The University ranked in the top 50 globally for four subjects, including Arts & Humanities (41), Business & Economics (41) and Social Sciences (32). The University received its highest ranking for Engineering, taking 5^th place in the UK ranking and 48^th globally.

The University saw its ranking improve in 3 subjects compared to the previous rankings, including Social Sciences (by 5 to 32), Arts & Humanities (by 2 to 41) and Physical Sciences (by 4 to 51).

The THE subject rankings cover 148 individual disciplines under broad subject areas. The methodology judges universities based on five core pillars of evaluation: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry.

Professor Colette Fagan, Vice-President for Research at 51福利社, said of the latest rankings: 鈥淭his global subject ranking is testament to the high level of teaching and research excellence this University prides itself on. We use global rankings to inform our evaluation of our current offering and strategic plans to ensure we are providing students with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in their chosen fields, both at the University and beyond.鈥�

Professor Jenn Hallam, Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students at 51福利社 added: 鈥淔ollowing the recent launch of our 2035 strategy, we are collectively working to meet our big ambitions of making learning flexible, personalised and digitally-enabled, and allowing students to co-create their study on their own terms. These rankings are useful in demonstrating where we are, and where we would like to be, to ensure we keep building on the high-quality teaching we deliver to our talented students.鈥�

Right now 51福利社 ranks 8^th in the UK and 56^th in the world in the THE World University Rankings for 2026. The prestigious rankings evaluate more than 2,000 institutions from 115 countries and territories. 

In the QS World University Rankings 2026, 51福利社 ranks 7^th in the UK and 35^th in the world, while the University also ranks first in the UK and second in the world in the .

A leading academic and thought leader in environment, climate, energy policy and politics, Rebecca will also bring a team of highly regarded researchers and academics to join her at the University. Rebecca leads the Climate Citizens research group, which investigates public engagement and citizenship. She is a co-investigator for the Centre for Joined-Up Sustainability Transitions (JUST), the Energy Demand Research Centre, and a new initiative, PACT (Production and Consumption Transformations) which provides decision support to government departments.  

Rebecca Willis has previously been a professor at Lancaster University and is an expert advisor to the Climate Change Committee and Innovate UK鈥檚 Net Zero Living Initiative.  

Speaking on her appointment, Rebecca said: 鈥淭he wealth of expertise based here at 51福利社 is highly valued around the world. I am excited to be part of a community working on global challenges with practical outcomes for people, planet and society. 

Professor Claire Alexander, Head of the School of Social Sciences added: 鈥淲e鈥檙e delighted to be able to welcome Rebecca and her team to the University of 51福利社. Rebecca brings significant insight and expertise in terms of applying policy to innovation in the challenging fields of energy and climate governance. She will be working closely with colleagues in the Sustainable Consumption Institute, a collaboration between the School of Social Sciences and Alliance 51福利社 Business School, who are leading the way in terms of the economic and social and policy dimensions of climate justice and environmental sustainability.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Professor Sarah Cartmell, Head of the School of Engineering said: 鈥淭hrough the Tyndall Centre, Rebecca will strengthen our capacity to link cutting-edge engineering, climate science, social science and governance insights with policy that works in practice. Her expertise will help accelerate the impact of our work, deepen our partnerships and enhance 51福利社鈥檚 role as a leading contributor to the UK and global climate policy landscape.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Claire Costello, Chief People and Inclusion Officer at Co-op explained: 鈥淥ur Co-op believes everyone, whatever their background, should be able to access opportunities in the arts and creative sector throughout Greater 51福利社. Apprenticeships can provide a 鈥榮tepping stone鈥� for future careers, that鈥檚 why Co-op is encouraging Greater 51福利社 employers to share unspent apprenticeship levy funds to raise 拢3 million over 3 years to support 200 new apprenticeships in the arts and creative sector throughout Greater 51福利社.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

The inquiry鈥檚 findings are being launched on January 26^th at an event at the Whitworth Art Gallery at The University of 51福利社 in collaboration with research platform Creative 51福利社, where the Mayor of Greater 51福利社, Andy Burnham, is due to speak.  

The report can be downloaded .

Read the full research report . 

The research 鈥� funded by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater 51福利社 (ARC-GM) - explores how being unable to attend healthcare appointments during normal working hours affects the health and wellbeing of employees.

It found that jobs lacking flexibility for workers to attend healthcare appointments are linked with significantly lower health-related quality of life. This was driven mainly by effects on physical health rather than mental health, with workers who have long-term conditions being the most affected.

In the UK, there is no statutory requirement to allow employees to attend healthcare appointments during working hours, however some employers choose to allow this type of flexibility.

The research team, led by academics from 51福利社, suggest that to move towards a more prevention focused health system, people need to be able to access routine GP appointments and cancer screening before the point of serious illness.

, Research Fellow in Health Economics at 51福利社, said: 鈥淲orking full time presents challenges for many workers whose jobs don鈥檛 offer the flexibility needed to take time away to attend healthcare appointments. This has significant implications for early diagnosis and management of long-term conditions.

鈥淭he findings of our research make it clear that population health could be significantly improved by removing barriers during typical working hours to allow workers to access primary care services, such as GP and screening appointments.

鈥淲hile positive steps have been taken to address this access issue through the offer of out-of-hours appointments, there鈥檚 a wider discussion to be had about the role employers can play in supporting their employees鈥� health by permitting flexibility around healthcare appointments 鈥� without having to take paid leave or forego income.鈥�

Dr , Deputy Theme Lead for Economic Sustainability at ARC-GM, and Senior Lecturer in Health Economics at 51福利社, said: 鈥淲ork shouldn鈥檛 be a barrier to remaining healthy. But this research shows that for some people working in inflexible jobs where they aren鈥檛 able to attend healthcare appointments during the typical working day, it can have an impact on their physical health. These challenges are particularly pressing in the context of our ageing population and the more frequent need for routine healthcare among older age groups.

鈥淲e鈥檇 welcome further investigation into the impact of this barrier to accessing healthcare, and the cost-effectiveness of different policy approaches.鈥�

Researchers used data from the National General Practice Patient Survey in England, which is a large national survey targeting random samples of individuals registered with each general practice. Data from six waves of the survey (2013-2017) was used in which a measure of health-related quality of life was collected. The measurement of health-related quality of life covers five domains: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression.

The sample used was restricted to individuals aged between 18 and 64 years and only included those in full-time employment.

• The full study - 鈥業mpact of Constrained Access to Primary Care on Health-Related Quality of Life鈥� - has been published by the Value in Health journal. You can read the report and its results DOI

Today, the red kangaroo is the largest living hopping animal and weighs around 90kg. But during the Ice Age, some kangaroos grew more than twice the size of that - some reaching up to 250kg.

For years, researchers believed these giants must have abandoned hopping, as earlier studies suggested that hopping would become mechanically impossible above about 150kg. Those conclusions were largely based on simply scaling up modern kangaroos, which scientists from 51福利社, in collaboration with the University of Bristol and the University of Melbourne suspected might be misleading.

Now, by combining measurements from living kangaroos with direct evidence from fossil bones, the new study, published today in the journal finds that giant kangaroos may have been capable of hopping.

Lead researcher Megan Jones, Postgraduate Researcher at 51福利社, said: 鈥淧revious estimates were based on simply scaling up modern kangaroos, which may mean we miss crucial anatomical differences. Our findings show that these animals weren鈥檛 just larger versions of today鈥檚 kangaroos, they were built differently, in ways that helped them manage their enormous size.鈥�

The team examined two potential limiting factors for hopping - the strength of the foot bones and the ability of the ankle to anchor the powerful tendons that drive a hop.

Their analysis show that the giant kangaroos had shorter, thicker foot bones capable of withstanding landing forces and their heel bones were broad enough to support much thicker ankle tendons than those of modern kangaroos.

However, these giants probably did not bounce across the landscape like today鈥檚 red kangaroos.

鈥淭hicker tendons are safer, but they store less elastic energy,鈥� explained s, Royal Society Research Fellow at The University of Bristol. 鈥淭his likely made giant kangaroos slower and less efficient hoppers, better suited to short bursts of movement rather than long-distance travel. But hopping does not have to be extremely energy efficient to be useful, these animals probably used their hopping ability to cross rough ground quickly or to escape danger.鈥�

The fossil analysis also revealed a range of locomotion strategies among the extinct species. Some giant kangaroos may have mixed hopping with other forms of movement, including walking upright on two legs, or moving on all fours, suggesting that hopping was just one part of a broader 鈥渕ovement repertoire鈥�.

But the diversity of prehistoric Australia extends beyond just movement.

, Senior Lecturer in Evolution, Infection and Genomics at 51福利社, said 鈥淥ur findings contribute to the notion that kangaroos had a broader ecological diversity in prehistoric Australia than we find today, with some large species grazers like modern kangaroos while others were browsers 鈥� an ecological niche not seen in today鈥檚 large kangaroos.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

The findings provide the most comprehensive assessment to date of the mechanical feasibility of hopping in giant extinct kangaroos.

This paper was published in the journal Scientific Reports

Full title: Biomechanical limits of hopping in the hindlimbs of giant extinct kangaroos

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-29939-7

URL:

People who have had a stroke are more likely to develop infections such as pneumonia. These infections can slow recovery and make brain injury worse. Understanding why the immune system becomes weaker after stroke could help doctors prevent these infections and improve patient outcomes.

Earlier studies by Dr Laura McCulloch and Dr Barry McColl at the University of Edinburgh found that in animal models, stroke activates the system behind the fight-or-flight response, which includes the release of the chemical noradrenaline.

This activation quickly impairs a group of immune cells called B cells, reducing their ability to produce protective antibodies, and was associated with vulnerability to infection. Until now, it was unclear whether the same thing happens in stroke patients.

In this study, carried out at the University of 51福利社 in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh team, researchers analysed blood samples from patients 24 - 48 hours after an ischaemic stroke and compared them with samples from individuals who had not had a stroke (鈥榗ontrols鈥�).

They found that stroke patients had fewer B cells than control patients and that these remaining cells were also less effective at producing antibodies and special signalling proteins called cytokines, both of which are essential for fighting infections.

鈥淔indings from this collaborative study confirm that after someone has had a stroke important immune cells that help to fight infection are reduced, limiting the patient鈥檚 ability to make protective antibodies. Revealing these changes opens opportunities to develop new treatments that could help reduce the incidence of infection after stroke,鈥� said Clinical Study Lead Prof Craig Smith from 51福利社. 

The teams also tested B cells from healthy volunteers. When these cells were exposed to noradrenaline, they showed the same responses as seen in stroke patients: increased cell death and reduced antibody production.

These findings suggest that activation of the fight-or-flight response itself, not just stroke, can impair immune function. Stress, illness, or extreme physical exertion may all influence how well B cells work.

Reduced numbers of immune cells (B cells) were found in the blood of patients 24鈥�48 hours after an ischaemic stroke. When B cells were stimulated with bacterial proteins (mimicking an infection), they were less able to produce protective antibodies and signalling proteins called cytokines.

The researchers are now studying how these immune changes after stroke may affect long-term recovery, including thinking and memory, as well as further damage to the brain鈥檚 blood vessels.

They are also exploring new treatments aimed at protecting or restoring B cell function after stroke, with the goal of reducing infections and improving recovery.

This research was a collaboration between the University of 51福利社 (Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre and the Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation), the 51福利社 Centre for Clinical Neurosciences (part of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust) and the University of Edinburgh (including the UK Dementia Research Institute).

This work was funded by the Medical Research Council, NIHR, Wellcome Trust, The Royal Society, The Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research, Leducq Foundation Transatlantic Network of Excellence StrokeIMPaCT and UK Dementia Research Institute.

• Read the full paper in

Scientists have long known that inherited neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer鈥檚, Parkinson鈥檚 or motor neurone disease, can be traced back to genetic mutations. However, how they cause the diseases remains unanswered.

In today鈥檚 issue of the journal Current Biology Professor Andreas Prokop revealed that so-called 鈥榤otor proteins鈥� can provide key answers in this quest.

The research by the Prokop group focusses on nerve fibres, also called axons. Axons are the delicate biological cables that send messages between the brain and body to control our movements and behaviour. Intriguingly, axons need to survive and stay functional for our entire lifetime!

To survive long-term, axons harbour complex cellular machinery. This machinery crucially depends on the transport of materials from the distant nerve cell bodies which is performed by motor proteins running along thin fibres called microtubules.

If mutations in motor protein genes abolish their ability to transport cargo, this causes axonal decay, and many inherited neurodegenerative diseases can be traced back to such mutations. However, another class of mutations also linking to neurodegeneration, causes motor protein hyperactivation, meaning that motor proteins are constantly active, unable to pause.

