Scientific press releases

2020

2019

Vaping may have similar effects to smoking on harmful lung bacteria
December 18

Impacts of parental separation on school children
December 5

New disease hits corals
November 22

Some hyper-realistic masks more believable than human faces, study suggests
November 21

Research identifies associations between childhood maltreatment and offending behaviors later in life
November 12

Moderate increase in physical activity after breast cancer diagnosis may lower risk of death
November 7

Male spiders show their sensitive side
October 24

Study identifies characteristics of Lyme disease hospital patients in England and Wales
August 15

Bonobo diet of aquatic greens may hold clues to human evolution
July 2

Online shopping interventions may help customers buy healthier foods
June 13

USA lags behind EU, Brazil and China in banning harmful pesticides
June 7

Dating app users may be more likely to control their weight in unhealthy ways
May 31

Current vaccination policies may not be enough to prevent measles resurgence
May 17

NASA researchers catalogue all microbes and fungi on the International Space Station
April 8

New study calculates alcohol cancer risk in cigarette equivalents to help communicate risk
March 28

People who don’t drink may still suffer harms from alcohol, study suggests
March 19

Jury still out on what confers survival advantage in female trauma patients
March 15

Clearwing butterfly wins BMC Ecology Image Competition 2018
March 8

New species of ‘golden death’ bacterium digests parasitic worms from the inside out
February 28

Women in a galaxy far, far away: Star Wars characters’ costumes reflect shift from power to romance
February 26

Fish fertilize eggs in their male relatives’ nests
January 31

Study investigates socioeconomic disparities in nitrate levels in US drinking water
January 17

Repeatedly missing GP appointments may indicate greater risk of death from all causes
January 11

2018

3D-printed reconstructions provide clues to ancient site
December 13

Ethnic inequalities persist in healthcare for severe mental illness in England, study suggests
December 12

How to survive on Game of Thrones: switch allegiances
December 10

Young aphids piggyback on adult aphids to get to safety faster
December 6

The Wizard of Oz most ‘influential’ film of all time according to network science
November 30

Frequent sauna use associated with lower cardiovascular death rate in men and women
November 29

Over half of former ICU patients in the UK report symptoms of psychological disorders
November 23

ISS microbes should be monitored to avoid threat to astronaut health
November 23

Researchers have created a virtual reality simulation of a supermassive black hole
November 19

Labrador retrievers at risk of various health problems
October 22

Letting the sunshine in may kill dust-dwelling bacteria
October 18

Human and cattle decoys trap malaria mosquitoes outdoors
October 15

Effects of a high-fat diet may be passed on for three generations
October 12

Regular media multitaskers likely to use irrelevant information when forming impressions of others
October 11

More young people are choosing not to drink alcohol
October 10

Compliance with indoor tanning legislation needs improvement to mitigate risks
October 4

City-dwelling blue tits may lay bigger eggs because of what they eat
October 3

Some female termites can reproduce without males
September 25

Airbnb distribution in cities may depend on who lives there, not just distance to city centre
September 19

Middle-aged moderate drinkers rarely have health concerns about drinking
September 18

Individuals with criminal records may stay in their jobs longer
September 13

How the clownfish earned its stripes: color pattern evolution in coral reef fishes
September 5

Traffic noise may make birds age faster
August 28

Moderate drinking associated with lower risk of heart disease but consistency matters
August 22

Smartphone use may affect loneliness in mothers of young children
August 16

Difficulties in forming secure attachments with others may be linked to problematic Facebook use in adults
August 10

Naked mole-rats defy conventions of aging and reproduction
August 2

Ant soldiers don’t need big brains
July 13

Longer hours on social media may increase teens’ risk of cyberbullying
July 10

Bale Monkeys living in different areas have very different DNA
July 10

What you eat while pregnant may affect your baby’s gut
July 5

US flight crew have higher cancer rates than general population
June 26

Magritte’s lost painting, La pose enchantée, virtually restored in color
June 15

Sleeping too much or not enough may have bad effects on health
June 13

Slow motion playback makes football referees harsher
June 11

Researchers use blood serum markers to develop lupus risk index
June 1

Time spent sitting at a screen matters less if you are fit and strong
May 24

French Bulldogs at risk of various health problems
May 3

Blood type O patients may have higher risk of death from severe trauma
May 2

Media representations of cancer neglect an important risk factor: age
April 26

Bottlenose dolphins recorded for the first time in Canadian Pacific waters
April 20

