news

In it together: research reveals the joy of the crowd The rush-hour commute or Oxford Street at Christmas are rarely much fun, but for some the experience of a packed crowd can be highly enjoyable, a research project led by University of Sussex psychologist Dr John Drury has found. The findings, published today (Wednesday 13 November 2013) in the open access journal PLOS ONE , 1 explain why people actually seek out and find pleasure in dense, crowded areas.

12 Nov 2013 Members of the public would prefer to look at human hands or robotic hands rather than prosthetic hands which they view as eerie, a new study by The University of Manchester has shown. Researchers hope their study, published in the Journal Perception, and future work in this area will help improve designs for prosthetic limbs.

Oxford University researchers have conducted the first academic study into the hidden problem of adolescent to parent violence in the UK. Adolescent to parent violence is not a category currently flagged in police databases. Researchers analysed raw data from the London Metropolitan Police area, revealing that in one year (2009-2010) alone, there were 1,892 reported cases of 13-19-year-olds committing violent assaults against their own parents or other carers.

01 Nov 2013 A new study has found that higher levels of racism in white Americans is associated with having a gun in the home and greater opposition to gun control policies. The research, published in PLoS One, was led by Dr Kerry O'Brien from The University of Manchester and Monash University and used data from a large representative sample of white US voters.

Assessment of of fi cial suicide statistics found that between 1990 and 2005, the proportion of researcher-de fi ned suicides given a verdict of suicide by the 12 coroners studied decreased by almost seven per cent, largely because of the increased use of misadventure/accident verdicts for deaths thought, on clinical review, to be suicides.

31 Oct 2013 People who suffer from language difficulties as children may continue to suffer from various emotional and behavioural problems as adults, according to new research by The University of Manchester. Childhood language impairment used to be seen as an early years difficulty, with children catching up gradually as they got older.

Oxford researchers have found internet forums provide a support network for socially isolated young people. However, they also conclude that the internet is linked to an increased risk of suicide and self-harm among vulnerable adolescents. Following what is thought to be the biggest review of existing studies into internet use and young people, the researchers suggest that, in future, clinical assessments of such young people should include questions about the online content they have viewed.

Orphan elephants less socially clued-up decades later, research reveals University of Sussex psychologists studying groups of wild African elephants have shown for the first time how human activities such as culling and relocation have a long-term negative impact on deep-rooted communication skills and social understanding in survivors, paralleling what we know about post-traumatic stress in humans.

An innovative new study has been announced aiming to explore and develop new ways of positively transforming the life chances of children and young people in care in Wales over the next 10 years. Commissioned by the Big Lottery Fund, the study could also pave the way for a new £5 million investment which could dramatically improve the outcomes of children in care in Wales.

A model of the spread of gossip on Twitter prior to the Higgs boson discovery announcement has been developed by University of Birmingham computer scientists, according to research published in the journal Nature today (18 October 2013). For the first time scientists have been able to analyse the dynamics of social media on a global scale before, during and after the announcement of a major scientific discovery.

Depression in pregnant women appears to increase the risk that their children are more likely to have depression when they are 18-years-old, according to a report led by University of Bristol researchers and published by   JAMA Psychiatry . Depression in late adolescence is a public health issue worldwide and identifying early-life risk factors would be important to guide prevention and intervention efforts, according to the study background.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. Babies learn to anticipate touch in the womb Babies learn how to anticipate touch while in the womb, according to new research.

A flying radiation detector that could be used to help with nuclear decommissioning and clean-up at sites such as Fukushima and Sellafield was recently tested in a specially designed experimental area at the National Physics Laboratory, the only one of its kind in the UK.

Muslim chaplains in a range of British public institutions are performing vital roles as problem-solvers, mediators and role models, a new book reveals. Understanding Muslim Chaplaincy examines the work of Muslim chaplains in universities and colleges, prisons, the armed forces, hospitals, airports, shopping malls and in the community, throughout England and Wales.

Life Study - the latest  British birth cohort study which is being led by a team based at UCL's Institute of Child Health (ICH) - is now recruiting pregnant women, their partners, and mothers of babies who are aged six or 12 months for their pilot study. The pilot study will run at University College Hospital (UCH) between October and December this year and will test the questions and survey measures in volunteers before Life Study starts recruiting pregnant mothers, babies and families next year.

In the UK, family carers supporting their ill or disabled relatives save the country over £100billion a year in care costs - roughly the annual cost of the NHS. Family carers require support if they are to fulfil their roles compassionately, effectively and lastingly. Published today, a new study by the University sets out to understand what sustains a carer's role and what makes caring a positive and fulfilling experience.

It is common for parents to influence mate choice - from arranged marriages to more subtle forms of persuasion - but they often disagree with their children about what makes a suitable partner. A new study has found an evolutionary explanation for why some parents try to control who their children pair up with.

Male birds that exhibit 'shy' social behaviour are much more likely to join flocks of birds with a similar personality than their 'bold' male counterparts, a new study has found. But shy birds also have fewer social partners than bold birds.

New research has provided the first evidence to prove that active and engaged television viewing does help to accelerate language change. In particular the study, funded by Economic and Social Research Council and published in the American journal 'Language', looked at how watching the television soap 'EastEnders' is altering certain features of the Scottish accent.

Violent crime in England is having a direct impact on the amount people are walking. These are the findings of a new study , led jointly by researchers at the Universities of Bristol, Imperial College Business School and Monash , that examined the effects of violent crime on the physical activities of nearly a million adults.