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Tiny elements in the human diet, such as micronutrients, may have influenced human evolution in ways greater than previously recognised, according to a new study led by UCL researchers. In the American Journal of Human Genetics , the scientists describe how human ancestors around the world developed various genetic adaptations in response to shortages and surpluses of minerals in their diets based on where they lived.

An ultrasound device that can precisely stimulate areas deep in the brain without surgery has been developed by researchers from UCL and the University of Oxford, opening up new possibilities for neurological research and treatment of disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Scientists have long been looking for a way to modulate brain function, which could improve our understanding of how the brain works and help to treat neurological diseases, using non-invasive methods that don't involve surgery.

A synthetic cell that can be activated by a magnetic field to release a medicine whilst deep in the body has been created by chemists at UCL and the University of Oxford. The new technique, published in Nature Chemistry , could be used to precisely target medicines for cancers or bacterial infections, simultaneously increasing their effectiveness and reducing side effects.

Sinus surgery is more effective than antibiotics at treating chronic rhinosinusitis, according to a major clinical trial led by UCL along with academics at the University of East Anglia and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), or sinusitis, is a long-term condition affecting one in 10 UK adults.

A salt called guanidinium thiocyanate can improve the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells, a new class of semiconductor that could make solar power cheaper and more powerful, according to researchers at UCL. In a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society , the team showed that guanidinium thiocyanate can slow and control the way perovskite crystals form during fabrication, creating smoother and more uniform layers.

Chemists at UCL have shown how two of biology's most fundamental ingredients, RNA (ribonucleic acid) and amino acids, could have spontaneously joined together at the origin of life four billion years ago. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, the "workhorses" of life essential to nearly every living process.

A new study reveals that the UK's gender pay gap is larger than official estimates because the data used calculate it is not weighted properly to account for jobs in small, young, private sector organisations. Researchers at UCL, Bayes Business School, the University of the West of England and the University of Stirling reviewed the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), which is used to calculate the UK gender pay gap.

The brain holds a 'map' of the body that remains unchanged even after a limb has been amputated, contrary to the prevailing view that it rearranges itself to compensate for the loss, according to new research led by scientists at UCL. The findings, published in Nature Neuroscience , have implications for the treatment of 'phantom limb' pain, but also suggest that controlling robotic replacement limbs via neural interfaces may be more straightforward than previously thought.

Air pollution from oil and gas is causing 91,000 premature deaths and hundreds of thousands of health issues across the United States annually, with Black, Asian, Native American and Hispanic groups consistently the most affected, finds major new study co-led by UCL researchers.

A Neolithic cow tooth discovered at Stonehenge dating back to its construction offers new evidence of the stone circle's Welsh origins, finds a new study involving UCL researchers. The paper, published in The Journal of Archaeological Science, examined a cow's jawbone that was discovered in 1924 beside Stonehenge's south entrance.

Blocking brain damage triggered by a glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, may slow the growth of the cancer and allow the brain to keep working better for longer, according to a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in Nature and funded by the Brain Tumour Charity and Cancer Research UK, looked at glioblastomas in mice.

A drought lasting 13 years and several others each lasting more than three years may have contributed to the collapse of the Classic Maya civilisation, finds a new paper led by a UCL researcher that looks at chemical fingerprints from a stalagmite in a Mexican cave. The study, published in Science Advances, analysed oxygen isotopes embedded within annual layers of the stalagmite to determine rainfall levels for individual wet and dry seasons between 871 and 1021 CE.

A mother's genetics may play a bigger role in determining whether a child becomes overweight than a father's, as a result of a concept known as genetic nurture, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. Published in PLOS Genetics , the study analysed genetic and health data from 2,621 UK families in the Millennium Cohort Study, a UK birth cohort study of individuals born in 2001/02.

Cyberstalking is increasing at a faster rate than traditional stalking and is disproportionately affecting young people, women, and members of the lesbian, gay and bisexual community, according to a new study led by researchers from UCL. The study, published in the British Journal of Criminology , is the first to use nationally representative data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) to examine the prevalence and perception of cyberstalking over an eight-year period (2012-2020).

Negative school experiences generate twice the emotional burden in autistic and ADHD adolescents compared to their neurotypical classmates, and this is significantly correlated with depression and anxiety, according to a new study involving a UCL researcher.

An experimental device that stimulates a key nerve connecting the heart and brain can improve fitness and exercise tolerance, according to a new study co-led by a UCL researcher and funded by the British Heart Foundation. Using a vagus nerve stimulator for 30 minutes a day, over just one week, increased oxygen uptake during exercise, and improved other key indicators of fitness, report the authors of the new European Heart Journal study.

The increase in mental health problems among young people in the UK in recent years has been driven by a real increase in symptoms, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The researchers found that self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress-related disorders were already on the rise before the Covid-19 pandemic, before its effects added to the increase.

More than half of people who have given birth are not using contraception two months later despite the risk that back-to-back pregnancies can pose, a new UCL study shows. The research, published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, also found that those who were satisfied with professional contraception advice were more likely to use contraception sooner after giving birth.

How major organs work together to manage extreme physiological stresses such as lack of oxygen and sleep has been mapped for the first time by researchers from UCL and the University of Portsmouth. The study, published in the Journal of Physiology , aimed to find out what happens inside the body when people are tired, out of breath, or oxygen-deprived, by mapping how different parts of the body communicate during stress, potentially paving the way for earlier illness diagnosis.

The key to sticking to and reaping the rewards of exercise over the long term may be as simple as doing something you enjoy, say the authors of a new study from UCL. Previous research has shown that the personalities of people who engage in different types of organised sport tend to vary. But what is less clear is how personality affects the types of exercise people actually enjoy doing.