UCL in the media
Bird flu is a step closer to infecting humans but for now the risk is still very low
“Bird flu is a concern... recently it’s spreading like wildfire in domestic and wild bird populations, which increases the risk of a spill over into humans," warned Professor Francois Balloux (UCL Biosciences) but argued the virus is unlikely to cause a pandemic.
Survey finds majority of 'Elf Bar' e-cigarette users previously never smoked
"It doesn’t surprise me that increasingly quite a lot of students might be using [Elf Bars] but what does surprise me though, is that a lot of them obviously have never smoked," said Dr Lion Shahab (UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health) about the survey results.
Major Covid-19 wave sweeps across China
“China's wave is awful for them, especially given that about a third of their elderly population are unvaccinated, leaving them very vulnerable to becoming severely ill with Covid,” said Professor Christina Pagel (UCL Mathematics).
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A new way to measure the world’s happiness
Professor Alex Bryson (IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education & Society), with David G. Blanchflower of Dartmouth, developed a new technique to measure a country’s wellbeing that takes into account both positive and negative affect.
Kari Lake's chances of overturning Arizona Governor election result
"[Candidate Kari] Lake's legal challenges to overturn the election look like they're careening exactly in the same direction as Donald Trump's: absolutely nowhere," said Dr Thomas Gift (UCL Political Science) adding that the lawsuit is "as desperate as it is baseless".
Could Washington D.C. Become an Official U.S. State?
"Republicans would have limited incentive to help their opponents secure a greater voice in Congress," said Dr Thomas Gift (UCL Political Science), adding that the odds of Washington, D.C. obtaining statehood "are slim to none".
Reindeer’s eye colours change based on the season
"What we’ve found is a really great biological mechanism that’s totally unique and bizarre—and makes perfect sense," said Professor Glen Jeffery (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology) after discovering why the tapetum lucidum layer in reindeers' eyes seasonally changes colour.
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UK woodlands could store almost twice as much carbon as previously estimated
UK forests could store almost double the amount of carbon than previous calculations suggest, with consequences for our understanding of carbon stocks and humanity’s response to climate change, according to a new study co-authored by Professor Mat Disney (UCL Geography).
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Male mason wasps use genital spines to thwart predators
Professor Seirian Sumner (UCL Biosciences) commented on a new study by researchers in Japan that found while male wasps did not sting, they could use their genitalia in “mock” stings that reduce their chance of being eaten by predators.
An effective new STI track, trace and treat method solves a big problem
“In this world-first, large-scale trial of APT we show that it is safe, effective and likely to be cost-saving to the NHS," said Professor Claudia Estcourt (UCL Institute for Global Health) who devised the new STI contact tracing method, Accelerated Partner Therapy (APT).