science wire

When we focus intently on one task, we often fail to see other things in plain sight - a phenomenon known as 'inattention blindness'. Scientists already know that performing a task involving high information load - a 'high load' task - reduces our visual cortex response to incoming stimuli. Now researchers from UCL have examined the brain mechanisms behind this, further explaining why our brain becomes 'blind' under high load.

On Tuesday 10 July, the government was forced to withdraw its programme motion on the Lords Reform Bill, and suffered a rebellion of 91 Conservative MPs on Second Reading of the bill.

Scientists have found that Native American populations - from Canada to the southern tip of Chile - arose from at least three migrations, with the majority descended entirely from a single group of First American migrants that crossed over through Beringia, a land bridge between Asia and America that existed during the ice ages, more than 15,000 years ago.

Leading UK and international academics believe a progressive research programme is vital to ensure that policies, such as the UK's newly launched Green Deal, are backed by evidence and data, and that systems are in place to monitor, evaluate and adapt such policies.

The first evaluation of a new system that can provide electronic transmission of prescritpions from GP practices to community pharmacies is published today in an interim report commissioned on behalf of NHS Connecting for Health Evaluation programme.

Despite similar career expectations on graduating, six months after finishing their studies just 39% of female graduates have engineering jobs compared to 50% of male graduates, according to new figures.

English universities and colleges are investing significantly more in outreach activity to raise aspirations and attainment among people from lower-income backgrounds and other groups under-represent

Stem cells found in amniotic fluid can be transformed into a more versatile state similar to embryonic stem cells, according to a study published today in the journal Molecular Therapy . Scientists from the UCL Institute of Child Health and Imperial College London succeeded in reprogramming amniotic fluid cells without having to introduce extra genes.

A new app for android phones allows Londoners to share their experiences about the London Underground as they travel, and could transform how we use public transport.

A research project into palliative care, led by Anne Lanceley of the UCL Institute for Women's Health, has been awarded a £25,000 grant from national charity Target Ovarian Cancer.

Nick Lane (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment) addresses one of the most fundamental questions: how did complex life arise? He does so as the inaugural UCL Provost's Venture Research Fellow, a programme for which new applications are invited.

Implementation of the Finch Report on Open Access would "cripple university systems with extra expense", responds Professor David Price, UCL Vice-Provost (Research).

The European Space Agency (ESA) today formally adopted the largest collaboration of astronomers in the World to help build the Euclid satellite, and UCL will be playing a major role.

Scientists have managed to switch on and off the magnetism of a new material using quantum mechanics, making the material a test bed for future quantum devices.

The ability to cross a road in time is one that most of us take for granted.

In June 2011 the UCL Institute for Global Health was selected to host the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) Secretariat , working to curb chronic diseases such as stroke, diabetes, chronic lung disease and heart disease throughout the world. Today the GACD has announced that four of its member organisations will fund research projects on hypertension (high blood pressure) prevention and control in 15 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Alissa Goodman has been appointed as Professor of Economics and Deputy Director of the UK Birth Cohort Study at UCL, a post which has been created jointly by the university and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

On June 5 and 6 2012, as Venus passes in front of the Sun, the world will witness a spectacle of the Solar System that will not be seen again until 2117. While studies of Venus stretch back to ancient times, the transit of Venus continues to be of relevance to our on-going scientific exploration of the planets in our Solar System and beyond, with several teams at UCL playing a significant role in its observation.

A striking art installation of fabric woven in between the neoclassical columns of the portico has been installed by UCL Slade School of Fine Art student Nicolas Feldmeyer.

The proportion of the world's population that lives in cities has been steadily rising, so that 3 in 5 of all people globally will live in a city by 2030.

UCL has today announced the closure of its 2004 philanthropic campaign, two years ahead of schedule and over the £300m target it set itself at its launch.

UCL, Imperial College London and Intel have announced the launch of the Intel Collaborative Research Institute for Sustainable Connected Cities.

UCL and Newham Council have agreed to extend the initial six month period for consideration of a UCL presence in Stratford until the end of September.

Exactly how bad are bananas? Or anything else? Inspired by Mike Berners-Lee's book How Bad Are Bananas? , The Banana Theory project demonstrates, using QR code technology and installation art, the difficulty we face when deciding how to change our lifestyle to become greener.

Building works for a new research centre at UCL will begin later this month, following the formal signing of contracts worth in excess of £70 million with Kier Construction.

An international collaborative study to map the genome of a South American butterfly has identified the secret behind its mimetic nature. The genome sequence of the Postman butterfly, Heliconius melpomene, was used as a reference to study species that live together in the Peruvian Amazon. Several of these share bright wing patterns in order to reinforce a warning signal that they are bad to eat - dissuading predators from attack.

UCL Engineering announced today that two members of staff will receive funding through Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative created by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that enables individuals worldwide to test unorthodox ideas that address persistent health and development challenges.

Astronomers at UCL, using ESA's Herschel Space Observatory, have shown that the number of stars that form during the early lives of galaxies may be controlled by the massive black holes at their hearts. All large galaxies have a massive black hole in the middle, each millions of times the mass of a single star.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has approved a new mission, which includes scientists from UCL, to explore Jupiter and the habitability of its icy moons.

Professor David Bogle (Head of UCL Graduate School) gave evidence on 24 April to the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee inquiry into higher education in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

The first satellite to carry experiments devised and operated by UK universities including UCL was launched 50 years ago today. The launch of 'Ariel 1' marked Britain's first step into space, making it the world's third space-faring nation. The satellite carried six scientific experiments designed and built by British space scientists.

Older people are a benefit, rather than a burden, to the economy and society according to a new report from the UCL School of Pharmacy.

Internet users from countries with a higher per capita gross domestic product (GDP) are more likely to search for information about the future than information about the past, a quantitative analysis of Google search queries has shown. The findings, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, suggest there may be a link between online behaviour and real-world economic indicators.