Dogs could be more similar to humans than we thought
April 19

New study investigates whether Hans Asperger actively assisted the Nazi euthanasia program
April 19

Inaccurate idea of own body weight may be strong factor in unhealthy dieting
April 17

Mental disorders among leading causes of illness in children worldwide
April 12

Review by researchers calls for pill testing to be part of Australia's Drug Strategy
April 10

What makes a bestseller: fiction, thriller and a Christmas release
April 6

Smokers have worse diets than non-smokers
April 5

Rival competition makes ant sperm better swimmers
March 23

Rethinking the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome - a reanalysis of findings from a recent major trial
March 22

Social media use at age 10 could reduce wellbeing of adolescent girls
March 20

‘Haa haa haa’: raven food calls disclose their age and sex
March 13

Study suggests possible link between low blood pressure and suicidal thoughts
March 1

Higher cigarette taxes may increase use of chewing tobacco and cigars in adolescents
February 15

Facial attraction: red-fronted lemurs recognize photos of their own species
February 13

“Perfect for all occasions”? Marketing of lower strength alcohol products may increase drinking
February 8

Housework gender differences may affect health in elderly men and women
January 11

2017

New marker could detect fatal breast cancer up to one year earlier than current methods
December 22

With a little help from my friends: ending social isolation could lower diabetes risk
December 19

Healthy eating linked to kids’ happiness
December 14

When travelling on public transport, you may want to cover your ears
November 23

Researchers identify mutation that causes bad teeth in Samoyed dogs
November 22

Food bank use in the UK is more complex than suggested, according to new research
November 21

Employees want to sit down less and walk more during work days
November 17

Brexit and policy restrictions on immigration could worsen GP workforce crisis, say researchers
November 16

Strange undertakings: ant queens bury dead to prevent disease
October 13

Predicting depression and PTSD before deployment could help soldiers cope
October 5

Monitoring microbes to keep Marsonauts healthy
October 4

Global methane emissions from agriculture are larger than reported, according to new estimates
September 29

Interventions for alcohol and hypertension could save hundreds of lives across EU
September 28

Sexual harassment by colleagues may be associated with more severe depression
September 25

Pay more, smoke less: possible effects of raising tobacco taxes across the EU
September 21

Playing American football before age 12 could have long-term health effects
September 19

Astronauts don’t develop anemia during spaceflight, NASA study suggests
September 8

The ‘weekend effect’ – risk of dying is higher if admitted to Intensive Care Units at the weekend
September 7

Mobile phone use while pregnant not linked to child neurodevelopment problems
September 5

Stressed lemurs have worse chances of survival
September 1

Research sheds new light on the link between gut bacteria and anxiety
August 25

Epigenetics may explain how Darwin’s finches respond to rapid environmental change
August 24

Supermarkets could trick you into buying fewer calories
August 23

Winners announced for the BMC Ecology Image Competition 2017
August 18

Computer program developed to spot signs of depression from social media photos
August 08

Improving students’ academic performance – there’s an app for that
August 04

Scientists in China identify drugs that could treat nerve damage caused by insecticides and chemical weapons
August 01

Study highlights potential health consequences of selectively breeding German Shepherd Dogs
July 28

Not just hotflashes: Many midlife women experience substantial symptoms unrelated to menopause, say researchers
July 27

Psychopaths are better at learning to lie, say researchers
July 25

Why sugary drinks and protein-rich meals don’t go well together
July 21

MRSA emerged years before methicillin was even discovered
July 20

Fake news: study tests people’s ability to detect manipulated images of real-world scenes
July 18

9/11 survivors may be at increased risk of heart and lung disease years later
July 17

