculudentavis, providing further evidence that the animal first identified as a hummingbird-sized dinosaur was actually a lizard. The new species, named Oculudentavis naga in honor of the Naga people of Myanmar and India, and was studied using a partial skeleton that includes a complete skull, exquisitely preserved in amber with visible scales and soft tissue.

Life Sciences - Health - 11.06.2021

Recreating a step in the evolution of viruses
An international team of researchers has shed new light on the way viruses evolved highly effective ways of spreading disease. The scientists, involving a team from the universities of Leeds and York, believe understanding that key moment in the natural history of viruses may eventually help with the design of novel delivery mechanisms for gene therapies, where viruses are used to repair faulty genes.

Health - Life Sciences - 09.06.2021

Scientists make DNA breakthrough which could identify why some people are more affected by Covid-19
Scientists from the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine at Oxford University have developed a method that allows them to see, with far greater accuracy, how DNA forms large scale structures within a cell nucleus. This breakthrough will improve understanding of how differences in DNA sequences can lead to increased risks of developing many different diseases.

Health - Life Sciences - 08.06.2021

Scientists can predict which women will have serious pregnancy complications
Women who will develop potentially life-threatening disorders during pregnancy can be identified early when hormone levels in the placenta are tested, a new study has shown. This work provides new hope that a better understanding of the placenta will result in safer, healthier pregnancies for mothers and babies.

Health - Life Sciences - 08.06.2021

Iron deficiency anaemia in early pregnancy increases risk of heart defects, suggests new research
In animal models, iron deficient mothers had a greatly increased risk of having offspring with congenital heart disease (CHD). A team of University of Oxford researchers, funded by the British Heart Foundation, have identified an entirely new risk factor for congenital heart disease (CHD). Using an animal model system, researchers have shown that if the mother is severely iron deficient and anaemic during early pregnancy, this greatly increases the risk that her offspring will have heart defects.

Health - Life Sciences - 08.06.2021

High caffeine consumption may be linked to increased glaucoma risk
Consuming large amounts of daily caffeine may increase glaucoma risk for those with a genetic predisposition to higher eye pressure, finds a new study involving a UCL researcher. The international, multi-centre study, led by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, US, is the first to demonstrate a link between diet and genes in glaucoma.

Life Sciences - Social Sciences - 04.06.2021

Lack of maths education negatively affects adolescent brain and cognitive development | University of Oxford
A new study suggests that not having any maths education after the age of 16 can be disadvantageous. Adolescents who stopped studying maths exhibited greater disadvantage - compared with peers who continued studying maths - in terms of brain and cognitive development, according to a new study published in the  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .

Health - Life Sciences - 03.06.2021

Women’s stronger immune response could protect from some skin cancers
Women may have a stronger immune response to a common form of skin cancer than men, according to early research on mice and human cells. Led by University of Manchester scientists at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute , the team publish their findings in Clinical Cancer Research. Men have more skin squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) than females and their tumours are more aggressive.

Life Sciences - Physics - 01.06.2021

Mass of human chromosomes measured for the first time
The mass of human chromosomes, which contain the instructions for life in nearly every cell of our bodies, has been measured with X-rays for the first time in a new study led by UCL researchers. For the study, published in Chromosome Research , researchers used a powerful X-ray beam at the UK's national synchrotron facility, Diamond Light Source, to determine the number of electrons in a spread of 46 chromosomes which they used to calculate mass.

Environment - Life Sciences - 31.05.2021

Newly discovered African ’climate seesaw’ drove human evolution
Ancient El Niño-like weather patterns were the primary drivers of environmental change in sub-Saharan Africa when humans were evolving, according to research involving UCL. Scientists have shown that over the last 620,000 years these alternately wet and dry patterns had more profound impacts in sub-Saharan Africa than  the great ice age cycles, which until now have been more commonly linked to human evolution.

Health - Life Sciences - 27.05.2021

Many of us could carry extra fat due to a change in a single gene
New research has found that one in every 340 people might carry a mutation in a single gene that makes them more likely to have a greater weight from early childhood and, by 18 years of age, they could be up to 30 pounds heavier with the excess weight likely to be mostly fat. The study led by scientists at the MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit at the University of Cambridge and the MRC Integrated Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol is published today [27 May] .

Health - Life Sciences - 27.05.2021

Many of us could carry up to 17kg of fat due to a change in a single gene
New research has found that one in every 340 people might carry a mutation in a single gene that makes them more likely to have a greater weight from early childhood and, by 18 years of age, they could be up to 30 pounds heavier with the excess weight likely to be mostly fat.  Our findings show that weight gain in childhood due to a single gene disorder is not uncommon.

Health - Life Sciences - 27.05.2021

SARS-CoV-2 RNA discovery unlocks new potential treatments
An international and multidisciplinary team led by researchers at the University of Oxford, University of Glasgow, and University of Heidelberg, has uncovered the interactions that SARS-CoV-2 RNA establishes with the host cell, many of which are fundamental for infection.  These discoveries pave the way for the development of new therapeutic strategies for COVID-19 with broad-range antiviral potential.

Health - Life Sciences - 27.05.2021

Scientists invent ingenious tool to speed up the discovery of new medicines
A digital tool that will make it cheaper, safer and faster to develop new medicines is being rolled out by scientists from the University of Bath. Last updated on Friday 28 May 2021 A cutting-edge digital tool that will make it cheaper, safer and faster for pharmaceutical companies to predict protein stability - a vital step in the development of new medicines - is being rolled out by scientists from the University of Bath through their spin-out company, BLOC Labs.

Life Sciences - 26.05.2021

Memory details fade over time, with only the main gist preserved
What information is retained in a memory over time, and which parts get lost? These questions have led to many scientific theories over the years, and now a team of researchers at the Universities of Glasgow and Birmingham have been able to provide some answers. Their new study, which is published today , demonstrates that our memories become less vibrant and detailed over time, with only the central gist eventually preserved.

Life Sciences - 25.05.2021

Press (re)play to remember - how the brain strengthens memories during sleep
While we sleep, the brain produces particular activation patterns. When two of these patterns - slow oscillations and sleep spindles - gear into each other, previous experiences are reactivated. The stronger the reactivation, the clearer will be our recall of past events, a new study reveals. Scientists have long known that slow oscillations (SOs) and sleep spindles - sudden half-second to two-second bursts of oscillatory brain activity - play an important role in the formation and retention of new memories.

Health - Life Sciences - 25.05.2021

Analysis of the interactions occurring at the ’heart’ of SARS-CoV-2 virus reveals new paths to treat COVID19
A team of international scientists have identified key cellular factors that are crucial for the infection of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The study - led by the Universities of Glasgow and Oxford and the Rosalind Franklin Institute and published today in Molecular Cell - provides crucial new insights into the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle, revealing new pathways to target the virus within host cells and leading the way for potential new treatment options as we move into the next phase of the pandemic.

Health - Life Sciences - 25.05.2021

Electrical nerve stimulation research could pave the way to new treatments
Electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve could lead to new treatments for a wide range of diseases and disorders including epilepsy, depression and arthritis Last updated on Tuesday 25 May 2021 A project to measure the effects of electrical stimulation of a major nerve that could hold the key to new treatments for a range of diseases from epilepsy to depression is underway at the University of Bath.