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In The Conversation, Dr Ceri Shipton (UCL Institute of Archaeology) explores his new research that has found a large wave of migration reached the island of Timor not long after 50,000 years ago. Humans arrived in Australia at least  65,000 years ago , according to archaeological evidence. These pioneers were part of an early wave of people travelling eastwards from Africa, through Eurasia, and ultimately into Australia and New Guinea.

New archaeological evidence indicates that humans first reached the island of Timor in large numbers, challenging scientists' understanding of how ancient people migrated from Southeast Asia to Australia, according to a new study led by a UCL researcher. The study, published in Nature Communications , dated and analysed ancient sediment, artefacts, and animal remains discovered in a large rock overhang in Laili, located in north-central Timor-Leste (East Timor).

The ability to regulate body temperature, a trait all mammals and birds have today, may have evolved among some dinosaurs early in the Jurassic period about 180 million years ago, suggests a new study led by UCL and University of Vigo researchers. In the early 20 century, dinosaurs were considered slow-moving, "cold-blooded" animals like modern-day reptiles, relying on heat from the sun to regulate their temperature.

Apps designed for female health monitoring are exposing users to unnecessary privacy and safety risks through their poor data handling practices, according to new research from UCL and King's College London. The study, presented at the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) 2024 on 14 May, is the most extensive evaluation of the privacy practices of female health apps to date.

The weight loss drug semaglutide delivers cardiovascular benefits irrespective of starting weight and amount of weight lost, according to preliminary findings from a UCL-led research team. The findings, presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO), suggest that even people with mild obesity or those not losing weight are likely to gain some cardiovascular advantage.

The privatisation of land for renewable energy infrastructure in Brazil is leading to the appropriation of once-public and common lands by large international corporations because of poor oversight and lack of transparency, finds a new study involving UCL researchers. The study, published in Nature Sustainability, found that land privatisation is the dominant means for solar and wind companies to secure land for their power generation infrastructure, which includes the transfer of control of formerly public and common lands to often international companies.

Psychological therapy can significantly improve quality of life for people living with motor neuron disease (MND) when delivered alongside usual care, finds a study led by UCL and University of Sheffield researchers. The largest-ever trial of a psychological intervention for patients with the debilitating neurological condition, published in The Lancet, found that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) improves overall quality of life, when integrated alongside existing care.

Climate tipping points can either result from a slow but linear development, or can "flicker" between two stable climatic states that alternate before a final, permanent transition occurs, finds a new study featuring a UCL researcher. The study, published in Nature Communications , confirms this alternating transition for the end of the African Humid Period, a time between about 14,000 and 5,000 years ago when northern Africa was much wetter, as it shifted to the pronounced aridity that is typical today.

Dr Daniel Oviedo Hernandez (UCL Bartlett Development Planning Unit) argues that walking in African cities shouldn't be a miserable experience and urges city planners to design ways to make walking easier in collaboration with citizens in The Conversation. African cities aren't welcoming places for pedestrians.

Women are 40% more likely to experience depression in the perimenopause than those who aren't experiencing any menopausal symptoms, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The research, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders , provided a meta-analysis of seven studies involving 9,141 women from across the world (including Australia, USA, China, Netherlands and Switzerland), to understand whether different stages of the menopause were associated with different risk of depression.

During sleep, the brain weakens the new connections between neurons that had been forged while awake - but only during the first half of a night's sleep, according to a new study in fish by UCL scientists. The researchers say their findings, published in Nature , provide insight into the role of sleep, but still leave an open question around what function the latter half of a night's sleep serves.

A type of cell responsible for repairing damaged liver tissue has been uncovered for the first time by a team of scientists, including Professor Rajiv Jalan (UCL Liver & Digestive Health). The study, published in Nature , showed how these new-found cells migrate to the site of damage, providing new insights into the way the liver heals itself.

Despite a lack of conclusive data to suggest obesity increases the risk of dementia, Dr Scott Chiesa (UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science) recommends trying to maintain a healthy weight anyway because an absence of evidence is not the same as evidence of absence. Many dementia charities advise people to maintain a healthy weight to reduce their risk of dementia.

The first ever targeted treatment for brain tumours in children has been approved for NHS patients, following over 20 years of research by a UCL clinician scientist. Professor Darren Hargrave, who is a researcher at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and consultant at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH), was the Chair of the TADPOLE-G trial steering group, alongside researchers across the world.

Physical cues in the womb, and not just genetics, influence the normal development of neural crest cells, the embryonic stem cells that form facial features, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study published in Nature Cell Biology found that an increase in hydrostatic pressure sensed by the embryo can hinder the healthy development of facial features in mouse and frog embryos and in human embryoids (cell structures grown in the lab from human stem cells), suggesting that differences in pressure might affect the risk of facial malformations.

Health concerns are still the primary motive for more than half of those who say they want to stop smoking in England, but cost is now a key factor for more than one in four, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The researchers said that, given this shift in thinking, making much more of the potential savings to be had might encourage more people to stub out for good.

Researchers at UCL will use a virtual reality game to assess how well people navigate their surroundings to try and spot early signs of Alzheimer's disease. The new study is recruiting healthy volunteers over the aged over 40 to play a game called the 'Cave Crystal Quest' for  two 90-minute sessions at the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience in London.

While children of mothers with diabetes and more likely to develop ADHD, a new global analysis co-led by UCL and University of Hong Kong researchers suggests the relationship is likely not causal. The authors of the new Nature Medicine study, using data from over 3.6 million mother-baby pairs across three continents, say the link is likely due to genetic and familial factors that are shared between people with diabetes and ADHD.

Gay and bisexual men who were diagnosed with mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) during the 2022 outbreak in England, faced substantial issues related to stigma and potentially poor-quality care when accessing services, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The research, published in eClinicalMedicine, examined for the first time the experiences of those diagnosed with mpox in Europe.

The proportion of UK graduates who found work straight out of university fell by nearly 30% between those born in the late 70s to those a decade younger, finds a new study led by a UCL researcher. Additionally, people born in the late 1980s who did not attend university were almost twice as likely to experience a turbulent start to their working lives, characterised by periods of unemployment, part-time employment, and inactivity, compared to those born in the 70s.