Latest Life Sciences News http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/life_sci_viewer/rss admin 2006-09-05T09:41:38Z Poxvirus hijacks cell movement to spread infection http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/1118/121118-poxvirus-cell-movement Vaccinia virus, a poxvirus closely related to smallpox and monkeypox, tricks cells it has infected into activating their own cell movement mechanism to rapidly spread the virus in cells and mice, according to a new UCL-led study. Chris Lane 2018-11-12T17:02:04Z New cell movement process key to understanding and repairing facial malformations http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/1018/181018-cell-movement-embryo-facial-malformation The embryonic stem cells that form facial features, called neural crest cells, use an unexpected mechanism of moving from the back of the head to the front to populate the face, finds a new UCL-led study. Rebecca L Caygill 2018-10-19T06:08:40Z How drug resistant TB evolved and spread globally http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/1018/171018-TB-spread-globally The most common form of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) originated in Europe and spread to Asia, Africa and the Americas with European explorers and colonialists, reveals a new study led by UCL and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Rebecca L Caygill 2018-10-17T18:58:18Z Unexpected role of enzyme may help develop anti-cancer drugs http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/1018/171018-drug-target A newly discovered role for the enzyme glutamine synthetase could have important implications for developing anti-cancer drugs according to a new UCL study. Rebecca L Caygill 2018-10-17T11:52:49Z Small-brained female guppies aren’t drawn to attractive males http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/1018/081018-fish-mating-preferences Female guppies with smaller brains can distinguish attractive males, but they don’t recognise them as being more appealing or choose to mate with them, according to a new study by UCL and Stockholm University researchers. Chris Lane 2018-10-09T09:59:00Z Built-in sound amplifier helps male mosquitoes find females http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0918/250918-mosquito-hearing The ears of male mosquitoes amplify the sound of an approaching female using a self-generated phantom tone that mimics the female’s wingbeats, which increases the ear’s acoustic input by a factor of up to 45,000, finds a new UCL-led study. Chris Lane 2018-09-25T11:28:33Z Land-based bird populations are at risk of local extinction http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0918/210918-bird-populations-at-risk Land-based bird populations are becoming confined to nature reserves in some parts of the world - raising the risk of global extinction - due to the loss of suitable habitat, according to a report led by UCL. Kate Corry 2018-09-21T11:07:03Z Why do we love bees but hate wasps? http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0918/190918-lovewasps A lack of understanding of the important role of wasps in the ecosystem and economy is a fundamental reason why they are universally despised whereas bees are much loved, according to UCL-led research. Henry Killworth 2018-09-19T07:48:40Z Some patients not receiving ADHD treatment, despite overall increase  http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0918/140918-ADHD Medication use to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has significantly increased across the world, however prescription rates are still far below diagnosis rates in most Western countries, a major new study co-led by UCL has found.  Henry Killworth 2018-09-14T16:29:32Z Help survey wasps over the bank holiday weekend http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0818/140818-UK-wasp-survey Wasps might not be the nation’s favourite insects but are some of the most important so UCL and University of Gloucestershire scientists are again asking for the public’s help to find out more about these misunderstood creatures. Rebecca L Caygill 2018-08-14T11:03:34Z Genes drive ageing, making normal processes damaging http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0818/090818-genes-drive-ageing Ageing in worms mainly results from the direct action of genes and not from random wear and tear or loss of function, and the same is likely to be true in humans, according to research by UCL, Lancaster University and Queen Mary University of London scientists. Rebecca L Caygill 2018-08-09T15:45:01Z Population declines of mammals and birds linked to rapid warming of climate http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0718/230718-rapid-warming The rate at which our planet is warming has been found to be a critical factor in explaining the decline of bird and mammal species, reveals new research by UCL and ZSL (Zoological Society of London).  