The exact timeline of the recent Nepal flooding disaster is becoming clearer. At 8:37am, instruments recorded what was initially interpreted as an earthquake near ±·±ğ±è²¹±ô’s border with China. Seven minutes later, CCTV recorded the Gyirong Port border post being destroyed by a massive debris flow and flood.

flood authorities learned about the incident at about 9:00am and sent out an emergency SMS alert at about 9:15am. But by that time, Nepal was already deep into a major disaster.

The 38 minute gap between the tremor being detected and the emergency alert is striking. But it would be wrong to assume ±·±ğ±è²¹±ô’s authorities could simply have acted on the initial signal: at the time, it appeared to be a small earthquake, rather than a much rarer mountain collapse. The flood also arrived too swiftly for water-level sensors: they went almost immediately from recording normal levels to being destroyed.

The more interesting question is what a better-integrated warning system might have made possible. Could seismic readings, satellite images and other observations have been combined quickly enough to recognise what was happening and alert people further downstream?

Existing early-warning systems have often been designed around particular hazards such as regular rain-caused floods or . But this disaster was neither a Glof nor a regular flood. Instead it appears to have involved a rare, large-scale collapse of rock and ice, which turned into a devastating debris flow and flood.

As a of a strikingly similar flood in India last year argued, this type of hazard is largely absent from existing warning frameworks. As , such events are likely to happen more often.

Cascading mountain hazards that cross borders

In July 2025, a glacial lake in Tibet burst and swept down into Nepal, killing at least nine people and leaving around 20 missing in Nepal. Eleven people were also officially reported missing on the Chinese side.

After the flood, Nepal and China agreed in principle to share real-time information about floods, landslides and glacial lakes. However, despite ±·±ğ±è²¹±ô’s foreign minister during a visit to China in May 2026, no formal agreement has been signed.

Across the Himalayas and Hindu Kush mountain ranges, rivers, weather systems and infrastructure frequently span national boundaries. Our shows a hazard that begins in one place can have lethal consequences – and create new warning requirements – far downstream.

A warming climate is by thinning glaciers, thawing permafrost and destabilising slopes, even if climate change isn’t the sole explanation for every disaster. Meanwhile roads and hydropower projects are putting more people and infrastructure in threatened valleys.

Cooperation has to come before the disaster

Some cross-border early-warning arrangements already exist between Nepal and its neighbours, particularly for recurring floods. But sudden, cascading events such as the recent disaster pose a different challenge. A warning has value only if it travels the whole distance – from a sensor in the mountains, through scientific agencies, national and local authorities, to households in the valleys and plains below, in the minutes that matter.

Community-based flood warning already works in parts of ±·±ğ±è²¹±ô’s Koshi basin, where upstream gauges and trained local volunteers buy downstream villages precious time. A regional early warning system would have to link these community-level systems with national and cross-border monitoring, so that information can move from the source of a hazard to the people at risk. That means agreeing in advance what should be shared, how warnings should be passed between countries and agencies, and what action they should trigger.

That requires institutional changes and political commitment, as much as new technology. The region’s existing water treaties were written to divide flows and manage dams and barrages, not to govern cascading hazards in the high mountains. Governments could establish permanent bodies responsible for Himalayan rivers and their associated hazards. Featuring both scientists and policymakers, and linked to counterparts in neighbouring countries, these public bodies would be mandated to share data, jointly monitor glaciers, lakes and slopes, and coordinate warnings across borders.

The aim would be to make cooperation routine and sustained between disasters, rather than improvised in a crisis when events may unfold too quickly for international debate. None of this requires neighbours to resolve their wider disputes; it asks only that disaster warning be ring-fenced as shared humanitarian infrastructure that keeps working unabated.

The technologies for predicting and monitoring high-mountain hazards are improving fast. We now need more international scientific and policy cooperation, and warning systems capable of turning these observations into rapid action.

By , Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer in Environmental Management, ; , Lecturer in Disasters and Global Health, Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, ; , Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, , and , Associate Professor, Department of Geomatics Engineering,

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

University of Manchester scientists have uncovered a hidden role for immune cells in the womb, opening the door to new treatments for infertility, miscarriage and other reproductive conditions that affect millions of women worldwide.

The findings are a breakthrough in our understanding of women's reproductive biology, one of the most under-researched areas of medicine, despite infertility and pregnancy complications affecting millions of families.

The researchers hope their findings will accelerate efforts to develop targeted therapies for a range of conditions in urgent need of advancement, including recurrent miscarriage, IVF implantation failure, uterine fibrosis (scarring) and non-cancerous growths in the womb called fibroids.

Using mouse models and samples from women, specialised white blood cells called monocytes, they found, play a vital role in keeping the uterus healthy throughout the menstrual cycle.

Their findings, published in Nature Immunology today, reveal that these cells manage inflammation, repair tissue and maintain the womb lining, challenging long-held assumptions about how the uterus regulates itself.

They showed that during a healthy menstrual cycle, large numbers of monocytes move from the bloodstream into the uterus at specific times each month.

Once there, they are able to promote inflammation when needed or help repair and rebuild tissue.

Monocytes, they add, are essential for normal tissue turnover in the womb, though when missing, the uterus developed abnormal tissue structures and scarring causing problems with reproduction, with the mice having fewer pups per litter.

Using mouse models to track how immune cells in the womb develop over time, they determined that once recruited to the womb, monocytes turn into two different types of specialised immune cells (macrophages), one causing inflammation and one promoting tissue repair .

The findings were particularly striking in women with Asherman Syndrome, an often undetected condition in which scar tissue forms inside the uterus and can cause infertility, recurrent miscarriage and pregnancy complications.

The team discovered unusually high numbers of inflammatory monocytes in women affected by Asherman’s syndrome. Rather than rising and falling naturally throughout the menstrual cycle, the cells remained persistently elevated and clustered around specialised glands in the lining of the womb.

The study suggests this abnormal immune activity in mice may contribute to the development of fibrosis and scarring inside the uterus.

The work could help identify new treatment strategies, such as blocking inflammatory pathways or targeting molecules that control the movement and behaviour of monocytes, which aim to restore a healthy immune balance in the womb.

Dr , senior author of the study from The University of Manchester, said: "For many years we have known surprisingly little about the immune cells that live and work within the uterus.

“Our study shows that one type of immune cell - monocytes - are not simply bystanders but essential for maintaining a healthy womb.

“When their behaviour becomes disrupted, normal tissue repair processes can go wrong and scarring may develop.

She added: “We hope these findings will pave the way for new treatments that improve fertility and reproductive health for women affected by inflammatory womb conditions."

“The lack of knowledge in this area reflects the historic underfunding and low prioritisation of women’s health.

“One critical consequence of this is the dramatic decline in global fertility rates, set to transform global population patterns.�

• The DOI for the paper is 10.1038/s41590-026-02651-y and is available

DOI: http://xxx.

The pupils most at risk

• Pupils receiving SEN support were more than twice as likely to be suspended as pupils without SEN, while those with an EHCP also had more than twice the odds of suspension.
• Pupils eligible for free school meals were nearly two and a half times more likely to be suspended than those who were not eligible.
• Pupils reporting higher levels of peer pressure and experiences of bullying victimisation were more likely to be suspended.
• Pupils who reported they had used any substance in the past 30 days were nearly three times more likely to be suspended than those reporting no recent substance use, in part because substance use is itself direct grounds for suspension under DfE guidance.

What could help prevent suspensions?

• School belonging, satisfaction with academic attainment and positive relationships with school staff were all associated with lower odds of suspension.
• Stronger emotion regulation was also associated with lower suspension risk.
• Suspensions are associated with multiple overlapping individual and school-level factors, highlighting the need for preventative approaches that address underlying needs rather than relying solely on disciplinary measures.

The research used data from the #BeeWell programme, a youth wellbeing measurement programme led by The University of Manchester in collaboration with Anna Freud, a children’s mental health charity, and the Gregson Family Foundation.

The #BeeWell survey captures young people's wellbeing alongside factors that can influence it, including school experiences, health behaviours, peer and family relationships and neighbourhood characteristics. Survey responses can be linked with administrative data held by participating local authorities, allowing researchers to examine young people's experiences alongside information about suspension and exclusion.

The researchers analysed data from 19,064 pupils in Years 8 and 10 across 69 mainstream secondary schools in Hampshire and Southampton during the 2023/24 academic year. Around six per cent of pupils in the study had been suspended at least once during the academic year.

Looking beyond suspension and moving towards engagement

“Our findings show that suspension is not simply about what happens in an individual classroom or about a young person's behaviour in isolation,� said lead author Dr Stephanie Cahill. “Pupils' experiences of disadvantage, their relationships with peers and staff, their sense of belonging and their additional educational needs all form part of a much more complex picture.

The researchers say the findings highlight the importance of early intervention and preventative support, particularly for pupils experiencing disadvantage or additional educational needs.

Supportive relationships between pupils and school staff, as well as a strong sense of belonging, may play an important role in helping young people remain engaged with education.

The study also highlights the importance of understanding the different pathways that can lead to suspension– a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to work for all pupils.

The researchers caution that the study identifies associations rather than causal relationships. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying these patterns and how schools can most effectively intervene to prevent suspensions.

“We recognise that the current climate within education has meant that many teachers are working under very challenging conditions and that often ‘blanket’ approaches are taken due to limited capacity,� said Professor Neil Humphrey. “In order to ensure more work can be done to understand individual pathways and prevent suspensions, there needs to be increased support for schools from the government.�

You can find helpful resources from #BeeWell on school belonging

Publication details

The study was published in the British Educational Research Journal.

DOI:

A by University of Manchester scientists says sophisticated lab-grown tumours could help fast-track the search for new cancer treatments while reducing reliance on animal testing.

Publishing in the British Journal of Cancer, the researchers assessed biomaterial-based cancer models using advanced materials known as hydrogels.

The models recreate key features of tumours in the lab, offering a potentially quicker way to study how cancers grow and spread.

The technology could also help scientists identify promising drugs more quickly by providing a realistic testing environment before treatments reach clinical trials.

However, the researchers stress that animal studies will remain an important part of cancer research for the foreseeable future, often providing valuable evidence about disease and drug safety.

And unlike animal research, the new technology cannot yet replicate the whole-body complexity needed to assess all aspects of drug efficacy and safety.

Hydrogels, which are derived from synthetic, plant, human or animal cells, act like a scaffold and closely mimic the environment surrounding cancer cells inside the human body.

The technology allows scientists to add cancer cells and other cell types to three-dimensional structures, creating miniature tumour ecosystems that reflect what happens in patients better than conventional two-dimensional models.

The three-dimensional tumour models are designed to mimic real cancers more closely, recreating key features such as cell interactions and drug resistance.

Two-dimensional cell cultures often fail to replicate the complexity of tumours, leading to promising drugs appearing effective in the laboratory only to disappoint in later testing.

Eve Tipple, a PhD researcher from The University of Manchester and lead author of the review, said: “Though animal research will remain for the foreseeable future, continued advances in biomaterials could pave the way for a new generation of cancer models that are relevant to human disease.

“This technology might help researchers make better decisions earlier in the drug development process and accelerate the arrival of life-saving treatments for cancer patients worldwide.

“The technology could cut the number of animals used in research, save millions of pounds, and speed up the search for life-saving treatments.�

Cancer remains one of the world's biggest killers despite huge advances in treatment, and one major reason is that most new drugs never make it to patients.

For decades, researchers have relied on simple 2D cell cultures grown on flat plastic surfaces.

But these models fail to capture the complexity of real tumours, which contain intricate networks of cells, tissues and chemical signals.

As a result, drugs can appear highly effective in the lab only to disappoint in later testing.

She added: “Cancer is far more than a collection of diseased cells because the environment surrounding a tumour strongly influences how it grows, spreads and responds to treatment.

“Biomaterial-based models allow us to recreate many of these complex conditions in the laboratory with a level of control that was previously impossible.

“This gives researchers a powerful platform to study cancer biology, improve drug testing and ultimately help bring effective treatments closer to patients.�

• The paper Using biomaterial-based 3D in vitro cancer models to solve current clinical problems DOI .
• Image shows a 3D model

There is no credible scenario in which expansion at Heathrow can go ahead without blowing a hole in the UK’s legally binding climate targets, new modelling published by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at The University of Manchester reveals today.

The report, commissioned by the environmental justice organisation Friends of the Earth, provides the first detailed analysis of whether Heathrow expansion is compatible with the UK’s legal carbon budgets.

Recent approvals of airport expansion at Gatwick, Stansted Luton and many other locations mean that UK aviation is already projected to exceed its share of the Seventh Carbon Budget (2038-42) by between 21 and 50%, depending on how much sustainable aviation fuel materialises. That is before any Heathrow expansion takes place.

The analysis concludes that the two technologies relied upon to enable passenger growth or airport expansion to fit within carbon budgets – Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGR) – are not even close to being on track for sufficiently capacity within the required timeframe.

