UCL News

Grassroots women’s groups could halve maternal death rate

David R Weston — 2013-05-17T10:53:57Z

Women’s groups can dramatically reduce the number of maternal and newborn deaths in some of the world’s poorest communities, according to a new meta-analysis published in The Lancet.

Brain training and stimulation improves mental arithmetic ability

Clare S Ryan — 2013-05-17T09:35:47Z

With just a few days of non-harmful brain stimulation and brain training, scientists have improved people’s ability to manipulate numbers for up to six months.

Global health policy fails to address burden of disease on men

David R Weston — 2013-05-16T13:55:00Z

Men experience a higher burden of disease and lower life expectancy than women, but policies focusing on the health needs of men are notably absent from the strategies of global health organisations, according to a Viewpoint article in this week’s Lancet.

Viking jewellery sheds light on dark period of British history

George Wigmore — 2013-05-16T14:47:07Z

The presence of Scandinavian-style female jewellery in Britain has overturned the idea that the Viking conquest of England was an all-male affair, suggesting that in fact large numbers of women travelled over from the Scandinavian homelands.

Post-mortem MRI: a viable alternative to an autopsy

David R Weston — 2013-05-17T16:02:52Z

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and blood tests to establish the cause of death in fetuses and newborn babies is virtually as accurate as a standard autopsy, according to a paper published in The Lancet.

Grant Museum wins Cultural Pros Award at Museums + Heritage Awards

Clare S Ryan — 2013-05-16T09:23:12Z

The Grant Museum of Zoology at UCL has been voted the winner of the inaugural Culture Pros Pick at the Museums + Heritage Awards – the Oscars of the museum world – at the awards ceremony last night.

UCL shares in £50m of new funding to help stimulate UK’s economy

Henry Rummins — 2013-05-15T09:15:30Z

UCL has been awarded a share of a government investment of £50m into UK’s leading universities to drive growth, the Minister for Universities and Science has announced.

Almost a quarter of jurors confused about rules on internet use during a trial

Rosie Waldron — 2013-05-15T16:00:48Z

Almost a quarter of jurors (23 per cent) are unclear about the rules surrounding internet use during a trial, according to preliminary research led by Professor Cheryl Thomas (UCL Laws).

Take part in the UCL Student Barometer

Rosie Waldron — 2013-05-14T09:42:54Z

All UCL students are invited to give their views to a student survey and, in doing so, have the chance to win an iPad and £1,000 in cash.

Stress and unhealthy lifestyle increase risk of heart disease

David R Weston — 2013-05-13T13:34:23Z

People with job stress and an unhealthy lifestyle are at higher risk of coronary artery disease than people who have job stress but lead healthy lifestyles, according to work published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) by researchers from UCL's Department of Epidemiology and Public Health.

Study finds brain system for emotional self-control

Rosie Waldron — 2013-05-10T09:44:17Z

Different brain areas are activated when we choose for ourselves to suppress an emotion, compared to situations where we are instructed to inhibit an emotion, according a new study from the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Ghent University.

TRACK-HD study identifies early predictors of disease progression in Huntington's disease

David R Weston — 2013-05-09T16:02:26Z

An international team led by researchers at the UCL Institute of Neurology has identified a set of tests that could help identify whether - and how - Huntington’s disease (HD) is progressing in groups of people who are not yet showing symptoms.

UCL Bloomsbury Masterplan: new student hub

Rosie Waldron — 2013-05-09T11:22:30Z

The JBS Haldane Student Hub opened in Anatomy at the start of the summer term in April 2013. This large space overlooks the South Quad and is based in the Anatomy Building extension.

Science and Engineering South Consortium (SES-5)

Clare S Ryan — 2013-05-09T11:16:54Z

The most powerful cluster of research intensive universities in the UK are joining forces to form a new consortium to become one of the world's leading hubs for science and engineering research.

Mobile health technologies to rapidly test and track infectious diseases

Clare S Ryan — 2013-05-09T09:37:20Z

Early-warning sensor systems that can test and track serious infectious diseases – such as major flu epidemics, MRSA and HIV – using mobile phones and the internet are being developed by a major new Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (IRC) led by UCL.

UCL awarded record number of ESRC studentships

Liz Almond — 2013-05-09T09:37:20Z

18 multidisciplinary studentships worth an estimated £1.6 million have been awarded to UCL’s Doctoral Training Centre by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Digital Humanities prize workshop supports UCL Connections

Liz Almond — 2013-05-07T15:53:26Z

Funding of £5,000 has been awarded to the winning entry from the UCL Digital Humanities month prize workshop. The project, titled ‘UCL Connections’ aims to create signposts across campus, which will encourage visitors to find out more about the space around them, and share their experiences online via an app.

UCL considers alternative sites in Stratford for university quarter

Henry Rummins — 2013-05-07T15:53:26Z

University College London (UCL) and the London Borough of Newham (LBN) have today announced that whilst UCL remains committed to Stratford as the location for its new university quarter, it has not been possible for the two parties to reach an agreement regarding the Carpenters Estate. UCL will therefore no longer be pursuing the Carpenters proposition.

Dig This! UCL masters students at the Geffrye Museum

Rosie Waldron — 2013-05-09T13:42:42Z

Masters students from the UCL Institute of Archaeology are collaborating with the Geffrye Museum on an exciting project about gardening and happiness in the urban home.

