In the future police will be able to predict the spread of riots, and how they impact on cities, thanks to a new computer model. Developed by researchers at UCL, the model highlights the importance [...]
Author Archive | University College London
Living cells behave like fluid-filled sponges
Animal cells behave like fluid-filled sponges in response to being mechanically deformed according to new research published today in Nature Materials. Scientists from the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN) at UCL have shown that animal [...]
Origin of life emerged from cell membrane bioenergetics
A coherent pathway which starts from no more than rocks, water and carbon dioxide and leads to the emergence of the strange bioenergetic properties of living cells has been traced for the first time in [...]
Life’s molecules could lie within reach of Mars Curiosity rover
Stick a shovel in the ground and scoop. That’s about how deep scientists need to go in order to find evidence for ancient life on Mars, if there is any to be found, a new [...]
Research finds Stonehenge was monument marking unification of Britain
After 10 years of archaeological investigations, researchers have concluded that Stonehenge was built as a monument to unify the peoples of Britain, after a long period of conflict and regional difference between eastern and western [...]
Neuroscientists Show How Brain Responds to Sensual Caress
A nuzzle of the neck, a stroke of the wrist, a brush of the knee—these caresses often signal a loving touch, but can also feel highly aversive, depending on who is delivering the touch, and [...]
Mathematicians can conjure matter waves inside an invisible hat
Invisibility, once the subject of magic or legend, is slowly becoming reality. Over the past five years mathematicians and other scientists have been working on devices that enable invisibility cloaks – perhaps not yet concealing [...]
Butterfly genome explains wing pattern diversity
Pooling funds and putting their heads together, more than 70 scientists from 9 institutions including the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, sequenced the entire genome of the butterfly genus Heliconius, a brightly colored favorite of collectors [...]
Africa sitting on vast reservoir of water
A scattergun approach to borehole drilling in Africa is likely to be unsuccessful. This is the message from a group of UK researchers who have, for the first time, quantified the amount, and potential yield, [...]
Being in Power Does Not Always Magnify Personality
“If you want to test a man’s character, give him power,” said Abraham Lincoln. It’s a truism that power magnifies personality—but is it true? A new study says no. “Before, people thought that disposition is [...]
Past Changes in Monsoon Tied to Major Shifts in Indian Civilizations
A fundamental shift in the Indian monsoon has occurred over the last few millennia, from a steady humid monsoon that favored lush vegetation to extended periods of drought, reports a new study led by researchers [...]
Aging, overweight people stay happy
Growing older and being overweight are not necessarily associated with a decrease in mental well-being, according to a cross-cultural study looking at quality of life and health status in the US and the UK. The [...]
Conforming to society linked to size of certain brain region
Every generation has its James Dean: the rebel who refuses to follow the path beaten by their peers. Now, a new study in ‘Current Biology’ has found a link between the amount of grey matter [...]
Gimme drugs, gimme drugs
Since mephedrone was made illegal in the UK in 2010, the street price of the drug has risen while the quality has degraded, which in turn may have reduced use of the drug. New research [...]
Global warming caused by greenhouse gases delays next Ice Age
Unprecedented levels of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere are disrupting normal patterns of glaciation, according to a study co-authored by a University of Florida researcher and published online Jan. 8 in Nature Geoscience. The [...]
‘Inertia to change’delays zero carbon homes
Tackling rising CO2 emissions from the residential sector could make a vital contribution towards mitigating climate change, according to a new report from the UCL Bartlett School of Planning.
Setting out the best strategies for achieving this goal b…
Gene therapy achieves early success against hemophilia
Symptoms improved significantly in adults with the bleeding disorder hemophilia B following a single treatment with gene therapy developed by researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and de…
Changing the locks: HIV discovery could allow scientists to block virus’s entry into cell nucleus
Scientists have found the ‘key’ that HIV uses to enter our cells’ nuclei, allowing it to disable the immune system and cause AIDS The finding, published today in the open access journal PLoS Pathogens, provides a potential new target for anti-AIDS drug…
Changes in London taxi drivers’ brains driven by acquiring ‘the Knowledge’
Acquiring ‘the Knowledge’ – the complex layout of central London’s 25,000 streets and thousands of places of interest – causes structural changes in the brain and changes to memory in the capital’s taxi drivers, new [...]
How we see family resemblance in faces
Whether comparing a man and a woman or a parent and a baby, we can still see when two people of different age or sex are genetically related. How do we know that people are [...]
Extreme antisocial personality predicts gang membership
Research into the 2011 London riots found they were mostly committed by antisocial persons, less than 20% of whom were explicitly gang members. This is because gang membership is primarily for the most antisocial of [...]