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A lack of understanding of the important role of wasps in the ecosystem and economy is a fundamental reason why they are universally despised whereas bees are much loved, according to UCL-led research. Both bees and wasps are two of humanity's most ecologically and economically important organisms. They both pollinate our flowers and crops, but wasps also regulate populations of crop pests and insects that carry human diseases.

Medication use to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has significantly increased across the world, however prescription rates are still far below diagnosis rates in most Western countries, a major new study co-led by UCL has found. This study, published in the journal Lancet Psychiatry , provides the most comprehensive analysis yet of trends in ADHD medication use.

People who are more emotionally stable spend more during the Christmas season, while those who are high in neuroticism spend less, according to new research by UCL and Northwestern University. Those with more artistic interests, more active imaginations and who are more open minded spend less, whereas those who are more conscientious, plan ahead and are organised spend more in the lead-up to Christmas.

A simple blood test can detect the earliest changes caused by Huntington's disease, even before scans can pick up any signs in the brain, a new UCL-led study has found. The study, published today in Science Translational Medicine , builds on recent evidence by the same research team, which found that a novel blood test can predict the onset and track the progression of the disease in people who carry the gene responsible for the incurable and fatal brain disorder.

The academic advantages associated with a faith school education are short lived, and are mainly explained by home background, new research from UCL shows. UCL Institute of Education (IOE) researchers analysed data on more than 10,000 people born in England and Wales in a single week in 1970, who are taking part in the 1970 British Cohort Study.

The proportion of children and young people saying they have a mental health condition has grown six fold in England over two decades and has increased significantly across the whole of Britain in recent years, finds a new study co-led by UCL researchers. In 1995, just 0.8% of 4-24 year olds in England reported a long-standing mental health condition.

The biggest ever trial for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) in the UK has begun under UCL research leadership. With around 30 sites across the UK and Ireland, the MS-STAT2 trial will involve 1,180 people with SPMS - a form of the condition that currently has little effective treatment.

People who are more emotionally stable spend more during the Christmas season, while those who are high in neuroticism spend less, according to new research by UCL and Northwestern University. Those with more artistic interests, more active imaginations and who are more open minded spend less, whereas those who are more conscientious, plan ahead and are organised spend more in the lead-up to Christmas.

The brains of professional beatboxers and guitarists respond to music differently when compared to each other and non-musicians, finds a new UCL-led study. The study, published in Cerebral Cortex and funded by Wellcome, sheds light on how learning and making music can affect mental processes. The researchers found that the area of the brain that controls mouth movements was particularly active when beatboxers listened to a previously unheard beatboxing track, while the 'hand area' of the guitarists' brains showed heightened activity when they listened to guitar playing.

One in seven operations in UK hospitals are cancelled on the day of surgery, a new study led by the UCL Surgical Outcomes Research Centre and the Royal College of Anaesthetists. Published in the  British Journal of Anaesthesia , the study looked at 26,171 inpatient operations scheduled to take place between 21 and 27 March 2017, in 245 NHS hospitals across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Children living in greener urban neighbourhoods may have better spatial working memory, according to new research by UCL Institute of Education (IOE). Spatial working memory is a measure of how effective people are at orientation and recording information about their environment. It enables us to navigate through a city or remember the position of objects and is strongly inter-related with attentional control.

Across the globe smartphones and mobile apps have become an integral part of everyday life, but what determines the apps you use?   A new study involving UCL reveals that the country you live in rather than your demographic data is actually the biggest indicator of the types of apps you download and use.

UCL particle physicists are celebrating that the ATLAS Collaboration at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has - at long last - observed the Higgs boson decaying into a pair of bottom (b) quarks. The elusive interaction is predicted to make up almost 60% of the Higgs boson decays. "Finding the Higgs in its favoured decay channel was one of the key missing items in our knowledge of the Higgs boson.

People with dementia in hospitals who experience pain are more likely to experience delirium as well, often without being able to communicate the pain they are in, finds a new UCL-led study. The study, published in Age and Ageing , found that many people with dementia in hospitals are experiencing pain, with over a third of dementia patients with delirium being unable to communicate how they are feeling.  "In the UK, almost half of people admitted to hospital over the age of 70 will have dementia.

Electrons have been successfully accelerated at CERN using a wave generated by protons zipping through plasma, report UCL scientists as part of the AWAKE collaboration. The achievement paves the way for an entirely new range of particle physics experiments at higher energies and lower cost.

The arteries of teenagers who drink alcohol and smoke, even very occasionally, are already beginning to stiffen by age 17, according to UCL research. Arterial stiffness indicates damage to the blood vessels, which predicts heart and blood vessel problems in later life, such as heart attacks and stroke.

Babies who show lower levels of brain activity in response to social stimuli such as peek-a-boo are more likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to research involving UCL. Academics from Birkbeck, University of London, University of Cambridge, King's College London and UCL used neuroimaging technology (functional near infrared spectroscopy - fNIRS) to measure the brain activity of infants aged four to six months, contrasting infants who have increased familial likelihood of developing ASD with those without a family link to ASD.

Turning up the thermostat may help manage hypertension, finds a new UCL study into the link between indoor temperatures and high blood pressure. Comparing blood pressure readings of people in their own homes with temperature readings, the researchers found that lower indoor temperatures were associated with higher blood pressure, according to the new study in the Journal of Hypertension .

Unstable drinking patterns may be associated with a higher risk of heart disease and consistent moderate drinking may have a cardioprotective effect, according to research led by UCL. In this meta-analysis study, published in BMC Medicine, researchers from UCL and the University of Cambridge examined longitudinal data on 35,132 individuals.

Digital traces from credit card and mobile phone usage can be used to map urban lifestyles and understand human mobility, according to a report led by UCL, MIT and UC Berkeley. Credit Card Records (CCRs) are currently used to measure similarities in purchasing activity, but for the first time researchers have used the data along with Call Detailed Records (CDRs) to understand the daily rhythms of human mobility and communication.