science wire

A new consortium tackling the growing economic hurdles that prevent life-saving gene therapies from reaching children who need them the most has been co-founded by a UCL researcher.

A new European Space Agency (ESA) mission involving UCL researchers will 3D map Earth's "cooling blanket" of low-lying ocean clouds that may be at risk of disappearing due to climate change. The 10 Earth Explorer mission, known as Harmony, has been approved by the ESA Programme Board on Earth Observation, meaning it can move from the preparatory phase into the design consolidation and implementation phase, with a launch scheduled for 2029.

Writing in The Conversation, Dr Bob Morris (UCL Constitution Unit) explores how the new King's relationship with faith may differ from his mother, with him likely approaching his role as "defender of the faith" more inclusively, reflecting the diversity of religion in Britain.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Ilan Kelman (UCL Risk & Disaster Reduction) argues that calling these "natural disasters" overlooks the failure of government to protect vulnerable people from known hazards.

The world's rapidly growing fleet of ships that can run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), are at risk of financial losses of £745bn ($850bn) by 2030, finds a new study by UCL researchers.

A new study led by researchers at UCL and the Francis Crick Institute has demonstrated for the first time how air pollution can cause lung cancer in people who have never smoked. T he research  found that exposure to tiny pollutant particles that are 3% of the width of a human hair, called PM 2.5, promotes the growth of cells carrying cancer-causing mutations in the lungs.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Robert Hazell (UCL Constitution Unit) explains the rules of succession for the Royal Family following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

People living in Luton are dying around eight years before they should from preventable illnesses according to the latest Marmot Review from the UCL Institute of Health Equity (IHE).

Natural gas is the main driver of electricity prices across Europe confirms research published by UCL.

Assessments of children as early as age three and five are powerful predictors of who will go on to fail to secure good GCSE results in English and maths, finds a new study involving UCL researchers.

Epidemic-levels of fuel poverty affecting half of UK households will cause a 'significant humanitarian crisis with thousands of lives lost and millions of children's development blighted', warn health experts in the latest Marmot review led by the UCL Institute of Health Equity.

Taking blood pressure medication in the evening is no better than taking it in the morning to protect against heart attack, stroke and vascular death, according to a large UK study involving UCL researchers.

An analysis of DNA from 12th-century human remains has provided new insights into a significant historical crime and into Ashkenazi Jewish population history, reports a new study co-led by a UCL researcher. The study, published in Current Biology, involving work with historians, archaeologists, and the local Jewish community, also overturns the previously-held view that disease-related variants associated with Ashkenazi Jewish populations only became more common in the last 600 years.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Emiliano De Cristofaro (UCL Computer Science) warns that taking a "nefarious actor" off a social media platform can encourage them to migrate elsewhere and become more toxic.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Mark Maslin (UCL Geography) and Dr Simon Day (UCL Institute for Risk & Disaster Reduction) highlight how sulfur, a fossil fuel waste product, is an important industrial chemical and that the shift to renewable energy could affect its supply.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Joanna Moncrieff and Dr Mark Horowitz (both UCL Psychiatry) respond to comments from psychiatrists and others about their recent research into serotonin and depression, and potential implications regarding antidepressants. The scale of the response to our recent study finding that there was no support for the idea that low serotonin causes depression - the so-called "chemical imbalance" theory of depression - was enormous.

The UK Government's current proposal to fortify one type of flour with folic acid is inadequate as it suggests a low dose that would fail to prevent hundreds of cases of severe birth defects each year, according to a new paper by UCL's Professor Sir Nicholas Wald.

The UK Government's current proposal to fortify one type of flour with folic acid is inadequate as it suggests a low dose that would fail to prevent hundreds of cases of severe birth defects each year, according to a new paper by UCL's Professor Sir Nicholas Wald.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor James Cheshire (UCL Geography) explores how today conservation organisations use water sensors and mapping technology to expose the levels of illicit sewage dumping into rivers and the sea, and the historic roots of these powerful tools.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Tim Colbourn (UCL Institute for Global Health) argues that investing in health systems more broadly is important now that the world is out of the "emergency phase" of the pandemic.

Writing in The Conversation, Dr Jacques Wels (UCL MRC Unit for Lifelong Health & Ageing) shares his new research, which found that furlough protected the mental health of those at risk of losing their jobs - but better mental health was seen among those who remained at work.

To help tackle the UK's obesity crisis, we must better educate medical professionals on weight stigma, according to the conclusions of a large-scale review led by UCL researchers.

Writing in The Conversation, Dr Irina Brass (UCL IIPP), Dr Edison Bicudo and Dr Penny Carmichael (both UCL STEaPP) discuss how producing gene-editing personalised medicine within hospitals to fight diseases can become a reality. Imagine a patient with a rare genetic disorder that makes their arms and legs have imprecise and slow movements.

An update from Donna Dalrymple, UCL's Chief People Officer. Dear colleagues, I am writing to tell you about the forthcoming increases to staff pay that will apply from your August salary payment.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Scott Montgomery (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health) shares his new research finding that young people who lost a parent are most likely to be admitted to hospital for drug use or self-harm around the anniversary of their death. Losing a parent during adolescence and young adulthood can be particularly damaging to mental health and wellbeing.

Writing in The Conversation, Dr Matteo Tiratelli (IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society) asks why, after several charges of misconduct against the police following strip searches, why isn't the practice itself receiving more public scrutiny?