Latest University of Leicester Stories

[ Watch the Video ] NASA said on Wednesday that the giant black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy may be consuming asteroids. They studied a cloud around the supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A* (Sgr A) using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Chandra has detected X-ray flares about once a day from the black hole for the past several years.  The flares also have been seen in infrared data from ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile. Researchers said asteroids...

Britain's first adult autism survey reveals previously 'invisible' group with autism New research on autism in adults has shown that adults with a more severe learning disability have a greater likelihood of having autism. This group, mostly living in private households, was previously 'invisible' in estimates of autism. Dr Terry Brugha, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Leicester, led research on behalf of the University for the report Estimating the Prevalence of Autism...

Researchers highlight high levels of doctor-patient confidence and trust A leading cancer researcher has identified very high levels of doctor-patient trust and confidence within the NHS. University of Leicester researcher Professor Paul Symonds also highlights the risk of jeopardizing this record of success if measures to become more cost effective are not carefully thought through and implemented. In two papers published this month in the journal Clinical Oncology, Professor Paul...

Ripple Effects Offers Free Interactive Learning Resource for Teachers and Parents to Address Link between Power, Prejudice and Ethnic Conflict San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) January 13, 2012 In honor of Martin Luther King, Ripple Effects (http://www.rippleeffects.com), the leading provider of digital social-emotional learning and self-directed mental health guidance tools, announced today that it is offering its award-winning tutorial, “Power, Prejudice and Preventing Ethnic Conflict” to...

University of Leicester scientists announce a major advance in understanding the regulation of an important cancer target in Nature paper Scientists at the University of Leicester have opened up a whole new approach to the therapeutic intervention for a family of anti-cancer drug targets, thanks to a completely new and unexpected finding. Professor Schwabe and his colleagues, Drs Watson, Fairall and Santos, have published their research this week in leading science magazine Nature...

Experts studying the mysteries surrounding Stonehenge have now confirmed for the first time the exact origin of some of the rocks used in the ancient monument in Wiltshire, England. The researchers -- geologists Robert Ixer of the University of Leicester and Richard Bevins of the National Museum of Wales -- have matched fragments of stone from the 5,000 year old monument with rocks found in southwest Wales more than 150 miles away. The actual site of the source is Craig Rhos-y-Felin, near...

Researchers identify enzyme that could be targeted to help body tackle LDLs Scientists from the University of Leicester and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) have announced a major advance towards developing drugs to tackle dangerous, or 'bad', cholesterol in the body. They have filed two patents for developing targeted drugs that would act as a catalyst for lowering levels of 'bad' cholesterol. Two research papers published by the academics enhance the understanding of...

Research findings challenges medical textbooks A ground-breaking international study into the ways lungs grow and develop has challenged existing medical understanding that our lungs are completely formed by the age of three. The researchers, led by a team at the University of Leicester, put forward a theory for the first time based on research evidence that new air sacs, called alveoli, are constantly being formed. This contradicts information in most medical textbooks that explain...

Worms infecting fish grow 4 times faster at higher temperatures and manipulate the behavior of fish Parasitic worms that infect fish, and have a devastating effect on fish reproduction, grow four times faster at higher temperatures – providing some of the first evidence that global warming affects the interactions between parasites and their hosts. The study from the University of Leicester revealed that global warming had the potential to change the balance between parasite and host...

Study identifies new ways to kill the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum An international team of scientists has announced a breakthrough in the fight against malaria, paving the way for the development of new drugs to treat the deadly disease. According to the World Health Organisation malaria currently infects more than 225 million people worldwide and accounts for nearly 800,000 deaths per year. Most deaths occur among children living in Africa where a child dies every 45...