UCL in the media
Women’s brains ‘are more youthful’
Dr Michael Bloomfield (UCL Psychiatry) comments on a study suggesting men and women have different rates of change in brain metabolism.
What is the psychological motivation for seeking race-based vengeance?
Dr Lasana Harris (UCL Division of Psychology & Language Sciences) explains how our minds can generalise a negative experience with a person by “categorising them in a way that may be flawed”, prompting the urge to act upon an “unjustifiable prejudice” towards an entire community.
Can we build a bionic human?
The innovative work of Professor Rebecca Shipley (UCL Mechanical Engineering) and her team to create synthetic bones for children which grow as their recipient grows are mentioned in a programme about the possibility of building a bionic human.
Listen: BBC Radio 4 ‘Infinite Monkey Cage’ (from 16 mins 43 secs)
Will the government be taken to court over Brexit?
Amid reports that former Northern Ireland first minister Lord Trimble plans to take the government to court over the Irish backstop, Professor Robert Hazel (UCL Political Science) discusses the history of taking issues to court in Ireland.
Listen: BBC Radio 4 ‘PM’ (from 37 mins 20 secs)
Denying loans to students with weaker A-levels
The government is reportedly proposing to end loans to students with 3Ds or less at A-level. Professor Claire Callender (UCL Institute of Education) suggests that may deepen the economic divide between graduates and non-graduates.
Would rent controls work in London?
Professor Yolande Barnes (UCL Bartlett Real Estate Institute) responds to comments from the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, that he would “develop a new blueprint for stabilising or controlling private rents in the capital” in order to solve the city's "desperate housing crisis".
Universities face dual threat of Brexit and funding cuts
UK investment in universities brings lasting public benefit, writes UCL President & Provost Professor Michael Arthur. But the higher education sector faces a number of risks.
Looking after your heart helps avoid Alzheimer’s
Professor Jonathan Schott (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) explains that getting blood pressure under control in “early mid-life” reduces the risk not only of heart disease and stroke, but also dementia.
Should you ask a child’s consent before tickling?
Following comments by comedian Russell Brand that tickling takes away a child’s “right to their own space and peace”, Professor Sophie Scott (UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience) says tickling is a key bonding process between parents and children.
Launch of peer-to-peer energy trading trial
A peer-to-peer energy trading trial involving UCL academics including Professor David Shipworth (UCL Energy Institute) will begin at a housing estate in Brixton, south London, in March. Analysts predict such trading will transform the energy market.