鈥淪o far, it has been difficult to explain why both disabling and hyperactivating mutations can cause very similar forms of neurodegeneration.鈥� said Professor Prokop.

鈥淭o find answers, we use fruit flies, where research is fast and cost-effective and where many of the relevant human genes have close equivalents and perform similar functions in nerve cells. Capitalising on these advantages, we could show that disabling as well as hyperactivating mutations cause a very similar pathology in axons: straight microtubule bundles decay into areas of disorganised microtubule curling, similar to dry versus boiled spaghetti.鈥�

Further investigations revealed that hyperactivating and disabling mutations work through two different mechanisms that eventually converge to induce this curling:

Even under normal conditions, cargo transport along microtubules generates damage, like cars cause potholes 鈥� and this requires maintenance mechanisms to repair and replace microtubules. The balance between damage and repair is disturbed if motor proteins are hyperactivated or if maintenance machinery fails - both leading to microtubule curling as a sign of axon decay.

Prokop said: 鈥淚n this scenario, disabling mutations could be assumed to cause less curling because there is less damaging traffic. However, less traffic depletes supply to the axonal machinery, and this triggers a condition referred to as oxidative stress. We could show that oxidative stress affects microtubule maintenance and leads therefore to the same kind of microtubule curling as observed upon motor hyperactivation.鈥�

鈥淭hese findings suggest a circular relationship which we called the 鈥渄ependency cycle of axon homeostasis鈥�, proposing that axon maintenance requires a microtubule- and motor protein-based machinery of transport which, itself, is dependent on this transport.鈥�

Any gene mutations affecting axonal machinery in ways that cause oxidative stress, or that disturb the balance between microtubule damage or repair, can break this cycle. This can explain a long-standing conundrum in the field: why almost any class of neurodegenerative disease can be caused by mutations in a wide range of genes linking to very different cellular functions.

He added: 鈥淧arallel work by my group strongly supports the dependency cycle model. Importantly, since the fundamental genetic makeup of fruit flies and humans is surprisingly similar, it is very likely that our findings are replicated in humans 鈥� and there are good indications already.鈥�

New Windows on Fundamental Physics: from tabletop devices to large-scale detectors (19鈥�23 January 2026) unites experts from particle theory, particle physics, nuclear physics, atomic and molecular physics and selected areas of astrophysics. The five-day meeting is designed to accelerate collaboration, stimulate new research ideas and create new partnerships within the global quantum science and engineering research community. 

, Research Associate in Particle Theory, the Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics (QTFP) lead, and the workshop chair explains: 鈥淏y bringing together world experts across theory and experiment, we are creating space for the next generation of joint projects. In keeping the workshop intentionally small and focused, we aim to foster the kind of deep discussions that aren't always possible at larger, more formal conferences.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

The programme comprises: 

• a one-day UK Astroparticle Phenomenology (UK-APP) workshop featuring contributed talks, and
• a four-day specialist workshop with invited and contributed talks.   

The workshop will have a particular emphasis on tabletop detectors and quantum technologies for fundamental physics (QTFP), covering topics including precision metrology and quantum sensing, cold atoms and molecules, quantum analogues, atom interferometry, fifth-force tests, axion/WIMP dark matter and dark energy, neutrinos, gravitational-wave detectors, high-frequency gravitational waves and emerging tabletop detection techniques. 

, a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and The University 51福利社 representative to the Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry collaboration, and workshop co-organiser, adds: 鈥淭here is a near-term opportunity to build partnerships that will shape the future of this exciting multi-disciplinary area of research and capture support through the next wave of funding programmes.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;, Head of the Photon Science Institute and Nuclear Physics Group continues: 鈥淥ur aim is to enable researchers to share emerging work, explore new directions and identify opportunities for joint initiatives.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Professor Sarah Sharples, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering underscores: 鈥淭his workshop is a reminder of what can be achieved when we bring people together with a shared curiosity. By creating space for open exchange and collaboration, 51福利社 is helping to connect expertise from across the world in ways that move this field forward. It鈥檚 a collective endeavour; one that grows stronger when we work across boundaries and advance knowledge together.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

The event reflects wider momentum in quantum science at 51福利社, supported by a series of strategic hires, including multiple new Chairs in Quantum Science. These appointments bring new researchers into an environment defined by growing interdisciplinary activity, strong international partnerships 鈥� from the University of Washington to Nanoco 鈥� and access to world-leading capabilities such as the P-NAME instrument and the facilities at the Henry Royce Institute. 

Event details 

Workshop: New Windows on Fundamental Physics: from tabletop devices to large-scale detectors Dates: 19-23 January 2026 Location: 51福利社 

Full list of speakers and more information:  

• 65,000 staff and students will receive full Microsoft 365 Copilot access and training as 51福利社 becomes the world鈥檚 first university to offer universal provision across its entire community.     
• The University-wide rollout will equip students with future-ready skills, strengthen teaching and research, and help address the emerging digital divide through equitable access to the advanced AI tools within Microsoft 365 Copilot.
• Today鈥檚 announcement builds on 51福利社鈥檚 76-year AI legacy, from Alan Turing to today鈥檚 ground-breaking research, positioning the University as a leader in ethical, responsible AI adoption.   

51福利社 has announced a strategic collaboration with Microsoft, becoming the first university in the world to give Microsoft 365 Copilot access and training to every student and colleague. 

The landmark agreement will see 65,000 students, academics and colleagues benefit from the full Microsoft 365 Copilot suite, alongside training to support effective and responsible use.  

This initiative forms part of the University鈥檚 wider digital and AI transformation programme, which focuses not only on tools, but on building long-term AI literacy, and ensuring the responsible integration of emerging technologies.

It will support learning, research and professional work, and graduate employability. It addresses the emerging digital divide by ensuring that all students 鈥� regardless of personal means 鈥� can benefit from advanced assistive and productivity tools. 

The announcement comes 76 years after Alan Turing published his seminal 鈥楾uring Test鈥� paper while working at the University, one of the first on artificial intelligence, and reflects 51福利社鈥檚 continuing leadership in AI, with more than to understand and shape the technology. 

The Microsoft 365 Copilot rollout, to be completed by summer 2026, will equip 51福利社 students with future-ready skills and enable researchers to accelerate interdisciplinary discovery and analysis at scale.   

• Through access and training, 51福利社 graduates will be well prepared for the modern workplace, where employers increasingly expect graduates to be confident users of AI technologies. Students will also be able to use Microsoft 365 Copilot to support their studies in line with the University鈥檚 policies on the responsible use of AI.
• Universal access will help address the emerging digital divide by ensuring that all students can benefit from advanced assistive and productivity tools, regardless of personal means.
• Researchers across the University will be able to use Microsoft 365 Copilot to reduce time spent on routine tasks and explore ideas beyond their immediate disciplines. It enhances evidence gathering by navigating wider and more diverse literature, strengthens understanding through fast and accurate synthesis, and accelerates data analysis to unlock insights sooner. 51福利社 researchers are already using AI to advance breast cancer treatment and improve menopause care, transform crop productivity, and reduce waste in the fashion industry.
• For academic and professional services colleagues, Microsoft 365 Copilot will support more efficient ways of working and free up time for higher-value, strategic activity. A pilot conducted between 2024 and 2025 demonstrated strong engagement, with 90 per cent of licensed users adopting the tool within 30 days and around half using it several times a week.   

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of 51福利社, said: 鈥淎I is now part of everyday life. Our responsibility is not only to make these tools available to all our students and staff on an equitable basis, but to use the depth of expertise across our university to shape how AI is developed and applied for public good.   

鈥淏y embracing the AI transformation early, we are working with students, colleagues and partners to maximise the benefits and manage risks responsibly. The great universities of the 21st century will be digitally enabled 鈥� this partnership represents a significant step on that journey for 51福利社.鈥�

Darren Hardman, CEO, , said, 鈥淎s someone who grew up in 51福利社, I鈥檓 proud to see the University extending access to Microsoft 365 Copilot across its entire community, helping 65,000 students and staff build the skills they鈥檒l need to thrive in an AI鈥慹nabled economy. This is a powerful example of how we can pair 51福利社鈥檚 deep AI heritage with responsible, ethical adoption that helps to close the digital divide and equip people to learn, research and work more effectively.鈥�&苍产蝉辫; 

The strategic collaboration with Microsoft is one of the first major developments following the launch of the University鈥檚 new strategy, From 51福利社 for the world, demonstrating its ambition for research impact, world-class teaching and learning, and responsible leadership in digital transformation and innovation in action.  

The rollout will be delivered in partnership with the Students鈥� Union, trade unions and staff networks. The University is working closely with Microsoft to ensure transparency around environmental and wider impacts, and to promote best practice in responsible and sustainable AI adoption.  

Microsoft鈥檚 long-standing commitments to sustainability were an important consideration for the University in partnering with them. These include being committed to becoming carbon negative, water positive and zero waste by 2030. 

Professor Jenn Hallam, Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students, said: 鈥淓very student deserves access to the best AI tools to enable them to thrive in their studies 鈥� no matter their circumstances or background. AI is an enabler for teaching and learning, not a replacement. It鈥檚 not just supportive in the classroom, but in wider productivity and future life skills and we鈥檙e giving students the tools and training to use it in the right way, ethically and appropriately. We鈥檙e not just preparing graduates who can go out and get good jobs, we鈥檙e preparing the next generation of citizens. That鈥檚 the mission of 51福利社 鈥� you'll get a great degree, but we鈥檒l also prepare you for a fast-changing world.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Kanishka Narayan, Minister for AI and Online Safety, said: "When we bring a technology like AI together with the peerless expertise of UK universities, the potential is enormous. Whether supporting students in their studies, opening new avenues of research, or slashing the time spent on routine tasks, the benefits are transformative.   

"This partnership between 51福利社 and Microsoft will help our brightest minds do what they do best 鈥� innovate. Meanwhile, initiatives like the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's Sp盲rck Scholarships will attract high-potential AI talent to top universities like 51福利社." 

The study found that wellbeing programmes worked best when led by senior school leaders but shaped collaboratively by staff and pupils. Initiatives such as 鈥榢eep, tweak or ditch鈥� reviews helped teachers cut unnecessary workload, while pupil wellbeing ambassadors and parent workshops extended the benefits beyond the classroom.

鈥淭his research highlights the power of schools working as communities - not just institutions that deliver lessons, but places that nurture people,鈥� added Dr MacQuarrie. 鈥淭he schools we studied created a sense of belonging, where staff and pupils alike feel heard and supported.鈥�

Dr Hennessey concluded: 鈥淲ellbeing and learning go hand in hand. Schools that invest in the health and happiness of their staff and students aren鈥檛 just improving education - they鈥檙e shaping stronger, kinder communities.鈥�

The cloud of iron atoms, described for the first time in , just fits inside the inner layer of the elliptically shaped nebula - a colourful shell of gas thrown off by a star as it ends the nuclear fuel-burning phase of its life. It is familiar from many images including those obtained by the James Webb Space Telescope at infrared wavelength.

The bar鈥檚 length is roughly 500 times that of Pluto鈥檚 orbit around the Sun and, according to the team, which includes researchers from 51福利社, its mass of iron atoms is comparable to the mass of Mars.

The iron cloud was discovered in observations obtained using the Large Integral Field Unit (LIFU) mode of the - a new instrument installed on the Isaac Newton Group鈥檚 4.2-metre William Herschel Telescope. 

The LIFU is a bundle of hundreds of optical fibres.  It has enabled the team of astronomers to obtain spectra (where light is separated into its constituent wavelengths) at every point across the entire face of the Ring Nebula, and at all optical wavelengths, for the first time. 

Lead author Dr Roger Wesson, based jointly at University College London and Cardiff University, said: 鈥淓ven though the Ring Nebula has been studied using many different telescopes and instruments, WEAVE has allowed us to observe it in a new way, providing so much more detail than before. By obtaining a spectrum continuously across the whole nebula, we can create images of the nebula at any wavelength and determine its chemical composition at any position.

鈥淲hen we processed the data and scrolled through the images, one thing popped out as clear as anything 鈥� this previously unknown 鈥榖ar鈥� of ionized iron atoms, in the middle of the familiar and iconic ring.鈥�

Co-author , Professor of Astrophysics at 51福利社, added: 鈥淲e selected the Ring Nebula as an early target because it is bright, well studied and ideal for testing the instrument鈥檚 capabilities. However, when the data were analysed, we noticed something entirely unexpected - a bar of highly ionised iron that had gone unnoticed in decades of previous observations. Discoveries like this show how many surprises there still are to be found in even the most familiar objects in the night sky.鈥�

How the iron bar formed is currently a mystery, the authors say.  They will need further, more detailed observations to unravel what is going on. There are two potential scenarios: the iron bar may reveal something new about how the ejection of the nebula by the parent star progressed, or the iron might be an arc of plasma resulting from the vaporisation of particles of iron dust embedded in the Ring Nebula. 