Rebecca L Caygill 2018-07-23T16:47:49Z Professor Lewis Wolpert recognised with Royal Society Medal http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0718/190718-royal-society-medal Lewis Wolpert CBE FRS, Emeritus Professor of Biology as applied to Medicine (UCL Cell & Developmental Biology), has been awarded the Royal Medal by the Royal Society, in recognition of his contribution to the advancement of biological sciences. Chris Lane 2018-07-20T10:57:59Z Fetal gene therapy prevents fatal neurodegenerative disease http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0718/170718_gene_therapy A fatal neurodegenerative condition known as Gaucher disease can be prevented in mice following fetal gene therapy, finds a new study led by UCL, the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and National University Health System in Singapore. Rowan Walker 2018-07-17T10:09:20Z Our fractured African roots http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0718/110718-fractured-African-roots Our African ancestors were diverse in form and culture, and scattered across the entire continent, finds a team led by UCL, the University of Oxford and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. Rebecca L Caygill 2018-07-11T16:40:52Z UCL celebrates 70 years of working with the NHS http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0718/050718-NHS-at-70 To celebrate 70 years of the National Health Service, researchers and clinicians from across UCL have spoken about what the NHS means to them and how their work impacts the nation’s health.     Rebecca L Caygill 2018-07-05T12:17:30Z New gibbon genus discovered in ancient Chinese tomb http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0618/210618-New-gibbon-genus-china-tomb Bones of an entirely new but already extinct genus of gibbon have been discovered in China, revealing the magnitude of human-caused extinction of primates, according to a study by UCL and ZSL (Zoological Society of London). Rebecca L Caygill 2018-06-21T18:23:48Z Climate change to overtake land use as major threat to global biodiversity http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0618/200618-biodiversity-and-climate-change Climate change will have a rapidly increasing effect on the structure of global ecological communities over the next few decades, with amphibians and reptiles being significantly more affected than birds and mammals, a new report by UCL finds. Kate Corry 2018-06-20T10:45:35Z Genome sequencing reveals origin of killer fungus behind the ‘amphibian plague’ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0518/100518-amphibian-decline A deadly fungus responsible for the devastation of amphibian populations around the world has spread from East Asia, according to new research led by scientists at UCL, Imperial College London and Zoological Society of London. Natasha Downes 2018-05-11T08:39:29Z Gene may have helped humans adapt to cold climates http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0518/100518-cold-genes A gene variant common in Europeans may have proliferated because it helped early humans adapt to cold weather, according to UCL research. Rebecca L Caygill 2018-05-10T15:47:26Z Six UCL scientists elected Fellows of the Royal Society http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0518/090518-royal-society-fellows Six scientists from the UCL community have been elected as Fellows of the Royal Society in recognition of their outstanding contributions to research and innovation that benefit humanity. Chris Lane 2018-05-09T16:41:36Z Artificial muscles promise to speed up testing of treatments for muscle diseases http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0518/090518_artificial_muscle Artificial muscles grown from human stem cells could pave the way forward for treating muscle diseases, according to new research led by UCL. Natasha Downes 2018-05-09T09:33:32Z Microbes are savvy when contributing to the common good http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0518/090518-slime-mould-microbes Microbes vary their contribution to a community to maximise the return on their investment according to a new study led by UCL and the University of Bath. Rebecca L Caygill 2018-05-09T09:25:38Z How does dietary restriction extend lifespan in flies? http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0418/17-04-18-fruit-flies-lifespan Lifespan in flies is extended by limiting the activity of a group of proteins called GATA transcription factors (TFs), giving clues to how a moderate reduction in food intake protects against multiple ageing-related diseases, according to a new UCL-led study. Natasha Downes 2018-04-17T12:03:34Z Drug-resistant gene goes from pig farms to patients worldwide http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0318/260318-antibiotic-resistance-gene A troublesome gene that is resistant to an antibiotic often used as a last resort has been tracked from its origins to hospital patients worldwide in a new study led by UCL and Peking University People’s Hospital. Chris Lane 2018-03-26T13:49:22Z