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A new study published in the journal Science Advances sheds light on how Gram-negative bacteria like E. coli construct their outer membrane to resemble body armour, which has far-reaching implications for the development of antibiotics. Professor Colin Kleanthous in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Oxford led the interdisciplinary study, with contributions from colleagues in Oxford and University College London.

Monkeypox virus can be shed into the surrounding environment by people who are infected, particularly in shed skin particles and in debris from monkeypox skin lesions and scabs. The virus is relatively hardy and under appropriate conditions can remain infectious on surfaces for weeks, creating a potential infection risk to others.

Around 15% of people aged 40-75 may have a form of undiagnosed high blood pressure (hypertension) that occurs only at night-time. Because they do not know about this, and therefore are not being treated for it, they are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease such as stroke, heart failure, and even death, suggests new research from the University of Oxford published in the British Journal of General Practice .

Statin therapies are not the cause of muscle pain in over 90% of those who experience symptoms, according to a new study led by researchers from Oxford Population Health. The results were published today in The Lancet and presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress. The study demonstrated that muscle pain or weakness is common in adults, regardless of whether they take a statin tablet or not.

A new study, led by researchers at the University of Oxford, UK, in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, USA, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology identifies, as early as the 5th month of pregnancy, patterns of fetal abdominal growth associated with maternal lipid metabolites that track newborn growth, adiposity and development into childhood.

A new study, led by researchers at the University of Oxford, UK, in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, USA, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology identifies, as early as the 5th month of pregnancy, patterns of fetal abdominal growth associated with maternal lipid metabolites that track newborn growth, adiposity and development into childhood.

The team behind the world-leading RECOVERY trial of COVID-19 treatments are leading a new study investigating a potential treatment for people who have been diagnosed with monkeypox. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has commissioned and funded the study. The first patients have now been recruited.

New diagnoses of disorders including psychosis, dementia, seizures and 'brain fog' remain commoner two years after COVID-19 than after other respiratory infections, whereas the increased risks of depression and anxiety after COVID-19 are short-lived and there is no overall excess of cases.

Researchers from the University of Oxford, KTH Royal Institute of Technology , Science for Life Laboratory , and the Karolinska Institutet , Solna, Sweden, have found that individual prostate tumours contain a previously unknown range of genetic variation. Understanding which cells give rise to which areas of cancer can improve our understanding of how a tumour has grown and developed, including how it has changed genetically, over time.

Sepsis is a primary cause of mortality in newborns, particularly in lowand middle-income countries (LMICs). A new study coordinated by Professor Tim Walsh at the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research (IOI) and Department of Biology looks at the links between the presence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics isolated from mothers and their newborn babies living across 7 LMICs in Africa and South Asia.

Researchers from Oxford's Institute of Population Ageing, Tufts University and the University of Manchester have discovered that common viruses appear to play a role in some cases of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The causes of most cases of Alzheimer's are currently unknown, but there is growing evidence to suggest microbial organisms are involved, in particular, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), the so-called cold sore virus.

New research published in Nature explains how an international team of researchers have, for the first time, experimentally implemented a type of quantum cryptography considered to be the 'ultimate', 'bug-proof' means of communication.

The short-term effects of excessive drinking are well known, but to date it has been less certain whether alcohol also accelerates the aging process. Traditionally, investigating this has been challenging due to the lack of reliable methods to measure biological aging. In addition, it was not clear from observational studies whether alcohol was the true cause of any effect, or if it was linked to other factors, such as socio-economic status.

New AI uses associative learning techniques rather than AI's traditional neural networks to challenge the conventional wisdom that artificial neurons and synapses are the sole building blocks of AI. Researchers at Oxford University's Department of Materials, working in collaboration with colleagues from Exeter and Munster have developed an on-chip optical processor capable of detecting similarities in datasets up to 1,000 times faster than conventional machine learning algorithms running on electronic processors.

A new social network analysis of female wild red deer on the Isle of Rum in Scotland shows that ageing deer tend to adopt a life of solitude in their advancing years. A multidisciplinary team led by researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh has found that wild red deer become less sociable with age.

Over a quarter (26.5%) of children reported trying to lose weight between 2015 and 2016, a 5% increase over 1997 and 1998, finds new research from the University of Oxford. The largest increases in weight loss attempts were seen in boys, older children, Asian children, and children from lower income households, according to the study published today in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Scientists modelling the cancer-suppressing p53 gene identify how the 20 different molecules unique to elephants get activated for increased sensitivity and response against carcinogenic conditions - with implications for cancer treatments in humans. Scientists from seven research institutions including the University of Oxford and the University of Edinburgh have used pioneering bioinformatic modelling to investigate the molecular interactions of the p53 protein known to give protection against cancers.

Two drugs, eszopiclone and lemborexant - both not currently licenced for the treatment of insomnia in the UK - were shown to perform better than others, both in the acute and long-term treatment of insomnia in adults, according to a new Oxford study exploring the pharmacological management of insomnia.

Researchers from Oxford's Department of Paediatrics have discovered that infection can increase a baby's sensitivity to pain, which may last longer than the infection. In a new study published in Nature Communications , researchers observed 65 newborn babies who had received a standard heel-prick blood test to look for signs of potential infection.

DNA testing reveals that the wild ancestors of the common domestic and feral pigeons, now extinct in many parts of the world, are still living on islands in Scotland and Ireland. Researchers led by members of Oxford University's Department of Biology have found rare colonies of the wild ancestors of common domestic and feral pigeons.