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Life Sciences - Computer Science - 15.06.2022
Netflix-style algorithm builds blueprint of cancer genomes
The science behind your Netflix viewing habits could soon be used to guide doctors in managing cancer, according to new research co-led by UCL scientists and funded by Cancer Research UK and Cancer Grand Challenges. In the study an international team of scientists used artificial intelligence (AI) to investigate and categorise the size and scale of DNA changes across the genome - a cell's complete genetic code - when cancer starts and grows.

Astronomy & Space - Chemistry - 13.06.2022
Largest chemical map of the Milky Way unveiled
Largest chemical map of the Milky Way unveiled
The European Space Agency's Gaia mission involving UCL researchers has released a new treasure trove of data about our home galaxy, including the largest chemical map ever produced and the full 3D motions of 35 million stars. Gaia is ESA's mission to create the most accurate and complete multi-dimensional map of the Milky Way.

Pharmacology - Health - 13.06.2022
Asthma attacks may be cut by half with digital tools
Digital interventions that help people take their asthma medication better, such as 'smart' inhalers or text messages, may cut the risk of asthma attacks by half, finds a new review of evidence led by UCL, Queen Mary University of London, and University of Auckland researchers. The new Cochrane Review paper found that digital interventions improve medication adherence by 15% and can yield a clinically-significant improvement in asthma control.

Health - 09.06.2022
Heavy drinkers four times more likely to smoke
Heavy drinkers four times more likely to smoke
Those who are among the heaviest drinkers in England are four times more likely to smoke than the general population, according to a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, looked at survey responses from a nationally representative sample of 144,583 people in England, completed over the course of seven years, from 2014 to 2021.

Health - 09.06.2022
Heavy drinkers are four times more likely to smoke
Those who are among the heaviest drinkers in England are four times more likely to smoke than the general population, according to a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, looked at survey responses from a nationally representative sample of 144,583 people in England, completed over the course of seven years, from 2014 to 2021.

Health - 07.06.2022
Endurance exercise may affect body's largest artery differently in men and women
Endurance exercise may affect body’s largest artery differently in men and women
Older male athletes could be at higher risk of heart and circulatory diseases than female competitors of a similar age, according to a new study led by UCL researchers. The research, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) and presented at the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) conference in Manchester, showed that older male athletes had a stiffer aorta.

Pedagogy - 07.06.2022
Underperforming schools need more support to avoid downward spiral
Underperforming schools need more support to avoid downward spiral
Schools with consistently less than "good" Ofsted grades will find it difficult to improve without further support, according to new research led by IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society. Published today, the report "'Stuck' schools: Can below good Ofsted inspections prevent sustainable improvement?" explores the underperformance of 580 schools in England that consistently received less than "good" Ofsted inspection grades between 2005 to 2018.

Life Sciences - 31.05.2022
Mice choose best escape route without ever experiencing threat
Mice choose best escape route without ever experiencing threat
Mice do not need previous experience of threat in order to respond to danger by choosing the shortest possible escape route, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. In the new Current Biology study, the researchers show that mice can learn the shortest route to escape after only 10 minutes of exploring a new environment.

Health - Pharmacology - 30.05.2022
Rise in Guillain-Barré syndrome following AstraZeneca vaccine
Rise in Guillain-Barré syndrome following AstraZeneca vaccine
A correlation between a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and a small but significant rise in cases of the serious neurological condition Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), has been identified by UCL scientists, as part of an analysis of NHS data. However, researchers say it remains unclear what the cause of the link is; furthermore the small numbers of GBS cases observed appear similar to increases previously seen in other mass vaccination campaigns.

Environment - Computer Science - 27.05.2022
AI learns coral reef 'song'
AI learns coral reef ’song’
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can track the health of coral reefs by learning the "song of the reef", finds new research involving a UCL scientist. Coral reefs have a complex soundscape - and even experts have to conduct painstaking analysis to measure reef health based on sound recordings. In the new study, published in Ecological Indicators, scientists trained a computer algorithm using multiple recordings of healthy and degraded reefs, allowing the machine to learn the difference.

Health - Psychology - 25.05.2022
How Covid-19 surge impacted mental health of NHS staff
How Covid-19 surge impacted mental health of NHS staff
Almost two-thirds (64%) of intensive care staff may have experienced a mental health disorder during the Covid-19 winter surge last year, according to a new study led by researchers from UCL and King's College London. A similar proportion of staff said their ability to do their job was impaired because of the state of their mental health, researchers found.

