Strong showing from UCL at the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition

UCL is showcasing pioneering research in biology, health and space science as part of the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition. The exhibition is the highlight of the society's calendar and features over 20 interactive exhibits covering everything from art to engineering to physics. The university's contribution to this year's exhibition, which is held from 30 June to 4 July, includes:  The teenage brain: a work in progress - The UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Germany are studying how the brain undergoes dramatic development in certain regions during adolescence, and how it can explain adolescent behaviour. The research has studied how certain areas of the brain, especially the prefrontal cortex, are activated during tasks that involve decision making, empathy and self-awareness. Activity in this area of the brain when thinking about intentions and emotions was found to be higher in adolescents than adults. Chasing cancer with a flash of light Researchers at UCL and the Royal Free Hospital are developing new optical techniques to locate and assess a key lymph node to identify whether breast cancer has spread. The new techniques will reduce the need for immediate laboratory analysis of the tissue with image interpretation by an expert.