Decline in financing could undermine malaria efforts
July 14

Tall men and obese men at higher risk of aggressive prostate cancer
July 13

NASA is studying fungi to keep space travelers safe on new worlds
July 11

Removal of invasive shrub could be an easy way to help reduce malaria transmission
July 05

Study reveals lung changes in mice exposed to second-hand smoke in utero
June 27

Scientists recreate Native Californian Indian water bottles to study ancient exposure to harmful chemicals
June 23

Occupation may be a major factor in vitamin D deficiency
June 22

Early-life exposure to the Chinese famine increases risk of dyslipidemia in adult women, but not men
June 14

Pet dogs could help older owners be more active
June 09

Binge drinking throughout life is associated with higher blood glucose levels in women, but not men
June 08

The part of rice we don’t eat may be highly nutritious
June 02

Happiness and harm awareness could keep young people from drinking and smoking
May 25

Enforcing a weekday bedtime could help your child get sufficient sleep
May 24

At least 42 percent more people will need palliative care in England and Wales by 2040
May 18

Computer model developed to assess risk of a Zika epidemic in real-time
May 04

In a neuro-techno future, human rights laws will need to be revisited
April 26

When it comes to your profile picture, let a stranger do the choosing
April 14
Mouse experiment sheds light on the dietary benefits of extra-virgin olive oil
April 11

What do old books smell like?’ - Preserving smells as important cultural heritage
April 07

Living in an area with high air pollution may impact women’s breast density
April 06

Computer program developed to diagnose and locate cancer from a blood sample
March 24

ZeitZeiger: computer tells the time according to your body clock
February 28

Broad cancer vaccine may be out of reach
February 24

LemurFaceID: using facial recognition software to identify lemurs
February 17

Dating on the fly - female flies are attractive to mates on sunny days
February 14

Newly discovered beetle species catches a ride on the back of army ants
February 10

Male contraceptive gel experiment in monkeys shows potential as an alternative to vasectomy
February 07

Tuberculosis-resistant cows developed for the first time using CRISPR gene-editing technology
February 01

500 Million Year-Old Species offers insights into the lives of ancient legged worms
January 31

Eating disorders are affecting more UK women in their 40s and 50s than expected, finds new study
January 17

Here be ruby seadragons! New species seen in the wild for the first time
January 13

Exploiting the placebo effect can improve recovery of heart surgery patients
January 10

2016

CCTV at metro stations could be used to identify people at risk of attempting suicide
December 15

Would you take a free predictive test for Alzheimer’s disease?

December 13

Pets offer valuable support for owners with mental health problems

December 09

Dietary magnesium found to be associated with reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and type-2 diabetes

December 08

Being part of a community group could protect you from cognitive decline

December 02

Alcohol may increase risk of some types of stroke but not others

November 24

Pessimism associated with risk of death from coronary heart disease

November 17

Urine of pregnant women could be used to predict fetal growth and birth weight

November 04

Prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis in West Africa higher than previously thought

November 03

First genome sequence of Amur leopard highlights the drawback of a meat only diet

November 02

Top-level football referees are better at spotting fouls because of enhanced visual perception

October 31

Mother’s BMI may affect the biological age of new born babies

October 18

Much of the social inequality in heart disease risk among UK women is due to smoking, obesity and physical inactivity

October 13

Mediterranean diet could lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in the UK

September 29

Nearly one-third of unnecessary endoscopies could be avoided with faeces blood test

September 26

Tooth x-rays provide new insights into bird origins

September 23

New ‘results free’ peer-review process to be piloted for academic publishing

September 20

Your judgement of how drunk you are appears to depend on those around you

September 13

Genome of the world’s largest bony fish may explain fast growth rate and large size