Co-author Professor Janet Drew, also based at UCL, advises caution: 鈥淲e definitely need to know more 鈥� particularly whether any other chemical elements co-exist with the newly-detected iron, as this would probably tell us the right class of model to pursue.  Right now, we are missing this important information.鈥�

The team are working on a follow-up study, and plan to obtain data using WEAVE鈥檚 LIFU at higher spectral resolution to better understand how the bar might have formed.

WEAVE is carrying out eight surveys over the next five years, targeting everything from nearby white dwarfs to very distant galaxies. The Stellar, Circumstellar and Interstellar Physics strand of the WEAVE survey, led by Professor Drew, is observing many more ionized nebulae across the northern Milky Way.

鈥淚t would be very surprising if the iron bar in the Ring is unique,鈥� explains Dr. Wesson. 鈥淪o hopefully, as we observe and analyse more nebulae created in the same way, we will discover more examples of this phenomenon, which will help us to understand where the iron comes from.鈥�

Professor Scott Trager, WEAVE Project Scientist based at the University of Groningen, added: 鈥淭he discovery of this fascinating, previously unknown structure in a night-sky jewel, beloved by sky watchers across the Northern Hemisphere, demonstrates the amazing capabilities of WEAVE.  We look forward to many more discoveries from this new instrument.鈥�

This research paper was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Full title: WEAVE imaging spectroscopy of NGC 6720: an iron bar in the Ring

DOI: 10.1093/mnras/staf2139

URL:

The study is published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism today (15/01/26) and is the first of its kind to compare alcohol treatment outcomes for all adolescents aged 11 鈥� 17 seeking specialist treatment for alcohol problems in England.

It included data of marginalised groups, like those who are NEET, homeless, experiencing sexual exploitation and registered with social services.

Almost 26% of NEETs and 18% of adolescents with a child protection plan - which indicates risk of significant harm through neglect, physical, sexual or emotional abuse - did not complete treatments.

Older adolescents and those with higher alcohol use at treatment start were also at greater risk of dropping out of treatment compared with other vulnerable groups.

They also found that early onset alcohol use, mental health problems and substance use among family or household members reduced the chance of stopping drinking (becoming abstinent), by the end of treatment.

Adolescent alcohol abuse can lead to developmental problems, higher risk of addiction, accidents and injuries, mental health problems and poor performance at school.

Treatment typically involves psychosocial interventions including psychoeducation, motivational interviewing, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, family therapy and safeguarding.

A 2023 Government report showed that 5% of all school pupils said they usually drank alcohol at least once per week. The proportion increased with age, from 1% of 11 and 12 year olds to 11% of 15 year olds

There were also 14,352 children and young people aged 17 and under in alcohol and drug treatment between April 2023 and March 2024, a 16% increase from the previous year.

However, the numbers of young people in alcohol and drug treatment are 41% lower than at peak in 2008/09. Over this period concerns have been raised about cuts to funding and changing trends in alcohol consumption.

This study suggests among those who do access treatment, outcomes vary significantly based on socioeconomic disadvantage and early life adversity.

The researchers analysed National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) data of 2,621 adolescents whose publicly funded alcohol treatment took place between April 2018 and March 2023 in England.

Lead author Dr Mica Komarnyckyj from 51福利社 said: 鈥淎lcohol abuse is a serious problem among young people and can lead to lifelong consequences.

鈥淪o understanding which people struggle with treatment is crucial as it could help services provide more tailored support for those at higher risk.

鈥淢any challenges that put adolescents at risk of being NEET -  such as lack of parental support, economic inequalities or emotional difficulties 鈥� may be the same barriers that make it harder for them to complete treatment.鈥�

She added: 鈥淵oung people with child protection plans also had greater risk of dropping out of treatment. Many have experienced neglect or abuse, and some use alcohol to cope with trauma. Embedding trauma-informed approaches in services is essential鈥�

Co-author Dr Stephen Kaar, Addiction Psychiatrist from 51福利社 said: 鈥淭reatment services for adolescents with alcohol problems need to be appropriately funded, multi-disciplinary with a professionalised workforce, have access to mental health expertise and receive multi-agency support to improve outcomes for vulnerable populations鈥�.

An embargoed copy of the paper Associations between childhood risk factors and alcohol treatment outcomes in adolescence is available here

For many years, I lived in the Indian city of Chennai where the summer temperatures can reach up to 44掳C. With a population of 4.5 million, this coastal city is humid and hot.

Its suburbs are home to 600 Hindu temples and there鈥檚 a wildlife reserve called Guindy national park in the heart of the city. of the streets but green parks are few and far between 鈥� as is the shade.

As and the rest of , urban forests become more vital. These clusters of trees in parks, gardens, public spaces and along roads and rivers have multiple benefits 鈥� from cooling the surrounding air to providing homes for wildlife and creating space for people to enjoy nature. Yet they are often overlooked by city developers.

shows that, in Chennai, there are 26 square miles of tree and other vegetation cover, mainly accounted for by formal green spaces such as Guindy wildlife reserve. On the outskirts of this city, an area of nine square miles of unused land is ideally suited to creating more urban forest. Similarly, there is more potential space for urban forests in other fast urbanising Indian cities like Coimbatore and Tiruchirapalli.

recommend having at least 30% tree cover in urban areas. suggests that cities should allow for nine square metres of urban tree cover per person. Most Indian cities .

Improving urban forests in India has been a challenge for many years due to high land prices, lack of urban planning and little public participation .

Policies introduced by the Indian government to 鈥済reen鈥� urban areas often equate tree planting with cooling cities and building climate resilience. But it鈥檚 not that simple. The success of urban forests depends on factors such as rainfall, understanding interactions with local wildlife and people鈥檚 needs.

A warns that in hot, dry cities with limited water availability like Chennai, trees slow the cooling process by water evaporation from leaves and instead contribute to urban heat. Urban heat comes from the reflection and absorption of sunlight by buildings and land surfaces. This is particularly high in smaller Indian cities with populations of 1 to 5 million.

Planting trees with the sole aim of cooling cities could negatively affect wildlife too. Not all birds, bugs and mammals depend on trees for food or shelter. A from researchers in Bengaluru, India, shows that non-native tree species contribute little to bird richness. Meanwhile, urban grasslands and marshlands that are often misclassified as 鈥渨aste land鈥� support wildlife and help regulate flooding.

In India, cities and villages have open 鈥渃ommon鈥� land where people graze their cattle or harvest fuelwood from trees that grow naturally there 鈥� tree-planting initiatives in these open land areas can displace poorer communities of people who rely on open lands for grazing and fuel wood collection.

Design with nature

Urban forests can be planned to meet the needs of people, birds and other wildlife.

In 1969, Ian McHarg, the late Scottish landscape architect and urban planner came up with the concept of 鈥渄esign with nature鈥�, where development has a minimal negative effect on the environment. His idea was to preserve existing natural forests by proposing site suitability assessments. By analysing factors such as rivers and streams, soil type, slope and drainage, to identify which areas suit development and which are best preserved for nature.

This approach has advanced with new technology. Now, geographic information systems and satellite imagery help planners integrate environmental data and identify suitable areas for planting new trees or conserving urban forests.

Using the principles of landscape ecology, urban planners can design forest patches in a way that enhances the connectivity of green spaces in a city, rather than uniformly planting trees across all open spaces. By designing these 鈥渆cological corridors鈥�, trees along roads or canals, for example, can help link fragmented green spaces.

Planting native tree species suited to dry and drought-prone environments is also crucial, as is assessing the local community鈥檚 needs for native fruit-bearing trees that provide food.

Growing urban forests

By 2030, one-third of India鈥檚 electricity demand is expected to come from cooling equipment such as . Increasing urban forests could help reduce this .

National-level policies could support urban forest expansion across India. In 2014, the government of India released its urban greenery and flagship urban renewal programmes such as the have tried to increase tree cover. But guidelines often overlook critical considerations like ecological connectivity, native species and local community needs.

In 2020, the government of India launched (a scheme to improve tree cover in cities) with a budget of around US$94 million (拢70 million). It aims to create urban forests through active participation of citizens, government agencies and private companies. But there is little evidence that urban forest cover has improved.

Urbanisation reduced tree cover in most Indian cities, and much of it was rather . But by protecting and planting more trees, citizens can live in greener, cooler cities. By shifting urban forest policy from counting trees to designing landscapes, plans that enhance climate resilience, nature conservation and social equity can be put into practice.

, Postgraduate Researcher, Climate Adaptation,
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

DOI:

The first study of its kind, published in the journal Communications Psychology  and funded by Wellcome Trust, also showed that stable light exposure across a week and uninterrupted exposure during a day had similar effects.

Participants in the study experienced improved subjective sleepiness, the ability to  maintain focused attention and 7-10% faster reaction speeds under bright light when compared to recent dim conditions.

Compared with their peers who went to bed later, participants with earlier bedtimes tended to be both more reliably wakeful under bright morning light - and sleepy under dimmer evening -light.

Lead author Dr Altug Didikoglu from 51福利社 said: 鈥淥ur findings show that outside controlled laboratory conditions, where participants continue their daily routines, both recent and long-term light exposure positively influences cognitive performance.

鈥淭he beneficial effects were associated with short-term bright light and habitual light exposure patterns characterized by brighter daytimes, earlier bedtimes, and higher consistency in light exposure.鈥�

鈥淭hese improvements in cognitive performance may have practical implications for health, safety, and work efficiency, particularly in low-light workplaces, during extended work hours, or night shifts.鈥�

Being exposed to bright, stable daytime light was linked to enhanced and more sustained attention in a visual search task in which participant were asked to find a specific target on a page.

Higher daytime light exposure and less switches between light and dark were linked to improved cognitive.

And higher daytime light exposure and earlier estimated bedtimes were also associated with stronger relationships between recent light exposure and subjective sleepiness.

However, neither the time of day nor time awake significantly impacted cognitive performance; the effect of light was stronger than the effect of time of day.

The effects, argue the scientists, are likely initiated by activation of the ipRGC system in the thin layer of light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye that converts light into signals we interpret as vision, known as the retina.

Special photosensitive retinal cells in the ipRGC system containing the photopigment melanopsin are particularly sensitive to blue-green light and are  responsible for non-image-forming functions, such as regulating circadian rhythms, the pupillary light reflex, and mood.

The effects of personal ambient light exposure were measured in a sample of 58 adults over seven days of daily life.

The participants wore a special daylight exposure monitor on their wrists which effectively told the scientists how well light exposure influenced their internal body clock.

In addition, a smartphone app called Brightertime, developed at the University of 51福利社, provided data on human cognitive performance compared to light exposure in their everyday life.

Forty-one of the  participants also attended a lab session which investigated how their eye pupils responded to light and compared actual light levels and their perception of light. However, this does not directly predict how light affects cognitive performance in everyday life

Dr Altug added:鈥淟ight is a fundamental environmental cue that governs numerous biological processes in humans, including body clocks, sleep, and cognition

鈥淗owever, despite substantial findings from controlled laboratory studies, little is known about how these effects translate to real-world environments, where light exposure is dynamic and intertwined with daily routines.

鈥淲e think this study is an important addition to our understanding of this area of research.

鈥�  Scientists already know that exposure to electrical light at night is known to disrupt sleep quality and delays the biological clock.

鈥淥ur new study paper now shows that bright daytime light is also critical by supporting cognitive function.鈥�

• The paper Relationships between light exposure and aspects of cognitive function in everyday life published in Communications Psychology is available . DOI:
• The study authors previously led a on recommended healthy lighting levels: bright light during the day, dim light before sleep, and darkness at night. They also previously that meeting recommended light levels support our sleep .The current results align with these recommendations and suggest that following them long-term may also support cognitive performance.

The appointment, which began on 1 January 2026, follows a year-long sabbatical spent at Monash University and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, and reflects a shared ambition to deepen collaboration between the UK and Australia in advanced materials research and manufacturing.

In line with this, Professor Withers will also take up responsibility for identification and establishment of Strategic Research Partnerships at the .

Reflecting on the new role, said: 鈥淒uring my time in Melbourne, I saw enormous potential for deeper collaboration between UK and Australian universities, particularly in Advanced Materials Manufacturing. Working across these two world-class institutions, and more broadly between our two countries, offers significant opportunities for innovation and impact. Furthermore, this three-way appointment also allows me to build on the strong national platform that the Royce has established over its first decade, by helping to develop and sustain robust international academic and industrial partnerships.鈥�

51福利社 is home to more than 700 materials experts whose research is revolutionising industries through the development of advanced materials that unlock new levels of performance, efficiency and sustainability. Supported by the University鈥檚 拢885 million investment in its campus over the past decade, researchers are at the forefront of materials innovation, delivering game-changing solutions across sectors from healthcare to manufacturing, tackling global challenges and reinforcing the UK鈥檚 reputation as a technology 鈥榮uperpower鈥�.