The report concludes that Heathrow expansion cannot credibly meet the UK’s climate targets thanks to three key findings:

• Aviation emissions: The UK’s aviation sector will already exceed its share of the Seventh Carbon Budget by around 40%, even before Heathrow expansion is considered. The research highlights how even the government’s own modelling reaches a similar conclusion.

• Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF): Based on existing evidence SAF would be unable to close the emissions gap. Even optimistic deployment of this technology would leave aviation above its carbon budget share. Previous studies have shown that current SAF production methods face major structural constraints or compete with agriculture for land and water, just as farmers have experienced what could be the worst harvest on record and are already warning about the impact of the climate crisis on food production.

• Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGRs): GGR describes methods that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it long-term, such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage. The report highlights how global GGR deployment is significantly off track and that no engineered removal plants are operating yet in the UK. Despite this, aviation emissions modelling heavily relies upon future potential GGR to offset additional emissions. Even before any airport expansion is taken into account aviation is the biggest projected user of GGR capacity. On top of this, these scenarios all depend on SAF pulling its weight; if SAF fails to deliver, even more GGR will have to be deployed. The report concludes that the building capacity for more aviation demand before large scale GGR facilities are operational is inconsistent with taking climate targets seriously.

• Non-COâ‚‚ impacts are not accounted for: Aviation's full warming effects are not captured within carbon budgets. Non-COâ‚‚e impacts including from nitrogen oxides and contrails, account for around two-thirds of aviation's climate warming and should be incorporated into future climate targets.

What do the researchers say?

The lead researchers, , and recommend decisionmakers reject any proposed expansion at Heathrow Airport.

Dr Lois Pennington, Research Fellow at the Tyndall Centre said:

“Every aviation scenario the UK Government has published overshoots the carbon budget Parliament has legislated, before a third runway at Heathrow is even taken into account.

“Our analysis shows that aviation cannot continue to grow if the sector is to make a proportionate contribution to meeting the UK’s carbon budgets. Sustainable aviation fuels and carbon removals can contribute to limiting aviation emissions, but there is currently no evidence that these technologies can support the scale of aviation expansion envisaged by the government.

“Further aviation expansion carries a significant risk of exacerbating climate impacts by relying on the growth of technologies that are unlikely to materialise in the timescale needed.

“The UK is experiencing another exceptionally hot summer, while record-breaking severe wildfires have burnt across Western Europe. The Government must reassess the case for expansion. Climate policy must be grounded in what we can demonstrate and evidence, rather than what we hope may become possible.�

Mike Childs, head of policy, science and research at Friends of the Earth, said:Ìı

"After this summer of record-breaking heat and nearly 3,000 excess deaths, this third runway is the equivalent of pouring petrol on a raging wildfire.

"The evidence is clear: there is no route where expansion at Heathrow can be in line with our legally binding climate targets. Suggesting that sustainable aviation fuel and greenhouse gas removals can enable airport expansion is simply trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes.

"The government has a choice: commit to taking action on the climate seriously, reject Heathrow expansion and constrain excessive flying, or abandon the UK's climate targets and future generations by giving the third runway the go ahead.

"With a weak economic case to support expansion set against a huge impact on the climate and communities, this is the opportunity for the new Prime Minister to truly set a precedent by turning his back to corporate lobbying and say no to a third runway at Heathrow."

The public consultation on the government's Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS) closed earlier this week on Tuesday 1 September, the same day that members of parliament returned from recess to scrutinise the proposal.

Friends of the Earth and the Tyndall Centre are calling on the UK Government to reject Heathrow expansion and ensure future aviation policy remains consistent with legally binding carbon budgets under the Climate Change Act.

Read the full report here:

Professor Konstantinos Stathopoulos is a leading corporate governance scholar whose research examines how companies are governed and how corporate decision-making affects different stakeholders. His work has a particular focus on executive compensation and the ways in which poor governance practices can affect stakeholder wealth. More recently, his research has examined the interests and influence of stakeholders, including employees, in corporate decision-making and governance.Ìı

He is Vice President of the International Corporate Governance Society, Chair of the Corporate Governance Special Interest Group of the British Accounting and Finance Association and an Otto Mønsted Visiting Professor at Copenhagen Business School. He was Editor-in-Chief of Corporate Governance: An International Review from 2019 to 2024.

Professor Andreja Zevnik is an interdisciplinary scholar whose research explores political resistance, protest, race, identity and marginalisation.

Her work draws on psychoanalysis, continental philosophy, and postcolonial theory to examine how political identities and forms of resistance are produced. Her recent research has focused particularly on the racialisation and political mobilisation of Roma communities in Europe, Black Lives Matter and other forms of anti-racist political mobilisation. Her research with colleagues has also helped to raise awareness of antigypsyism and strengthen political representation and advocacy among Roma communities in Slovenia.

“Our newest Fellows represent some of the most influential voices in social science today,� said Will Hutton, President of the Academy of Social Sciences. “Their work is expanding knowledge, challenging assumptions and generating insights that are informing and even redefining decision making across government, business, education and civil society.�

“I am delighted to welcome these leading experts to the Academy, and look forward to working with them to raise the profile and impact of the social sciences across the UK and beyond.�

Using South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope, the international team measured radio emissions from neutral hydrogen dating back to a time when the Universe was several billion years younger than it is today.

The findings, published in , demonstrate the potential of a technique known as hydrogen intensity mapping, which allows astronomers to study vast regions of the cosmos more efficiently than ever before.

Key findings

• Researchers directly detected the hydrogen intensity mapping signal using MeerKATradio observations alone.
• The signal comes from hydrogen that existed when the Universe was several billion years younger than today
• The measurement traces cosmic structures across scales of millions of light years.
• The results validate hydrogen intensity mapping as a practical new tool for cosmology, enabling scientists to probe the large-scale structure of the distant Universe.
• The technique could help future telescopes map the Universe more efficiently than traditional galaxy surveys.

How hydrogen intensity mapping works

Neutral hydrogen naturally emits a faint radio signal known as the 21-centimetre line. As the Universe expands, this signal is stretched to longer wavelengths, allowing astronomers to observe hydrogen at different stages of cosmic history.

Rather than detecting individual galaxies one by one, hydrogen intensity mapping measures the combined radio emission from many unresolved galaxies. This makes it possible to study enormous volumes of the Universe and build a three-dimensional picture of its structure.

Until now, reliable detections of this signal at these distances have typically relied on combining radio observations with optical galaxy surveys. In this new study, however, the team has directly detected the hydrogen intensity mapping signal using MeerKAT radio observations alone.

The team analysed around 96 hours of observations from MeerKAT and detected the signal from two periods in cosmic history, corresponding to emissions that have travelled approximately four to five billion years before reaching Earth. The measurements trace hydrogen across scales of several million light years - comparable to the distance between the Milky Way and its neighbouring galaxy Andromeda.

What the researchers say

“This is a very exciting milestone,� said Dr Sourabh Paul, lead author of the study. “Hydrogen intensity mapping has long been seen as a promising way to map the Universe efficiently, but the signal is extremely faint and difficult to isolate from foreground emission, human-made radio-frequency interference, and instrumental effects. Detecting it directly with MeerKAT shows that this technique is becoming a practical tool for cosmology.�

“This was a challenging data analysis process, requiring a detailed understanding of the many sources of contamination that can affect such a faint measurement,� Professor Santos added. “It is particularly remarkable that the data used in this study were taken in 2018, when MeerKAT had only just started science operations. There is now a rich trove of MeerKAT data waiting to be explored with this method.�

The researchers say the work opens up new opportunities to measure neutral hydrogen over cosmological distances and study how galaxies form and evolve over cosmic time.

Dr Zhaoting Chen, co-author of the study, said: “Neutral hydrogen is one of the key ingredients for understanding how galaxies form and evolve.

“With intensity mapping, we do not need to detect every individual galaxy. Instead, we can measure the collective signal from hydrogen across large cosmic volumes, giving us a new way to study both galaxy evolution and the underlying matter distribution of the Universe.�

The detection also has important implications for future cosmological surveys. Hydrogen intensity mapping is expected to become a major science driver for the Square Kilometre Array Observatory, for which MeerKAT is a precursor telescope.

co-author of the study from Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at The University of Manchester, added: “MeerKAT continues to open new windows for cosmology. The fact that this signal can be extracted from observations that were not originally designed for hydrogen intensity mapping is very encouraging. It shows the enormous scientific value of MeerKAT data and points the way to future observations with SKAO.�

The researchers say future observations covering larger areas of the sky and using longer observing times will enable astronomers to map hydrogen in even greater detail, helping reveal how galaxies formed, how dark matter shapes the cosmic web, and how the Universe has evolved over billions of years.

Publication details

The study was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:

Key points

• In the age of AI, business communications start to look more alike.

• The researchers generated AI-augmented twins of more than 26,000 real-world crowdfunding campaign descriptions. Across the resulting AI-augmented versions, there was substantially less variation than across the original human-written narratives. Among other differences, the AI-rewritten pitches varied 43% less in how abstract their language was, and variation in length and writing quality fell by around 80%.

• As AI makes polished communications easier to produce, audiences likely develop more demanding expectations about the quality of these communications.

• Business owners may increasingly need to provide evidence for the claims they make about their businesses, as audiences become less willing to rely on plausible-sounding statements alone.

• Cultural competence and storytelling skills could even become more valuable, rather than less, as it becomes more challenging to craft effective business communications in the age of generative AI.

What the experts say

"Generative AI can support entrepreneurs in many aspects of storytelling, but it cannot substitute for the cultural understanding required to navigate an increasingly complex evaluative environment," said lead author Dr Karl Taeuscher from The University of Manchester’s Alliance 91Ö±²¥ Business School. "Business owners will still need to understand their audiences, recognise cultural expectations and know how to position their businesses in ways that are both credible and distinctive."

The researchers caution that the study presents a plausible scenario rather than a prediction, as both AI technology and social norms surrounding its use are changing rapidly. The analysis of AI-augmented crowdfunding descriptions is intended to illustrate the research’s central argument rather than to test it.

Publication details

The research was published in the journal Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice.

DOI: .

A common but often overlooked cause of high blood pressure may be hiding in plain sight – and data from a pioneering wearable device could hold the key to its earlier diagnosis, according to new research.

The study, published in the journal concerns a condition called primary aldosteronism – a hormone disorder which affects up to one in five people with high blood pressure and puts them at higher risk of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other major health problems.

Researchers from the University of Manchester and the University of Bristol in the UK, the University of Bergen in Norway, and partners in Stockholm and Athens found that patients with the disorder experienced bursts of hormone production during the day as well as in the night while asleep, when routine blood testing is rarely carried out.

Thanks to an ingenious portable device, developed at the University of Bristol, the hormone levels of patients were able to be monitored round-the-clock in their homes rather than a hospital or research unit. This means hidden irregularities could be uncovered, which may normally go undetected by current testing methods, leading to earlier detection of health conditions.

91Ö±²¥ co-lead author , Clinical Research Fellow in Automated Sampling Clinical Fellow at the University of Bristol, and Senior Clinical Fellow at Bristol Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Primary aldosteronism is an important cause of high blood pressure and the most common cause of secondary hypertension we see in our blood pressure clinic. It could be affecting millions of people in the UK. However, due to the way hormones change during the day and the current complexity of the diagnostic process, diagnosis is often delayed or never made at all.

“In our study, patients were monitored at home during normal activity, and this allowed us to see how hormones changed over time in realistic settings. This approach could potentially revolutionise how we diagnose hypertension and ultimately reduce cardiovascular disease – particularly heart disease and strokes – that could have been prevented.�

The proof-of-concept investigation continuously monitored hormone levels every 20 minutes in 60 patients from Bristol, Bergen, Stockholm, and Athens, over a 24-hour period. The patients all wore a lightweight device – which is the size of a mobile phone and attaches at the waist – allowing hormones to be measured from the skin, while they carried out normal daily activities, including sleeping at night.

Called U-RHYTHM, the technology was adopted and advanced by the spinout company Dynamic Therapeutics in 2023.

91Ö±²¥ senior author , UKRI Future Leader Fellow at the University of Manchester, said: “By continuously monitoring hormones over 24 hours, we were able to reveal a previously hidden pattern of nocturnal hormone bursts. This gives us a much clearer understanding of the disease and could ultimately help doctors detect it earlier and treat patients more effectively.

“A more detailed mathematical and computational analysis of daily hormonal profiles could eventually also help uncover earlier and more subtle forms of the disease, opening new opportunities to improve outcomes for patients living with high blood pressure.�

Computational analysis of data from the device allowed researchers to track changes in aldosterone, the hormone responsible for regulating salt and water balance in humans, along with two closely related hormones known as 18-hydroxycortisol and 18-oxocortisol.

Ìı

Existing tests may be missing patients because the study results showed aldosterone levels do not stay high all the time. Furthermore, the researchers found that even among some of the most severe cases of the disease, there were periods when hormone levels dipped below the minimum thresholds used to diagnose the condition.

Rather than finding persistently raised hormone levels, the researchers discovered repeated night-time bursts of hormone secretion while the day-night rhythm remained intact.