Paleontology - Earth Sciences - 20.05.2022
Discovery of 'ghost' fossils reveals plankton resilience to past global warming events
Discovery of ’ghost’ fossils reveals plankton resilience to past global warming events
An international team of scientists from UCL, the Swedish Museum of Natural History, the University of Florence and Natural History Museum have found a remarkable type of fossilization that has remained almost entirely overlooked until now. The fossils are microscopic imprints, or "ghosts", of single-celled plankton, called coccolithophores, that lived in the seas millions of years ago, and their discovery is changing our understanding of how plankton in the oceans are affected by climate change.

Chemistry - 19.05.2022
Two thirds of chemicals in food packaging not listed for use
The majority of chemicals found in materials that come into contact with food are not intentionally added during the material's manufacturing process and are not currently listed for use, a new systematic evidence map involving researchers at UCL has revealed. Published today in  Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition,  researchers found evidence for 2,881 food contact chemicals (FCCs) that may transfer into food or drinks from six types of food contact materials (FCM) groups, including plastics, paper and board, metal, multi-materials, glass and ceramic, and 'other'.

Health - Life Sciences - 18.05.2022
Levelling up UK rare disease research
Levelling up UK rare disease research
The UK needs new approaches to developing treatments for rare diseases, according to a new report led by UCL researchers describing how universities, the pharmaceutical industry and the NHS could improve life sciences collaborations. The report authors are calling for an independent British Office for Rare Diseases, comparable to the Office of Rare Disease Research in the US.

Astronomy & Space - 12.05.2022
First image of black hole at centre of our galaxy
First image of black hole at centre of our galaxy
The first image of the supermassive black hole at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy has been produced by a global team involving UCL researcher Dr Ziri Younsi. The result provides overwhelming evidence that the object is indeed a black hole and yields valuable clues about the workings of such giants, which are thought to reside at the centre of most galaxies.

Health - Environment - 12.05.2022
UCL comes second in the UK for research power
UCL comes second in the UK for research power
The excellence of research at UCL and its positive real-world impact has improved since 2014, according to the Research Excellence Framework 2021 (REF) assessment results announced today. UCL has come second in the UK for research power by a measure of average research score multiplied by staff numbers submitted.

Earth Sciences - Environment - 28.04.2022
Space-based system using GPS satellites could warn of incoming tsunamis
Space-based system using GPS satellites could warn of incoming tsunamis
A new method for detecting tsunamis using existing GPS satellites orbiting Earth could serve as an effective warning system for countries worldwide, according to a new study by an international team led by UCL researchers. Initial tsunami waves are typically a few centimetres high but nonetheless cause a disturbance in the Earth's upper atmosphere by pushing up air and creating an acoustic wave that is amplified as it goes higher.

Health - 27.04.2022
High depressive symptoms in adolescents increased by 6% due to pandemic
High depressive symptoms in adolescents increased by 6% due to pandemic
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, depressive symptoms increased and life satisfaction decreased among secondary school children in England, particularly among girls, reports a new study led by UCL researchers. The researchers say the increase will have led to approximately 60,000 more secondary school students whose depressive symptoms would surpass a clinical threshold, adding further strain to young people's mental health services.

Psychology - Pharmacology - 26.04.2022
Talk therapy may alleviate depression and improve quality of life for people with dementia
Talk therapy may alleviate depression and improve quality of life for people with dementia
Talking therapies may improve symptoms of depression for people with dementia, finds a new review led by UCL researchers, providing hope for a group who typically do not benefit from antidepressants. Feelings of anxiety and depression are common in people living with dementia and mild cognitive impairment, but the best way to treat these symptoms is currently unknown, as medicines often used to treat these symptoms may not be effective for people with dementia and may cause side effects.

Astronomy & Space - Environment - 25.04.2022
Mysteries of gas giants known as 'hot Jupiters' unravelled
Mysteries of gas giants known as ’hot Jupiters’ unravelled
Five long-standing questions about planets outside our solar system known as "hot Jupiters" have been answered in a major new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series , is one of the largest ever surveys of exoplanet atmospheres ever undertaken.