Over the next five years, Professor Withers鈥� joint appointment will support collaborative research programmes between 51福利社 and Monash, enable greater researcher and student exchange, and strengthen engagement with industry partners across both countries, particularly in the area of advanced materials manufacturing.

, Vice Dean and Head of School of Natural Sciences at 51福利社 said: 鈥淭his is an excellent opportunity to build on our existing links with Monash and the exciting future that this collaboration will deliver.  Phil鈥檚 joint appointment will enable us to create multiple strands of activity across a wide range of materials science and engineering and beyond.鈥�

Professor Mahmoud Mostafavi, Head of Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Monash University, added: 鈥淩egius Professor Withers, FRS is a world-renowned materials scientist and engineer and a leading international figure in key subjects. We are extremely delighted that he will be joining Monash at this critical time for Australia. In addition to his extraordinary research leadership, Professor Withers will be acting as a bridge between materials research in Australia and UK, Europe, and the rest of world, particularly through his affiliation with the Henry .鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Professor Withers is the inaugural Regius Professor of Materials and his research focuses on understanding how engineering materials perform, particularly in demanding environments, and on developing new materials with improved durability and performance. He is internationally recognised for his pioneering use of X-ray imaging techniques to create three-dimensional images of materials, revealing their microstructure and identifying defects or damage in engineering components.

In recognition of this work, the Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging Facility (HMXIF), established by Professor Withers, was awarded the Queen鈥檚 Anniversary Prize in 2014. The HIMXIF, has since grown into one of the most extensive suites of 3D X-ray imaging facilities in the world and now host the.

Professor Withers is a Fellow of both the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering and Academia Europea as well as a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the Indian National Science Academy. In 2012, he became the inaugural Director of the BP International Centre for Advanced Materials, which focuses on understanding and developing materials for the energy sector. As Chief Scientist at the Henry Royce Institute, he leads the development of the Institute鈥檚 research strategy - all expertise he will bring to his joint appointment with Monash University.

鈥淎I will revolutionise the care we provide, enhance diagnostics and care pathways and free up time for our clinicians to do what they do best: caring for our children and young people. This is a great example - a practical tool directly focused on better care for children with cerebral palsy鈥� 鈥� Lead Clinician, Professor Daniel Perry (surgeon at Alder Hey Children鈥檚 NHS Foundation Trust and NIHR Research Professor).

Children with cerebral palsy are at high risk of developing hip problems, with the ball of the hip moving out of the socket. This movement can cause the child severe pain, problems sitting down, and difficulties with personal care. The dislocation, however, can be prevented through regular X-ray measurements and prompt intervention with reliable procedures if a problem is spotted.

The system, developed in conjuncture with clinicians at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, is intended to be integrated into the Cerebral Palsy Integrated Pathway (CPIP), the national framework used to monitor the musculoskeletal systems of children with cerebral palsy. CPIP involves affected children receiving regular assessment, physical examination and regular hip X-rays, which are then examined by medical experts in order to identify changes and predict risks. 

This process, however, is not nationally standardised, and uptake differs between regions. Due to the large amount of clinician time it consumes, and the extra costs and delays involved, levels of CPIP uptake are often limited by the resources available to a particular region. This means that the standard of care for a child with cerebral palsy may be higher in one area of the country than another.

This new tool, however, will help to change that - by automating the process of hip x-ray interpretation, data capture and monitoring, enabling more patients to benefit from early detection and prevention as a result.

Professor Mike Lewis, NIHR Scientific Director for Innovation, said: "This project demonstrates the NIHR鈥檚 commitment to transforming healthcare for all of society, adults and children. We are already supporting research that embeds innovation directly into NHS services and tools like this automatic AI system have real potential to reduce waiting lists, improve long鈥憈erm outcomes for children with cerebral palsy, and help clinicians make better decisions at earlier stages of care.

Dr Claudia Lindner, who co-leads the project with Prof. Cootes, states, 鈥淭his software can be used to ensure prompt and consistent diagnoses. We want to make sure that every child with cerebral palsy in the UK receives the same high level of care.鈥�

The AI algorithm has been trained using thousands of X-ray images and is capable of automatically locating the outline of children鈥檚 hip bones, and is able to detect cases where the hips are just beginning to dislocate, through to full dislocation. The accuracy of the tool has been thoroughly tested and was found by researchers to be similar to that of human medical experts, while taking a fraction of the time to perform the analysis.

51福利社 Imaging Ltd will take the AI algorithm developed at the University of 51福利社 and build a Medical Device that will be integrated into hospital systems, making it easy for clinicians to use.

The medical device will be used to monitor hip movement, picking out areas of concern in hip X-rays and flagging up areas where a serious problem is likely to occur, identifying when preventative intervention is likely to be needed.

The researchers say that by using the tool, clinicians will save significant amounts of time and will improve patient outcomes by speeding up the treatment process. 

Professor Timothy Cootes, who works on the research, said this, 鈥淲e hope that by automating this process, we can standardise our level of care across the board, and ensure that the CPIP can be fully integrated throughout the NHS.鈥�

By using this tool to processes thousands of images across the country, X-ray image data will be automatically entered into the national CPIP database. This will enable new research to better understand the course of the disease and the benefits of monitoring. 

Dr Steve Cooke, national orthopaedic lead for CPIP, remarks, 鈥淲ith nearly 14,000 children on CPIP there is a huge opportunity for ground-breaking research, but we need more and better data. An accurate, streamlined tool that automates what is currently a labour-intensive task will transform the way we monitor the hip in children with cerebral palsy.鈥�

Dr Tom Williams, Chief Technical Officer at 51福利社 Imaging Ltd, commented, 鈥淲e are excited to be furthering our working relationships with our esteemed academic and clinical colleagues. We look forward to bringing our expertise in translating leading-edge AI algorithms into devices that directly benefit patients, ensuring real-world impact from cutting-edge research.鈥�

The study, supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) 51福利社 Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is published in the journal today

The findings, based on the analysis of four linked national datasets comprising over 24,000 patients in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, hold true even when accounting for the different complexities and durations of the surgery.

The data showed late-morning surgery was linked to an 18% higher risk of death - almost one fifth - from heart related causes compared with early-morning surgery.

And the most common surgical start time was 07:00鈥�09:59- early morning - accounting for 47% of all surgeries.

Though complication rates and readmissions were unaffected by the time of day, the findings still pose questions about the best time to schedule heart surgery.

They also give an important insight into the potential influence of the body clock - a set of 24-hour biological cycles present in our cells and organs 鈥� on surgery as a whole.

Lead author is Dr Gareth Kitchen, Clinical Senior Lecturer at 51福利社. He is also part of the Respiratory Theme and Co-Lead for Industry and Commercialisation at the NIHR 51福利社 BRC.

He said: 鈥淕iven that over 25,000 heart operations are performed across the UK every year with around a 2.7% mortality, even small improvements in timing-related outcomes could have significant benefits to patients.

鈥淭his research shows a slightly higher risk of heart related mortality is likely to occur when heart surgery starts in in late morning.

鈥淗owever, though the risk is statistically significant, it is relatively modest and patients can be reassured that most people will almost certainly be unaffected.

鈥淚t is though, our duty as clinicians to ensure the best possible outcomes, and moderating timings is a potentially inexpensive method to achieve that.鈥�

The researchers compared four starting times for the 3 to 5 hour operations: early morning (07:00 to 09:59); late morning (10:00 to 11:59); early afternoon (12:00 to 13:59); and late afternoon (14:00 to 19:59).

The main outcomes they examined were hazard of death from cardiovascular disease and time to hospital readmission for heart attack or acute heart failure.

Secondary outcomes included duration of postoperative hospital stay, occurrence of major cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality.

The researchers accounted for potential bias by taking into account key mortality predictors such as age, sex, diabetes and urgency of surgery.

Dr Kitchen added: 鈥淚ntegrating body clock biology into the planning of heart surgery could support a more personalised, precision medicine approach.

鈥淎s some people鈥檚 body clock makes them early birds and others makes them night owls, it is worth exploring tailored operative times through further research.

鈥淲ith more understanding of how body clock biology varies between individuals, precision and personalised scheduling of cardiac surgery may one day allow us to achieve better patient outcomes.鈥�

• The paper Time of Day and Outcomes Following Cardiac Surgery in the UK: A Secondary Analysis of Linked National Datasets is available . doi.org/10.1111/anae.70125

The review including 21 studies involving more than 6,000 patients who underwent blood tests for procalcitonin, a biomarker that becomes elevated during bacterial infections, is published in the journal today (9/01/26). 

The analysis was undertaken by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded Applied Research Collaboration Greater 51福利社 (ARC-GM), the NIHR 51福利社 HealthTech Research Centre in Emergency and Acute Care and the NIHR 51福利社 Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), in collaboration with The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and 51福利社 University NHS Foundation Trust. 

It revealed that health professionals who used procalcitonin tests as part of their decision making were able to safely stop antibiotics about two days earlier than when they were not used, without increasing risk of death. 

The review findings suggest that more, higher-quality studies are still needed to determine whether another test, known as C-reactive protein is safe to use when deciding about antibiotic use in these patients. 

The results are an important milestone in the care of sepsis, a life-threatening condition where the body鈥檚 response to infection damages its own tissues, leading to organ failure and death. 

Treatment for the condition, one of the leading causes of death worldwide, usually involves 7-10 days of antibiotics. 

But using antibiotics for too long can cause serious problems, including antibiotic resistance, bacterial infections that no longer respond to medicine, a global health crisis which kills millions globally.

Reduction in antibiotic use could also provide significant cost savings to health systems and limit unwanted drug side-effects.

UK health authorities, such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), have not recommended routine use of these blood tests in hospitals because earlier evidence was limited and lacked UK trial data.

However, the review addresses the gap in knowledge and includes recent clinical trial data from the UK ADAPT-Sepsis trial, also led by University of 51福利社 researchers.

In their review, the researchers assessed randomised controlled trials which compared procalcitonin tests with standard care and C-reactive protein tests with standard care, where antibiotics are given according to international, national, or local clinical guidelines, without biomarker testing.

In patients with sepsis, the findings show that procalcitonin tests may help healthcare professionals stop antibiotics about two days earlier than standard care and may reduce the risk of death by 5%.

However, it is still unclear whether using procalcitonin tests prevents people from getting sick again or leads to longer hospital stays.

Study co-author, Professor Paul Dark, is Vice Dean for health and care partnerships at the University of 51福利社 and Professor of critical care medicine at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust.

He said: "Our findings show that using a procalcitonin test can help healthcare professionals safely stop antibiotics for people with sepsis more quickly. This is exciting because it supports safe care whilst reducing the risk of antibiotic-resistant infections in the future.

鈥淭his will be better for patients, who will experience more limited side effects, and better for health care systems by providing significant cost savings.鈥�

He added: 鈥淥ur  recent cost effectiveness that was part of the ADAPT-Sepsis trial also suggests that implementing daily procalcitonin measurement into routine NHS sepsis care would likely be cost effective.

鈥淭his approach supports the UK鈥檚 10-Year Health Plan to tackle antibiotic resistance and could inform future NICE sepsis guidelines, paving the way for routine use of these blood tests in sepsis care.

• The paper Clinical effectiveness of procalcitonin- or C-reactive protein-guided antibiotic discontinuation protocols for adult patients who are critically ill with sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis  is available

Her three-year Fellowship will focus on understanding how the most aggressive type of womb cancer called p53-abnormal (p53abn) womb cancer, develops, who is most at risk, and whether early changes can be targeted to prevent it.

Womb cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer, and the fourth most common cancer in women. It affects 9,700 women and people with gynae organs each year in the UK. There are four main subtypes, and p53abn womb cancers are the most aggressive. They are more likely to spread, more likely to return after treatment, and have worse outcomes than other types of womb cancer. They are also more common in Black women.

Despite the impact these cancers have, we still don鈥檛 know what causes them to develop, whether early warning signs can be detected, or how we might prevent them. Dr Sarah Kitson hopes to change this. She aims to improve our understanding of how these cancers develop, find out whether the process is the same for all p53abn womb cancers, and learn about the risk factors that make someone more likely to develop it. Her hope is that this research will reveal ways to prevent these cancers from developing and help save lives.

