UCL in the media
How to keep your brain young
Dr Andrew Sommerlad (UCL Psychiatry) has demonstrated that being married is strongly associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
Political noise will not drown out climate signals
Professor Mariana Mazzucato (UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose) said the scale of change needed to tackle climate change demands that fear is transformed into "a mission to be accomplished.”
Astral geeks: Why postgrads are turning to space
UCL’s one-year MSc in space science and engineering and a five-day short course on space’s industrial landscape, the anatomy of a spacecraft and telecommunications applications, both feature in an article on the increasing popularity of space science.
Former EU Ambassador Sir Ivan Rogers’ perspectives on what’s next for Brexit
Sir Ivan Rogers, former Ambassador to the EU and guest speaker at an event hosted on 22 January by UCL’s European Institute, said the risk of crashing Brexit negotiations was “higher than either the markets or the commentariat believe”.
Read: Huffington Post, More: Spectator, FT, Times (£). Watch: UCL TV
Chinese scientist who made world's first gene-edited babies 'evaded oversight', say authorities
The Chinese scientist who claimed he had created gene-edited babies contravened national guidelines, an investigation says, but Dr Helen O’Neill (UCL Institute for Women's Health) says the report still does not shed light on the full story.
Is the ability to do maths innate in humans?
In a panel discussion, Professor Brian Butterworth (UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience) and Dr Hannah Fry (UCL Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis) explore whether humans have always been able to count and if mathematical ability goes beyond simply quantifying things.
Listen: BBC Radio 4 'The Infinite Monkey Cage' (from 3 mins 33 secs)
Genetic study provides novel insights into the evolution of skin colour
A study of Latin American populations led by Professor Andres Ruiz-Linares (UCL Genetics Institute) and involving UCL colleagues Drs Javier Mendoza-Revilla and Kaustubh Adhikari has found new genetic variations linked to skin colour.
Does relying on technology affect the brain’s ability to navigate naturally?
Professor Kate Jeffery (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences) discusses the effect that a reliance on technology might have on the brain’s natural navigation and ability to store memories.
Listen: BBC Radio 4 ‘Today’ (from 2 hours 51 mins 34 secs)
Head of UK Dementia Research Institute discusses his Brexit fears
Professor Bart de Strooper (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology), Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute, headquartered at UCL, outlines his concerns for science funding and the recruitment of overseas researchers following Brexit.
Women taking contraceptive pill can drop seven-day break, new guidance says
Women on the contraceptive pill no longer need to stop taking it for one week in every four, according to new NHS guidance. Emeritus Professor John Guillebaud (UCL Institute for Women's Health) said the break was devised to make the pill “more acceptable for Catholics to use."