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The results of routine blood tests could be used to speed up cancer diagnosis among people with stomach pain or bloating, suggests a new study led by UCL researchers. Most people who report these symptoms to their GP are referred for blood tests. However, it is not known how well these blood tests, used to explore a range of possible causes of ill health, can predict cancer risk.

The mystery of how complex molecules essential to life first formed may have been solved by a new study involving UCL's Dr Paola Pinilla. Planetary scientists believe that organic macromolecules that make Earth suitable for life, including elements such as carbon, nitrogen and oxygen, initially came from a type of meteorite known as a chondrite - but how chondrites acquired these molecules in the first place was unknown.

The processes in the brain and body through which physical exercise reduces depressive symptoms have been explored by UCL researchers. Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide and is associated with disruptions to several brain and psychological processes, including impaired learning and memory.

Proteins in the blood could predict the onset of many diverse diseases, according to a new study involving UCL researchers. The research team, who measured thousands of proteins in a drop of blood, report the ability of protein 'signatures' to predict the onset of 67 diseases including multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, motor neurone disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and dilated cardiomyopathy.

Stories written with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) have been deemed to be more creative, better written and more enjoyable, according to new research from UCL and the University of Exeter. The study, published in Science Advances , found that AI enhanced creativity by boosting the novelty of story ideas as well as the 'usefulness' of stories, which describes their ability to engage the target audience and their publication potential.

Markers in the blood that predict whether glaucoma patients are at higher risk of continued loss of vision following conventional treatment have been identified by researchers at UCL and Moorfields Eye Hospital. Over 700,000 people in the UK have glaucoma and it is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.

A group of scientists at UCL have successfully created mechanical force sensors directly in the developing brains and spinal cords of chicken embryos, which they hope will improve understanding and prevention of birth malformations such as spina bifida. The study, published in Nature Materials and in collaboration with the University of Padua and the Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), uses innovative biotechnologies to measure the mechanical forces exerted by the embryo during its development.

The capacity of Mozambican woodlands to capture and store carbon is underestimated and potentially undervalued for their protection and restoration, finds new research from an international team of scientists including UCL researchers. The research, led by carbon data provider Sylvera and published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment , found that miombo woodlands, which span large areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, store 1.5 to 2.2 times more carbon than had previously been estimated by standard methods.

New evidence of changes to the Gulf Stream during the last ice age could indicate additional sensitivity to future climatic changes, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The research, published in Nature, found that during the last ice age about 20,000 years ago, the Gulf Stream was stronger than today because of more powerful winds across the subtropical North Atlantic.

Children exposed to vaping indoors absorb less than one seventh the amount of nicotine as children who are exposed to indoor smoking, but more than those exposed to neither, according to a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in JAMA Network Open and funded by Cancer Research UK, looked at blood tests and survey data for 1,777 children aged three to 11 in the United States.

Smoking may be among the most important lifestyle factors affecting how quickly our cognitive skills decline as we age, suggests a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in Nature Communications , analysed data from 32,000 adults aged 50 or over from 14 European countries who responded to surveys over 10 years.

Painting roofs white or covering them with a reflective coating would be more effective at cooling cities like London than vegetation-covered "green roofs," street-level vegetation or solar panels, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. Conversely, extensive use of air conditioning would warm the outside environment by as much as 1 degree C in London's dense city centre, the researchers found.

Bowel cancer cells have the ability to regulate their growth using a genetic on-off switch to maximise their chances of survival, a phenomenon that's been observed for the first time by researchers at UCL and University Medical Center Utrecht. The number of genetic mutations in a cancer cell was previously thought to be purely down to chance.

A key mechanism which detects when the brain needs an additional energy boost to support its activity has been identified in a study in mice and cells led by UCL scientists. The scientists say their findings, published in Nature , could inform new therapies to maintain brain health and longevity, as other studies have found that brain energy metabolism can become impaired late in life and contribute to cognitive decline and the development of neurodegenerative disease.

Dr Marko Nikolic and post doc Kaylee Worlock (both at UCL Medicine) delve into their recent research which revealed the genetic markers that protected some people from Covid-19 infection, writing in The Conversation. Throughout the pandemic, one of the key questions on everyone's mind was why some people avoided getting COVID, while others caught the virus multiple times.

A new study led by researchers at UCL and the University of Sheffield, has demonstrated the potential of stem cell therapy to treat those with Hirschsprung disease. Hirschsprung disease is a rare condition where some nerve cells are missing in the large intestine. This means the intestine doesn't contract and can't move stool, meaning that it can become blocked.

Dementia risk factors associated with cardiovascular health may have increased over time compared to factors such as smoking and having less education, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in The Lancet Public Health , explored how the prevalence of dementia risk factors had changed over time and how this could impact rates of dementia in the future.

Neuroscientists at UCL have discovered how the brain reacts to threats in order to escape if needed, in a new study in mice. These findings could help unlock new directions for discovering therapies for anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study, published today in Current Biology , outlines how researchers at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre at UCL studied a region of the brain called the periaqueductal gray (PAG), which is known to be hyperactive in people with anxiety and PTSD.

The risk of developing Parkinson's is at least twice as high in people with anxiety compared to those without, finds a new study by UCL researchers. The research, published in the British Journal of General Practice , investigated whether there was a link between people over the age of 50 who had recently developed anxiety and a later diagnosis of Parkinson's.

The proportion of vapers using high-strength nicotine has increased sharply in England since 2021, when disposable e-cigarettes first became popular, according to a new study by UCL researchers. The study, published in the journal Addiction and funded by Cancer Research UK, found that a third of vapers (32.5%) used high-strength nicotine in January 2024 compared to just 3.8% on average between July 2016 and June 2021.