science wire

The 2014 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience was today awarded to Professor John O'Keefe, Director of the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour at UCL and affiliated faculty member in the UCL Research Department of Cell and Developmental Biology.

A new treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy with the potential to suppress seizures 'on demand' with a pill, similar to how you might take painkillers when you feel a headache coming on, has been developed by UCL researchers funded by the Wellcome Trust. The treatment, described in Nature , combines genetic and chemical approaches to suppress seizures without disrupting normal brain function.

UCL has submitted a planning application to transform Wates House for The Bartlett School of Architecture.

UCL, in partnership with TIGA is launching a new model of continuing professional development for the videogame industry, with its course The Games Quarter.

The Councils of the Institute of Education and UCL have given approval for negotiations to continue on the proposed merger between the two universities.

People attempting to quit smoking without professional help are approximately 60% more likely to report succeeding if they use e-cigarettes than if they use willpower alone or over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapies such as patches or gum, finds a large UCL survey of smokers in England. The results were adjusted for a wide range of factors that might influence success at quitting, including age, nicotine dependence, previous quit attempts, and whether quitting was gradual or abrupt.

A bold bid to uncover an alternative to the current failed model of economic growth is being launched via the establishment of a new UCL Institute for Global Prosperity, led by the renowned anthropologist Professor Henrietta L. Moore.

UCL formally committed today to a policy of openness about animal research when Professor Michael Arthur (UCL President & Provost) signed the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK.

UCL is today inaugurating a new Quantum Science & Technology Institute (UCLQ). The new institute will coordinate and support research into quantum science and technology across UCL, helping to develop this fast-advancing field of research.

Children under 14 are more likely than adults to be 'blinded' to their surroundings when focusing on simple things, finds a new UCL study.

Nanomerics, the drug delivery company, is embarking on a new EPSRC funded collaborative research project with UCL, Exeter University and the Danish pharmaceutical company H Lundbeck to develop drug delivery methods to the brain.

A brain area activated by group decisions can distinguish people more likely to conform to the will of a group, say researchers from University College London (UCL). The team, led by Dr Tali Sharot, Affective Brain Lab, UCL, monitored the brain activity of individuals in groups of five people choosing food or drink they'd like to consume before and after being told the most popular choice in their group.

Research will simulate the destructive effects of waves on buildings and coastal defences Results will produce engineering guidelines to mitigate future impact of tsunami UCL and HR Wallingford, the

A new art exhibition exploring the relationship between nature and its representations opens today at the UCL Grant Museum of Zoology.

A new joint project by the British Museum and the UCL Institute of Archaeology is seeking online contributions from members of the public to enhance a major British Bronze Age archive and artefact collection.

UCL research is advancing the ability to develop solutions to many challenges of concern in the United Arab Emirates and the wider Arab world, Professor Michael Arthur, UCL President & Provost, said today in a speech in Dubai.

A new way to artificially control muscles using light, with the potential to restore function to muscles paralysed by conditions such as motor neuron disease and spinal cord injury, has been developed by scientists at UCL and King's College London. The technique involves transplanting specially-designed motor neurons created from stem cells into injured nerve branches.

A new collaboration of health protection researchers across UCL, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Public Health England has launched today. The partnership will lead innovative research to tackle blood-borne viruses (BBVs) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across England.

The world's first centre for computational psychiatry was launched on Tuesday 1st April, following a €5m investment from the Max Planck Society and UCL to be spent over the next 5 years. The Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research will develop computational methods to understand how human cognition works and how it becomes disrupted in psychiatric disorders such as depression and how it changes with normal cognitive ageing.

The most well-known escape of prisoners transported from England to Australia in the 18 th Century has been brought to life, thanks to handwritten accounts by the convicts unearthed in the collections of the philosopher Jeremy Bentham at UCL and now published online for the first time.

Disadvantaged children who attend high-quality early childhood development programs including healthcare and nutrition have significantly improved health as adults, reports a new study. The study was led by researchers from UCL (University College London), the University of Chicago and the University of North Carolina.

UCL is partnering with Novo Nordisk and the Steno Diabetes Center - a world leading institution in diabetes care and prevention - to launch the Cities Changing Diabetes initiative, an ambitious new partnership programme to fight urban diabetes.

Captain Jerry (Raymond C. Roberts - one of the last of a top World War Two codebreaking team at Bletchley Park - has died, aged 93, following a short illness.

A start-up founded by four UCL students has won the backing of a panel of judges led by Airbnb co-founder, Nathan Blecharczyk.

Professor David Price, Vice-Provost for Research at UCL, has written an open letter to Paul Dacre, editor of the Daily Mail, to raise concerns about an article commenting on the race and gender of UCL academics appearing on Newsnight. The contents of this letter are reproduced in full below. Dear Mr Dacre, I am writing to express my deep disappointment in the insinuation in your newspaper that Dr Hiranya Peiris was selected to discuss the 'Big Bang' breakthrough on Newsnight for anything other than her expertise.

Professor David Bogle, Head of the UCL Graduate School and Chair of the League of European Research Universities Doctoral Studies Community, welcomes the support for more Centres for Doctoral Training announced in the UK Budget.

UCL has today announced the appointment of Dame Nicola Brewer as its new Vice Provost (International).

Around 1 in 5 of the population were infected in both recent outbreaks of seasonal flu and the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, but just 23% of these infections caused symptoms, and only 17% of people were ill enough to consult their doctor, according to new UCL-led research. These findings come from a major new community-based study comparing the burden and severity of seasonal and pandemic influenza in England over 5 years, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal.

Sixteen researchers from around UCL have been shortlisted to present their research to a panel of expert judges and over 100 MPs in this year's SET for Britain competition.

Animals may avoid high voltage power cables because of flashing UV light that is undetectable to humans, scientists say.

Dame DeAnne Julius has today been named as the next Chair of UCL Council - taking over from the current Chair, Sir Stephen Wall, with effect from 1 October 2014.

UCL has established its presence in the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst (SBC) through moving three research projects into laboratory space there.

Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda will work with University College London (UCL) to drive research into tackling muscle disorders, in particular muscular dystrophy. Takeda's NFS aims to support innovative, cutting-edge research which could eventually lead to drug discovery and development. Dr Tedesco's team will focus on the study of muscular regeneration and the potential for stem cell therapies to treat muscular dystrophy, in particular induced pluripotent (iPS) stem cells.

The system that allows the sharing of genetic material between bacteria - and therefore the spread of antibiotic resistance - has been uncovered by a team of scientists from UCL and Birkbeck, University of London. The study, published today in Nature, reveals the mechanism of bacterial type IV secretion, which bacteria use to move substances across their cell wall.

Peter Wynne Rees is to join The Bartlett in April after 29 years as the City of London Corporation's City Planning Officer.

Obesity levels among women in lowand middle-income countries tend to rise in line with wealth as they purchase more energy-dense foods, but a new UCL study suggests that more educated consumers make better food choices that mitigate this effect. The study showed that in middle-income countries, obesity levels among women with secondary or higher education are 14-19% lower than less-educated women of similar wealth.

UCL, along with its technology partner DevLab , is launching two new initiatives at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week - App Lab and UXCam.

The rate of mother to child HIV transmission is at an all-time low in the UK, according to a paper published today in the journal AIDS . The study examined over 12 000 pregnancies in women diagnosed with HIV before or during pregnancy and delivered in 2000-2011; there was a four-fold drop in the rate of mother to child transmissions, from 2.1% in 2000-2001 to 0.46% in 2010-2011.