Time to go to sleep
Almost all animals sleep, but we don’t know why. Modern research is revealing how sleep is essential for numerous brain functions such as learning, memory and immunity.
The revival of measles
Measles is on the rise in the wake of the popularisation of ‘anti-vaxxer’ rhetoric, decreasing herd immunity, and increasing risk. Make sure you are protected!
Psychedelics research at Imperial College enters a new phase
The second phase to be exact. This year the newly minted Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London began conducting a first-of-its-kind phase II clinical trial designed to test how effective the hallucinogenic compound psilocybin is at treating patients with major depressive disorder versus a current prescription antidepressant, escitalopram.
Oxygen: the generator of life
New research indicates that oxygen abundance was strongly correlated to cycles of flourishing and declining biodiversity during the development of prehistoric multicellular life.
Xenon could be used to reduce traumatic brain damage, Imperial study finds
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability for people aged under 45 in developed countries. The first ever life-long study in mice has found that head injury effects can be halted by xenon gas. Following TBI, xenon prevented the mice from early deaths, improved their
UK tour of Tim Peake’s Spacecraft attracts 1.3 million visitors
The Science Museum marks anniversaries of Apollo moon missions with a Summer of Space
Mycoprotein: a potential beneficial food for people with type 2 diabetes?
If I were to ask you the first thing that comes to mind when you think of fungi, you would probably say mouldy walls, gone-off food, or athlete’s foot. The Fungi kingdom is often not viewed in a positive light. However, we owe a lot to fungi; they produce
Air pollution in London: where are we now?
It is not an exaggeration to say that pollution is one of London’s biggest challenges for the foreseeable future. While it is true that the situation is not as concerning as 70 years ago, when the pea soup-like Great Smog killed 4000 people in less than a week, the
Seeing the light: Acting against actinic keratosis
Easter weekend this year saw most of us out enjoying the sunshine, after digging through our cupboards to bring out our sunhats, sundresses, sunglasses and sun cream. While the first hot days of the year are always greatly appreciated, sun exposure can lead to several problems, both in the UK
New hepatitis C cases down by almost 70% in HIV positive men in London
New cases of hepatitis C amongst HIV positive men in London have fallen by nearly 70 per cent in recent years. The new analysis of data from three clinics in London found 256 men were diagnosed between 2013-2018. New infections peaked at 17 for every 1000 people studied in 2015
New cholesterol-lowering drug could help patients unable to take statins
A new class of oral cholesterol-lowering drug could help patients unable to take statins due to side effects. The findings come from the largest study to date to test the effectiveness and safety of bempedoic acid, an oral medication - yet to be approved in Europe - which inhibits the
Explaining the Future book launched at UCL
On Monday March 4th, Dr. Sunny Bains from the Department of Biochemical Engineering launched her new book Explaining the Future: How to Research, Analyze and Report on Emerging Technologies, published by Oxford University Press. The book – written for engineers, physical scientists, consultants, and investors – focuses on the how to determine