Children with behavioural problems under-react to painful images

Rosie Waldron — 2013-05-02T09:19:23Z

When children with conduct problems see images of others in pain, key parts of their brains under-react, according to new research published today in Current Biology.

UCL University Challenge team fall at the final hurdle

George Wigmore — 2013-05-01T14:56:08Z

UCL’s University Challenge team were narrowly beaten by the University of Manchester in the final of the popular BBC2 quiz show this week.

Bright Club: READING at the Bloomsbury Theatre

Clare S Ryan — 2013-05-01T13:06:13Z

A Scandinavia expert, a medieval historian and a bio-fuels engineer doing stand-up comedy? Welcome to Bright Club - where funny meets brains.

UCL News Podcast - University Challenge & Climate Modelling

George Wigmore — 2013-05-01T12:41:23Z

The UCL News podcast gives you the opportunity to listen to the latest news and research from around UCL every fortnight.

Behaviour of seabirds during migration revealed

Clare S Ryan — 2013-05-01T12:34:53Z

The behaviour of seabirds during migration – including patterns of foraging, rest and flight – has been revealed in new detail using novel computational analyses and tracking technologies.

Herschel Space Observatory loses its cool

Clare S Ryan — 2013-04-30T10:49:14Z

Europe's Herschel Space Observatory has exhausted its supply of liquid helium coolant, after almost four years of scientific observations.

UCL Festival of the Arts: Q&A with Professor Jonathan Wolff

George Wigmore — 2013-04-29T13:56:49Z

With the UCL Festival of the Arts running from 7 - 17 May, UCL News spoke to Professor Jonathan Wolff (UCL Philosophy), Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Humanities, about the festival, and the importance of celebrating the arts at the time when many courses at other institutions are under threat.

UCL and NYU Wagner announce pioneering joint Global Executive MPA

George Wigmore — 2013-04-29T09:36:35Z

UCL’s School of Public Policy and NYU Wagner have announced today an innovative new one-year Executive Master of Public Administration in Global Public Policy and Management (Global EMPA) that will equip tomorrow’s leaders with the skills to deal with complex global issues and policy decisions. Applications open later this year and the program will start in the autumn of 2014.

UCL University Challenge team prepares for final

George Wigmore — 2013-04-26T11:38:09Z

UCL’s University Challenge team have reached the final of the popular BBC2 quiz show, after producing a consistent winning streak this series. In the final the team will face current reigning champions the University of Manchester in a bid to win the competition for the first time.

UCL Grand Challenges Small Grants awarded to 22 new projects

Liz Almond — 2013-04-26T11:38:09Z

22 new research projects have been awarded funding of up to £5,000 through the 2013 UCL Grand Challenges Small Grants Scheme.

Google search patterns reveal early signs of stock market movements

Clare S Ryan — 2013-04-25T16:02:12Z

Patterns in Google searches for financial terms could have been used as early warning signs of stock market movements, according to a new study published in Scientific Reports.

‘Clean’ your memory to pick a winner

Clare S Ryan — 2013-04-24T11:12:13Z

Predicting the winner of a sporting event with accuracy close to that of a statistical computer programme could be possible with proper training, according to researchers.

TEDxCERN simulcast at UCL

Clare S Ryan — 2013-04-22T12:26:57Z

CERN is hosting a TEDx event on 3 May 2013. Although the TEDxCERN main stage will be in Geneva, the UCL Institute for Origins and UCL Physics and Astronomy are hosting a live "simulcast" from 12:30 onwards on the day.

UCL Students help local schools stage musical

Rosie Waldron — 2013-04-18T15:51:28Z

Students from the UCLU Musical Theatre Society helped two schools in the Camden region to put on the musical Hairspray.

Learning disabilities affect up to 10 per cent of children

George Wigmore — 2013-04-19T08:53:55Z

Up to 10 per cent of the population are affected by specific learning disabilities (SLDs), such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and autism, translating to 2 or 3 pupils in every classroom according to a new study.

Sounds of UCL: competition winners and panoramas

Lara J Carim — 2013-04-12T15:34:09Z

What sounds make up London’s global university? UCL Communications has announced the winners of its ‘Sounds of UCL’ competition, which invited staff and students to capture ambient audio clips that reflect the life of UCL.

Star factory in the early Universe challenges galaxy evolution theory

Rosie Waldron — 2013-04-18T10:25:19Z

A team including Dr Mat Page (UCL Space and Climate Physics) has discovered an extremely distant galaxy making stars more than 2000 times faster than our own Milky Way. Seen at a time when the Universe was less than a billion years old, its mere existence challenges our theories of galaxy evolution. The observations were carried out using the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory.

European Commission must innovate to get value from €70 billion science funding programme

George Wigmore — 2013-04-18T08:22:21Z

The European Commission needs to make some key innovations in its science funding programme if Europe is to enjoy the full benefits of the €70 billion to be spent on science research as part of the Horizon 2020 programme kicking off in 2014, according to an academic paper published by SAGE in the Journal of Health Services Research & Policy today.

Light drinking during pregnancy not linked to developmental problems in childhood

Clare S Ryan — 2013-04-17T09:07:28Z

Light drinking during pregnancy is not linked to adverse behavioural or cognitive outcomes in childhood, suggests a new study published today.