Ageing stars are surprisingly efficient at destroying the giant planets orbiting closest to them, suggests a new study by Dr Edward Bryant @embryantastro.bsky.social and Dr Vincent Van Eylen @uclmaps.bsky.social looking at nearly half a million post-main sequence stars using NASA's TESS satellite

People with poor heart health during middle age are more likely to develop dementia in later life, with signs of heart damage linked to dementia risk as much as 25 years later, finds a new study led by Dr @yuntaochen.bsky.social @uclpsychiatry.bsky.social & Prof Eric Brunner @ucliehc.bsky.social

Intensive treatment of severe gum disease can prevent clogged arteries, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks, according to a new clinical trial by Dr Marco Orlandi, Prof Francesco D'Aiuto and Prof John Deanfield @uclmedsci.bsky.social @uclpophealthsci.bsky.social

A new AI-assisted brain atlas that can visualise the human brain in unprecedented detail has been developed by a team led by Dr Juan Eugenio Iglesias @uclengineering.bsky.social & Dr Zane Jaunmuktane @uclbrainscience.bsky.social, in a major advance in neuroimaging www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/no...

🔊Professor @jessicaringrose.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social discusses a survey by Male Allies UK that found over a third of teenage boys said they were considering the idea of an AI friend on BBC Woman's Hour. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... (from 50 min, 26 sec)

Children faced a substantially higher risk of rare heart complications from being infected with COVID-19 during the pandemic than from being vaccinated against the disease, finds study by academics incl Prof Pia Hardelid at @uclchildhealth.bsky.social who compared the two scenarios for first time

“I’ve seen people as early as their 20s with dementia, and it doesn’t have to affect memory": Prof Nick Fox @uclqsion.bsky.social discusses the establishment of The Hilary and Galen Weston Rare Dementia Support Centre at UCL, which will offer critical services for those impacted by rare dementias

In a polarised Britain, universities are sources of local and national pride, finds a new @uclpolicylab.bsky.social @moreincommonuk.bsky.social report. However, it shows a growing gap in support between grads and non grads and suggests unis must demonstrate their benefit to society as a whole.

How a microscopic, single-celled organism can help us to understand how animals first evolved: Prof @maxjtelford.bsky.social @ucllifesciences.bsky.social writes about choanoflagellates, the closest living relative to animals, in @uk.theconversation.com theconversation.com/how-the-firs...

One of the most common antidepressants, sertraline, contributes to a modest improvement in core depression and anxiety symptoms, including low mood, within two weeks, finds a new analysis of a major clinical trial, led by Dr @giuliapiazza.bsky.social @uclpsychiatry.bsky.social @uclpals.bsky.social

A powerful new database and economic model that identifies the most cost-effective strategies to reduce the carbon emissions from the world’s iron and steel processing plants has been developed by Prof Jing Meng and Dabo Guan @thebartlettucl.bsky.social.

During a delegation led by Pres & Provost Dr Michael Spence, UCL strengthened links in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. UCL committed to advance research, innovation and education opportunities, took part in THE's World Academic Summit, and reconnected with alumni in Dubai @uclenterprise.bsky.social.

“The destruction to lives and livelihoods will continue to escalate until we end our fossil fuel addiction & dramatically up our game to adapt," says Dr @marinaromanello.bsky.social of @uclglobalhealth.bsky.social as @thelancet.com report reveals a preventable heat-related death occurs every minute

The education system consistently fails society’s poorest children and requires thorough reform, finds a new @uclpolicylab.bsky.social report. Report author Jonathan Slater, Former Perm Sect at the Department for Education, spoke to BBC Radio 4.

UK investment in #windenergy delivered a net financial benefit of over £100bn for energy consumers between 2010 and 2023, challenging misconceptions about the cost of the #greenenergytransition, finds Colm O'Shea and @profmarkmaslin.bsky.social @uclgeography.bsky.social.

A research team led by Dr Vincent Van Eylen @uclmaps.bsky.social is investigating a possible UK camera that would "weigh" Earth-like planets to help find life as part of a flagship NASA mission, the Habitable Worlds Observatory. Funded by @ukspaceagency.bsky.social www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/oc...