These hormone spikes, produced by the adrenal glands, were particularly prominent in patients whose disease was caused by a problem in only one adrenal gland rather than both. The abnormal hormone patterns disappeared after surgical removal of the affected adrenal gland, providing further evidence that the bursts were directly linked to the disease.

91Ö±²¥ co-author , Professor of Medicine at the University of Bristol and inventor of the U-RHYTHM technology, added: “The findings suggest that clinicians may need to rethink how they look for the disorder which the Endocrine Society clinical practice guidelines now recommend should be considered for all people with hypertension, also known as high blood pressure.

“Future diagnosis could move away from single time point blood tests and towards tracking the body's hormone rhythms over time, particularly the overnight patterns that appear to hold crucial clues to disease. Further research is needed to define the best clinical pathways, using dynamic hormone measurement, to ensure early diagnosis of this common and potentially curable cause of high blood pressure.�

The research was funded by EU Horizon 2020, the Trond Mohn Foundation, the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Medical Research Council, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation, the Swedish Medical Research Council and Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

The findings support the University of Bristol's research 'Grand Challenge' focus on Understanding and Preventing Cardiovascular Disease and builds on NIHR-funded initiatives aimed at earlier identification of people with hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors.

• Tissue corticosteroid rhythms are dysregulated predominantly during sleep in primary aldosteronism’ in . DOI: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.aeb7517

The $4.3 billion Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA's next flagship astrophysics mission that will investigate the nature of dark matter and dark energy, study how galaxies have evolved over cosmic time, and discover more than 100,000 planets beyond our Solar System.

Using a powerful 2.4-metre mirror, Roman will conduct fast, detailed scans of the sky in infrared light. The telescope will combine Hubble-quality imaging but with a field of view that is more than 200 times larger. Scientists estimate that observations Roman can complete in a day would take the Hubble Space Telescope around four years to achieve.

The mission will also generate an unprecedented volume of data. Roman is expected to capture around 1.4 terabytes of observations every day, producing more than 500 terabytes of data each year. By comparison, the Hubble Space Telescope has collected around 400 terabytes during more than 35 years of operation.

Dr Eamonn Kerins, from Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at The University of Manchester was appointed by the European Space Agency to the Roman mission. He leads the Exoplanet Demographics Working Group for the Transits in the Roman Exoplanets Survey (TRExS), one of two science teams working with Roman data to find planets around other stars. TRExS will focus on planets orbiting closer to their host star.

Dr Kerins is also a member of the Roman Galactic Exoplanets Survey (RGES). RGES will use the gravitational lensing effect to find planets further out from their hosts. Roman is the first survey to combine two detection methods to gain a more complete picture of distant planetary systems. Dr Kerins was also part of the Roman Observations Time Allocation Committee (ROTAC), the NASA panel responsible for determining the mission's final survey design.

The mission is expected to discover more than 100,000 planets orbiting other stars, dramatically increasing the number of known exoplanets and helping astronomers build the most comprehensive picture yet of planetary systems across our galaxy. NASA Senior Project Scientist Julie McEnery, who helps to lead Roman's scientific programme, is also a Physics alumna of The University of Manchester.

Scientists believe about 25% of the Universe consists of dark matter and around 70% of dark energy, yet neither is fully understood. Roman will study tiny changes in the shapes of millions of galaxies to map the distribution of matter and dark matter and trace how galaxies evolved. The mission will also investigate how the Universe has expanded over time and why that expansion appears to be speeding up, with dark energy thought to be the driving force behind it.

Beyond its studies of exoplanets and the dark Universe, Roman will observe black holes, quasars and other rare cosmic events, providing astronomers with new insights into some of the most extreme objects in the Universe.

The mission follows the launch of the European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope in 2023, another major international astronomy mission involving researchers from The University of Manchester. Together, Euclid and Roman will provide complementary observations that will help scientists better understand the evolution and structure of the Universe.

Roman is expected to operate for at least five years, producing vast quantities of data that will be used by astronomers around the world to address some of the most important unanswered questions in astrophysics.

Roman is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA on 30 August 2026 at 07:26 EDT /12:26 BST / 13:26 CEST. Watch the launch live via NASA’s channel. Follow for updates.

Key findings

• Presenteeism is no longer simply about going into work while sick - people can now work while unwell from home or elsewhere.
• Digital technology can make it harder to switch off, with employees potentially feeling pressure to remain available through email, messaging platforms and other workplace technology even outside normal working hours.
• Mental health needs to be recognised alongside physical illness when considering why people work while unwell, as existing research has focused heavily on physical sickness.
• Working while ill can take different forms - from completing a normal working day remotely to doing only urgent tasks or checking emails intermittently.
• Employers should consider whether workers have flexibility to reduce their hours or workload when ill, rather than treating working while sick as an inherently good or bad behaviour.

Presenteeism is no longer just about physical presence

The researchers propose redefining presenteeism as the “behaviour of attending work in the state of suboptimal health, with varied location choices and degree of engagement�.

This means that presenteeism should be understood not simply in terms of whether someone turns up to work, but also where they work, what health problem they are experiencing and how much effort they put into working.

The authors argue that existing approaches to measuring presenteeism are too narrow because they generally focus on how often people go to work despite being ill, or on the extent to which illness affects their productivity. Instead, they propose a three-dimensional framework based on health, location and engagement.

Eight ways of working while unwellÌı

The first dimension considers whether presenteeism is triggered by a physical or mental health problem. The second considers whether someone works on-site or remotely. The third considers whether they work a full schedule with normal levels of engagement or reduce their hours and effort. Together, these dimensions produce eight different forms of presenteeism.

For example, an employee with a physical illness might go into the workplace and work a full day, while another might stay at home and only deal with urgent requests. Someone experiencing anxiety or depression could similarly work either remotely or on-site, with either full or reduced engagement.

The researchers say this approach could help distinguish between situations where working while ill may be harmful and situations where employees are able to adapt their work in ways that allow them to protect their health while meeting essential responsibilities.

The paper also highlights concerns about inequality in access to flexible working. Remote working is not available to everyone, meaning that some workers may be able to adapt their working arrangements when ill while others have little choice but to attend their workplace.

What the experts say

“The world of work has changed dramatically, but our understanding of what it means to work while sick has not necessarily kept pace with this transformation,� said Professor Cary Cooper, 50th Anniversary Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at The University of Manchester. “Technology has given people much greater flexibility over where and when they work, but that flexibility can become a trap if employees feel they have to be available all the time.�

Making flexibility work for employees

The authors argue that future research should examine whether giving employees greater control over their location, working hours and workload can make presenteeism a more adaptive behaviour. They also call for greater attention to mental health-related presenteeism, which they say has been relatively neglected by existing research.

The researchers stress that working while sick should not automatically be regarded as either positive or negative. Instead, they argue that understanding how someone works while unwell - and the circumstances surrounding that decision - is essential to understanding its effects on health and performance.

The paper concludes that organisations need to strike a balance between maintaining performance and protecting employee wellbeing as digital technology continues to reshape the workplace.

Publication details

The paper was published in journal Health Psychology Research.

DOI:

In recent weeks, a range of open letters have been published highlighting the importance of Jodrell Bank, e-MERLIN and the wider radio astronomy capabilities based at the Observatory. Support has come from leading figures in science, culture and public life, as well as from organisations representing the international radio astronomy community.

Lending their voices to support the positive impact, which the whole of the Jodrell Bank site has given to UK science and culture, signatories include Professor Brian Cox, Sir Brian May, Tim Peake, Chris Hadfield, Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Simon Armitage, Johnny Marr, members of New Order and Elbow, Jarvis Cocker and Christopher Eccleston. Many have longstanding links with Jodrell Bank through public engagement programmes, artistic collaborations and the Bluedot festival.

Alongside this, letters have been received from international research organisations, observatory directors, scientific advisory groups and astronomy institutes from across the UK and Europe. Together, they underline the value placed on Jodrell Bank's scientific capabilities, its role in training future generations of scientists and engineers, and its contribution to international research partnerships.

The letters follow the announcement that funding for e-MERLIN, the UK's national radio telescope network operated from Jodrell Bank Observatory, is due to end in March 2028 unless alternative support can be secured.

At the heart of Jodrell Bank's scientific work is e-MERLIN, the UK's national radio telescope network. By linking seven radio telescopes across England, it enables scientists to study the universe with a level of detail comparable to some of the world's most advanced astronomical instruments.

The University has made clear its commitment to securing the future of the Lovell telescope and radio astronomy at Jodrell Bank and is continuing discussions with partners on potential long-term funding solutions.

The growing body of support from across the scientific community and beyond, underlining the importance of Jodrell Bank to research, skills, education and inspiration for future generations.

Find the full list of letters here:

It is the culmination of over a decade of international collaboration by of The University of Manchester, Professor Juan Ruso of the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain and Dr Natalia Hassan of the Metropolitan Technological University in Chile.

The discovery could have far reaching implications on the treatment of clotting disorders like haemophilia or the healthcare for patients on blood thinners like warfarin, as scabs forming on the surface of blood are vital to sealing a wound and keeping the site free of infection.

It could also explain aspects of how a lung can collapse in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), as fibrinogen disrupts the oily layer that keeps the airways open during breathing.

It may also transform the design of biosensors that allow people to monitor how their blood is performing, as the sensors rely on understanding how proteins disrupt those surfaces.

For more than twenty years the field has relied on a ‘single tilting layer’ model for fibrinogen where the long protein molecules lay flat on the surface at first and then leaned upright as more of them arrive.

But the new study, published in the on today (20/08/25), shows the benchmark model missed that fibrinogen stays lying flat and builds multiple layers that stack like sheets of paper. These layers grow thicker and more complete as more molecules arrive.

This new information helps to explain how the long protein molecules line up on the surface of blood where fibres called fibrin form the basis of the scab, a solid film formed during evaporation of fluid at the blood surface, that seals a wound.

The scientists used an advanced technique called neutron reflectometry at the part-UK-funded Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in France, where Dr Campbell was formerly based.

The team demonstrated that this behaviour holds true across multiple ranges of concentration and in very different solution conditions, showing the mechanism is not a rare quirk but a universal feature of fibrinogen when it contacts air.

Principal investigator Dr Campbell explained: "It's never easy challenging an established model of how molecules behave in nature.

“But through using the advanced technique neutron reflectometry on the FIGARO instrument at the ILL research facility, we could see the structure of these protein surfaces in more detail than scientists had seen before.

“Although lab data recorded in the past was compatible with the concept of a ‘single tilting layer’ model, our new data show multiple layering as a fundamentally different way of working.�

Dr Glenn Coope, a former PhD student at The University of Manchester but now based at Lund University in Sweden, said: "When the covid-19 pandemic struck, I spent time analysing structural data of how fibrinogen gathered at liquid surfaces while working from home.

“Then after returning to work at the University, I applied additional experimental methods.

“It’s almost like we now have a full circle moment, as our findings may help scientists to understand better the behaviour of fibrinogen in the lungs of patients suffering from ARDS, a condition that tragically claimed so many lives during the pandemic.�

Dr Campbell added: “Our discovery sheds new light on how scabs form on the surface of an open wound, where fibrinogen works in a protein‑rich zone to stop bleeding.

“Having better understanding of the structure of fibrinogen at liquid surfaces can only help in the search for new and better treatments for patients whose wound refuse to heal.�

• The paper Redefining Fibrinogen Self‑Assembly at the Air–Water Interface: An Intriguing Story with Multiple Layers is published in Journal of the American Chemical Society. DOI
• Other researchers from the University of Manchester and Institut Laue-Langevin contributed to the study

In a survey of 4,270 adults from across the UK, the researchers found that 79% had already used some form of self-monitoring, ranging from tracking blood pressure and blood sugar to monitoring fitness, diet, eyesight, hearing and mental wellbeing.

Published in the journal Ìıthe findings suggest self-monitoring could play a major role in helping people spot health problems earlier and take greater control of their wellbeing.

The study was part-funded by a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Senior Investigator award to lead researcher Professor Kevin Munro and was supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: 91Ö±²¥â€™s Hearing Health Theme.

The results chime with the Governments aspirations for health monitoring technologies to be part of routine care to support proactive health monitoring and preventative action.

The study also found that 86% of respondents would be willing to monitor at least one aspect of their health if recommended by the NHS.

Trust in the technology was high, with between 70% and 94% of participants saying they trusted the results produced by self-monitoring tools.

More than three-quarters (78%) said they would be happy for their results to be sent automatically to their GP.

The researchers say the findings highlight growing public support for a future in which patients can play a more active role in managing their health from home.

People who used self-monitoring said the main benefits included increased awareness of their health, a greater sense of control, easier access to information, more balanced conversations with healthcare professionals and improved psychological support.

However, the study also revealed that participants reported concerns including anxiety, obsessive testing, confusion about results, poor motivation to continue monitoring and worries about technology.

And between 14% and 38% of people said they would take no action if self-monitoring identified a potential problem, depending on the health issue being monitored.

