science wire

An international research team led by UCL, Great Ormond Street Hospital, and KU Leuven is using 3D-printing and nanodiamonds to design treatments that could help babies repair their damaged lungs while still in the womb.

Reasonable adjustments for students with specific learning difficulties are generally beneficial but inequalities persist and students need training to use them effectively, finds the first comprehensive review of exam access arrangements in England, led by UCL researchers. The new report, published by UCL Institute of Education and funded by the Nuffield Foundation, assessed the efficacy of common exam access arrangements offered to secondary students with Specific Learning Difficulties* (SpLD) when taking exams.

The proportion of people reading for pleasure daily in the United States has declined by more than 40% over the last 20 years, according to a new study by researchers at UCL and the University of Florida.

A teenager with a rare, life-limiting genetic condition is off to university after receiving a pioneering gene therapy developed by researchers at UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH).

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Katherine Twamley (UCL Social Research Institute) examines growing evidence that Gen Z is turning away from traditional forms of dating and long-term romantic relationships. Decline in sexual activity, rise of a certain "heteropessimism" or claimed celibacy.. there is growing evidence that Gen Z is turning away from traditional forms of dating and long-term romantic relationships.

Popular generative AI web browser assistants are collecting and sharing sensitive user data, such as medical records and social security numbers, without adequate safeguards, finds a new study by researchers from UCL, UC Davis and Mediterranea University of Reggio Calabria. The study, which will be presented and published as part of the USENIX Security Symposium , is the first large-scale analysis of generative AI browser assistants and privacy.

Professor Christina Pagel (UCL Mathematics) warns that the US Secretary of Health and Human Services' efforts to undermine vaccines spreading around the world.

Governments across the continent still have very little knowledge of what lies beneath their soil, Research Fellow Gerald Arhin (UCL Science, Technology, Engineering & Public Policy) writes in The Conversation.

Writing in The Conversation, Emma Connolly (UCL Digital Speech Lab) explores what makes politicians go 'viral' online and what doesn't. By the time the next US election takes place in 2028, millennial and gen Z voters - who already watch  over six hours of media content a day  -  will make up the majority of the electorate.

An international team led by UCL researchers has developed durable new solar cells capable of efficiently harvesting energy from indoor light, meaning devices such as keyboards, remote controls, alarms and sensors could soon be battery free.

The next time a wasp visits your picnic, if you make a note of whether it goes for protein or sugar, you can help UCL scientists better understand the wasp life cycle.

Talking therapy offered by the NHS for people with depression or anxiety appears less effective for people aged 16-24 than those aged 25-65, according to a new study led by UCL researchers. While talking (psychological) therapy services are helpful for young people, the authors of the new Lancet Psychiatry paper say that more work is needed to tailor mental health services to young people to ensure they are as effective as possible.

From 1 August, the Office for Students (OfS) has introduced a new regulatory condition (E6) requiring universities to take stronger action to protect students from harassment and sexual misconduct.

Stimulating the vagus nerve with a device attached to the outer ear can help make compassion meditation training more effective at boosting people's capacity for self-kindness and mindfulness, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in Psychological Medicine , adds to evidence of the potential benefits of stimulating this key nerve that connects the brain with major organs in the chest and abdomen.

When given nutritionally matched diets, participants lost twice as much weight eating minimally processed foods compared to ultra-processed foods, suggesting that reducing processing could help to sustain a healthy weight, finds a new clinical trial led by UCL researearchers.

Archaeologists from UCL are helping archivists at Jersey Heritage to carefully study, catalogue and store hundreds of pieces of Ice Age animal bone, that were discovered on the Channel Island more than 60 years ago.

People with dementia are diagnosed an average of 3.5 years after symptoms are first noticed, or even longer (4.1 years) for those with early-onset dementia, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

Writing in The Conversation, Dr Mathelinda Nabugodi (UCL School of European Languages, Culture, and Society) explores how enslavement shaped European culture in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Writing in The Conversation, Dr Leah Sidi (UCL European Languages, Culture & Society) address the growing public unease about microplastics and calls for rigorous science, tougher regulation, and a shift away from our reliance on plastic in daily life. When actor Orlando Bloom revealed recently that he'd undergone a procedure to have  his blood "cleaned" , many people raised eyebrows.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Katherine Twamley (UCL Social Research Institute) explores whether the gendered political divide many western countries are experiencing is making dating harder? The last year has highlighted a political divide between young men and women.

Writing in The Conversation, Dr Giorgio Di Gessa (UCL Epidemiology & Public Health) explores why women from poorer backgrounds help out most with childcare.

More than 78 million cigarettes are smoked in England, Wales and Scotland every day, translating to about 900 being lit up every second, according to a new study from UCL researchers.

A UCL-led group of world-leading scientists is joining Pacific sailors on a voyage like no other - to understand how indigenous navigators expertly find their way by sensing the swells of the ocean. Sailors from the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific are famed for their extraordinary skill of wave piloting.

While parenthood is linked with better mental health, new UCL research reveals social and economic circumstances also matter. Mothers and fathers in their early 30s in England are slightly less likely to report symptoms of depression and anxiety and tend to be more satisfied with life than their peers who have not started a family.

Innovative virtual eye clinics in shopping centres could significantly reduce waiting times for routine eye appointments, UCL-led research suggests in a first-of-its-kind study.