To do this, Sarah will invite 50 women undergoing surgery for p53abn womb cancer to donate blood, womb tissue and a cervical screening sample. She will use these samples to look for the earliest gene changes that signal a cancer is forming, examine how the cancer grows and changes over time, and explore how the body鈥檚 own defence system responds during the early stages. She hopes this information could allow researchers to identify individuals at a high risk of p53abn womb cancer long before symptoms appear. This would hopefully open the door to future screening tests or ways to prevent it developing.

If successful, this project could point towards potential new drug treatments to try stop p53abn womb cancers from developing. The research team would then need to develop and test these treatments in the laboratory before moving on to clinical trials with people at a high risk of developing this type of womb cancer.

Dr Sarah Kitson, Eve Fellow and Principal Investigator said: 鈥淚 am extremely honoured to have been awarded The Eve Appeal/North West Cancer Research Fund Fellowship to learn more about how p53abn womb cancers develop and to explore ways in which we could try and stop these aggressive cancers from forming. The two charities have contributed greatly to cancer research and gynaecological cancer prevention, and it will be a huge privilege to join their world-leading groups of researchers.鈥�

Athena Lamnisos, CEO of The Eve Appeal said:  鈥減53-abnormal womb cancers are the most aggressive of the womb cancer subtypes, and we urgently need answers about how they develop and how we can prevent them. Sarah鈥檚 work will take us a step closer to reducing one of the biggest inequalities in gynaecological cancers, that Black women are twice as likely to die from womb cancer as their White peers. We are incredibly proud to support her, and we believe this project could help change the future of this aggressive form of womb cancer.鈥�

Alastair Richards, CEO of North West Cancer Research said: 鈥淲e are incredibly proud to once again partner with The Eve Appeal to co-fund another outstanding research Fellow. Together, our charities have now invested more than 拢1.2 million in pioneering gynaecological cancer research. In the North West, womb cancer rates continue to rise, and aggressive cases like p53abn cancers pose a real challenge for women in our region. Dr Kitson鈥檚 project is especially important because it seeks to understand how these cancers begin鈥攁nd how we might stop them. This is exactly the kind of ambitious, high-impact research we are committed to supporting.鈥�

Principal Investigator Dr Imelda McDermott said: 鈥淥ur evaluation shows how different independent prescribing models were expected to work (or not) and achieve their intended outcomes.鈥�

Under the NHS 10 year health plan, community pharmacies will become better integrated with primary care and general practice; pharmacists are becoming increasingly clinically qualified, many with the ability to prescribe.

In anticipation of the change , NHS England is running the Independent Prescribing in Community Pharmacy Pathfinder , which was evaluated by the researchers.

The programme allows community pharmacist prescribers in around 200 鈥榩athfinder鈥� sites to deliver prescribing models as part of integrated primary care clinical services.

Participating pharmacists reported significant increases in job satisfaction and many felt the programme "saved" them from leaving the sector by allowing them to use their full clinical skills.

The pathfinder sites tested three different clinical models to examine how pharmacist prescribing can be incorporated into community pharmacy clinical services:

• Existing services, including acute minor illnesses and contraception
• Long-term conditions, including prescribing for cardiovascular diseases (e.g. hypertension, lipid optimisation), respiratory diseases, and women's health.
• Novel services, including reducing over prescribing, reviewing antidepressants and menopause

For the Long-term condition models, a 鈥榡oint partner鈥� approach between the pharmacist prescriber and the local GP practice was fundamental, to ensure joined up collaboration for improved patient access and care.

However the implementation and long-term viability of an IP service were found to be dependent on five key areas as laid out by Stephen  , Minister of State for Care: clinical governance, clinical supervision, optimal skill mix, digital infrastructure and a financially viable funding model.

Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) -  the regional NHS organisation in England responsible for planning and funding local health services - were instrumental in guiding sites through assurance processes, developing clinical governance, and fostering stronger relationships between GPs, community pharmacy and other stakeholders.

However, securing clear indemnity to deliver pharmacist prescribing in community pharmacy was challenging due to insurance companies鈥� lack of familiarity with the new model.

Clinical supervision, something which is traditionally scarce in community pharmacy, was usually provided by a GP through regular one-to-one sessions and was highly valued by pharmacist prescribers as it helped to build their confidence and GP鈥檚 trust.

The researchers also found:

• Commissioning strategies were needed to generate predictable patient volumes to ensure a financially viable service
• Having read-only access to patients鈥� medications and limited details of their medical histories made holistic patient care more challenging. Those IP pharmacists who had read/write access to patient records found it easier to collaborate in a timely fashion with GPs and other GP practice based healthcare professionals.
• A good skill mix is needed across the wider pharmacy team to ensure pharmacist prescribers have the capacity to deliver the service.

The unrest poses the most serious challenge to  since 2022. That year, nationwide protests erupted over the death of 22-year-old  in police custody after she was arrested for violating hijab rules. Those  were ultimately suppressed through force.

Iran鈥檚 political establishment has for decades defined itself through permanent confrontation on multiple fronts: with , the  and what it sees as global imperialism. This posture has reshaped domestic life by subordinating the economy, governance and social stability to ideological resistance.

What the latest protests reveal is not simply frustration with the hardship that has accompanied this political stance. They seem to reflect a growing consensus among Iranians that this order  into something functional and must therefore be replaced.

This has been apparent in the language used by the protesters. Many demonstrators have linked their daily hardships to the regime鈥檚 foreign policy priorities, expressed perhaps most clearly  that has echoed through the streets of various Iranian cities in recent days: 鈥淣ot Gaza, not Lebanon, I sacrifice my life for Iran.鈥�

The slogan is a rejection of the regime鈥檚 official stance that sacrifice at home is necessary to fulfil ideological goals of 鈥渞esistance鈥� abroad. Iran has long pursued a policy of supporting militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah to counter the influence of the US and Israel in the Middle East.

Chants of  鈥� a reference to Iran鈥檚 ageing supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 鈥� are yet more evidence of the broad rejection of the political order among the Iranian population. They signal that many Iranians now view their economic survival as inseparable from fundamental political change.

The protests have spread across wide sections of Iranian society. What began as strikes by bazaar merchants and shopkeepers in Iran鈥檚 capital, Tehran, quickly drew in students, professionals and business owners elsewhere in the country. Protests have  in Qom and Mashhad, cities whose populations have traditionally been loyal to the state.

The state鈥檚 initial response to the protests was muted. The government recognised the protests and  to the 鈥渓egitimate demands鈥� of the demonstrators. However, despite a warning from US president Donald Trump of US intervention should security forces 鈥渒ill peaceful protesters鈥�, at least 36 people have . Over 2,000 more people have been detained.

Donald Trump posts on his Truth Social media platform in response to the protests in Iran. 

Post-war paralysis

The protests come six months after Iran鈥檚 brief but destabilising war with Israel. This conflict severely strained the state鈥檚 capacity to govern, with Khamenei largely withdrawing from public view since then due to heightened fears over his safety. Major decisions in Iran require Khamenei鈥檚 approval, so his absence has slowed decision-making across the system.

The effects of this have been felt nationwide. Universities and schools have been hampered by repeated closures, shortened schedules and the sudden suspension of in-person classes. Transport networks have faced repeated disruption and economic planning has become nearly impossible.

Prices are . The official annual inflation rate stands at around 42%, with food inflation exceeding 70%. The prices of some basic goods have reportedly risen by more than 110% compared with a year ago, and are  further in the coming weeks.

Iran鈥檚 authorities have also intermittently suspended routine daily and weekly activities since the end of the war, such as school days, public office hours, transport services and commercial operations. They , pollution or security concerns as the reasons for doing so.

Underlying these disruptions is a governing system braced for the possibility of renewed war, either with Israel or possibly the US. The regime is operating in a prolonged state of emergency, which has pushed Iranian society itself deeper into crisis.

Iran鈥檚 governing paralysis has been strained further by intensifying competition within the ruling elite. The war with Israel led to the deaths of several senior Iranian military and security figures, which has created gaps in networks of power.

With authority fragmented, rival political, military and security factions have sought to position themselves for influence in a post-Khamenei order. Networks associated with figures such as former president Hassan Rouhani, former foreign minister Javad Zarif and current president Masoud Pezeshkian are pursuing negotiations with western powers to address Iran鈥檚 foreign policy challenges.

But others appear to be engaging in talks aimed at securing backing from ideological allies such as Russia and China. These include people in security and intelligence circles, along with figures ideologically aligned with Khamenei like his second-eldest son Mojtaba, current speaker of parliament Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and conservative clerics such as .

These rival strategies have not produced coherent governance. Instead, they have reinforced perceptions among the Iranian public that the system is preoccupied with survival rather than addressing everyday breakdowns in basic administration, public services and economic coordination.

Iran stands at a crossroads. One path leads toward deeper militarisation, elite infighting and prolonged paralysis. The other points towards a reckoning with a political order that large segments of Iranian society no longer believe can deliver stability or welfare.

The protests suggest that the central question for many Iranians is no longer whether the system can be repaired, but whether continuing to live under it is viable at all. What is clear is that Iran is at a critical political moment, with significant changes likely to unfold in the weeks and months ahead.

, Research Fellow at the Global Development Institute
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

Knee osteoarthritis - the most common reason for replacement surgery- affects around one in five people over 50 in the UK, with over 120,000 people having a knee replacement each year. 

鈥淥steoarthritis causes pain and limits normal daily activities, like walking or climbing stairs. Knee replacement surgery is one of the only definitive treatments. But how much better does physical activity, like walking, get after a knee replacement?鈥�, said Professor Will Dixon who is leading the research. 

鈥淭o make informed decisions about whether to have surgery or not, we need to know this - yet the current evidence is patchy.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

The 51福利社 research team are asking for the help of people who have already had a knee replacement to develop and test this way of conducting health research. 

They want to make use of data that has already been collected, inside and outside of the health service, and piece it together.

Prof Dixon added: 鈥淎ll of the data needed to understand how activity improves after knee replacement surgery already exists.

鈥淢illions of people in the UK routinely track their step count using their smartphone or fitness tracker. In fact, over 95% of adults now own a smartphone.

鈥淏y joining together step counts from people鈥檚 smartphones and wearables with information about their surgery, we can understand how much physical activity improves after knee replacement.鈥�

The PAPrKA study (which stands for Physical Activity Patterns after Knee Arthroplasty) wants to recruit UK adults who had a knee replacement surgery between January 2017 and December 2023, and who used an iPhone, Apple Watch, Fitbit or Oura ring before and after their surgery.

Interested people can visit the study website at to donate their activity data, which will be securely transferred from the University to the National Joint Registry where it will be linked with data about their operation.

This will allow the researchers to examine how activity patterns change following surgery, including how this differs by levels of activity before surgery, types of operation, patient age and more.

Matt鈥檚 story

In November 2022, former Iron Man Triathlete Matt Barker had a partial knee replacement following years of increasing pain and reduced mobility. Before surgery, even standing became painful and his job as a teacher was getting progressively harder.

鈥淐olleagues would worry about me and ask if I was alright鈥� Matt recalls. 鈥淭his was especially difficult as I still saw myself as fit and active, but the reality became impossible to ignore.鈥�

Since having surgery, his physical activity improved dramatically - no longer experiencing the previous swelling and pain. He was able to resume much of the daily activity he was doing before his knee issues developed.

Matt concludes: 鈥淢ost of us base our activity on what we have to do and what we feel able to do. The availability of data from our devices can really bring home the extent to which your mobility is changing. Post operation, they have been a great motivator to view improvement, as well as alerting me to my limits. My hope is that PAPrKA can give people like me a clearer understanding before surgery of how much better their activity is likely to get.鈥�

The PAPrKA study is part of the Health Research from Home programme funded by the Medical Research Council [grant number MR/Y003624/1]

• If you are eligible to take part and would like to contribute to this study or want more information, visit

The book tells a deeply human story of hope and heartbreak. It shows how moral ideas about family, work and responsibility are being tested as young people face shrinking opportunities and elders grapple with impossible choices between survival and legacy.

Lockwood, a Hallsworth Research Fellow in Political Economy at 51福利社, brings a journalist鈥檚 eye for storytelling to his anthropological research. His work has previously been published in leading journals, and he co-curated Nairobi Becoming (2024), an ethnographic portrait of the Kenyan capital.

Peasants to Paupers is published by Cambridge University Press as part of the prestigious International African Library series and is freely available online under open access, ensuring that readers in Kenya and around the world can engage with its findings.

 The analysis 鈥� featured in the journal Clinical and translational medicine  鈥� revealed molecular signals that in one case prompted re-examination of archived fallopian tube tissue and led to the retrospective identification of a pre-invasive or very early cancerous lesion. 

鈥淭his is important as it is now known most ovarian cancers don鈥檛 start in the ovary itself. Instead, they start from pre-cancer lesions which develop in the fallopian tube before spreading to the ovary and beyond,鈥� said Dr Christine Schmidt, Senior Lecturer at 51福利社鈥檚 Division of Cancer Sciences. 