Younger adults and people with higher levels of education were more likely to use self-monitoring, while men, older adults, those living in deprived areas and people with lower education levels were less willing to do so.

The researchers say these differences risk creating new health inequalities if self-monitoring becomes a larger part of healthcare in the future.

Lead researcher from The University of ManchesterÌı said: "Our findings show that self-monitoring of health is already a normal part of life for many people across the UK and that there is strong public enthusiasm for doing more of it in the future.

“Self-monitoring has huge potential to support earlier detection of problems, encourage preventative action and help people take greater control of their health.

Professor Munro, who is also an NIHR Senior Investigator added: “However, we must ensure that nobody is left behind and that these technologies are introduced in ways that are accessible, understandable and equitable for all sections of society.

“Nevertheless, self-monitoring could help transform healthcare through more proactive and preventative approaches thoughÌı further research is needed to ensure it can be used effectively and fairly alongside traditional clinical care.â€�

• The paper Use, trustworthiness and willingness to self-monitor health and personal wellness: a UK population survey is available . DOI 10.1186/s13690-026-02035-6
• Image created with AI

The common statistical mistake, they warn in a new in PNAS on 10 08 26 – one of the world’s leading scientific journals - could be leading researchers to draw the wrong conclusions from their data.

A p-value, which measures how surprising the observed data would be if there were truly no effect, of greater than 0.05 does not, they say, show there is 'no effect'.

However, the interpretation remains widespread in about 50% of research papers and conference presentations, according to sources.

Instead, the authors say, a non-significant result simply means there is insufficient evidence to conclude a difference exists, not proof that a difference does not exist.

Crucially, the same statistical result can arise either because there is genuinely no meaningful effect or because an important effect is hidden by small sample sizes or highly variable data.

The researchers argue that failing to recognise this distinction risks oversimplifying scientific findings and may cause potentially important effects to be overlooked.

With many studies not having a large-enough sample size to detect the real difference, reporting that there is none can miss promising therapies or fail to detect genuine risk, derailing subsequent research in the area.

Equivalence testing, they say, guards against declaring an effect unimportant when the data cannot support that claim. A small or noisy study will usually return an inconclusive result rather than a verdict of no difference, which is the honest answer.

To address the problem, the team is promoting a statistical approach known as equivalence testing.

Rather than asking whether there is evidence for a difference, equivalence testing asks whether any difference that exists is too small to matter in scientific, clinical or practical terms.

The method allows researchers to distinguish between effects that are genuinely negligible and results that remain inconclusive because there is not enough reliable evidence.

They focus on the two one-sided tests procedure, or TOST, which has already gained traction in psychology, medicine and pharmaceutical regulation but remains underused across many areas of the life and natural sciences.

Wider adoption of equivalence testing, they add, could improve the quality of scientific reporting and help prevent non-significant findings from being misrepresented as evidence of no effect.

Co-author, Professor of Cardiac Physiology from The University of Manchester, said: “Researchers are often interested in whether an effect is absent or too small to be important, but traditional statistical testing cannot answer that question.

“A non-significant result is frequently interpreted as proof that nothing happened, when it may simply mean there is not enough evidence to be certain.�

Co-author Jakub Tomek from the University of Oxford said: “Equivalence testing helps separate genuinely trivial effects from unresolved questions, giving scientists a much clearer picture of what their data are actually telling them and improving confidence in the conclusions that are reported.

“We hope the method will encourage more careful interpretation of scientific data and improve the way research findings are reported, understood and acted upon.�

To make the approach more accessible, the team has also developed a free that allows researchers to perform common equivalence tests without writing computer code.

The calculator supports a range of widely used statistical comparisons and has been validated against established statistical software.

Co-author Aaron Caldwell from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences added: "Equivalence testing forces you to answer a question most studies never ask: how small is small enough to be uninteresting?

“�That is a scientific judgement, not a statistical one, and it has to be made before the data are collected. The payoff is that you can finally say something affirmative about an absence of effect rather than just failing to find one.�

• The paper Beyond “Non-Significantâ€� Results: Why and How to Test for Practical Equivalence is available . DOI

The 2026 ARWU ranking places 91Ö±²¥ 51 in the world, 14 in Europe and sixth in the UK. It reflects the University's continued strength as a research-intensive institution rooted in 91Ö±²¥ and connected across the world.

The results also show improvements in two of the ranking's most prestigious indicators: Highly Cited Researchers and publications in Nature and Science. These measures point to the reach and influence of research carried out at 91Ö±²¥.

The ranking is published annually by ShanghaiRanking and is widely regarded as one of the world's most influential assessments of university research performance.

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, said: “These results are welcome recognition for 91Ö±²¥, however we must continue to improve in an increasingly competitive international higher education landscape.

“I am grateful for the hard work our colleagues contribute every day to advance knowledge, transform lives and deliver impact beyond the University.

"As we implement From 91Ö±²¥ for the world, our strategy to 2035, we will continue to focus on excellence and doing work that makes a difference to the communities we serve."

The University of Manchester’s 2035 strategy is a long-term commitment to transforming our teaching, research, social responsibility, and partnership for the public good.

The ARWU result adds to 91Ö±²¥'s strong performance across other major 2026 rankings, including 40 in the , 56 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 and The University is also ranked fifth in the UK for employability in the 2026 Times Higher Education Global University Employability Ranking, and remains the most targeted university by the UK's top 100 graduate recruiters.

Professor Sarah Gaffen will join from the University of Pittsburgh where she currently holds the Gerald P. Rodnan endowed chair in the Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology and is director of Basic Rheumatology Research.

Prof. Tracy Hussell, outgoing Lydia Becker Institute Director said: “Every institute benefits from a fresh perspective and I’m thrilled with the appointment of Professor Sarah Gaffen as the next director of the Lydia Becker Institute. She shares the same energy and enthusiasm I have for thinking beyond traditional research silos and boundaries. We also share the desire to promote and nurture people at all stages of their career�.

Prof. Gaffen’s work focuses on T cell cytokines, especially the interleukin-17 (IL-17) superfamily, where her team has shown how molecular signalling mechanisms protect the body against fungal infections (like Candida albicans) or dysregulate immunity to drive autoimmune diseases including psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Prof. Gaffen earned her BSc from and her PhD from , followed by postdoctoral training at , where her seminal research investigated the molecular aspects of interleukin-2 (IL-2) signalling pathways in lymphocytes.

After launching her independent academic career at the State University of New York at Buffalo, she transitioned to studying the enigmatic IL-17 superfamily of cytokine receptors, becoming one of the first in the field to evaluate its signalling pathways and its role in mucosal infections, in particular oral fungal infections caused by Candida albicans.

She also served as Vice President and President of the International Cytokine & Interferon Society and is a Fellow of the AAAS, American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association of Immunologists.

She said: “I am delighted to take on the role of Director of the Lydia Becker Institute at such an exciting time for immunology at The University of Manchester. The critical role of the immune system in virtually all disease conditions not to mention healthy ageing, next-generation drugs and vaccines, is clear. The ecosystem in 91Ö±²¥ - with its diverse expertise across immunology as well as ties to the NHS trusts - provides opportunities to bridge immunology across disciplines.

“I’m eager to work with partner centres and institutes, including and the in fields such as cancer immunology, neuroimmunology, and women’s health.Ìı I am personally passionate about mentoring and inspiring the next generation of scientists, especially fostering a diverse and inclusive training environment to bring out everyone’s best scientific potential.

“Relocating from the US to lead the institute is an exciting, admittedly daunting, new chapter in my career.Ìı I am already facing 91Ö±²¥â€™s ultimate test: choosing my football team!â€�

Prof. Gaffen will take over leadership of the Becker from our current director Prof. Tracy Hussell on January 1^st 2027. Tracy spearheaded the establishment of the institute and will step down after eight years in the role.

Prof. Hussell will now look forward to dedicating more of her time to developing the next generation of scientific talent. Having recently received the Nature Lifetime Achievement Award for Mentoring in Science for her career-long commitment to guiding emerging researchers, she is eager to lean further into this passion.

She said: "I will now focus on my mentorship role and providing assistance to Sarah whenever she needs it. Watch this space, there are exciting times ahead!"

“If I had to pick a few highlight from my eight years as Becker Director, they would be the diversification of Manchester’s immunology portfolio through our excellent body of early career fellows, our strength of interaction with 91Ö±²¥â€™s NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, our interdisciplinary interactions through our Wellcome Trust 4-year Immunomatrix in Complex Disease PhD programme and finally our new MRC Centre of Research Excellence in Exposome Immunology led by Judi Allen and Fiona Powrie.

Prof. Gaffen joins the Lydia Becker Institute at a particularly important time for 91Ö±²¥ immunology as we are just establishing our MRC Centre of Research Excellence in Exposome Immunology and currently uniting many of our core immunology teams within the University's AV Hill Building to form a Becker Immunology Hub.

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester said: “I am delighted that Sarah will be joining The University of Manchester. She is an outstanding choice to lead the Lydia Becker Institute, bringing internationally recognised expertise in clinically-relevant cytokine biology and a strong commitment to mentoring and developing researchers. Sarah’s vision and leadership will build on the Institute’s existing strengths, helping to drive innovation, deliver real-world impact, and further enhance our world-leading immunology research.�

Key findings and recommendations

• China’s state support for green industries is effectively subsidising the global transition to a low-carbon economy.

• China has become dominant in the so-called ‘new three’ green technologies - batteries, electric vehicles and solar power.

• Attempts by countries such as the US and EU states to compete with China could slow the adoption of green technologies and increase the cost of decarbonisation.

• Governments increasingly face four broad choices - compete with China, cooperate with it, accept Chinese dominance, or abandon parts of the green transition.

• The UK should strengthen cooperation with China on green technologies rather than trying to compete directly.

• The UK should continue to avoid tariffs on Chinese green technologies and seek Chinese investment in UK manufacturing.

A global climate dilemma

The report says China now occupies a leading position across many of the technologies needed for the green transition including solar, wind, batteries, hydrogen and electric vehicles. Its dominance has helped drive down the cost of these technologies, but this has also created growing geopolitical and economic tensions.

“China’s dominance of green technology presents a fundamental dilemma for governments,� lead author Dr James Jackson of The University of Manchester’s Sustainable Consumption Institute. “The world needs these technologies to decarbonise, but efforts to compete with China risk making the transition more expensive and more difficult.�

The authors argue that countries should focus more heavily on cooperation - particularly where access to affordable green technologies is essential to meeting climate targets.

Opportunities for the UK

The report identifies green technology as an opportunity to improve UK-China relations following a period of strained diplomatic ties. It recommends that the UK should seek closer trading relationships with China, while maintaining the ability to challenge Beijing on other issues such as human rights.

Among its recommendations, the report says the UK should encourage Chinese EV manufacturers to establish production facilities in Britain, while using the country’s expertise in financial services to support investment in green technologies. It also recommends that the Bank of England consider measures used by China’s central bank to support the development of green industries.

Publication details

is published by The University of Manchester. Dr Jackson is the lead author, alongside Mathias Larsen of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics.

The kidneys have a vital role in continuously clearing toxins from the body. AKI is a common clinical syndrome in which the kidneys stop working properly. It affects up to 1 in 5 people in hospital, usually as a complication of a severe illness or major surgery. 1 in 3 people with AKI experience it recurrently. Researchers highlight multiple missed opportunities in optimising continuing care after hospital discharge.

Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and supported by the NIHR Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC): Greater 91Ö±²¥ this is the first major investigation of post-discharge care for people with AKI to cover widespread care in general practices (GPs) across England. The study was published in today (12 August).

Researchers analysed the healthcare of more than 209,000 patients in England who had been discharged from hospital after an episode of acute kidney injury (AKI), using records from over 1,400 general practices (GPs). They found that the recommended clinical guidelines for continued follow-up care were often not followed, suggesting that AKI is not receiving sufficient attention at handover from hospitals to primary care.

Why follow-up care after AKI matters

Even after hospital discharge, people who have had AKI remain at a high risk of poor outcomes, including emergency hospital readmission, recurrent AKI and other acute severe illnesses, the development of lasting chronic kidney disease, and major adverse cardiovascular events.

Current recommendations are that when a patient who has experienced AKI is discharged from hospital back into the community, primary care should have a central role in supporting recovery, ensuring safe follow-up, and minimising the risk of worsening health. However, the study identified multiple gaps in post-AKI care as patients transition across care settings.

In the study, only 19% of hospital AKI episodes were documented in primary care records within 30 days of discharge using the recommended codes for AKI. The proportion was even smaller among people aged under 60 years and those who had major surgery.

The study evaluated not just documentation, but also clincal action. Despite regular contact with primary care healthcare professionals, many people did not receive simple recommended blood and urine tests to assess kidney health. Younger individuals and those without already known and documented health concerns were least likely to receive tests. Yet, these are often people who stand most to gain, because early action can help prevent avoidable health problems being stored up into the future.

The study concluded that improvements in the sharing of discharge information and follow-up after AKI could help identify people at risk sooner and improve outcomes for those transitioning from hospital to community care.

