January 9, 2023 – Tropical forests that are recovering from having trees removed were thought to be carbon absorbers, as the new trees grow quickly. A new study, led by Imperial College London researchers, turns this on its head, showing that the carbon released by soil and rotting wood outpaces the carbon absorbed by new […]
Imperial College London
Posted inLife
Online health and wellbeing program using singing techniques can improve quality of life and breathlessness after COVID-19
An online breathing and wellbeing programme helps improve quality of life and breathlessness for people recovering from COVID-19, according to a new study. This is one of the first clinical trials to report an effective intervention for people with post-COVID syndrome, also known as long COVID. The study is published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. The ‘ENO Breathe’ […]
Posted inSci/Tech
First images from latest Mars rover show ancient river delta in Jezero crater
The NASA Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars in February, has sent back its first images of a 3.7-billion-year-old ancient river delta. The images reveal that the watery life cycle of the now dried-out lake at Jezero Crater – the site of Perseverance’s touchdown – is more complicated and intriguing than originally thought. The pictures […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Bee flight suffers under temperature extremes
Bees’ flight performance affects their ability to pollinate plants – a crucial service for many of our crops. Now, researchers from Imperial College London have measured the relationship between bumblebee flight performance and surrounding temperature. Measuring the motivation of bumblebees to fly and their flight endurance, the team found performance rose rapidly from the lower […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Reducing antibiotic use in primary care may be insufficient alone to curtail antimicrobial resistance
Strategies to reduce antibiotic prescribing in primary care are insufficient alone to halt the rise in drug resistant E. coli infections in England, a new report concludes. The first evaluation of NHS England’s Quality Premium intervention on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The Quality Premium scheme was introduced in 2015 […]
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Prior SARS-CoV-2 infection rescues B and T cell responses to variants after first vaccine dose
A single dose of vaccine boosts protection against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus variants, but only in those with previous COVID-19, a study has found. In those who have not previously been infected and have so far only received one dose of vaccine the immune response to variants of concern may be insufficient. The findings, published today in […]
Posted inSci/Tech
New result from the LHCb experiment challenges leading theory in physics
March 23, 2021 – The LHCb Collaboration at CERN has found particles not behaving in the way they should according to the guiding theory of particle physics – the Standard Model. The Standard Model of particle physics predicts that particles called beauty quarks, which are measured in the LHCb experiment, should decay into either muons […]
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Dragonflies perform upside down backflips to right themselves
February 9, 2021 – High speed cameras and CGI technology have revealed the inbuilt righting mechanisms used by dragonflies when they are thrown off balance. The findings add to current knowledge of how insects fly and keep stable in the air. They could also help to inspire new designs in small aerial vehicles like drones, […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Steroid found to improve survival of critically ill COVID-19 patients
September 2, 2020 – A new international study published today [02 September] has shown that treating critically ill patients with COVID-19 with the steroid hydrocortisone improves their chances of recovery. The study, led in the UK by Professor Anthony Gordon from Imperial College London with collaborators from the Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre, […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Dinosaur-dooming asteroid struck earth at ‘deadliest possible’ angle
May 26, 2020 – The simulations show that the asteroid hit Earth at an angle of about 60 degrees, which maximised the amount of climate-changing gases thrust into the upper atmosphere. Such a strike likely unleashed billions of tonnes of sulphur, blocking the sun and triggering the nuclear winter that killed the dinosaurs and 75 […]
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COVID-19 contact tracing apps: 8 privacy questions governments should ask
April 2, 2020 – As part of their efforts to slow the outbreak of coronavirus, governments, research institutions and industry are developing contact tracing apps to record interactions between people. The apps warn users if one of the people they have been recorded as being in contact with is later diagnosed with COVID-19 so they […]
Posted inWorld
Coronavirus measures may have already averted up to 120,000 deaths across Europe
Strong social distancing measures to slow and suppress the spread of COVID-19 across Europe are estimated to have averted thousands of deaths. The findings come from a new analysis by researchers at Imperial College London, which estimates the potential impact of interventions in 11 European countries to counter the coronavirus pandemic – including school closures […]
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Pesticides impair baby bee brain development
March 4, 2020 – Imperial College London researchers used micro-CT scanning technology to reveal how specific parts of bumblebee brains grew abnormally when exposed to pesticides during their larval phase. Most previous studies have tested the effects of pesticide exposure on adult bees because these individuals directly collect pesticide-contaminated nectar and pollen. However, this study […]