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A derivative of turmeric could be used in eye drops to treat the early stages of glaucoma, finds a new study led by UCL and Imperial College London researchers. In the new Scientific Reports paper, the researchers report a new method to deliver curcumin, extracted from the yellow spice turmeric, directly to the back of the eye using eye drops, overcoming the challenge of curcumin's poor solubility.

The rate at which our planet is warming has been found to be a critical factor in explaining the decline of bird and mammal species, reveals new research by UCL and ZSL (Zoological Society of London). For the study, published today in Global Change Biology , 987 populations of 481 species across the globe were studied to investigate how the rate of climate change and land-use change (from natural to human-dominated landscapes) interact to affect the rate of decline on mammals and birds, as well as whether species located in protected areas and body size had an influence.

An independent inquiry led by Nuffield Council on Bioethics, involving UCL, has concluded that editing the DNA of a human embryo, sperm, or egg to influence the characteristics of a future person ('heritable genome editing') could be "morally permissible". The technique of genome editing could be used to alter the DNA of a human embryo, before it is transferred to the womb.

80% of young women were found to have a mental health disorder and 55% had two or more mental health disorders four to five months after sexual assault, according to a study led by UCL and The Havens, London's specialist sexual assault referral  centres (SARCs) hosted by King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Groundwater pumped from the depths of the coastal Bengal Basin supporting more than 80 million people is largely secure from contamination, according to new research by UCL and the British Geological Survey. The study shows that groundwater pumped from depths below 150m in the coastal regions of the Bengal Basin is thousands of years old, and generally secure from contamination by salinity and arsenic found in shallow groundwater.

More than half (58%) of employees in Britain can identify changes at work which would make them more productive, a research team drawn from UCL Institute of Education (IOE), Cardiff University and Nuffield College, Oxford has found. These findings are published today in the Skills and Employment Survey (2017).

A modified form of botulinum toxin gives long-lasting pain relief in mice without adverse effects and, in time, could replace opioid drugs as a safe and effective way of treating chronic pain, according to research by UCL, the University of Sheffield and the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto.

75 per cent of Londoners feel that adverts should reflect the diversity of the city's population, yet fewer than one in four thinks adverts are culturally diverse, according to new research from the UCL Institute of Education. The research, which was commissioned by the London Mayor and the Greater London Authority, highlights the pressure that women and girls feel to achieve a specific beauty standard.

A fatal neurodegenerative condition known as Gaucher disease can be prevented in mice following fetal gene therapy, finds a new study led by UCL, the KK Women's and Children's Hospital and National University Health System in Singapore. The study, published today , highlights the potential of fetal gene therapy to prevent and cure neonatal lethal neurodegenerative diseases in humans in utero.

The charred remains of a flatbread baked by hunter-gatherers over 14,000 years ago has been discovered in north-eastern Jordan by a team of researchers from UCL, University of Copenhagen and University of Cambridge. It is the oldest direct evidence of bread found to date, predating the advent of agriculture by at least 4,000 years.

The muscles of people in intensive care are less able to use fats for energy, contributing to extensive loss of muscle mass, finds a new study co-led by UCL, King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. Intensive care patients can lose 20% of their muscle mass in just 10 days, which can contribute to long-term disability.

In response to an incorrect and unauthorised email that was sent to some staff in one department regarding UCL's policy on monitoring of Tier 4 students, a UCL spokesperson said: "Fines for non-compliance with Tier 4 monitoring is not UCL policy. The communication was issued in error by a member of staff and has been retracted with an apology.

Women are at no increased risk of womb cancer or invasive breast cancer after receiving assisted reproductive therapies, a large UCL-led cohort study of 250,000 British women has found. Researchers found a small increased risk of non-invasive breast and ovarian tumours, but the study concluded the results may not be due to the treatment itself and further investigation is required.

Our African ancestors were diverse in form and culture, and scattered across the entire continent, finds a team led by UCL, the University of Oxford and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. These findings challenge the idea that humans, or Homo sapiens , stemmed from a single, large ancestral population in one region of Africa which randomly exchanged genes and technologies like stone tools.

A targeted 'risk-based' breast screening programme could do 'more good than harm', reduce overdiagnosis, and be run at an affordable cost to the NHS, a UCL-led study found. The economic evaluation and simulation modelling study concluded that a screening initiative, which did not include low risk women, would improve the quality of life gained following screening, reduce overdiagnosis* and save resources, while maintaining the benefits of screening.

Using high energy ultrasound beams to destroy prostate cancer tumours may be as effective as surgery or radiotherapy, but with fewer side effects, a report co-led by UCL has found. The research, carried out across six UK hospitals, tracked the registration data of 625 men with prostate cancer who received a type of treatment called high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU).

Two-thirds of head teachers believe that inequalities between schools are becoming wider as a result of current government policy, according to a new 'state of the nation' report by the UCL Institute of Education (IOE). The four-year study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, evaluated the government's 'self-improving school-led system' (SISS), which has become an overarching narrative for education policy since 2010, making schools more autonomous and accountable for their own improvement.

Five modifiable risk factors present in a person's 50s that could indicate whether or not they will be fit and healthy into retirement and beyond have been uncovered by UCL scientists. While the aim of the study, published in  Lancet Public Health , was to look at modifiable behaviour and medical risk factors, the team also uncovered major differences in frailty depending on wealth, gender, marital status and ethnicity.

Understanding which genes are responsible for early onset Alzheimer's disease in people with Down syndrome is a step closer, following a new international study led by UCL and the Francis Crick Institute. The findings, published in the journal Brain , could pave the way for future medicines to prevent the disease in these individuals, and provide insights into the mechanisms that cause dementia in the general population.

Pockets of urban forest can contain as much carbon as tropical rainforests, according to new research led by UCL. Protecting and planting urban forests is central to building liveable and sustainable cities in a future where global populations are set to become increasingly urbanised. This research sheds new light on the value of urban trees for their potential to store carbon and mitigate climate change.