The findings from the  study could in the longer term  form the basis for future approaches aimed at informing ovarian cancer risk assessment and  contributinge to less invasive interventions for some high-risk women. 

Surgery to remove the tubes and ovaries is often currently used to reduce risk for high-risk women. 

However, the study raises the prospect of delaying  risk-reducing surgery for some women, preserving their fertility. 

This could be particularly beneficial for the women in the UK who are at high genetic risk of ovarian cancer because they carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation.

Though uncommon in women with an average risk, existing shows that roughly half to three-quarters of women with a high genetic risk of ovarian cancer currently choose surgical removal of the ovaries.

Despite evidence suggesting a prolonged window between pre-cancer lesions inside the fallopian tube and more serious cancer in the ovaries and other tissues, there are currently no clinical tests available to help detect these early pre-cancer changes without invasive surgery.

However, the team in 51福利社 have shown that fluid washed through the inside of the fallopian tube could be used to test for broad patterns of molecular changes associated with early tumour development using a technique known as proteomic analysis.

The researchers used the approach in an exploratory study of the fallopian tubes of 27 women who had had them surgically removed.

The women were divided into different groups. The first group were either high-risk BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutation carriers or they had an abnormal ovarian growth. A second group had other gynaecological conditions unrelated to ovarian cancer.

The researchers took the samples from the soft, frilly, finger-like edge at the open end of the tube next to the ovary known as the fimbriae.

They were able to detect different patterns of proteins in the washes from high-risk fallopian tubes and tubes associated with ovarian cancer compared to normal.

Some of these proteins overlap with previously proposed biomarkers for advanced disease stages and some may form the basis for future exploratory studies to identify potential targets for ovarian cancer prevention.

Dr Schmidt added: 鈥淲hile further exploration and validation in larger cohorts is needed, our findings point to a promising direction for less invasive ovarian cancer risk management strategies that could 鈥� in the longer term 鈥�  help reduce reliance on invasive prophylactic surgeries while preserving fertility in some high-risk women.鈥�

鈥淲e look forward to taking this novel approach forwards and hope that one day the findings can contribute to the development of an approach that cmight eventuallyan be used in the clinic.鈥�

• The study was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the International Alliance for Cancer Early Detection (ACED) programme.
• The  paper, Fallopian tube lavage sampling towards early detection of pre-invasive ovarian cancer, is available

May



May saw the launch of a major new partnership with the Bank of England which will see existing teachers offered free training to deliver A Level economics alongside their core subject. The three-year programme, which will be piloted in the North West before eventually being rolled out across the UK, aims to make the subject more accessible to students from a wider range of backgrounds.

Also in May, the Government announced changes to the Winter Fuel Payment after being presented with research from 51福利社 which found that their plans were going to leave many more older people in poverty, putting their health and wellbeing at risk. The month also saw 51福利社 being officially recognised as one of the UK鈥檚 new Policing Academic Centres of Excellence (PACE), as part of a national initiative to embed world-class research into frontline policing and community safety.

June



June brought two major archaeology stories - firstly, experts from 51福利社 played a leading role in the rediscovery of the ancient city of Imet in Egypt鈥檚 eastern Nile Delta, uncovering multi-storey dwellings, granaries and a ceremonial road tied to the worship of the cobra goddess Wadjet. This story received widespread coverage. The month brought news of a new project to explore the discovery of Wales鈥� first complete ancient chariot.

The same month also saw the launch of two reports into children's mental health - one found that while teens from disadvantaged neighbourhoods do face lower life satisfaction, they don't actually face more emotional problems. The other found that physical activity is critical for children's happiness.

July



July brought the extremely sad news that Lord David Alliance CBE had passed away. Lord Alliance鈥檚 belief in the power of philanthropy, education and research to drive positive change inspired generations of students, staff, alumni and partners. The renaming of 51福利社 Business School to Alliance 51福利社 Business School in 2015 stands as a testament to Lord Alliance鈥檚 transformative impact and support for 51福利社 and its students over many years.

The month also saw Alliance 51福利社 Business School's Professor Timothy Michael Devinney being elected as a Fellow of the British Academy, the UK鈥檚 leading national body for the humanities and social sciences.

Also during this month, several Humanities academics were leading policy conversations about major issues - including Professor Jamie Woodward who spoke at Westminster about the impact of microplastic pollution on our environment, and Professor Pamela Qualter who co-authored a World Health Organization (WHO) report calling for urgent action to tackle loneliness and social disconnection around the world.

August



During August, an historian from 51福利社 was named as one of six authors shortlisted for the 2025 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize, which celebrates the best popular science writing from across the globe. Vanished: An Unnatural History of Extinction by Professor Sadiah Qureshi was named as one of the finalists at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Two leading criminologists from 51福利社 also joined a groundbreaking national research project designed to tackle fraud in the NHS, which costs the UK taxpayer an estimated 拢1.3 billion each year. 

There was also media interest in a study which found that a single sheet of 1,100-year-old parchment may have been used to heal a dangerous royal rift in Ancient England.

September



The start of the new academic year was marked by the appointment of three academics from 51福利社 as Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences. Professor Liz Richardson, Professor David Richards and Professor Anupam Nanda were named in recognition of their excellence and impact, and their advancement of social sciences for the public good. 

The month also saw 51福利社 being appointed as the UN's Academic Impact Vice-Chair for SDG10 research, meaning the University will play an essential role in advancing the implementation of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Some major research was also launched in August which found that 鈥�Levelling Up鈥� left many southern areas behind, a mentoring programme was giving a big mental health boost to LGBTQIA+ teens, and cities needing to do more to support older people who want to stay in their own homes as they age.

October



October saw three major pieces of research into schools - studies were published into school isolation rooms damaging pupil wellbeing, a third of new teachers quitting within five years of qualifying and the discovery of a significant and lasting link between the subjects young people study in school and their political preferences. 

Also during October, a study was launched by Dr Louise Thompson which found that outdated rules in the House of Commons shut smaller parties out of key decisions, leaving millions of voters effectively unheard. This led to several of those parties - including the SNP, Plaid Cymru and Reform - raising the issue, as well as media coverage across the UK. 

November



The University鈥檚 Professor Hilary Pilkington was one of the authors of the final report of the Independent Commission on Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice,  which in November called for a comprehensive overhaul of the UK's counter-terrorism policies. This received widespread media coverage across the country.

The University also launched new research as part of the N8 Child of the North campaign in November, which found that the post-Covid school attendance crisis is hitting disadvantaged children hardest - the story led to regional and national media coverage.

The month also saw studies into Buddhism in mental health care, stronger communities being linked to better health, and the rise of 鈥�authoritarian peacemaking鈥� and its implications for Ukraine. 

December



The final month of the year saw the launch of a major new collaboration with the University of Oxford which will bring together an expert team of textual scholars, book historians, computer scientists, library data experts and research software engineers to explore whether computers 鈥榮ee鈥� books and prints the same way as people do, and asks whether the AI algorithm can be made to see in the same way as humans. 

A major global study led by Dr Francesco Rampazzo also found that younger generations around the world are embracing a more diverse and fluid understanding of sexual identity than ever before. The research - which analysed data from over 900,000 users of the queer women鈥檚 and nonbinary dating app Zoe - offered one of the first truly global pictures of how people identify their sexuality in 122 countries, from the UK and the US to Brazil, South Africa and Taiwan.

These stories reflect the Faculty's commitment to addressing global challenges through its research, education and social responsibility.

The project, led by Professor Yasser Mahmoudi Larimi from 51福利社, has been awarded a 拢3 million EPSRC Critical Mass Programme Grant. It brings together expertise from industry and academia across the UK, including 51福利社, the University of Birmingham, the University of Liverpool, Cranfield University and Imperial College London.

As the UK increases its use of renewable energy, one of the biggest challenges is how to store excess electricity generated on windy or sunny days and make it available when demand rises, or when the weather changes and turns dark, for example. GPStore aims to deliver a first-of-its-kind approach to storing clean energy for hours, weeks or months - something existing storage options cannot achieve at scale.

By 2050, the UK is expected to need up to 100 terawatt-hours of long-duration energy storage to ensure a stable, affordable and low-carbon energy system. While today鈥檚 technologies, such as pumped hydro, compressed air and flow batteries, offer useful short- to medium-duration storage, they often face geographical and environmental constraints, high costs, or complex engineering, making them difficult to scale.

The novel GPStore technology takes a completely different approach. It converts surplus renewable electricity into high-temperature heat storing in solid particles, in aboveground insulated tanks. When energy is needed, the stored thermal energy is converted back to electricity. GPStore could help manage energy demand not only day-to-day, but also between summer and winter, which is essential for achieving a fully renewable, climate-resilient energy grid.

The project brings together 13 academics across five UK universities and 16 industry and policy partners, including Baker Hughes, EDF Energy, UK Power Networks, Fraser-Nash Consultancy and 51福利社 City Council.

鈥淧eople often claim that the Electoral College protects small states, but the evidence is that it just penalizes people for not living in a swing state,鈥� said Professor McLaren, 鈥渁nd even for swing states, the best evidence is that small states do not benefit from the bias.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

By combining theoretical modelling with real-world data on tariffs, industries, and voting patterns, the team developed what they call the 鈥淪wing-State Theorem.鈥� The theorem predicts that in majoritarian systems like the US, policy naturally tilts toward the interests of swing regions - even without explicit lobbying.

The findings shed light on how political incentives can distort economic policy in ways that are both inefficient and hard to justify as fair, and they may help to explain why trade wars and protectionist measures often appear inconsistent with broader national welfare. The authors suggest the same logic could apply to other areas of policy, from infrastructure spending to defence contracts.

The exhibition runs until 28 February 2026. The curators, Dr Martin Dodge and Professor Richard Brook, have created a dynamic composition to which they will continually add material during its run.

The contribution, made by a donor who wishes to remain anonymous, will primarily help students who are care-experienced or estranged from their families. 

The generous sum will sit within the NAFUM endowment, which will pay out dividends to fund two scholarships annually. Recipients will be known as the Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, after the former President and Vice-Chancellor of the University, and Ann El-Mokadem Scholars. 

The donor said: "This donation has been made in honour of the history of this world class institution, which I am immensely proud to be associated with. 

鈥淭his gift is intended to continue a long tradition of supporting talented students at 51福利社, and enabling them to shape the future of this great city and beyond.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, former President and Vice-Chancellor of 51福利社, said: 鈥淚t is a true privilege to have a scholarship carry my name - an honour I will always treasure. My heartfelt thanks go to the donors for their remarkable generosity.  

鈥淚 am delighted that this support will continue a long tradition here at 51福利社: opening doors for talented students, enabling them to thrive and achieve their ambitions at 51福利社.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Undergraduate Access Scholarships offer financial assistance to students who have experienced difficulties and are funded by alumni of the University and donors. 

NAFUM is an independent foundation that supports the University鈥檚 work, helping students from the US, Greater 51福利社 and the Global South to gain an education at the University. 

Through generous support, US-based alumni have helped the University to make strides tackling a number of global challenges, including inequality, poverty and cancer research. 

Donations from alumni of the University, no matter the size, fuels discoveries, real-world impact and student success. By donating or volunteering, you can support life-changing opportunities for students and help us tackle urgent global challenges. 

To find out more about making a donation to the University, please visit the University鈥檚 philanthropy page here. 

Professor Alex Horsley made the comments following last week鈥檚 news that flu cases 55% in a week with an average of 2,660 patients a day being  treated in an NHS hospital bed -  the highest ever for this time of year.

In the North West, the most recent figures show a 36.6% increase in the number of people hospitalised with flu.

NHS England is also urging eligible populations, including those people with CF, to come forward for flu vaccinations as soon as they can avoid becoming seriously ill.

Patients with CF often have chronic infection and cough, usually controlled with nebuliser medications to help them clear mucus in the lungs and antibiotics to control infection.

However influenza can sometimes have devastating consequences from escalating lung infections and breathlessness, resulting in admission to hospital.

Professor Horsley, a leading expert in cystic fibrosis, is a Professor at 51福利社 respiratory consultant at Wythenshawe Hospital, part of 51福利社 University NHS Foundation Trust and Medical Director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) 51福利社 Clinical Research Facility at Wythenshawe Hospital.

He said:  鈥淐F is an inherited condition, and one of the most common life-limiting genetic conditions in the UK, affecting around 11000 people.

鈥淚t primarily affects the lungs, though also has important impacts on the pancreas, causing malnutrition and diabetes, and on the gut and liver.

鈥淔or people with CF, the winter wave of flu and flu-like illnesses can be especially challenging and damaging.

