UCL in the media
Searching for a permanent cure to epilepsy seizures
Professor Gabriele Lignani (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) highlights the work his team are doing to find treatments for epilepsy, including a gene therapy targeting the area of the brain that causes seizures.
The criminal threat of artificial intelligence
Could criminals clone your voice and use it to fool your own family? Professor Lewis Griffin and Kimberley Mai (both UCL Computer Science) explain how easy it is to create deepfake speech.
Increase in the number of people identifying as transgender in the UK
The number of people identifying as transgender in their GP records in the UK has increased between 2000 and 2018, with just over one in 2,500 with a health record of being transgender in 2018, finds a new study led by Dr Doug McKechnie (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health).
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Can troubleshooter vice-chancellors turn universities around?
Professor Michael Shattock (IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society) says he is “suspicious” of the idea that vice-chancellors should be seen as “turnaround agents” and that universities should focus on strengthening their entire governance and executive teams.
Expert gives verdict on TikTok’s £4 anti-anxiety hack
Professor Oliver Robinson (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences) says using Vick’s Vaporub to manage anxiety is “not recommended” but adds: “There are as many different types of anxiety as there are people in the world, so if it works for you, it works for you.”
The weather warnings expected at COP28
Professor Mark Maslin (UCL Geography) says the world “must do better” in tackling climate change and warns the UK could face extreme heatwaves and flash flooding in the near future.
How contagious is the new Pirola Covid variant?
“It carries an unusual cluster of mutations, which on paper makes it look like an excellent candidate to be an immune-escape variant similar to the early Omicron strains that spread rapidly in late 2021,” says Professor Francois Balloux (UCL Biosciences).
Health experts label New Zealand’s smoking ban U-turn as ‘purely political’
Professor Jamie Brown (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care) says New Zealand and the UK were set to lead the world in tobacco control, adding that it is “extremely disappointing” to see the smoking ban scrapped to fund tax cuts.
What we know about the respiratory illness outbreak ‘overwhelming’ China’s hospitals
“Since China experienced a far longer and harsher lockdown than essentially any other country on Earth, it was anticipated that those ‘lockdown exit’ waves could be substantial in China," says Professor Francois Balloux (UCL Biosciences).
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Case of swine flu detected in humans in the UK
Professor Francois Balloux (UCL Biosciences) says a lone case of swine flu found in the UK "may indicate circulation in humans" and requires "further monitoring".
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