, GP and Professor of Primary Care at The University of Manchester and NIHR Greater 91Ö±²¥ PSRC, said: “Despite a decade of improvement initiatives in the UK, little was known about how closely primary care follows clinical guidelines after an episode of acute kidney injury.

Our study highlights the urgent need to implement kidney health strategies more effectively across both primary and secondary care. Improving post-AKI care requires greater adoption of a ‘kidney mindset’ and better integration of kidney health into existing services, helping to improve outcomes for patients transitioning from hospital to community care.�

Prof director of the NIHR Greater 91Ö±²¥ PSRC, said: “Patient safety depends on delivering the right care at the right time, particularly during transitions between healthcare settings. This study highlights significant opportunities to strengthen the follow-up care offered to patients after AKI, providing valuable evidence to inform future improvements in care for this population.â€�

Key recommendations for strengthening post-discharge care for AKI patients:

• Improve communication and sharing of information at discharge, to ensure that arrangements for follow-up care after AKI do not become lost during transition across care settings.
• Strengthen the implementation of kidney health strategies across primary and secondary care, including clear discharge arrangements and case-specific guidance on discharge summaries.
• Better resource these implementation strategies to strengthen follow-up care across multiple areas, such as early and ongoing patient engagement; coordination across care interfaces; and protocols to ensure clear delegation of responsibilities.
• Improve the identification and monitoring of kidney disease after AKI, including routine recording of AKI diagnoses and recommended blood and urine tests.

Podcast recommendation – Lost in Transition: How Care Gaps Impact Patient Safety

Transitions in care are high-risk moments for patient safety, whether from hospital to home, mental health settings to the community, or between healthcare services. An episode of the Voices for Safety podcast explored research insights into how to make transitions across care settings safer for patients. Prof Tom Blakeman, co-author of this post-discharge AKI study, is one of the guests in this special episode, sharing insights into AKI follow-up care.

The paper Examining variations in adherence to guideline-recommended post-acute kidney injury care in primary care in England: A population-based cohort study, published in BMC Medicine, is available at

Publication details

The study was published in the Journal of Sex Research.

DOI: .

Key findings

• AI adoption is heavily concentrated in London, the South East and larger businesses, meaning its economic benefits could reinforce existing regional and productivity inequalities

• The country lacks the computing and energy infrastructure needed to deliver the Government’s ambitions, which could consume more than a quarter of the UK’s electricity

• Poor-quality, fragmented data and outdated IT systems could hamper AI adoption across government

• Skills shortages are holding back AI adoption, particularly among smaller businesses and in the public sector, despite years of government investment in digital skills

• AI is not a ‘magic bullet’ for Britain’s economic and public-service problems, and rapid expansion could create new environmental, social and governance risks

Unequal benefits and risks

Researchers Nathan Critch and Darcy Luke say years of short-term and fragmented policymaking by successive governments have left the UK with significant infrastructure and capacity gaps which could undermine Labour’s plans.

The Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan includes plans to increase UK AI computing capacity twentyfold by 2030, develop AI Growth Zones, establish a National Data Library and expand the use of AI across government and the wider economy.

The researchers warn that the benefits of AI are unlikely to be shared evenly across the UK without policies specifically designed to encourage wider adoption.

Only 15% of UK businesses had adopted at least one AI technology in 2022, with adoption particularly concentrated among larger companies. AI adoption was highest in IT and telecommunications and legal services, while it was much lower in hospitality, health and retail - sectors which employ large numbers of people.

AI firms and businesses using AI are also heavily concentrated in London and the South East.

The study argues that this creates a risk that AI will make already productive businesses and regions even more productive, while areas and sectors which have struggled with low productivity are left further behind.

UK lacks infrastructure for AI boom

The UK currently has only around 3% of the world’s computational power - much of which is not optimised for AI - leaving the country dependent on cloud computing provided by large technology companies.

The researchers warn that expanding computing capacity will place enormous demands on the UK’s energy infrastructure. They estimate that a twentyfold increase in UK computing capacity could increase the energy consumed by AI infrastructure from around 3.6 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2020 to 72 TWh – more than a quarter of the UK’s total electricity consumption.

This creates a tension between the Government’s AI ambitions and its commitment to reaching net zero, particularly given constraints in the electricity grid and limited energy storage capacity. The researchers also highlight the water required to cool data centres as a potential environmental constraint.

Poor data and outdated technology

The study identifies the quality and accessibility of government data as another major obstacle. A National Audit Office survey found that 62% of responding government bodies identified a lack of access to good-quality data as a major barrier to implementing AI. Government data is often held in fragmented systems and legacy IT infrastructure, while data held by local authorities can be siloed across incompatible systems.

The researchers argue that these problems will make it difficult to deliver the Government’s plans for AI-enabled public services without significant investment in underlying digital infrastructure. They also warn that the public sector faces persistent digital skills shortages, with problems particularly acute in local government.

Skills shortages could limit AI adoption

Despite a relatively strong range of AI-related training in the UK, demand for AI skills continues to outstrip supply.

Smaller businesses are particularly disadvantaged because larger companies can offer higher salaries and attract workers with scarce AI expertise. The researchers also highlight a lack of in-work training, vocational education and further education provision compared with the emphasis placed on higher education.

These problems could limit the Government’s ambitions to use AI to improve productivity across the economy and make public services more efficient.

Decade of AI policy leaves UK with major gaps

The researchers argue that Labour’s approach is part of almost a decade of increasingly active government policy on AI, stretching back through the Conservative governments of Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. They describe this pattern as “hyperactive incrementalism� - characterised by short-termism, fragmentation, limited evaluation and repeated policy initiatives.

While the UK has developed an internationally significant AI sector, the researchers say this should not be confused with widespread adoption of AI across the economy.

Successive governments have focused heavily on developing the UK’s AI sector, they argue, but have been less successful at encouraging businesses and public services across the country to adopt AI. The result is a significant gap between the Government’s ambitions for AI and the infrastructure, skills and organisational capacity needed to deliver them.

AI is not a ‘magic bullet’

The researchers argue that there is currently little evidence that AI can, by itself, deliver the broad improvements in productivity, government efficiency and public services envisaged by policymakers.

They also warn that rapid AI expansion could create new problems, including threats to data protection and civil liberties, surveillance, deskilling and unemployment, and increased environmental pressures.

What the researchers say

“AI adoption is currently concentrated in the businesses, sectors and regions that are already among the most productive,� said Darcy Luke from The University of Edinburgh’s BRAID (Bridging Responsible AI Divides) Research Programme. “Without policies that encourage much wider adoption, there is a real risk that AI will reinforce existing inequalities rather than reduce them.�

The researchers conclude that while Labour’s plans represent the most comprehensive attempt by a UK Government to harness AI, the scale and depth of the barriers involved mean that AI may ultimately become “another problem for an already problem-laden government, rather than the solution it is hoped to be.�

Publication details

The paper was published in the journal The Political Quarterly.

DOI:

The Mental Health Digital Innovation (MHDI) workstream has been launched as one arm of the UK Government’s Mental Health Goals Programme as a new national initiative designed to accelerate the infrastructure and development to support adoption of digital technologies that improve mental health outcomes across the UK.

Despite rapid advances in digital technologies, many promising mental health tools struggle to move beyond pilot projects and achieve widespread adoption. Fragmented infrastructure, complex procurement processes, lack of demand signalling, unclear reimbursement pathways and limited coordination between stakeholders have created significant barriers to innovation reaching patients and services at scale. MHDI has been established to build practical pathways that help digital innovations move from development and evaluation into routine care.

brings together people with lived experience of mental health problems, clinicians, industry partners, innovators, researchers and investors to create a more connected and effective ecosystem for digital mental health innovation.

The MHDI workstream is being led by the University of Manchester, with workstream leads Professor Pauline Whelan (University of Manchester, CareLoop Health Ltd) and Dr Trina Histon (Director of Percolating Health) who will work closely with partners: H, (MH-TRC), , NHS organisations, academic institutions, industry partners and people with lived experience of mental health conditions.

MHDI's mission is to make it easier to design, test, adopt and scale digital mental health technologies across the UK.

The initiative will support a broad range of innovations, including digital technologies, digital mental health interventions, digital therapeutics, remote monitoring tools, data-driven decision support systems, wearable technologies and emerging approaches that can improve mental health care and research.

Central to MHDI's approach is the belief that people with lived experience of mental health conditions must be involved throughout the innovation pathway. By creating stronger partnerships between service users, industry, researchers and healthcare providers, MHDI aims to ensure future digital solutions are both clinically effective and meaningful to the people who use them.

The programme will focus on:

• Developing user-centred, industry-aligned digital infrastructure and services.
• Creating clearer pathways for procurement, reimbursement and implementation.
• Supporting NHS organisations through practical implementation guidance and digital navigation support.
• Accelerating the adoption of proven technologies across health services.
• Encouraging sustainable investment models that combine public and private sector support.
• Strengthening the UK's position as a global leader in digital mental health innovation.

For innovators, MHDI will help simplify engagement with the NHS by improving access to guidance, partnerships, investment opportunities and routes to scale.

For NHS organisations and clinical teams, the initiative will promote coordinated national support, reduce duplication of effort and provide practical assistance for adopting new technologies effectively.

For people and communities, MHDI will ensure that more high-quality digital mental health solutions reach those who need them, are easier to access and are better integrated into care pathways.

The initiative has been shaped by extensive engagement with stakeholders and recommendations emerging from national workshops on digital mental health implementation. These recommendations highlight the need for a clear national digital mental health strategy, stronger integration of lived experience, enhanced evaluation approaches and greater support for workforce capability.

By creating clearer pathways for adoption and fostering collaboration across sectors, MHDI aims to remove longstanding barriers to innovation and help establish the UK as a leading destination for digital mental health research, development and implementation.

For more information and future updates on Mental Health Digital Innovation, visit the MHDI or follow on LinkedIn.

Key findings

• Urban canals reduce daytime temperatures by an average of around 0.8°C within their immediate surroundings, typically 20–50 metres away from the water
• Cooling is strongest during spring and early summer, reaching around 1.2–1.4°C
• During heatwaves, canals can lower nearby temperatures by 1.5–2.3°C
• The cooling effect substantially reduced the number of hours when people in the vicinity of canals would experience moderate and high heat stress
• Around 6.2 million people live within one kilometre of Britain's urban canal network, meaning millions could potentially benefit from these cooling effects

Using a new energy balance model, developed by researchers in the Geography, Planning and Engineering departments, the research simulated the thermal behaviour of more than 2,300 canal sections across Great Britain and Ireland over an entire year.

The researchers found that while canals produce a small warming effect overnight because water retains heat longer than surrounding surfaces, this effect is relatively minor compared with the cooling benefits during the day.

Improving health and wellbeing

The researchers also assessed how canals affect thermal comfort during hot weather.

Their modelling showed that incorporating the cooling effect of canals reduced the number of hours classified as posing moderate heat risk by around 58%, while hours of high heat risk fell by around 74%. In many locations, canals eliminated periods of extreme heat risk altogether, although the researchers caution that this is partly counter-balanced by rising humidity, which also influences people's comfort during hot weather.

The findings suggest canals could help reduce heat-related illness, improve wellbeing and encourage people to stay active and walk and cycle during hotter weather, in turn allowing access to nature and reducing carbon emissions through active transport.

"As climate change makes heatwaves more frequent and intense, cities need every available tool to help people stay safe and comfortable,� said lead author Dr Matt Tomkins. “Our research shows that canals, which were originally built to power the Industrial Revolution, could now play an important role in helping cities adapt to climate change.�

"The cooling effect is modest on an average day, but during heatwaves it becomes much more significant, reducing nearby temperatures by more than two degrees in some locations. Even relatively small reductions like these can make an important difference to people's health and wellbeing during periods of extreme heat."

Supporting climate-resilient cities

The researchers say that alongside urban heat regulating services, which have been estimated to provide economic benefits of by reducing losses in labour productivity caused by hot days, the studied canals could play a role in reducing carbon emissions, both through enabling active transport during hotter periods and potentially reducing the demand for energy-intensive air-conditioning.

“Accessible blue and green spaces result in wider health and wellbeing benefits for society� says co-author Dr. Joanne Tippett. “The cooling that canals offer could help more people to stay active and access these spaces even during hot days. This highlights the importance of not only protecting our urban canals, but also thinking about how to increase signposting and access, connectivity with other green infrastructure, and wider awareness of these vital networks of urban cooling�.

They emphasise that canals are not a complete solution to rising urban temperatures, but argue they should form part of a wider package of climate adaptation measures alongside parks, trees, sustainable drainage and other forms of green and blue infrastructure.

The study also provides a new modelling approach that could be applied more widely to assess how similar waterways contribute to cooling in other cities around the world, and to complement insights gained from field-based measurements, modelling, and satellite-based observations.

Publication details

The study was published in Nature Communications.

Funding, data, and support for this project was provided by the Canal and River Trust, with the research generously supported thanks to funds raised by Postcode Lottery players.

DOI:

Building on more than a decade of success, brings together five leading northern universities to support healthcare professionals to become the next generation of research leaders.