鈥淭hat is why it is so important people take care at this time of year, make sure they have had their flu vaccine, and do their best to avoid being exposed to those with viral symptoms.

鈥淚n our cystic fibrosis centre at Wythenshawe Hospital, we run emergency reviews every weekday to see people acutely unwell and start treatment as soon as possible.

鈥淏ut we鈥檙e also researching better ways to help people with CF and are leading a new to understand and prevent it.鈥�

Previous work in 51福利社 has highlighted the potential impact of viral infections on people with CF, and shown how these may relate to increased admissions and need for IV antibiotics.

However the new , part of a multi-million pound Research Innovation Hub funded by the CF Trust, is now hoping to define exactly which viruses are responsible for the worst infections in people with CF, and how they do this.

The researchers plan to use the information to discover and trial new treatments to prevent exacerbations. This study, called 鈥淐F-Tracker鈥�, is based at the University of 51福利社 but involves researchers and clinical teams across the UK.

Professor Horsley added: 鈥淩ecent advances in CF therapies include a group of drugs called CFTR modulators, and 51福利社 led the latest clinical trials of these therapies.

鈥淪ince the CFTR modulators, people with CF have got used to much better health and reduced lung symptoms.

鈥淏ut up to a quarter of CF adults still end up requiring IV antibiotics each year, and some require several courses. These are serious events, not just because they disrupt work and home life but because they are associated with faster decline in health and survival.鈥�

Laura鈥檚 Beattie鈥檚 story

She said: 鈥淢y cystic fibrosis made things very difficult for me when I contracted the flu in 2022. It completely floored me and I ended up going to A&E because my breathing was so laboured, my oxygen saturations were dropping, and my heart rate was really high.

鈥淚t was doubly bad because I spent the Christmas period on 24/7 oxygen, IV antibiotics throughout the day, and having intravenous infusions continually. It took a long time to get back to any kind of normality, and it affected me for months afterwards.

鈥淓arlier this year, I was admitted again for another virus. This admission ended up being one of the longest I鈥檝e ever had. Even now, at home, I鈥檓 still recovering, and I鈥檓 nowhere near my usual self.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly frustrating when you don鈥檛 know exactly what has triggered an exacerbation, and even more frustrating not knowing how it鈥檚 going to affect you while you鈥檙e going through it or how long the recovery will take.

鈥淰iral infections like flu, or a CF exacerbation or a CF exacerbation triggered by a virus, are completely unpredictable.

鈥淵ou never know how hard they will hit or how much they might change things long-term. That uncertainty is really scary, and the impact on how your CF progresses can be huge.鈥�

• For more information about the flu vaccine in Greater 51福利社, visit the GM integrated care
• For more information about the research innovation Hub, visit or https://www.pulse-cf.com/tracker-study

The 拢8m programme, which aims to recruit up to 100 patients over 5 years, has secured 拢3.4 million from the Medical Research Council (MRC), with support from industry partners Poolbeg Pharma plc, Johnson & Johnson, Randox Laboratories Ltd and Sanius Health.

The programme, called RISE*, aims to address one of the biggest challenges in advanced cancer immunotherapies 鈥� reducing the potentially life-threatening side effects of powerful therapies such as CAR-T and T-cell engaging bispecific antibodies. These next-generation treatments are already transforming survival prospects for patients with blood cancers like lymphoma and leukaemia, but many experience severe immune system overreactions, including Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) which can cause 鈥榝lu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue and muscle ache and can be potentially life-threatening. Approximately two hundred people are given advanced cancer therapies every year, a quarter of whom are treated at The Christie. Nearly a fifth of patients with CRS suffer severe side-effects such as difficulty breathing, organ dysfunction or neurological complications, needing intensive care treatment. 

Dr Jonathan Lim, Honorary Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Christie and Senior Lecturer at 51福利社 and programme lead for RISE said: 鈥淩ISE brings together experts from across 51福利社 to understand how powerful new cancer immunotherapies work, and why they sometimes cause serious side effects. Our ambition is to position the UK as a global leader in research focused on the safe delivery of cell therapies.鈥�

Talking about her experience, Elkie said: 鈥淐AR-T was basically the only option left for me and without it I wouldn鈥檛 be here. I was told my bone marrow was about 90% leukaemia, so my prognosis was very poor. I was given a 20% chance of the treatment being successful and told about the side-effects which scared me, but I didn鈥檛 have an alternative. I was in hospital for a month and a half and spent a week in the critical care unit. I got neurotoxicity and my personality changed over-night. I was in and out of consciousness and very confused. I had hallucinations and woke up on Easter Sunday convinced I was Jesus. I became paranoid and thought I was kidnapped and chained up, but it was just the IV tubes around the bed. I even tried to attack my poor mum.

鈥淚t was very tough, but the tremendous support from my mum, boyfriend and the whole family got me through, as well as the fantastic Christie medical team. If there鈥檇 been a drug available to prevent the side effects, I would have felt less anxiety beforehand and would have had a much better experience altogether. If the researchers find a way of preventing these awful side-effects, that will make a massive difference for patients like me. It could be a real game-changer.

鈥淢y memory isn鈥檛 what it was, and my immune system is very weak, so I have to have an infusion once a month to give it a boost. I also get tired very easily but I鈥檓 now back working part-time at a hair salon and enjoying life with my boyfriend, Christy and the rest of my family.鈥�

In parallel, the 51福利社 Wearables Research Group and the Christabel Pankhurst Institute at 51福利社, core partners of the RISE programme, will deploy a digital monitoring platform to track patients receiving standard-of-care CAR-T therapy. This technology aims to detect early signs of inflammation and enable earlier clinical intervention, before complications escalate.

Professor Alejandro Frangi, Director of the Christabel Pankhurst Institute and co-lead of RISE said: 鈥淭o push the boundaries of what鈥檚 possible in immunotherapy research, we鈥檙e embedding artificial intelligence and machine learning from the outset. These high-risk and potentially high-reward tools will help uncover insights that traditional methods might miss 鈥� accelerating discovery and enabling smarter, faster solutions.鈥�

Any patients interested in taking part in clinical trials should discuss this option with their consultant or GP. Not all patients will fit the criteria for a specific trial. While clinical trials can be successful for some patients, outcomes can vary from case to case. More information about taking part in clinical trials can be found .

*RISE stands for 鈥楻educing Immune Stress from Excess Cytokine release in advanced therapies鈥�.

Dr Glenn Wells, Medical Research Council Deputy Executive Chair, said: 鈥淭his project is part of a 拢9 million public sector investment through MRC鈥檚 first Prosperity Partnerships. With additional contribution from industry and close collaboration with key regulatory bodies, we are addressing the safety and toxicity of advanced therapies. This research is critical to improving how gene, cell-based, and nucleic acid-dependent therapies are developed for conditions such as cancers and rare genetic disorders, so we can make meaningful improvements to patient outcomes.鈥�

A patient who welcomes the news about this research is Elkie Mellor, 22, from Bebington in the Wirral, Merseyside who underwent CAR-T treatment for  in March 2024. This was the third time she鈥檇 had leukaemia, having first been diagnosed when she was 14 years old.

The initiative, known as the Resource for AI Science in Europe (RAISE), brings together computing power, data, expertise and funding to support researchers in applying AI to scientific discovery across all disciplines.

Following an announcement at the AI in Science Summit in Copenhagen, the SCIANCE (AI in Science) consortium, which includes researchers at 51福利社, has been invited to enter into a grant agreement to support the development and pilot phase of RAISE under Horizon Europe.

SCIANCE will coordinate AI-enabled science across Europe through a bottom-up, community-driven approach, bringing together top research organisations and major research facilities from across Europe, focusing on five key areas of science: physics and astronomy, materials science, life sciences, earth sciences, and social sciences and humanities.

The project will, among other things, deliver:

• A Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for AI in Science
• An implementation roadmap for infrastructure upgrades
• The RAISE Secretariat for AI in science, to support long-term collaboration, capacity building, and alignment with European policy objectives.

51福利社 brings an interdisciplinary team of researchers, including , who will act at the Scientific Coordinator for Astronomy and Astrophysics, and , also from , supported by from the 51福利社 . 

RAISE is a flagship initiative under the European Strategy for AI in Science and aims to position Europe as a global leader in AI-enabled research by supporting scientists to develop and apply AI for transformative discoveries.

Jonas L鈥橦aridon, Project Coordinator, ESF, said: 鈥淪CIANCE represents a unique opportunity to coordinate AI-enabled science across Europe - connecting research communities, infrastructures and AI expertise in a way that truly reflects scientific priorities.鈥�

Engineers and geologists in the 鈥淒UST鈥� group at the University have developed a synthetic test dust supported by an EPSRC IAA Proof of Concept grant, led by Dr Merren Jones and , that accurately replicates the fine, talcum-powder-like particles commonly found in desert regions - materials known for causing accelerated wear on some aeroengine components.

This recreated dust has become an important element of Rolls-Royce鈥檚 extensive testing programme in Derby, where the company is working to improve the durability of engines used by airlines.

Sand ingested during take-off and climb can penetrate the hottest parts of an engine, corrode components, and block coolant holes. While not a safety issue, the damage reduces efficiency, increases the maintenance burden, and shortens component life.

Using the University of 51福利社鈥檚 synthetic dust, Rolls-Royce has been able to replicate harsh Middle Eastern conditions inside its Testbed 80 facility in Sinfin.

of the University鈥檚 DUST Research Group, said: 鈥淪tandard test dusts do not contain the same chemical composition as the dust we see in the air of these increasingly busy airport hubs, therefore would not stress the engine in the same way. A bespoke recipe was needed to reproduce the molten glassy deposits that cause the damage in the hottest parts of the jet engine. Combining the expertise of geologists, who are familiar with the minerals of these regions and how they break down under high temperature, with engineers who can simulate the conditions inside a jet engine, has been pivotal in developing this bespoke test dust.鈥�

This realistic testing allowed engineers to trial new coatings that better withstand heat and corrosion, and to redesign coolant holes so they are less prone to blockage.

According to Pat Hilton, Rolls-Royce鈥檚 Test Facilities Manager, the University鈥檚 contribution has helped increase the understanding of how dust behaves inside high-temperature turbines. Engine changes have been tested with the synthetic raw material and modified engines have returned to service, showing  a 60% increase in time between overhauls.

The DUST group (Drs Jones, , and )  continues to support this effort through InnovateUK-funded projects focusing on on-wing component inspection and digital tool development for virtual sand and dust tests.

The work forms part of a 拢1 billion durability programme aimed at doubling the lifespan of engines such as the Trent XWB-97 by 2028. 51福利社鈥檚 breakthrough dust replica is an important tool to achieve this goal, helping Rolls-Royce strengthen performance across its Middle Eastern fleet.

Published today in , the images reveal a series of delicate, ring-like structures that record decades of violent outbursts during the star鈥檚 early life.

The international study, which included astronomers at 51福利社, used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), one of the world鈥檚 most advanced astronomical facilities.

The team focused on a fast-moving jet emerging from SVS 13, a binary system around 1,000 light-years from Earth, capturing high-resolution images that show hundreds of nested molecular rings. Each group of rings trace the aftermath of an energetic burst during the star鈥檚 infancy.

The findings provide the first direct confirmation of a three decade old model of these jets, allowing the reconstruction of the chronological record of how forming stars feed on, and then explosively expel, surrounding material.

is a co-author on the paper and Principal Investigator of the UK ALMA Regional Centre Node, which supports UK astronomers in their use of the ALMA observatory.

He said: 鈥淎LMA has provided a level of precision we鈥檝e never been able to achieve before. These images give us a completely new way of reading a young star鈥檚 history.
Each group of rings is effectively a time-stamp of a past eruption. It gives us an important new insight into how young stars grow and how their developing planetary systems are shaped.鈥�

Stars like the Sun form deep within dense clouds of gas and dust. In their earliest stages, they undergo energetic outbursts that heat and disturb the material around them. At the same time, they launch rapid, tightly collimated jets of gas that play a crucial role in regulating how the star accumulates matter and how its surrounding disc 鈥� where future planets eventually form 鈥� evolves.

The team identified more than 400 individual rings in the jet from SVS 13, showing how its shape and speed change over time as it punches through its environment. Using this data, the researchers reconstructed the jet鈥檚 3D structure in unprecedented detail 鈥� a technique they describe as 鈥渃osmic tomography鈥�.

They found that the youngest ring matches a bright outburst observed from the SVS 13 system in the early 1990s. This is the first time astronomers have been able to directly connect a specific burst of activity in a forming star with a change in the speed of its jet.

The project involved researchers from 16 institutions across eight countries and was led by the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC) in Spain. The new ALMA observations form part of a long-running project to understand how stars and planets form, building on earlier work from the US National Science Foundation鈥檚 Very Large Array (VLA), which first revealed the jets from SVS 13.

