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A third of the world's countries have no legally mandated outdoor (ambient) air quality standards, according to a UN report co-authored by a UCL academic. The report - the first-ever assessment of air quality laws and regulations by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) - found that, where such laws do exist, standards vary widely and are often less ambitious than World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.

The number of 18- to 34-year-olds who smoke increased by 25% in England during the first lockdown, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

Mindfulness may provide modest benefits to cognition, particularly among older adults, finds a new review of evidence led by UCL researchers. The systematic review and meta-analysis, published in Neuropsychology Review , found that, while mindfulness is typically geared towards improving mental health and well-being, it may also provide additional benefits to brain health.

A security guard being caught at the British Embassy in Berlin passing documents to a Russian handler shows that technology cannot replicate the creativity and observation skills of people, says Honorary Professor Mark Galeotti (UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies).

Maps and images can be a universally accessible way to combat misunderstandings about the future of climate change, says Professor James Cheshire (UCL Geography).

Following the unequivocal IPCC climate report, we must all put pressure on governments to end the fossil fuel era, says Professor Simon Lewis (UCL Geography).

Francois Balloux (UCL Genetics Institute) discusses the risk of new variants, psychosomatic long Covid and when he expects the crisis to end.

After Arctic sea ice was blown into warm waters over winter, it's likely that 2021 will set a new record for the lowest perennial ice cover, says PhD candidate Robbie Mallett (UCL Earth Sciences).

Headteachers and school leaders have described how an 'avalanche' of confused and shifting Government guidance severely impeded schools during the critical first months of Covid lockdown, in a new study by researchers from UCL and the University of Cambridge.

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko's unpredictability is unsettling opponents and allies alike, and he must be checked, says Professor Andrew Wilson (UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies).

Sajid Javid's statement that no one will really know how many Covid cases there are over summer is more scientific than any epidemiological model, says Visiting Professor Paul Ormerod (UCL Computer Science).

Researchers from UCL and the University of Bristol have used cutting-edge techniques to digitally reconstruct the skull of one of the earliest limbed animals, revealing how it would have bit into its prey.

The government exploits dominant myths about crime and immigration to justify its mass deportation flights, says Dr Luke De Noronha (UCL Institute for Advanced Studies).

Nuclear power cannot compete with the technological, economic, safety and security advantages of the renewable evolution, says Honorary Senior Research Associate, Dr Paul Dorfman (UCL Energy Institute).