UCL in the media
Why Blue Monday may be difficult
Dr Kelly Dickson (IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education & Society) and Dr Matt Wall (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences) explain why the middle of January and Blue Monday, the supposed 'most depressing day of the year', may be difficult for people.
Russian army reshuffle a ‘slap in the nose’ for hardliners as ‘General Armageddon’ is demoted
Professor Mark Galeotti (UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies) interpreted the reshuffle of the Russian military hierarchy as “confirmation… that there will be serious offensives coming, and that even Putin recognises that poor coordination has been an issue”.
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34 homeless children died unexpectedly in temporary housing since 2019, damning report finds
“Children are at risk of breathing problems such as respiratory infections and asthma, as well as diarrhoea and skin problems because of the conditions they are in," warned Professor Monica Lakhanpaul (UCL GOS Institute of Child Health).
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Covid infection survey which tracks cases spreading across the UK could be shut down in the spring
Professor Christina Pagel (UCL Mathematics) suggested the survey should be expanded to include other viruses and commented, "We just had a year of five Covid waves.. and it’s been the only real measure of how much Covid there has been around – especially for kids".
Rise in scarlet fever cases in the UK
“An unintentional consequence of the lockdown was less priming, less exposure, and now we face the upswing. Things should return to more average levels after this winter,” said Professor Alastair Sutcliffe (UCL GOS Institute of Child Health) on recent UK scarlet fever cases.
Fertility MOTs don’t offer the full picture
“Studies have shown that most women under 35 who are trying to get pregnant will be pregnant within a year - most within six months… Doing these [fertility] tests and charging women money for them is unfair,” said Professor Joyce Harper (UCL EGA Institute for Women’s Health).
Greta was right, men with small undercarriage ‘crave fast cars’
"There’s this idea of conspicuous consumption. You waste resources to show you have resources to waste," said Professor Daniel Richardson (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences) who agrees that a car could offset other inadequacies and may be a form of boasting.
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Uranium found at Heathrow Airport unlikely to be a part of a sinister plot
Professor Andrea Sella (UCL Chemistry) explained that while uranium can be used in variety weapons, its weight and physical properties make it a poor choice for a "dirty bomb," where nuclear materials are mixed with explosives.
The potential benefits of lifelong loan entitlements for higher education
The flexibility of lifelong loans "may be very attractive for somebody who hasn’t been anywhere near formal education for a long time or hasn’t the time to commit to a full-time course," said Professor Claire Callender (IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education & Society).
Justice Department reviews classified documents found President Biden's former think tank office
"There's no doubt this [discovery of classified documents] will ramp up the pressure against [the Justice Department] not to pursue an indictment against Trump, lest it be accused of selective prosecution," explained Dr Thomas Gift (UCL Political Science).