science wire

Results of a world-first phase 3 trial for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), led by UCL researchers, have shown that the commonly used high-cholesterol drug simvastatin cannot slow disability progression. The results, announced at the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) conference in Copenhagen, followed promising phase 2 trial findings.

Targeted interventions can raise overall educational outcomes for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) by an average of five months, compared to teaching-as-usual or standard interventions, finds a report by UCL researchers.

Analysis: Growing number of war-weary Ukrainians would reluctantly give up territory to save lives, Writing in The Conversation, Professor Kristin Bakke (UCL Political Science) examines survey result

To raise awareness about climate change, a UCL researcher teamed up with one of the most popular mobile games, updating it to show science-based predictions of what will happen to Earth after a century of global warming.

Our focus for the coming academic year and beyond will be on taking a student-led harm reduction approach to all'addictive behaviours, including drug use.

Our focus for the coming academic year and beyond will be on taking a student-led harm reduction approach to drug use.

The real world was brought into the laboratory on a scale never seen before, for an experiment where over 100 people were tracked walking through a custom-built network of moveable 'walls', in a UCL-led research project investigating how people move through spaces. The project attracted participation from professionals in architecture, hospitals, transport, AI, property, video game design, dance, and museums.

A fingertip device that closely mimics the sensation of interacting with real objects, developed by a team led by UCL researchers, paves the way for applications in diagnosing loss of touch, video calls, robotic surgery and hazardous waste handling.

A lack of diversity in genomic studies for dementia could limit the effectiveness of targeted therapies across underrepresented populations, finds research by UCL experts. Results from two papers that explore regions of the genome associated with Alzheimer's disease and dementia in African populations will be presented at the Future of Dementia in Africa conference.

The first satellite in the European Space Agency's Cluster quartet safely came back down to Earth on Sunday, marking a successful end to a decades-long mission involving UCL researchers.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Graham Sheilds and Elias Rugen (both UCL Earth Sciences) discuss their discovery of rocks proving the polar ice caps once expanded so far they joined up around the equator. More than 700 million years ago, the Earth was plunged into a state that geologists call  "snowball Earth" , when our planet was entirely encased in ice.

Professor Ian Hamilton (UCL Energy Institute), with colleagues from Australian universities, cast a critical eye across the quality and condition of the Australian housing stock and the policies that govern it in The Conversation.

Two new interdisciplinary research projects investigating how to prepare for epidemics and volcanic eruption are receiving funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

A new law aimed at the protection of migratory fish in Brazil's Pantanal wetlands will harm thousands of local and Indigenous fishers, and puts the environment at greater risk from infrastructure development, finds a new study by a UCL researcher and collaborators in Brazil.

Over the past decade, the number of NHS general practices in England has decreased by 20% with 15% fewer qualified fulltime equivalent (FTE) general practitioners (GPs) per 1,000 patients, finds a new analysis involving a UCL researcher.

VPEE Student Journalist Caroline Coyer reflects on the highlights of the Research and Industry Showcase and Industry Reception, from the development of robots with a sense of touch to the possibility of using AI to enhance public safety at global events.

At the Festival of Engineering, VPEE Student Journalist Caroline Coyer attended the 'Interstellar Engineering' event and shared her insights on the exciting overlap between space exploration, medical advancements, and engineering.

Mothers under the age of 20 are at the greatest risk of being involved in care proceedings in the 10 years after having their first child, finds a new study report led by UCL researchers.

Five research projects at UCL are benefiting from over £800,000 in total funding announced by Muscular Dystrophy UK, to improve diagnosis, monitor progression and test potential new treatments for muscle wasting and weakening conditions.

New results from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) collaboration involving UCL researchers have put the best-ever limits on weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), a leading candidate for what makes up our universe's invisible mass. Figuring out the nature of dark matter, the invisible substance that makes up most of the mass in our universe, is one of the greatest puzzles in physics.

Pain may be the most prevalent and severe symptom reported by individuals with long Covid, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Seirian Sumner (UCL Biosciences) explains where all the wasps have gone this summer and invites people to record insects, including wasps, that they see in flower patches as part of the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has licensed the immunotherapy drug, Lecanemab, for use in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease in the UK, following decades of work supported by UCL research.

Cold water swimming is growing in popularity amongst women, but more support is needed to make many wild swimming sites in the UK safer and more accessible, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The research, published in Women's Health , explored the habits of women who enjoy cold water swimming and was carried out in collaboration with researchers from the University of Portsmouth, University of Sussex, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, University of Plymouth and Bournemouth University.

Dr Rob Ixer explains in The Conversation how his research found that Stonehenge's giant Altar Stone originated in north-east Scotland, No one is certain why Stonehenge was built.

There is a need for comprehensive data on the long-term effects of weight loss drugs such as semaglutide or tirzapatide, as well as strategies for maintaining a healthier weight once people stop using them, argues a multidisciplinary team led by researchers from UCL.

A rock formation spanning Ireland and Scotland may be the world's most complete record of "snowball Earth", a crucial moment in planetary history when the globe was covered in ice, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

Following a recent audit of our payroll processes and feedback from our stakeholders, we will be making some adjustments to the existing published payroll dates from September 2024.