UCL in the media
Assassination was a turning point for the Italian mafia
Professor John Dickie (UCL School of European Languages, Culture & Society) explains possible reasons why the American mafia helped the Sicilian Casa Nostra blow up prominent anti-mafia investigator Giovanni Falcone in 1992.
The kinetic theory of gas and why its discovery is so important
130 years since Boyle’s Law was published, Professor Steven Bramwell (UCL Physics & Astronomy) explains why finding out “air is like a spring” has helped us understand how the sun works and paved the way for the development of thermodynamics and quantum theory.
UK medical research receives £1bn windfall
LifeArc, a London-based medical research charity, is to receive a £1bn windfall after selling most of its royalty interest in cancer drug Keytruda. Professor Robin Ali (UCL Ophthalmology) says this level of potential funding will boost morale among researchers.
E-cigarettes may double success rates for those quitting smoking
People using e-cigarettes to quit smoking are almost twice as likely to succeed as those trying without, according to a real-world study by Dr Sarah Jackson and Dr Jamie Brown (both UCL Epidemiology & Health Care).
Study reveals new details about egg freezing in the UK
One in five women who freeze their eggs and try to conceive using those eggs become mothers as a result, according to a study led by Dr Zeynep Gurtin (UCL Institute for Women’s Health).
Britain needs its own version of the moon shot
The UK can be a global leader in solving crises such as climate change while fuelling economic growth if it takes the same bold strategic approach used in the moon-landings, argues Professor Mariana Mazzucato (UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose).
Testosterone levels an “arbitrary” criteria for ruling on sport fairness
Dr Gerard Conway (UCL Institute for Women’s Health) explains why athletes’ levels of the hormone testosterone have become the standard marker that sport governing bodies use to decide who can and cannot compete in different events.
Effective treatments for depression vary according to individuals
Dr Joanna Moncrieff (UCL Psychiatry) discusses why cures for depression can be "as varied as the people who have it" and Professor Vincent Walsh (UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience) demonstrates electromagnetic brain stimulation.
Watch: BBC 2, ‘Alastair Campbell: Depression and Me’ (from 7 mins 27 secs) & (from 16 mins 53 secs), Read: Times (£), Evening Standard
Why much maligned wasps deserve more respect
As a new map of the UK’s wasp population is released, Dr Seirian Sumner (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment) explains that far from being “bothersome and pointless”, wasps are highly effective pest controllers without which we would need far more pesticides.
Imagining the car of the future
Honorary Professor David Metz (UCL Centre for Transport Studies) explains why the car of the future will not travel any faster or have much of an impact on congestion, despite digital and electric innovations in the motor industry and transport sector.