Director of Forward North Professor from the University of Manchester, said: "I am delighted that we can continue to offer doctoral training fellowships for healthcare professionals over the next five years.

“By working together across the North, we can help more healthcare staff develop research careers and generate the discoveries and innovations needed to improve patient care and health outcomes."

The renewed programme builds on a strong track record of supporting healthcare professionals to undertake PhDs.

It will also introduce new pre-doctoral opportunities to help more people enter research, provide enhanced support for early career researchers, and strengthen partnerships with organisations including the Nuffield Foundation, STEM Learning and the Francis Crick Institute.

Through expert mentoring, interdisciplinary collaboration, industry engagement and specialist training, Forward North will help develop future research leaders equipped to tackle some of the North's biggest health challenges.

A virtual launch event will take place on 18 August from 11.30am to 1pm, providing information about the next round of fellowship applications and an opportunity to ask questions.

You can join the event

The researchers analysing the records of more than 1.4 million people found that social prescribing – where patients are referred to support such as community groups, exercise schemes or financial advice – was linked to an early rise in healthcare use, followed by a small drop in GP appointments.

The study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and published in eClinical Medicine.

Social prescribing became a key part of NHS plans in 2019, with thousands of link workers recruited across England to connect patients with community support.

It has become a central part of NHS efforts to address the wider social factors that influence health, including loneliness, housing problems, debt and inactivity.

Despite the scheme's rapid expansion, until now there has been little robust evidence showing whether social prescribing affects NHS demand, healthcare use or costs.

The findings come from one of the largest studies of its kind, using anonymised NHS records from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), covering around a quarter of England’s population.

The research team compared 168,699 patients referred to social prescribing between July 2019 and April 2022 with more than 1.3 million similar patients who were not referred.

In the first six months after referral, patients receiving social prescribing had an average of 2.25 more contacts with healthcare services than those who were not referred – a rise of around 24%.

The increase was largely driven by more visits to primary care services and attendance at planned outpatient appointments in hospitals.

This, they say, may reflect patients becoming more proactive about managing their health and seeking help for conditions that might previously have gone untreated.

But by one year after referral, the picture had changed.

The increase in healthcare contacts had fallen substantially and patients referred to social prescribing were attending slightly fewer GP appointments than those who had not been referred.

Despite the higher number of healthcare interactions, the overall cost to the NHS was virtually unchanged.

The study found healthcare costs were less than 0.1% higher among referred patients, a difference researchers described as clinically insignificant.

The small increase in spending was mainly linked to additional secondary care admissions.

Lead author from The University of Manchester said: “Our findings suggest that social prescribing may encourage people to engage with healthcare services in the short term, particularly with planned and preventative care.�

“Importantly, we found that this increase did not translate into meaningful increases in overall healthcare costs, and by one year patients were having slightly fewer GP appointments.�

“This could indicate that social prescribing helps direct people towards more appropriate forms of support while reducing pressure on general practice.�

She added: “Better integration between social prescribing data systems and electronic health records will be needed to understand whether patients who fully engage with these services gain even greater benefits.�

Charlotte Osborn-Forde , CEO of the National Academy for Social Prescribing added: "There is now strong evidence that social prescribing leads to improved wellbeing and that it can support people with a range of health conditions.

"This research provides useful analysis of how referrals to link workers affected healthcare use during the COVID pandemic, potentially leading to a long-term fall in GP appointments.

"It also shows the need for further exploration of how to account for the unmeasured social needs that lead to a referral for social prescribing, and better data on support received after the referral, to track the impact of social prescribing more robustly."

• The paper "Changes in healthcare use and cost associated with referrals to social prescribing link workers in England: a matched case-control cohort studyâ€� is published in eClinical Medicine. DOI

And opening windows during hot weather, they show, almost certainly exacerbates the problem of indoor air pollution caused by the fires.

The University’s Canalysed real time indoor air-quality records from 23 Greater 91Ö±²¥ homes monitored between 1 and 26 July 2026, during two periods of wildfire activity in the nearby Pennine hills.

Every monitored home in the Cystic Fibrosis Trust funded study exceeded the World Health Organization’s 24-hour guideline for fine particle pollution on 17 July, when outdoor smoke levels peaked.

The preliminary analysis, which has not yet undergone peer review, also showed when households opened widows as temperatures climbed to over 33C , the problem seemed to get worse.

, based at The University of Manchester and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), led the analysis of PM2.5, particles produced by smoke small enough to travel deep into the lungs, where they can harm health.

During the wildfires, overnight bedroom PM2.5 spiked from an average of 2.7 micrograms per cubic metre to 7.8 with windows closed and 11.8 with windows open. Closing windows reduced exposure, but levels remained 2–4 times higher than normal.

In some homes, concentrations in the bedroom overnight rose to well over 100 micrograms per cubic metre, many times higher than the levels normally recorded in those homes.

Levels of indoor-generated pollution, such as volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide, actually fell during this period as participants opened windows to cool their homes, allowing the outdoor pollution in.

The researchers say that following the UK Health Security Agency’s guidance on wildfire smoke by staying indoors and closing windows should help reduce the pollution.

Levels, they say, did not rise as much in homes where windows appear to have remained closed though this did not prevent all outdoor smoke pollution from getting in.

The researchers are also currently working on a Greater 91Ö±²¥ Local Innovation Partnership funded study, the Retrofit Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Innovation Centre to investigate measures that may help further combat indoor pollution, for example during periods of wildfire, and during intensely hot weather.

That could include the use of air purification and integrated ventilation systems, improved sleeping arrangements and other measures.

One of the researchers from The University of Manchester, said: “These findings show the difficult challenges that people face during periods of wildfires and high environmental temperatures.

“Following the simple but often repeated instruction of going indoors and shutting the windows will only give you some protection from wildfire smoke, and keeps heat in the home. Both smoke and heat can make breathing worse for those with chronic lung conditions.

“During July’s fires, in every home we monitored we found the effects of smoke was present indoors at potentially harmful concentrations levels, especially during periods when the heat forced people to open windows.

“We saw this in homes up to 60km away from the wildfires on the moors outside 91Ö±²¥.â€�

, lead Environmental researcher for the group said: “The findings support advice to close windows while smoke levels are high, but show that this cannot completely prevent smoke infiltration and may increase the risk of overheating.

“The challenge is that this advice can be difficult to follow during very hot weather, particularly in homes that are prone to overheating.

“We need clearer, evidence-based guidance that helps households reduce exposure to both smoke and heat. I hope this new data can support these decisions.

“We are now investigating practical measures, including air filtration and approaches to keeping homes cool, so that people - especially those with existing respiratory conditions - have better options during future extreme events such as these.�

Dr Bannan added: “Wildfire smoke contains tiny particles and gases that can irritate the lungs and make respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis, asthma and COPD worse.

“Exposure to wildfire smoke can increase symptoms including coughing, wheezing, breathlessness and chest tightness, and may trigger severe flare-ups that require medical treatment.

“That is why people with existing respiratory diseases as well as children, older people and other immunocompromised people are also at greater risk of respiratory infections, hospitalisation and other serious health complications during wildfire events.�

Dr Sharon Weinberg, a clinical research fellow at The University of Manchester added:

said: “While our study examines the impact of PM2.5 on lung health, poor air quality affects far more than the lungs.

“Elevated PM2.5 exposure is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular events—including heart attacks, strokes, and thrombosis.

“It is also associated with headaches and migraines, highlighting that the health consequences of air pollution extend well beyond people with chronic respiratory disease.�

Laura Beattie, who has cystic fibrosis and is taking part in the study, said: “I found it really hard during the heatwave and the wildfires.

“You could see and smell the smoke for days, and it made my breathing worse. I was more breathless, and had to restrict myself to staying indoors. I also noticed that my sputum went dark from the smoke - I've never seen it like this before.

“We can all see wildfires becoming more common, and research like this is so important for people like me with chronic lung conditions.�

• The is still recruiting people with CF across the UK, including in the 91Ö±²¥ and Merseyside regions where the air quality monitoring is included as an optional part of the study. The Pulse-CF Innovation Hub is part of the Translational Innovation Hub Network for CF Lung Health & Infection, funded by Cystic Fibrosis Trust and LifeArc. Though these findings are not yet peer reviewed, the research team felt it was in the public interest to release the figures.

Collecting rainwater from rooftops and using it to spray buildings during hot weather could help cities cut air conditioning use, lower urban temperatures and lessen the impact of heatwaves, according to new research from The University of Manchester.

Cities around the world are facing rising temperatures, putting pressure on public health, infrastructure and energy systems. As people rely more on air conditioning to stay cool, energy demand increases and waste heat released from buildings can make urban areas even hotter.

Urban watering technologies are becoming important ways for reducing extreme heat in cities, but their use is often limited by the availability of water.

How does rainwater keep cities cool?

In the study, published in , researchers used process-based numerical simulations and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to test a system that stores rainwater collected from rooftops and automatically sprays it onto buildings during hot weather.

Using Tokyo as their case study, they found that cooling rooftops, the system reduced the amount of energy needed for air conditioning. The cooler roofs transferred less heat into buildings, while lower air conditioning use meant less waste heat was released into the city. Together, these effects helped reduce urban temperatures, cutting the number of heatwave days overall and lessening the intensity of extreme heat events.

What do the reserchers say?

Lead author Dr Zhonghua Zheng, Co-Lead for Environmental Data Science & AI at 91Ö±²¥ Environmental Research Institute (MERI) and Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Data Science and Environmental Analytics at The University of Manchester, said: "Cities around the world are facing growing challenges from extreme heat. Air conditioning can help keep people safe and comfortable, but it also consumes large amounts of energy and releases additional heat into the urban environment.

"Our study shows that harvesting rainwater from roofs and using it strategically for cooling could provide a practical way to reduce both energy demand and urban temperatures.

"What is particularly encouraging is that the benefits become even greater during hotter years, suggesting this approach could become increasingly important as the climate continues to warm.�

How would the rainwater sprinklers work?

The study suggests that when the sprinklers switched on - for example, when the roof reached a certain temperature - had a greater impact than either the size of the tank or the amount of water applied. The researchers also found that bigger is not always better. Very large tanks delivered only modest additional reductions in energy use and extreme heat, while applying extra water did not always lead to more cooling because some of it remained on the roof instead of evaporating.

The researchers say the approach could help local authorities and urban planners evaluate how rainwater-based cooling systems might work in their own regions while balancing practical considerations such as cost, water availability and local regulations.

Can rainwater cooling help with other urban challenges?

As cities continue to grapple with rising temperatures, the team believes roof-based rainwater cooling systems could form part of a wider suite of urban climate adaptation measures designed to improve resilience and protect public health.

Junjie Yu, PhD researcher at The University of Manchester, added: “The rainwater tank also provides an additional co-benefit on reducing the extreme urban runoff. This approach exemplifies a ‘natural solution to natural challenges’, in which rainwater serves as a natural resource to mitigate both thermal stress and hydrological extremes.�

Published in on 5 August, the University of Manchester and University of Connecticut team has revealed how a little-known protein helps keep one of the body's most powerful biological signals under tight control.

Their findings could eventually help researchers develop new ways to tackle conditions linked to fibrosis, a process in which excessive scar tissue forms in organs and prevents them from working properly.

Fibrosis can affect the lungs, liver, kidneys and other organs, and is thought to contribute to millions of deaths worldwide each year.

At the centre of the discovery is a signalling molecule called transforming growth factor beta, or TGFβ.

This molecule plays a vital role in the body, helping cells grow, communicate with each other, respond to injury and repair damaged tissue.

However, when there is too much active TGFβ it can trigger the build-up of scar tissue, contributing to a range of serious diseases.

Because of its powerful effects, the body normally keeps TGFβ locked away in an inactive state until it is needed.

They used advanced imaging, called cryo-electron microscopy, engineered human cell lines and 3 dimensionalÌı computer simulations to reveal how a key protein regulates TGFβ activity.

The study revealed for the first time how a protein known as latent TGFβ-binding protein 1, or LTBP1, helps build and stabilise this storage complex.

The researchers discovered that LTBP1 does far more than simply hold TGFβ in place.

Instead, it acts as a key regulator, helping to keep the molecule safely stored while also influencing how it is released.

The team showed how LTBP1 forms a crucial connection with TGFβ and helps determine how much physical force is needed before the signalling molecule can become active.

This mechanical control system ensures that TGFβ is only switched on in the right place and at the right time.

The findings provide an important new understanding of how the body regulates one of its most influential signalling pathways.

The scientists believe the work could help guide future efforts to develop treatments that selectively control TGFβ activity in disease.

Lead author Professor Clair Baldock from The University of Manchester said: “TGFβ is one of the body's most important signalling molecules because it influences how cells grow, communicate and repair tissue.

“But when its activity is not properly controlled, it can contribute to diseases such as fibrosis, where excessive scar tissue damages healthy organs.

“Our study has revealed in unprecedented detail how LTBP1 helps store and regulate TGFβ, and how the structure of this protein complex affects the forces needed to activate it.