September 09

New test needed to assess the quality and safety of sunglasses

August 26

Male and female cats respond differently to distressed kittens

August 12

Effects of chemotherapy on developing ovaries in female fetuses

August 11

Winners announced for the BMC Ecology Image Competition 2016

August 09

Mum’s high-fat diet may have a lasting impact on baby’s gut

August 09

Prescription drug abuse in Europe is a bigger problem than previously thought

August 04

Scientists warn about health of English bulldog

July 29

Smokers quitting tobacco also drink less alcohol

July 22

To protect yourself from malaria sleep with a chicken next to your bed

July 21

Deceptive sexual signals keep the peace in a bonobo society

June 30

Do you know what you’re smoking? Research suggests that you don’t

June 23

Good fathers sing simple songs

June 14

Growth spurts lower teenage boys’ coordination

May 20

Email-based exercises could improve mental health long-term

May 17

Genetic tug of war linked to evolution of same-sex sexual behavior in beetles

May 13

Soft wearable robot lightens heavy loads

May 12

Do probiotics have an effect on healthy adults? It’s too early to tell

May 10

Survival of the oldest

May 04

Physical activity levels in China have fallen by half since 1991 and continue to fall with each generation

April 20

Seeing e-cigarettes in shops may influence their use by teenagers

April 14

Potential effects of fertility treatments on breast density and cancer risk

April 13

Man’s best friend is getting smaller

April 05

Over fifty per cent of obese Spanish workers are metabolically healthy

April 01

Increased dementia risk in women – a matter of proteins?

March 17

What influences 11 year olds to drink?

March 04

Chikungunya could be misdiagnosed as dengue – masking spread of the disease

March 03

Successful precision medicine will require more accurate genome sequencing

March 02

The alcohol harm paradox explained

February 18

What your gut bacteria can tell you about type 2 diabetes

February 17

A combined carbon and sugar tax could have environmental and health benefits

February 03

Breast cancer survivors could be vulnerable to common viral and bacterial infections

January 26

Better healthcare could reduce crippling personal costs of tuberculosis care in China

January 25

What’s height got to do with it?

January 19

New test could predict dementia risk during routine GP visits

January 21

How, when and where could affect outcome of psychological treatment

January 15

2015

Family focus for children of substance abusing parents

December 18

Urban swans’ genes make them plucky

December 11

Many health professionals lack knowledge and guidelines on female genital mutilation and cutting

December 10

Chewbaaka migrated from North America

December 09

Where did Australian cats come from?

December 04

Breast cancer clinic attributes increased uptake of double mastectomies to ‘Angelina Jolie effect’

November 25

Adélie penguin numbers may expand as glaciers retreat

November 18

Opioid addiction originates from prescription painkillers for more than half of female methadone clinic patients

November 10

Earliest embryonic lethality gene identified

November 05

Smoking more common in films produced outside of Hollywood

November 03

Researchers identify association between reproductive factors and risk of death

October 30

How clean is the International Space Station?

October 27

Dying at home leads to more peace and less grief, but requires wider support
October 09

Climate change could benefit northern lizards
October 08

New study sheds light on characteristics of the ‘predatory’ scholarly publishing market
October 01

Open peer review could result in better quality of peer review
September 30

Information handling by some health apps not as secure as it should be
September 25

Man walks again after years of paralysis
September 24

No link between coffee consumption and common type of irregular heartbeat
September 23

How the chameleon climbed to the top of the tree
September 18

Fruit and vegetables aren’t only good for a healthy body-they protect your mind too
September 17

Early warning gene signature for Alzheimer’s
September 07

Giant ‘sea scorpion’ fossil discovered
September 01

Chimpanzees found to survive in degraded and human-dominated habitats
August 25

GM – “the most critical technology” for feeding the world
August 21

Imaging software could speed up breast cancer diagnosis
August 20

Male doctors are more likely to have legal action taken against them
August 13

Predators might not be dazzled by stripes
August 12

BMC Ecology Image Competition 2015 winners announced
July 30

Black men are at double the risk of prostate cancer compared to white men
July 30

Kiwi genomes explain the unusual characteristics of an endangered bird
July 23

Worms hitch rides on slugs when traveling to far flung places
July 13

Seafaring spiders depend on their ‘sails’ and ‘anchors’
July 03

Medical research not addressing patient and clinician priorities
June 25

New colon cancer culprit found in gut microbiome
June 24

Increased anxiety associated with sitting down
June 19

Nightingales show off their fathering skills through song
June 18

Stroke patients recover arm use with virtual reality
June 09

Cat got your tongue? New research says ‘no’
June 03

Parental smoking puts nearly half a million UK children into poverty
May

Sex chromosomes – Why the Y genes matter
May 28

Raising a glass to the holidays
May 22

What did the first snakes look like?
May 20

New insights into the male bias of autism
May 13

Bacterial forensics – tracing a suspect from the microbes on their shoes
May 12

A healthy lifestyle before bowel cancer diagnosis could help improve survival
May 07

