David Willetts has spoken: the Government, in this Olympic year, is ‘going for gold’ – enabling everyone to access university research. Yet these changes undermine the UK’s world-class research competitiveness, says Professor Stephen Caddick (UCL Vice-Provost, Enterprise). Read: Independent More: Guardian

The gold model for open access, supported by the UK government, could lead to significant savings - but only if all the policies surrounding research are joined up, says Dr Paul Ayris (UCL Library Services). Read: Guardian

A new interactive map by Dr James Cheshire and Oliver O’Brien (UCL CASA) plots life expectancy and child poverty by different London Underground stations. Read: Telegraph More: Guardian BBC London Daily Mail FT (£)

UCL students hope to develop genetically-engineered bacteria that could be used to turn the Great Pacific Plastic Patch into a floating island for people to live and holiday on. The idea is part of their application to the annual iGEM competition. Read: Wired UK

When mice were fed the drug rapamycin, they lived longer, says Professor Dame Linda Partridge (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment). The drug also offered protection against neurodegenerative diseases, which are closely linked to ageing. Read: Times of India

"This framework addresses the fact that we are currently failing our children on a grand scale," says Professor Sir Michael Marmot (UCL Epidemiology & Public Health). Read: BBC News More: Times (£)

North America was first populated by three waves of migrants from Siberia rather than just a single migration, according to research led by Dr Andres Ruiz-Linares (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment). Read: LA Times More: NY Times BBC News Boston Globe AFP USA Today IB Times BBC World Service Science in Action Science

Professor Paul Brennan (UCL Electronic & Electrical Engineering) talks about how he’s using advanced radar and a deserted Swiss valley to work out just what is happening when millions of tonnes of snow hurtle down a mountainside. Read: Times (£)

A unilateral adoption of gold open access would come at the cost of UK competitiveness, argues Professor David Price (UCL Vice-Provost, Research). Read: Times Higher Education

“We're looking over a threshold in physics… something we've never seen before,” says Professor Jon Butterworth (UCL Physics & Astronomy). Listen: BBC R4 Today (from 1 hr 51 mins) Mirror Wired Channel 4 News