UCL in the media
The case for simpler English spelling
Dr Liory Fern-Pollak (UCL Institute of Education) explains that children learn to read English more slowly than “transparent” languages like Spanish or German and that dyslexia is easier to diagnose with children grappling with language in English.
Call for widening access to universities
Professor Sir Peter Scott (UCL Institute of Education), the Scottish government's Commissioner for Fair Access, calls for bolder targets to be adopted to increase universities’ intake of students from poorer backgrounds.
Historical dramas misreading the past
Commenting on a growing trend for blockbuster historical dramas, Professor Mary Fulbrook (UCL SELCS) explains that much of what on offer is escapist, and that a misreading of history may misinform the present.
Trump praises ex-adviser’s new lawyer
Dr Brian Klaas (UCL SELCS) suggests US president Donald Trump’s praise for a lawyer representing Michael Flynn, his former national security adviser, could “amount to an obstruction of justice”.
New campaign to help archaeologists return to La Cotte
Dr Matthew Pope (UCL Institute of Archaeology) says he is excited and honoured to begin a new phase of work at La Cotte in Jersey, one of Europe’s most important Ice Age sites, as a fundraising campaign begins to support archaeological work there.
Gene editing back in the spotlight
Amid anxiety over widely condemned gene-editing experiments, Dr Helen O’Neill (UCL Reproductive Health) is quoted as expressing optimism that today’s concerns about CRISPR gene-editing systems are unlikely to be problems in the future.
'Traffic light’ labelling on soft drinks could help us drink less of them
Commenting on the Cochrane review by experts from UCL and Technical University Munich, Dr James Doidge (UCL Epidemiology & Public Health) says clearer health ratings on drinks and limiting access to high sugar beverages in schools may help “reduce consumption of sugary drinks".
Why Britain should act sooner on zero carbon target
Professor Mark Maslin (UCL Geography) says the UK is a leader in the global “fight against climate change” and argues that reducing the target date for zero carbon emissions from 2050 to 2030 would save money, create more green jobs and "make Britain a better, cleaner place".
How important is race?
On the question of whether race exists and is significant or merely a ‘social construct’ built around how people identify themselves and others, Professor Mark Thomas (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment) says “’Race’ is useless, pernicious nonsense” as a biological category.
Waking up early linked to heart disease deaths
White Europeans who wake up early are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease death, but the link is weaker for people of African Caribbean or South Asian descent, finds a study by Dr Victoria Garfield and PhD researcher Roshni Joshi (UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science).