The 4-metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope (4MOST) facility, which engineers at @uclmaps.bsky.social helped design and build, has made its first observations. The facility, with its 2,400 fibres, can unravel the light of 2,400 celestial objects simultaneously www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/oc...

A team led by Dr @giuliaderossi.bsky.social @ucleye.bsky.social has identified a key protein that triggers diabetic retinopathy – a leading cause of sight loss among working-age adults – in a finding that has the potential to revolutionise how the disease is treated

Anti-obesity medication semaglutide may help to prevent heart attacks and other major cardiac events regardless of how much weight people lose while taking the drug, according to new analysis of the SELECT trial led by Prof John Deanfield @uclpophealthsci.bsky.social www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/oc...

Humans evolved large brains and flat faces at a surprisingly rapid pace compared to other apes, likely reflecting the evolutionary advantages of these traits, finds a new analysis of ape skulls by Dr Aida Gomez-Robles (UCL Anthropology and @ucllifesciences.bsky.social). www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/oc...

Congratulations to Professor Bart De Strooper @uclqsion.bsky.social on receiving an honorary CBE for his internationally-renowned research on Alzheimer's disease and for his leadership as founding director of the @ukdri.ac.uk, which he led from its hub at UCL.

Fitness and calorie counting apps can leave users feeling demoralised and ready to give up on their goals, according to a new study using machine learning to analyse 59,000 posts on Twitter (now X) involving Dr Paulina Bondaronek @uclpophealthsci.bsky.social and Dr Lucy Porter @ucl-cbc.bsky.social

🎖️Congratulations to Prof Philippe Aghion, formerly UCL Economics, who has been awarded the #NobelPrize in Economic Sciences. Prof Aghion was awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize, also known as the #NobelPrize in Economics, with Prof Peter Howitt for their theory of innovation-driven economic growth.

🎉Congratulations to Dr Mathelinda Nabugodi @artshumsucl.bsky.social and Prof Attila Lindner for winning #PhilipLeverhulmePrizes @leverhulme.ac.uk for their work in Economics and Languages and Literatures.

People with sight loss have recovered reading vision after being treated with an electronic eye implant paired with augmented-reality glasses, reports a pioneering trial involving Mr Mahi Muqit @ucleye.bsky.social @moorfields.bsky.social www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/oc...

Three UCL academics Professor Ibrahim Abubakar @iiabubakar.bsky.social, Professor Pearce Keane and Professor Charles Swanton have been elected to US National Academy of Medicine for their work on the epidemiology of tuberculosis, artificial intelligence in ophthalmology and cancer genomics.

77% of women feel they're not well informed enough about the menopause, finds research by Prof Joyce Harper and Dr Shema Tariq from @ucl-ifwh.bsky.social, highlighting the need for a nationwide education & support programme to counter a 'gold rush' of unregulated products from clothes to shampoo

“They show how we saw the world”: Professor James Cheshire talks to Tom Sutcliffe @tds153.bsky.social on BBC Radio 4 about his discovery of a treasure trove of maps at @uclgeography.bsky.social, described in his new book, The Library of Lost Maps www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Cutting greenhouse gas emissions to near-zero needs new clean technologies and changes to how the world invests in them, especially in aviation where developing and adopting greener solutions is risky and expensive, finds a new study involving Prof Andreas Schäfer @thebartlettucl.bsky.social

Former US Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith has defended the integrity of federal investigations into President Donald Trump, rejecting claims of political bias during a public event hosted by the UCL Global Centre for Democratic Constitutionalism @laws.ucl.ac.uk

A gene therapy treatment for children with a rare immunodeficiency condition called ADA-SCID is safe and effective in the long term, research led by Prof Claire Booth at @uclchildhealth.bsky.social and scientists at @greatormondst.bsky.social and @uofcalifornia.bsky.social shows

The world’s largest-ever clinical trial of treatments to slow or stop the progression of Parkinson’s disease has launched, led by researchers at @uclqsion.bsky.social @uclh.bsky.social and @newcastleuni.bsky.social, accelerating the search for effective treatments in a £26 million project #ejsactpd

Quitting smoking in middle age or later is linked to slower cognitive decline over the long term, according to a new study led by Dr Mikaela Bloomberg @mapbloom.bsky.social that suggests, for cognitive health, "it is never too late to quit" @ucliehc.bsky.social @uclpophealthsci.bsky.social

The time to carry out diagnostic MRI scans for dementia can be cut to one third of their standard length, finds a new study led by @uclqsion.bsky.social researchers with @uclengineering.bsky.social, who say it could at least double the number of dementia scans that can be done in one day

Women performed best on cognitive tests during ovulation but physical activity level had a stronger influence on brain function than the different phases of the menstrual cycle, according to a new study led by Dr Flaminia Ronca @uclmedsci.bsky.social www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/oc...