Improving the effect of HIV drugs by the use of a vaccine
April 29

Common back problems may be caused by evolution of human locomotion
April 27

Bumblebee genomes give insights into threats to pollinators
April 24

Mortality risks of cigar smoking similar to that of cigarette smoking
April 24

We may be looking at wrong mutation for breast cancer treatment
April 09

The hoo’s hoo of gibbon communication
April 08

Pet foods contain animal contents not explicitly identified on labels
April 01

E-cigarettes are being accessed by teenagers who are both smokers and non-smokers
March 31

Fecal transplants successful for treating C. difficile infection
March 30

2°C climate change target ‘utterly inadequate’
March 27

Mobile DNA sequencer shows potential for disease surveillance
March 26

Good news for serial cereal eaters
March 24

Melatonin can help you get a good night’s sleep in a noisy environment
March 19

Dietary dioxins not associated with increased breast cancer risk
March 17

Rare glimpse into how coral procreates could aid future conservation
March 16

Some genes ‘foreign’ in origin and not from our ancestors
March 13

Blue blood on ice – How an Antarctic octopus survives the cold
March 11

How drinking behaviour changes through the years
March 06

Aggressive plant fungus threatens wheat production
February 27

Up in smoke: belief that shisha pipe ‘filters out’ heavy metals
February 20

Culture shock - Are lab-grown cells a faithful model for human disease?
February 04

Renewable biofuel production avoids competition with food resources
January 30

The ‘fifth taste’, Umami, could be beneficial for health
January 26

What to do in a flu epidemic? Stay at home and watch TV
January 23

Experts call for a rethink on guidelines about children’s screen time
January 22

Endangered chimpanzees may experience drastic habitat loss within five years
January 21

New hope for fighting major fungal disease in durum wheat
January 19

Researchers identify association between blood groups and longevity
January 15

Alcohol sales linked with alcohol deaths across GB regions
January 07

2014

New hope for rare disease drug development

December 18

Microbial ‘signature’ for sexual crimes
December 16

March of the penguin genomes
December 12

Jamie’s Ministry of Food brings about changes in food attitudes and behaviors
December 12

Debate on safety of e-cigarettes continues
December 09

Cancer from asbestos caused by more than one cell mutation
December 04

Endangered hammerhead shark found migrating into unprotected waters
November 26

El Niño stunts children’s growth in Peru
November 25

Does a yogurt a day keep diabetes away?
November 25

Tapeworms on the brain expand our knowledge of their genome
November 21

Real-time genome sequencing helps control hospital outbreak
November 20

Ebola surveillance may become quicker and cheaper
November 18

80 million bacteria sealed with a kiss
November 17

Many microbiome studies flawed by contamination
November 12

How did complex life evolve? The answer could be inside out
October 28

Time check: moving to the light side could improve health
October 23

Head injury causes the immune system to attack the brain
October 20

Viagra protects the heart beyond the bedroom
October 20

Fly genome could help us improve health and our environment
October 14

Cautious optimism as childhood obesity rates in Ireland plateau
October 13

Bowel cancer risk reduced by adopting multiple healthy behaviors
October 10

Genetic data could help doctors know whether to prescribe statins
September 30

Experts call for a moratorium on use of new internet domain .health
September 26

Turmeric compound boosts regeneration of brain stem cells
September 26

New analysis of human genetic history reveals female dominance
September 24

Are you in or out? What is best for organ donation?
September 24

Food affected by Fukushima disaster harms animals, even at low-levels of radiation
September 23

The ‘Angelina Effect’ was not only immediate, but also long-lasting
September 19

Sharks’ skin has teeth in the fight against hospital superbugs
September 17

Dental and nutrition experts call for radical rethink on free sugars intake
September 16

