news

Ancient Egyptian mummified bodies smell 'woody,' 'spicy' and 'sweet', finds a new study led by researchers from UCL and the University of Ljubljana, revealing new details about mumification practices. The research, published in Journal of the American Chemical Society , is the first time that the smells of mummified bodies have been systematically studied combining a mix of instrumental and sensory techniques, including an electronic 'nose' and trained, human 'sniffers.' Nine ancient Egyptian mummified bodies were studied.

Schoolchildren who are taught that stress and sadness are normal parts of life are likely to have better mental health, finds a new study led by UCL and mental health charity, Anna Freud. The Education for Wellbeing trial, which was commissioned and funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and led by researchers from the Evidence Based Practice Unit (a collaboration between UCL and Anna Freud), investigated which strategies are most effective at improving the mental health awareness of British schoolchildren.

Historical inhabitants of the region that is now Ukraine have had diverse European, Asian and Middle Eastern ancestry for thousands of years, finds a new study co-led by UCL researchers. The analysis of ancient DNA shows the genetic imprint of Ukraine's history as a crossroads of human migrations, connecting people from the vast Eurasian steppe with central Europe.

'Temperamental' stars that brighten and dim over a matter of hours or days may be distorting our view of thousands of distant planets, suggests a new study led by UCL researchers. Most of the information we have about planets beyond our solar system (exoplanets) comes from looking at dips in starlight as these planets pass in front of their host star.

The precise brain mechanisms that enable animals to overcome instinctive fears have been unveiled by researchers at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre at UCL. , the study in mice could have implications for developing therapeutics for fear-related disorders such as phobias, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

An England-wide study of 331 rare diseases in over 58 million people co-led by UCL researchers has identified eight rare diseases that carry significantly increased risks for Covid-19-related mortality in fully vaccinated individuals. In the study, published in Lancet Digital Health , the research team called for better inclusion of rare diseases in public health strategies, including future pandemic planning, vaccination policies, and NHS service provision.

Calorie labels on restaurant menus are negatively impacting people with eating disorders, according to a new study involving UCL researchers. The review, published in the British Medical Journal Public Health, is the first of its kind to evaluate existing research to help build a picture of how nutritional labels on menus impact people with a lived experience of eating disorders or disordered eating.

New insights into how London taxi drivers plan their routes could inform the development of better navigation tools, reports a study led by UCL, University of York and Champalimaud Foundation researchers. Famous for having to pass a test on "The Knowledge" by learning the layouts of more than 26,000 streets, London's cabbies are expert navigators that researchers are particularly interested in learning from.

In the largest genome-wide study of bipolar disorder to date, an international team involving UCL researchers has identified 298 regions of the genome containing DNA variations that increase risk for the disorder. The research published in  Nature  heralds a more than four-fold increase over the number of genetic links previously identified.

Adults who have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be living shorter lives than they should, finds a world-first study led by UCL researchers. The research, published in The British Journal of Psychiatry , analysed anonymised primary care data from 30,029 adults across the UK with diagnosed ADHD.

Subtle changes in the brain, detectable through advanced imaging, blood and spinal fluid analysis, happen approximately twenty years before a clinical motor diagnosis in people with Huntington's disease, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The research, published in Nature Medicine , was in collaboration with experts at the Universities of Glasgow, Gothenburg, Iowa, and Cambridge.

Poorer cardiovascular health in childhood and adolescence may be linked to early differences in brain structure, particularly in areas of the brain known to be affected in dementia in later life, according to a new study co-led by a UCL researcher. Obesity, hypertension (high blood pressure) and physical inactivity are known to be cardiovascular risk factors for dementia in middle age but, so far, little is known about the links between heart and brain health much earlier in life.

A major driver of the bone cancer osteosarcoma has been discovered by researchers from UCL, EMBL EBI and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, providing insights that could help to predict cancer severity and how patients will respond to treatment. Osteosarcoma is a type of aggressive bone cancer that most commonly affects children and young adults between the ages of 10 and 20, during times of rapid bone growth.

Poorer cardiovascular health in childhood and adolescence may be linked to early differences in brain structure, particularly in areas of the brain known to be affected in dementia in later life, according to a new study co-led by a UCL researcher. Obesity, hypertension (high blood pressure) and physical inactivity are known to be cardiovascular risk factors for dementia in middle age but, so far, little is known about the links between heart and brain health much earlier in life.

New genetic risk factors for depression have been identified across all major global populations for the first time by a team co-led by UCL researchers, allowing scientists to predict risk of depression regardless of ethnicity. The world's largest and most diverse genetic study ever into major depression, published in Cell , has revealed nearly 300 previously unknown genetic links to the condition.

Chimpanzees bear genetic adaptations that help them thrive in their different forest and savannah habitats, some of which may protect against malaria, according to a study by an international team led by UCL researchers. Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, sharing over 98% of their DNA with humans, and the scientists say that their findings, published in Science , can not only teach us about our own evolutionary history, but also about the biology of malaria infection in humans.

A series of more than 100 small earthquakes in Surrey in 2018 and 2019 might have been triggered by oil extraction from a nearby well, suggests a new study by UCL researchers. The earthquakes, which occurred in Newdigate and surrounding areas from April 2018 until early 2019, were recorded as being between 1.34 and 3.18 magnitude, and were linked to cracks in walls and ceilings and other damage to people's homes, with reports of houses and beds shaking.

Genetic differences that contribute to how long a person will live and their risk of Alzheimer's disease have been identified by researchers at UCL and the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI). The study, published in Brain , found that genetic variations in brain cells, particularly the immune cells in the brain (microglia) and the cells that support nerve cells (oligodendrocytes), are linked to both ageing and Alzheimer's.

Women may be missing a diagnosis of a potentially deadly heart condition due to guidelines that don't account for natural differences in sex and body size, according to a new study led by UCL researchers. The research, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and funded by the British Heart Foundation, details how current guidelines might be changed after showing a new personalised approach improves diagnosis accuracy.

The genetic cause for the most common type of hearing loss in children with Down syndrome has been identified in mice by researchers at UCL, the Francis Crick Institute and MRC Harwell Institute. Down syndrome affects around one in 800 new births and is caused by an extra third copy of chromosome 21.