The UK’s top scientific institutions are vulnerable to political interference, finds a new @uclpolicylab.bsky.social report by Prof @chrischirp.bsky.social . Meanwhile, exclusive @moreincommonuk.bsky.social polling shows 7 in 10 Britons say it is important for these bodies to be independent.

UCL made its mark at this year’s political party conferences, bringing academic insight, student voices, and policy innovation to the national debate. The annual conferences provide an invaluable opportunity for @ucl.ac.uk leaders, academics & students to influence and inform policy discussions.

It’s important to realise there are potential consequences from having a Caesarean birth at a late stage of labour for future pregnancies, Prof Anna David @prenataltherapy.bsky.social tells @skynewsrss.bsky.social in light of new @ucl.ac.uk research led by Dr Maria Ivan @uclpophealthsci.bsky.social

UCL and Loughborough University London have teamed up to launch the Creative Experience Lab London. This exciting project aims to establish Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as a leading hub for the UK's creative industries. It will showcase AI, robotics and multiverse technology.

A new drug combination could significantly delay the progression of a life-threatening form of prostate cancer in men with specific genetic mutations, finds a major international trial led by Prof Gerhardt Attard @uclmedsci.bsky.social www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/oc...

Motor neurone disease progresses at a different rate in each individual, @ucl.ac.uk’s Prof Andrea Malaspina tells @skynewsrss.bsky.social following the news that former England rugby captain & World Cup winner Lewis Moody has been diagnosed with the condition @uclbrainscience.bsky.social

Women with an inherited risk of developing ovarian cancer because they have the so-called Angelina Jolie gene alteration can now be tested on the NHS thanks to pioneering research led by UCL academics including Professor Adam Rosenthal @uclpophealthsci.bsky.social

🖋️"The spinout sector across the UK is flourishing; £2.6bn in equity investment in 2024" Writing in @financialtimes.com, Dr Anne Lane (CEO of @uclb.bsky.social ) argues the UK could be doing much more to leverage economic growth from university research. www.ft.com/content/a06f...

From finding a "universal language" in science, to comedy, conferences and following her passion, Prof Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu @ucllifesciences.bsky.social tells BBC World Service about her fascinating path to becoming a pioneer of pharmaceutical nanoscience and champion for race equality

Family affluence shields children from the risks of obesity and unhealthy eating habits, even when they're surrounded by unhealthy food options, according to a study co-led by Dr @andreadsmith.bsky.social and Prof Clare Llewellyn @uclpophealthsci.bsky.social www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/oc...

A fossil found in Scotland has revealed a new species and family of Jurassic reptile linked to the origins of lizards and snakes, in a study co-led by Prof Susan Evans @ucllifesciences.bsky.social. It's named Breugnathair elgolensis, for ‘false snake of Elgol’ @amnh.org @ntlmuseumsscot.bsky.social

A team involving @uclqsion.bsky.social and @crick.ac.uk scientists has, for the first time, directly visualised and quantified the protein clusters believed to trigger Parkinson’s disease, with a technique that could support the development of diagnostics and treatments for Parkinson’s in the future

Lung function among people in England who used wood or coal burning stoves or open fires in their own home declined faster over eight years compared to those without these heat sources, finds a new analysis led by Dr Laura Horsfall @uclpophealthsci.bsky.social www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/se...

🔊"The thing that links all these problems together is an unethical attention economy that is seeking to hold us at any cost" Dr Kaitlyn Regehr @artshumsucl.bsky.social joins #Oprah to discuss how hate, harm and disinformation are algorithmically prioritised online. ▶️Watch from 3:00

Breast cancer survivors with severe menopausal symptoms should be supported to make an informed decision about whether to have hormone replacement therapy or not, according to an interdisciplinary panel of experts including Prof Jayant Vaidya @uclmedsci.bsky.social www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/se...