Sloths are no slouches when it comes to evolution
September 10

Sex hormones may play a part in autism
September 09

Global snapshot of infectious canine cancer shows how to control the disease
September 03

Socioeconomic status and gender are associated with differences in cholesterol levels
August 29

BMC Ecology Image Competition winners reveal the private lives of animals and plants
August 29

Better classification to improve treatments for breast cancer
August 28

RNA sequence could help doctors to tailor unique prostate cancer treatment programs
August 26

Fossil arthropod went on the hunt for its prey
August 22

Climate change could see dengue fever come to Europe
August 22

Woodrats’ genes help them to win the arms race against their food
August 15

Stress during pregnancy can be passed down through generations
August 07

Improve peer review by making the reviewers better suited to task
04 August

How black truffles deal with the jumpers in their genome
July 31

Smartphone experiment tracks whether our life story is written in our gut bacteria
July 25

The human parasite Leishmania is a probiotic for the fly that carries it
July 23

Dodos and spotted green pigeons are descendants of an island hopping bird
July 16

Non-invasive test in early pregnancy could be used to predict premature birth and delivery of small babies
July 11

Researchers identify urgent need for Alzheimer's disease drug development
July 03

New test predicts the risk of non-hereditary breast cancer
June 27

A spoonful of sugar may help the medicine go down, but not much else
June 27

Presenting food like a masterpiece makes it more flavorful
June 20

Investing in cancer research boosts economy as well as health
June 16

Beyond Spiderman - toolkits for black widow silk and venom discovered
June 11

Genetics results add new insight to indigenous knowledge about wolves
June 10

Evidence for dangers of repellent DEET in question
June 03

A genomic signature for lethal heart attacks in at risk patients
May 30

3,000 rice genomes could help feed growing world population
May 28

Urban life bites for kestrels lured in by glamorous city dwellings
May 27

Female pigs can recognize the sex of sperm
May 21

$233m yearly cost of antibiotic resistance in pneumonia treatment
May 21

A Brazilian Samba? It’s a giant virus from the Amazon rainforest
May 14

Mediterranean diet may help reduce health risks
May 14

Exoskeleton adds power to your step while reducing metabolic energy use
May 09

Preventing depression through mental health programs at work
May 09

Adverse childhood experiences and their relationships with health harming behaviors in adulthood
May 02

Better targeting of therapies could improve arthritis treatments
April 30

Using 3D-genomics to classify leukaemia
April 30

A thousand genomes and then some
April 29

Are your sunglasses protecting your eyes from UV?
April 25

Want to improve the taste of strawberries? Make them peachy
April 17

Modified stem cells offer potential pathway to treat Alzheimer’s disease
April 16

If in doubt always ask for a second opinion
April 15

By the time they’re teenagers, guinea pigs are already domesticated
April 09

The state of the cell
March 26

Goats are far more clever than previously thought
March 26

Timber! Loblolly pine genome sequence fells the Norway spruce’s record
March 20

Scientists identify genes linked with OCD…in dogs
March 20

Study finds married women are less likely to die from heart disease than unmarried women
March 12

Are humans infecting our buildings?
March 07

How Great tits fool their nosy neighbours...
March 03

Coordinating care for persons with dementia and their carers improves outcomes
February 28

Getting a head start on Apert syndrome
February 28

Oral immunotherapy with antibody-based medication could be used to treat multiple food allergies
February 27

Mosquitoes resistant to DDT are also resistant to mosquito net insecticide
February 25

You are what your dad’s mum ate
February 20

Stem cells from foreskin could be used to treat congenital muscular dystrophy
February 12

Invasive Harlequin ladybird larvae use cannibalism as a survival tactic
February 05

Researchers analyse microbes found in neonatal intensive care unit
January 28

Female mate choice enhances offsprings' ability to cope with infection
January 23

Black widow males twerk and avoid the chop
January 17

Adolescent mothers with higher educational hopes give birth to heavier babies
January 15

Lack of nervous system not to be sniffed at
January 13