Science

The science section covers discoveries in the world of science research at Imperial and around the world

Dinosaurs were thriving before asteroid strike that wiped them out

A new analysis has posited that dinosaurs were unaffected by long-term climate changes and flourished before their sudden demise by asteroid strike. Scientists largely agree that an asteroid impact, possibly coupled with intense volcanic activity, wiped out the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period 66 million years ago.

By Henry Alman

Infectious diseases could be diagnosed with smartphones in sub-Saharan Africa

A new Imperial-led review has outlined how health workers could use existing phones to predict and curb the spread of infectious diseases. The review was published in Nature, and involved researchers from Imperial, the Karolinska Institute, UCL, The University of KwaZulu-Natal, the Africa Health Research Institute, and the London School

By Henry Alman

From single cells to multicellular organisms: witnessing evolution

Researchers from the George Institute of Technology and University of Montana have witnessed in real-time the development of single-cell algae into more complex multicellular organisms – and, astonishingly, the process took only 50 weeks, or just 750 generations. The only driving environmental factor was predation by another simple, single-celled organism. The

By Henry Alman
Mother’s smoking during pregnancy changes baby’s DNA

Mother’s smoking during pregnancy changes baby’s DNA

Smoking in pregnancy damages an unborn baby’s DNA – increasing its risk of smoking-related conditions in adulthood and a premature death, new research has found. The study serves as a caution for mother smokers, more than half of whom continue during pregnancy, say scientists. Mother’s smoking changes chemicals in

By Eyad Abuelgasim
Poorest dying nearly ten years younger than the rich in “deeply worrying” trend for UK health

Poorest dying nearly ten years younger than the rich in “deeply worrying” trend for UK health

The gap between the life expectancy of the richest and poorest sectors of society in England is increasing, according to new research from Imperial College London. The study, which was published in the journal Lancet Public Health and funded by the Wellcome Trust, analysed Office for National Statistics data on

By Henry Alman