science wire

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Simon Lewis (UCL Geography) and Bart Crezee at the University of Leeds warn that imminent oil drilling in the Democratic Republic of Congo's peat swamps threatens to release three years worth of carbon dioxide emissions. Democratic Republic of the Congo's government is preparing to auction off a series of licenses to drill for oil in the Congo basin.

A single gene therapy injection could dramatically reduce the bleeding risk faced by people with haemophilia B, finds a study involving UCL researchers. For the paper, published in the New England Journal of Medicine , experts from UCL, Royal Free Hospital and biotechnology company Freeline Therapeutics trialled and continue to evaluate a new type of adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy candidate, called FLT180a, to treat severe and moderately severe cases of the condition.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Joanna Moncrieff and Dr Mark Horowitz (both UCL Psychiatry) report on their new research showing no clear evidence that serotonin levels or serotonin activity are responsible for depression. For three decades, people have been deluged with information suggesting that depression is caused by a "chemical imbalance" in the brain - namely an imbalance of a brain chemical called serotonin.

Thank you once again to those of you who took part in My UCL Experience, our all-staff survey, in April 2022 to share your feedback on working at UCL.

Writing in The Conversation, Dr Marc Jones and Professor Susan Evans (UCL Cell & Developmental Biology) and Professor Richard Benson (University of Oxford) write about their research into a newly-identified extinct salamander species found in Scotland.

With temperatures forecast to rise to the high 30s next week, we advise students and staff to study and work at home where possible and take additional steps to stay safe.

With temperatures forecast to rise to 34 degrees next week, here's our guidance on working safely in hot weather.

UCL employees will soon be able to benefit from three great initiatives that can help us to become greener and improve our work-life balance.

A slowdown in improvements in cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and stroke, in England and Wales could cost £54billion in health and social care costs between 2020 and 2029, finds a new modelling study co-led by UCL researchers. In the late part of the 20 th century and up to 2010, high-income countries saw dramatic declines in cardiovascular disease (CVD), however, since 2011, falls in CVD rates have stalled, including in England and Wales.

Writing in The Conversation, Dr Paolo Morini (UCL Political Science) and Professor David Hudson of the University of Birmingham delve into survey results finding significant differences in public opinion about refugees coming from Afghanistan versus Ukraine.

Writing in The Conversation, Dr Dr Robert Fosbury (UCL Ophthalmology) describes his research on reindeer eyes and how they change colour to give them better vision in the long dark winters around the Arctic Circle.

On Thursday 7 July, you will receive your assessment results by email to your UCL email account if you undertook assessment in 2021-22.

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Writing in The Conversation, Dr Alex Pigot (UCL Biosciences) and his team at the University of Cape Town warn that if Earth warms more than 2 degrees C, even temporarily, much of the damage to Earth's endangered species will be irreversible and biodiversity will seriously suffer.

Researchers have recommended changes to how cancer patients are treated, after a new UCL-led study discovered that chemotherapy is significantly more effective for some men with advanced prostate cancer than others.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Ruth Mace and Dr Alberto Micheletti explore the economic and reproductive reasons for Tibetan families sending one of their sons to a nearby monastery to become a lifelong, celibate monk.

This week, the spotlight shines on Jessica, Director of the Evidence Based Practice Unit and Professor in Child Mental Health and Wellbeing, and her current work with the Department of Education.

A novel staging framework that assesses the progression of Huntington's disease (HD), similar to the way cancer is staged 0 to 4, has been developed by UCL scientists as part of an international consortium; paving the way for clinical trials of drugs in the earliest stages of HD.

Seven scientists at UCL will take on some of the toughest obstacles in cancer, after being selected to play leading roles in the latest global Cancer Grand Challenges.