“By understanding this process more clearly, we have uncovered a new layer of biological control that could help researchers develop more precise therapies in the future.�

“WeÌı hope our discovery will provide a foundation for future studies aimed at preventing harmful scarring while preserving the body's normal repair mechanisms.â€�

• The Structural basis for the contribution of latent TGFβ binding protein to TGFβ latency and activation is published in on 05/08/26 DOI
• Image of microscope created with AI
• The study was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and The Wellcome Trust.

Their discovery, published in the world leading journal on 04/08/26, centres on activated dendritic cells, a specialised population of immune cells that orchestrate the body’s attack on cancer.

To make the discovery, the researchers developed the first mouse models capable of specifically labelling or removing activated dendritic cells.

This allowed them to determine exactly how activated dendritic cells contribute to anti-cancer immunity.

The models are expected to accelerate research into activated dendritic cells across cancer, infections and autoimmune diseases.

Until now, scientists have struggled to understand precisely how activated dendritic cells contribute to anti-cancer immunity because suitable models did not exist.

Using the new models, the team showed that activated dendritic cells are indispensable for effective anti-cancer immune responses.

Without them, cancer-killing T cells could neither be efficiently activated nor maintain their strength once inside tumours.

As a result, both spontaneous immune control of cancer and the efficacy of immunotherapy were impaired.

First author Maria Koufakis said: “Modern immunotherapies rely on strong and coordinated immune responses, yet many people still do not benefit from these treatments.�

“If we can find ways to boost activated dendritic cells, we may be able to strengthen the immune system’s response to cancer and help more patients benefit from immunotherapy, including some whose cancers currently resist treatment.�

Senior author said: “Activated dendritic cells do not just launch the anti-tumour immune responses, they are also essential for sustaining them within the tumour itself.

This changes how we think about their role and opens up new opportunities to improve cancer immunotherapy.�

The work was funded by Cancer Research UK, with additional support from the European Molecular Biology Organization and the Italian Association for Cancer Research UK.

Research Information Manager at Cancer Research UK, Dr Marianne Baker, said: "Immunotherapies that harness our immune system to beat cancer are saving lives, but we don't yet understand why they work for some people and not others.

“The models developed as part of this study could help scientists unlock ways to boost these revolutionary treatments via dendritic cells, a type of immune cell.

“We need more research to get there, but this work could help to solve unanswered questions in cancer immunotherapy and beyond."

• Image: ÌıAi-rendered 3DÌırepresentation of activated dendritic cell with a coral-coloured nucleus, highlighting the use of the new reporter model. The nucleus of the cells of interest has been labelled scarlet.

• CCR7⁺Ìıactivated dendritic cells are essential for spontaneous and immunotherapy-driven anti-tumor immunity, published in Immunity is available . DOI DOI:Ìı

The research, and funded by the NIHR Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC): Greater 91Ö±²¥, is the largest review of its kind and analysed evidence from 74 clinical trials conducted over 23 years.

The review found that digital patient safety tools in primary care can be beneficial - particularly when they combine multiple features, such as automated prescribing or missed test reports for doctors alongside digital communication tools for patients.

According to the findings, digital interventions currently being used in clinics:

• improved medication safety by 46% when compared to usual care, reducing high-risk prescribing and dosing errors
• improved non-medication safety processes by 77% when compared to usual care, including faster diagnostic checks and more timely laboratory monitoring
• reduced physical patient harm and adverse events by 17% when compared to usual care, helping to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, asthma attacks and serious adverse drug reactions

The study highlights several specific digital technologies that were shown to enhance patient safety, improve communication and treatment decisions, and reduce diagnostic delays.

One of the digital tools highlighted is the UK-developed PINCER programme, which uses electronic health records to help GPs and pharmacists identify and prevent incorrect prescribing. The programme showed that digital systems can improve safety at scale while supporting better use of NHS resources.

The success of PINCER has also inspired new digital innovations, such as the , develoved through a partnership between researchers from the NIHR PSRC: Greater 91Ö±²¥, NHS partners and industry. SMASH is a digital medication safety tool that helps clinicians identify and address medication risks more quickly and consistently. Early evaluation in Salford, for example, covering more than 235,000 patients across 43 GP practices, showed a 40% reduction in hazardous prescribing within 12 months.

By embedding evidence-based safety indicators into routine clinical practice, SMASH helps clinicians identify and address medication risks more quickly and consistently. Early evaluation in Salford, for example, covering more than 235,000 patients across 43 GP practices, showed a 40% reduction in hazardous prescribing within 12 months.

The systems that work best

Researchers found that the greatest improvements came from integrated systems that combined multiple features, such as clinical decision support tools, patient communication systems and audit and feedback mechanisms.

For example, where Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) - which prompt GPs with real-time alerts about drug interactions or missing tests - were paired with Audit and Feedback (A&F) systems, which allow clinics to regularly review their safety data.

In addition, tools that featured patient-facing elements - such as automated text reminders or patient portals - had a positive impact on non-medication safety, making patients nearly 3 times more likely to receive timely investigations and follow-up care.

However, the review found that technology alone is not enough. More than 40% of the studies reported implementation barriers, including alert fatigue - where clinicians are overwhelmed by excessive computer pop-ups - and software that disrupted busy GP consultations. The most successful interventions were those that fitted naturally into existing clinical workflows and were supported by training, relationships and organisational engagement.

Lead researcher, Dr Jung Yin Tsang, from The University of Manchester, said:

“Our research suggests that the future of safer care will not be built on software alone, but on how well digital tools work alongside patients, clinicians, pharmacists and healthcare teams.

"To unlock their full potential across the NHS, we must move away from isolated, complex software. Policymakers and developers must focus on intuitive, joined-up systems that fit naturally into a GP’s busy workday without adding to their administrative burden."

Professor Mike Lewis, NIHR Scientific Director for Innovation, said:

“This NIHR-funded evidence demonstrates how well-designed digital technologies can improve patient safety in everyday care. It highlights the importance of investing in robust research into digital technology so the NHS adopts the systems which are safe and proven to improve outcomes for patients and staff.�

Health and Social Care Minister Baroness Merron, said:

“This research shows the real difference that well-designed digital technology can make to patient safety, helping clinicians reduce medication errors, identify risks earlier and ensure patients receive timely care.

“As we deliver our 10-Year Health Plan, we are transforming the NHS through better use of technology, so staff have the tools they need to provide safer, more joined-up care closer to home. Research like this helps ensure we invest in digital innovations that deliver better outcomes for patients and support our workforce.

"By backing high-quality research and adopting technologies that are proven to work, we can build a modern NHS that is safer, more efficient and provides the highest quality care for every patient."

--

The paper Digital patient safety interventions in primary care: a systematic review and meta-analysis was published in BMC Medicine and is .

Read the full NIHR news story: .

When it is done well, in other words when your yogurt pots (polypropylene, PP) are sorted from your milk jugs (high density polyethylene), mechanical recycling is the most environmentally positive way to turn plastic waste into new products in a circular plastics economy, turning pots into pots and jugs into jugs.

However, poor sorting can lead to mixing polyolefins together, changing the way that the plastic degrades during the recycling process.

While well understood for polyethylene, the study, published in , focuses on what happens when PP is mixed with HDPE. Researchers found that contaminants act as stress aggregators, and that the phase separation caused by contamination weakens the material. While HDPE can tolerate a few percent contamination, even 1% of HDPE in PP alters the degradation mechanism.

The result of this contamination, even at this small scale, is a recyclate with radically altered physical properties, a change which impacts structure-property relationships and reduces the overall performance of the material, especially important in the context of their industrial reuse.

Researchers argue that while efforts have been made to normalise polymers based on processing history and end-use application, approaches like these only consider a limited number of material grades and do not represent the broad range of polyolefin grades and blends.

They suggest that cross-contamination needs better analytical tools that can serve as quality control in industrial processes, evidencing the need for better sortation in household and industrial recycling.

This paper was published in the journal: ChemCircularity

Full title: Measuring the impact of cross-contamination on quality in polyolefin blends

DOI:

The findings of the study, fundedÌı by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) suggest the wraps may not be the best first-line option for patients receiving strong compression therapy.Ìı

Venous leg ulcers affect thousands of people and can take months to heal, causing pain, reduced mobility and a significant burden on healthcare services.Ìı

Strong compression is an important treatment for people with venous leg ulcers, to improve blood flow in the lower leg and support healing.Ìı

It can be provided in different ways, including bandages systems that can have two or four layers, compression stockings that have two layers and adjustable compression wraps that fasten around the leg with Velcro-style straps.Ìı

All these compression approaches aim to deliver the same level of compression but differ in how they are applied, how easy they are to use and how comfortable people find them.Ìı

Wraps have become increasingly popular because they can be adjusted and, in some cases, self-applied by people with leg ulcers or those around them.Ìı However, there has been limited high-quality evidence comparing compression wraps with other commonly used strong compression treatments.Ìı

The researchers carried out a large randomised controlled trial involving 637 adults receiving care at 33 mainly community sites across the UK.Ìı

Participants were assigned to be offered either compression wraps, two-layer compression bandages, or established evidence-based compression treatments (four-layer bandages or two-layer compression stockings)Ìı

The researchers found that ulcers healed more slowly in patients offered compression wraps than in those offered established evidence-based compression treatments.Ìı

Patients receiving compression wraps also appeared to heal more slowly than those treated with two-layer compression bandages, although this difference was not statistically significant.Ìı

The study found that two-layer compression bandages performed similarly to established evidence-based compression treatments.Ìı

The findings provide some of the strongest evidence to date comparing commonly used compression therapies for venous leg ulcers.Ìı

A separate companion process evaluation found patients liked compression wraps because they were comfortable, easy to adjust, and could be removed for showering,Ìı

However, these same features may also mean that people are more likely to loosen or remove the wraps, potentially reducing the amount of therapeutic compression delivered and helping explain the slower healing observed in the trial.Ìı

Together, the studies suggest compression wraps should not routinely be the first choice for most people with venous leg ulcers.Ìı

However, they may still be appropriate for some patients where comfort, independence or self-management are particularly important, provided patients receive clear advice on maintaining effective compression.Ìı

Jo Dumville, Professor of Applied Health Research from the University of Manchester said: “Venous leg ulcers can have a major impact people’s quality of life and place a significant burden on healthcare services, so it is important that health professionals have robust evidence to guide treatment decisionsâ€�.Ìı

“Our study compared three commonly used strong compression approaches in a real-world NHS setting and suggested thatÌı that compression wraps do not improve healing times when compared with established evidence-based treatments.â€�Ìı

Catherine Arundel, Senior Research Fellow at the University of York said: “While some uncertainty remains, these findings suggest that compression wraps are unlikely to offer a healing advantage as a first-line treatmentâ€�.Ìı

“The results will help clinicians, patients and healthcare providers make informed decisions about the most appropriate therapies for managing venous leg ulcers."Ìı

• The paper Compression therapies for venous leg ulcers: The VENous Ulcer 91Ö±²¥ 6 (VenUS 6), an open, multicentre, randomised clinical trial is published in PLOS Medicine
• The companion process evaluation Compression therapies for the treatment of venous leg ulcers: a mixed method process evaluation in a randomised controlled trial, VenUS6Ìı is published in Trials

Professor Mahima Swamy’s lab studies intestinal immunology, diet, infection, and immune-mediated bowel diseases (Coeliac and Crohn’s). The group particularly focuses on intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL), a poorly characterised class of T cells residing within the intestinal epithelium, and their communication with epithelial cells.

Mahima joins the Becker from The University of Dundee, where she is a Programme Leader in the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit (MRC PPU). In 2016, Mahima established her own research group in the MRC PPU, supported from 2017 by a Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Fellowship, and became an EMBO Young Investigator in 2022.

Originally from Bangalore, India, Mahima studied Biological Sciences and Biotechnology at BITS Pilani before completing her PhD at the Max-Planck Institute of Immunobiology in Freiburg, Germany, studying T-cell receptor biochemistry with Wolfgang Schamel. She then held postdoctoral positions with Adrian Hayday at CRUK's London Research Institute, researching intestinal immune surveillance, and with Doreen Cantrell at Dundee, uncovering roles for O-GlcNAc modification in T cell lymphomagenesis and development.

Mahima said: “I am very excited to be joining The University of Manchester and the Lydia Becker Institute. I have always appreciated the amazing immunology research that happens at the Becker and loved the collegiate and friendly atmosphere whenever I have visited. With the recent award of the MRC Centre of Research Excellence in Exposome Immunology to the University, I think this is a great time to be joining and to be able to contribute to the great mucosal barrier research going on here.�

Commenting on the appointment, Professor Tracy Hussell, Director of the Lydia Becker Institute said: “I am thrilled that Mahima will be joining the Lydia Becker Institute at 91Ö±²¥. Her fantastic research on intestinal immunity is a natural fit with our focus on barrier tissues and their interaction with environmental stressors.â€�

Sixty years after the 1966 World Cup final, the most famous football in England's history has been examined as never before. NXCT at The University of Manchester and the National Football Museum have produced the first 3D X-ray scans of the Slazenger Challenge 4 Star used at Wembley on July 30, 1966 – rendering, in extraordinary detail, both its 25-panel hand-stitched leather exterior, and the degraded latex bladder sealed inside it since the day England won the World Cup.

