UCL FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES

The tuatara, an iconic New Zealand reptile, chews its food in a way unlike any other animal on the planet – challenging the widespread perception that complex chewing ability is closely linked to high metabolism.

The UCL News podcast gives you the opportunity to listen to the latest news and research from around UCL every fortnight. Split up into three parts, you can either listen to the podcast all in one go, or save features for later listening. 

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.

Imanova, a new state-of-the-art imaging centre co-owned by the Medical Research Council and three of London’s leading universities, has been formally launched at a showcase event attended by representatives from the founding organisations and Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister for Universities and Science.

Fears that sex-linked chromosomes, such as the male Y chromosome, are doomed to extinction have been refuted in a new genetic study which examines the sex chromosomes of chickens.

The study, published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), looked at how genes on sex-linked chromosomes are passed down generations and linked to fertility, using the specific example of the W chromosome in female chickens. 

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).