ALMA is run by the which is operated by , and . The (UK ARC Node) is supported by .

This research was published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Full title: 'Bowshocks driven by the pole-on molecular jet of outbursting protostar SVS 13'

DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02716-2 

URL:

The study was conducted by researchers from 51福利社, Northern Illinois University and the Zoe App, and is part of ongoing efforts to build a more global understanding of LGBTQ+ identities.

The event brought people together to exchange scholarly insight, share lived experiences and highlight the interfaith work already happening across the region. Organised in response to rising levels of faith prejudice and violence across Greater 51福利社, it sought to strengthen faith inclusion, deepen civic relationships and inspire partnerships and ideas to shape future action.

Academic and Civic Panel

The evening began with an academic panel who provided perspectives on the complex landscape of religious tolerance in Britain. Professor Daniel Langton reflected on Judaism and antisemitism in the UK, Dr Kamran Karimullah discussed diversity, Islam, and Islamophobia, and Dr Cllr Eve Parker explored inequalities and patterns of religious intolerance. Professor Hilary Pilkington examined how religion can be both used and abused in narratives around religious tolerance and extremism.

A panel of civic and community voices added further insight. Kate Green, Deputy Mayor of Greater 51福利社 Combined Authority, spoke about the public sector鈥檚 role in responding to religious intolerance. Hamayoun Choudry from Cheadle Masjid and Sajjad Amin from Khizra Mosque shared ongoing work with Greater 51福利社 Citizens and 51福利社 to advance social cohesion and interfaith action. Rabbi Warren Elf offered practical insights on multi-faith collaboration, while Kelly Fowler, CEO of cohesion and integration network Belong discussed lessons learned from social cohesion practice.

Roundtable Reflections

After hearing from both the academic and civic panels, guests were invited to reflect on what they had heard through a facilitation exercise. Themes that emerged included the importance of empathy, shared humanity, challenging harmful language, and the uses and limitations of the concept of tolerance. Participants also reflected on the importance of grassroots relationships, building trust over time, and ensuring that all voices, including those often unheard, are included in future conversations.

Looking Forward

Professor Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor and chair of the event, commented 鈥�These Community Conversations exemplify our role as a civic convenor 鈥� creating space for dialogue across difference and bringing our academic experts together with members of our community. I hope everyone who joined us felt supported and sees the University as a partner in building understanding and trust.鈥�

Dr Julian Skyrme, Executive Director for Social Responsibility, added, 鈥淭his event is part of our series of Community Conversations and our Office for Social Responsibility is committed to advancing this type of work with openness and purpose. Social responsibility is a core foundation of our 51福利社 2035 strategy. As a trusted civic partner, our goal is to work alongside people and organisations in Greater 51福利社 to affect positive change.鈥�

Led and funded by researchers at 51福利社 and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Greater 51福利社 (ARC-GM), and NIHR 51福利社 Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The papers, published in The British Journal of Psychiatry, examined adults and young people who accessed the Greater 51福利社 Resilience Hub, which was established to coordinate psychological support following the attack.

The attack on 22nd May 2017 killed 22 people and around 19,500 people were present at the Arena, including concert-goers, staff, parents and emergency responders.

Adult study: timely help seeking is linked to lower levels of mental distress

The first paper analysed data from 2,627 adults who registered with the Resilience Hub during the three years after the attack. Researchers examined screening results for symptoms of trauma, depression, anxiety and problems with social or work functioning. Participants were grouped according to when they first registered鈥攆rom three months to more than three years after the attack鈥攁nd followed over time.

Those who sought help earlier were less symptomatic when they first contacted the Hub. People who waited longer to register tended to have higher levels of distress, depression and anxiety, but all groups showed improvement in mental health over time. Later registrants improved at a slightly faster rate once they engaged with support.

The analysis also showed that individuals who had more contact time with Hub staff, through assessments, therapy sessions or group workshops, tended to experience greater reductions in depression and anxiety scores.

Researchers concluded that early and sustained engagement with mental health support services can be beneficial after a traumatic event. They also found that even those who delayed seeking help experienced improvement once they accessed care.

Dr Louise Hussey, lead author and Research Fellow at the  University of 51福利社 said:

鈥淭hese papers explore how the Resilience Hub supported people affected by the 2017 traumatic event. They add to existing evidence showing the benefits of providing timely mental health support after major incidents. The research also offers valuable insight into how the Hub was developed as a rapid and ongoing response to urgent needs. This work is helping to inform future service planning and provision, with the aim of improving outcomes for those affected by similar events.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Sister paper: impact on children and adolescents

A companion study, 鈥淗as mental health changed in children and adolescents registered with a dedicated support service responding to the 51福利社 Arena attack: 3-year follow-up,鈥� examined similar data from younger registrants of the Hub. It explored how symptoms changed over time among children and adolescents affected by the attack, including those present at the Arena and those indirectly affected through family members. Researchers also looked at some of the children and adolescence mental health screening scores in relation to those provided by their parents/guardians. Parents/guardians with a higher level of mental distress were observed to assign higher anxiety scores to their child or adolescent in relation to the score reported by the young person themselves. This showed that parental wellbeing was associated with child鈥檚 mental distress indicating shared family trauma should be considered when planning care.

Together, the two studies provide a detailed picture of the psychological impact of the 51福利社 Arena attack and the long-term value of proactive, coordinated mental health support.

Wider lessons

The authors note that the findings reinforce the importance of early outreach and accessible psychological services following mass trauma events. We recommend that future emergency response planning should include systems for early identification, regular follow-up and data collection to support ongoing evaluation.

Read more about the project here:

Read both papers in full via the links below;

Anyone impacted by the 51福利社 Arena attack can still contact the Greater 51福利社 Resilience Hub on 0333 009 5071 or email gm.help@nhs.net. The Hub provides a range of specialist, psychological support services to help people affected by trauma; including supporting anyone living in Greater 51福利社 affected by the 51福利社 synagogue attack in October 2025.

The study, published in the journal , is based on interviews with 23 housing and construction specialists. It reveals widespread concern that while heating in homes has long been a priority, cooling in homes is largely overlooked, despite climate change driving more frequent heatwaves.

The researchers warn that without urgent action, residents could face increasing energy bills and worsening health risks, increasing pressure on NHS and emergency services during extreme heat.

The study highlights gaps in policy and long-term funding making it difficult for the sector to deliver energy-efficient, climate-resilient homes and short-term schemes, like the Warm Homes Grant, may not provide long-term solutions.

It also highlights a skills gap and a lack of guidance on climate-resilient home design, particularly for cooling solutions.

The report calls for urgent action to:

• Establish a national climate-resilience strategy for homes, aligning housing policy with UK climate commitments
• Provide long-term, stable funding for social housing retrofits
• Prioritise cooling, ventilation and overheating prevention alongside heating efficiency
• Strengthen training and skills programmes for low-carbon, climate-resilient construction
• Ensure equitable outcomes for low-income households as energy systems transition

Lead researcher , a PhD researcher at The University of 51福利社's Tyndall 51福利社, said: 鈥淭he UK is not moving fast enough to protect residents from the impacts of climate change. Our research makes clear that we urgently need a comprehensive climate-resilience framework - one that brings together strategy, regulation, construction practice and smart energy-demand management.

鈥淭hermal comfort is a basic human need and our social homes must be safe, affordable and resilient. Overheating is already a risk, particularly for vulnerable residents, yet cooling is barely discussed in policy or practice. From our interviews, we can see that the construction sector is ready to act, but it needs clear direction, long-term commitment and a fair policy framework from the government.鈥�

The UK is committed to building over 1.5 million new homes while achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The researchers stress that without urgent action, the UK will fall further behind these climate targets.

While the introduction of Building Regulations Part O in 2022 marked progress, the researchers say it does not go far enough to counter the long-term temperature rise projected for the UK.

Claire Brown added: 鈥淗ousing must be treated as critical infrastructure, just like schools and hospitals, if we are to meet carbon budgets while delivering more than 1.5 million new homes. Without significant systemic change, we risk locking in higher emissions, higher costs and poorer outcomes for the people who rely on social housing most.鈥�

This research was published in the journal Energy Policy

Full title: Improving energy performance and futureproofing social housing: Professional views and policy directions in the UK

DOI:

URL:

In a study published today in , the team demonstrate a completely new way of probing the tiny 鈥渢icking鈥� of the thorium-229 nucleus without needing a specialised transparent crystal 鈥� a breakthrough that could underpin a new class of timekeeping so precise it could transform navigation, communications, earthquake and volcano prediction, and deep-space exploration.

The advance builds on a landmark achievement , when the team succeeded  in using a laser to excite the nucleus of thorium-229 inside a transparent crystal - a feat the team has been working on for the past 15 years.

Now, researchers have achieved the same results using a tiny fraction of the material and with a method so simple and inexpensive that it opens the door to real-world nuclear clock technology.

鈥淧reviously, the transparent crystals needed to hold thorium-229 were technically demanding and costly to produce, which placed real limits on any practical application,鈥� explained , co-author of the research and Lecturer in Computational and Theoretical Chemistry at 51福利社. 鈥淭his new approach is a major step forward for the future of nuclear clocks and leaves little doubt that such a device is feasible and potentially much closer than anyone expected.鈥�

In the new study, the team instead excited the thorium nucleus inside a microscopic thin film of thorium oxide, made by electroplating a minute amount of thorium onto a stainless-steel disc 鈥� a process similar to gold-plating jewellery and a radical simplification of their previous method.

The thorium nuclei absorb energy from a laser and then, after a few microseconds, transfer that energy to nearby electrons so it can be measured directly as an electric current. This method, known as conversion electron M枚ssbauer spectroscopy, has been in use for years, but normally requires high-energy gamma rays at special facilities. This is the first time it has  been demonstrated with a laser in an ordinary lab.

Crucially, it shows that thorium-229 can be studied inside far more common materials than previously thought, removing one of the biggest obstacles to building practical nuclear clocks.

The technique also offers new insight into how thorium-229 behaves and decays, which could one day inform new types of nuclear materials and future energy research.

鈥淲e had always assumed that in order to excite and then observe the nuclear transition the thorium needed to be embedded in a material that was transparent to the light used to excite the nucleus. In this work, we realized that is simply not true,鈥� said UCLA physicist Eric Hudson., who led the research. 鈥淲e can still force enough light into these opaque materials to excite nuclei near the surface and then, instead of emitting photons like they do in transparent materials like the crystals, they emit electrons which can be detected simply by monitoring an electrical current 鈥� which is just about the easiest thing you can do in the lab.鈥�

Like atomic clocks, nuclear clocks rely on the natural 鈥渢icking鈥� of single atoms. But in atomic clocks that process involves electrons, while nuclear clocks use oscillations within the nucleus itself. This makes them far less sensitive to external disturbances, giving them the potential to be orders of magnitude more accurate.

Nuclear clocks could even be used to predict earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Because of Einstein鈥檚 theory of general relativity, nuclear clocks should be sensitive to small changes in the Earth鈥檚 gravity due to the movement of magma and rock deep underground. By placing nuclear clocks all over earthquake zones, like Japan, Indonesia, or Pakistan, we could watch what鈥檚 going on beneath our feet in real time and predict tectonic events before they happen.

Dr Morgan added: 鈥淚n the long term, this technology could revolutionise our ability to prepare for natural disasters. It鈥檚 incredibly exciting to think that thorium clocks can do things we previously thought were impossible, as well as improving everything we currently use atomic clocks for.鈥�

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, and also included physicists from the University of Nevada Reno, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Ziegler Analytics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universit盲t at Mainz, and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universit盲t M眉nchen.

This research was published in the journal Nature

Full title: Laser-based conversion electron M枚ssbauer spectroscopy of 229ThO2 

DOI:10.1038/s41586-025-09776-4 

URL:  

As a result of her mentorship, one of Professor Hussell鈥檚 mentees, , has gone on to receive a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship to further develop her independent research programme.

Speaking about her mentorship, her mentees describe Professor Hussell as a visionary guide: 鈥淭racy has an excellent eye for the bigger picture. [鈥�.]. She has pushed me to be ambitious in my research and encouraged me to develop my own collaborations across faculties.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

Commenting on the award, Professor Hussell said, 鈥淚 am thrilled to be recognised by Nature for something that brings me such joy: mentoring others. I have been fortunate to work with many wonderful people, and it has been an enormous pleasure to support them in any way possible throughout their lives and careers.鈥�

Professor Tracy Hussell is the Director of the  at the University of 51福利社 and President of the . She is an expert in innate immunity to lung viral and bacterial infection and in the adaptation of airway macrophages to the changing microenvironment of the lung.