It is a portrait of a vanished craft. Each Challenge 4 Star took two-and-a-half hours to stitch by hand at the Slazenger works in Horbury, near Wakefield, and had to meet strict specifications. 14 to 16 ounces in weight, 27 to 28 inches in circumference. The ball earned its place in the final by winning a blind test of more than 100 footballs at The FA's headquarters. The now iconic orange was not a stylistic flourish, but a practical stand-out effect for the monochrome television sets of 1966.

Set against the ball used in this month's 2026 World Cup final, the scans make sixty years of progress impossible to miss. The Trionda is built from four thermally bonded panels of polyurethan, polyester, viscose and synthetic rubber, and carries an inertial measurement unit sensor that tracks every contact and position change. In 1966, the technology was a needle and thread.

The ball's journey to its casing at the National Football Museum is just as fascinating as the final it was used in. After England's 4-2 win in front of some 97,000 spectators, Helmut Haller – who had scored the opening goal – carried it back to Germany, claiming tradition entitled the first scorer to keep it. It stayed there for 30 years, until a consortium of the Mirror Group, Virgin, and Eurostar bought it for £80,000 and repatriated it ahead of Euro '96. The initials on its surface belong to Uri Geller, who signed it for luck as a pre-tournament publicity stunt.

Today, the ball sits on permanent display in the 'England on the World Stage' section of the National Football Museum, alongside Hurst's hat-trick shirt and other objects from the final. The museum marks the anniversary on Thursday 30 July with a programme of talks from its Visitor Experience team on the 1966 tournament and the final itself.

Dr Matthew Lawson, who performed the scans in the NXCT, said: "X-rays are a fantastic tool to non-destructively see inside objects, this technique has been used a lot in cultural heritage previously but never to look inside such a nationally significant football!

"Although a football is mostly air on the inside, we were able to see the makeup of the leather panels, the stitching and the perished air bladder in amazing detail thanks to X-ray computed tomography. Everyone at the NXCT in the University of Manchester would like to thank the National Football Museum for this exciting opportunity to scan such an artefact and to hold it in our own hands!"

Tim Desmond, CEO of the National Football Museum, said: "This is the most famous football in the country and, until now, nobody had ever properly looked inside it. What the scans give us is a window into how the game was made in 1966, the materials, the methods, the craft of a ball stitched by hand in a Yorkshire factory. It's also a measure of just how far the technology has travelled to reach the Trionda of 2026.

"We're a museum committed to educating ourselves and others, and to translating objects behind glass into stories people can get inside. As such, my thanks go to the University of Manchester for their expertise and curiosity that have created such a brilliant insight for our visitors and beyond. If you haven't seen it already, come and witness a slice of history for yourself."

The studies, published in on 29 July, were performed using mouse models of this largely incurable disease by a team from the Centre for Nanotechnology in Medicine and the Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre at The University of Manchester.

Glioblastoma is the most common and most aggressive brain cancer in adults and currently has no cure. Neurosurgeons will typically first remove the tumour, before treating the patient with chemoradiotherapy 4 to 6 weeks later. Because glioblastoma cells infiltrate deep into healthy brain tissue, some will always remain after surgery, fuelling the near‑inevitable return of disease, most times regrowing at the rim of the surgical resection.

The research, spearheaded by postdoctoral associate at The University of Manchester Dr Lorena Fernandes, showed experimentally that the blood‑brain barrier is disrupted after surgery, opening two short‑lived therapeutic windows at the resection margin — immediately after the operation and again 48–72 hours later. Using different mouse models and performing precise neurosurgery to remove the growing glioblastoma tumours from their brains, the team tracked fluorescently labelled, liposomal nanoparticles injected into the blood stream during the time-windows identified. The particles homed in on the resection margin with remarkable precision while other brain regions with an intact barrier showed almost no uptake.

Lipid nanoparticle medicines are based on tiny lipid-based nanoscale carriers that can ferry different cancer drugs (such as chemotherapies, radiotherapies, mRNA therapies) directly to tumours so the medicine targets the cancer cells alone. They are used to treat different types of cancer, but until now they have not been shown to be effective against this difficult to treat disease.

Chemotherapies have also largely failed in this disease due to poor crossing of the blood-brain barrier, and minimal amounts can reach the few cancer cells left over from surgery. By loading these liposome nanoparticles with the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin, the team was able to exploit these newly identified post-operative windows to achieve precise delivery in the brain, exactly where needed. Across different mouse models, a single injection of this liposomal drug was able to suppress recurrence and control the disease with little toxicity.the first half of your story here.

Principal Investigator , CRUK Career Development Fellow at The University of Manchester said: “For the first time, we’ve shown that glioblastoma surgery briefly exposes a vulnerability we can exploit. If treatment is timed during specific windows we identified, it is able to halt the disease significantly before it regrows.

“We suggest that the hours and days immediately after surgery may hold the key to stopping glioblastoma from returning.

“It also raises the possibility that other established medicines could be redeployed in smarter, more strategic ways.�

Co-Principal Investigator of the studies, from The University of Manchester and the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Barcelona said: “The study has the potential to open a new frontier in postoperative cancer care.

“We propose the re-framing of post-operative treatment that uses the latest nanoparticle-based medicines, including lipid nanoparticle drugs, immunotherapies, or genetic therapies, to target the rim of the surgical resection, which is the area of the brain where the tumour generally recurs, compromising survival.

“We hope and actively fund-raise for the next stage in the development of this technology to move on from preclinical mouse models and trial this potentially redefining therapeutic approach in patients.�

• The study was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Rosetrees Trust both in the UK, and the Severo Ochoa Centres of Excellence programme in Spain.
• The paper Targeting therapeutic nanoparticles to the glioblastoma resection margin by 6 harnessing post-operative blood-brain barrier disruption is published on on 29 July. DOI

The research, published today in , describes a new family of antifungal agents, which - when tested in mice - are more potent and less toxic than existing treatments.

A growing threat

Fungal diseases are an escalating global health threat, becoming harder to treat as resistance to existing drugs grows and the development of new antifungal medicines lags behind. The urgency for new treatments was emphasised by a recent by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

While existing antifungal medicines can be highly effective, many can cause serious side effects because fungal cells share similarities with human cells, making it difficult to target infections without harming healthy tissue.

Discovering new antifungal compounds

In the new study, researchers from the Micklefield Lab focused on polyenes — a class of powerful antifungal agents. Using an approach called genome mining, they identified bacterial species capable of producing new, undiscovered antifungals.

Dr Saadia Nasr Mirza who worked on the project said: “The most effective antifungal agent currently available is a polyene molecule called amphotericin produced by soil bacteria. Although amphotericin is very potent, it is highly toxic, so we set out to discover if bacteria can produce different types of polyenes that are safer than amphotericin. We developed a bioinformatics pipeline, which surprisingly showed that many bacterial species have the capability to produce novel polyenes.�

More potent, less toxic treatments

Using a technique called nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), the team determined the structures of the newly discovered polyenes, showing that each one had a unique structure that differed from any existing antifungal compounds. The researchers also characterised the enzymes responsible for producing them and generated a library of polyene derivatives for testing.

Several of the new compounds showed increased antifungal activity, reduced toxicity and improved solubility compared with the parent drugs. The findings demonstrate that enzymes can be used to redesign these important medicines in a cleaner, more efficient way, producing new compounds that retain strong antifungal activity while reducing toxicity and harmful side effects.

One compound, known as Nys34, showed particularly promising results. In a mouse model of invasive aspergillosis, a serious fungal infection caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, the compound reduced fungal burden without substantive signs of toxicity.

Professor Jason Micklefield who led the project said “We were pleased to find that several of the new polyene derivatives were more potent and less toxic than amphotericin and nystatin, which is another important polyene that is also used in the clinic.

“Surprisingly, we found that one of the most effective new polyene derivatives, Nys34, has a different mode-of-action to the widely used amphotericin. Because Nys34 kills fungal cells in a different way, it could prove very useful to combat emerging pathogens that have evolved resistance to amphotericin.�

A cleaner way to develop new medicines

Polyene antifungal drugs are highly complex molecules. Previous efforts to improve them have typically relied on lengthy chemical synthesis processes that are expensive, inefficient and can require environmentally harmful reagents.

The Micklefield lab, based at Imperial’s Molecular Sciences Research Hub, developed an enzyme-based approach that can produce improved polyenes by cleaner and more efficient biological processes, generating promising new drug candidates without the need for complex multi-step chemical manufacturing.

Because the process is potentially scalable and cost-effective, it could help make improved antifungal treatments more widely available, particularly in lower-income regions where fungal diseases are highest place a substantial burden on public health.

The researchers hope that further development of Nys34 could ultimately lead to clinical testing in people. Beyond Nys34, their enzyme platform provides a powerful new way of generating and refining polyene antifungal compounds that could be used to create additional treatments for a range of fungal diseases, helping to expand the limited pipeline of new antifungal medicines.

This year's graduating scholars reflect that diversity, with two students from Ukraine joined by scholars from Myanmar and Sudan.

One of these graduates, Yefym, is graduating with a 2:1 in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Yefym joined us in 91Ö±²¥ from Kharkiv, a town 30km from the frontline of the war with Russia, where his family’s home was recently destroyed during a Russian drone attack. Yefym has secured a University studentship to continue his studies to PhD level, and will be staying with us come September.

Yefym commented, “Coming to 91Ö±²¥ changed my life completely.

When I left Ukraine, I had no idea what would happen next or whether I would be able to return home. There was a great deal of uncertainty, and I suddenly had to begin building a new life in a different country.

91Ö±²¥ gradually became my true second home. It gave me stability, opportunities, and a sense of direction at a time when I needed them most. I have met wonderful people here, developed both personally and academically, and discovered the area in which I would like to build my future.â€�

ForÌıSerhii, the youngest of our Humanitarian scholars, graduation marks the achievement of an ambition that might once have seemed out of reach after war forced him and his family to flee Mariupol, a city devastated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Having grown up with a passion for mathematics, physics and computer science, Serhii came to 91Ö±²¥ to studyÌıComputer Science with an Integrated Foundation Year:

“When the war began, my family and I had to leave Mariupol and start again elsewhere. Coming to 91Ö±²¥ with the support of the scholarship opened up opportunities that might never have been possible otherwise. I’ve gained new knowledge, skills, friendships and experiences, and it has genuinely been a life-changing experience.â€�

Another graduate, Mugtaba, fled Sudan following the outbreak of war, which has since become the world's largest humanitarian and displacement crisis. He recalls that “Schools and businesses closed, families were torn apart, and millions of people were displaced. We had to flee the capital to our hometown, leaving behind our home, belongings, friends, and the life we had built. Conditions became increasingly difficult, with frequent shortages of electricity, water, and essential goods. As my father was no longer able to work, my brother and I took on jobs to help support our family."

Mugtaba says of the scholarship, “Receiving this scholarship has been truly life changing. It eased a significant financial burden at a time when my family had lost almost everything because of the war. It allowed me to focus on my studies instead of worrying about how I would fund my education, and it gave me opportunities that otherwise might not have been possible.

Beyond the financial support, the scholarship gave me confidence. It reminded me that people believed in my potential despite everything that had happened. As I begin my career in electrical engineering, I hope to contribute to projects that improve infrastructure and enhance people’s lives, while giving back to the communities that have supported me. I also hope my journey shows that, even in the face of conflict and displacement, education can create opportunities and transform lives.�

Alongside these three, a fourth Humanitarian scholar from Myanmar is graduating with aÌıBSc Cognitive Neuroscience & Psychology, joining a diverse cohort whose journeys to 91Ö±²¥ span three countries and multiple conflicts.

However, the advantage depends on the emotional context, and a key ingredient for effective support – offering specific, actionable guidance – can boost the quality of support from both humans and AI alike.

– published in the journal – compared messages of emotional support generated by large language models (LLMs) and humans in everyday, non-clinical contexts.

The research comprised five studies involving a total of 1,233 participants. Across the studies, the team compared emotional support messages generated by three leading LLMs – ChatGPT 4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and Gemini 1.5 Pro – with messages written by human participants responding to everyday emotionally charged scenarios, such as being passed over for a promotion or coming home to find their shared house untidy.

Participants were not told if the messages they received came from a human or an AI. Although many were able to correctly identify the source, those in studies where LLM messages were rated as more supportive did not show reduced benefit – suggesting that awareness of an AI source does not necessarily undermine its effectiveness.

Key findings:

• LLM-generated responses largely mirrored strategies used by humans to manage others’ emotions, particularly for ChatGPT, which showed the highest similarity with human patterns.

• In situations involving anger and fear, LLM responses were seen as more emotionally supportive than those written by people. In addition, LLM messages helped people feel more positive (such as feeling calm or happy). For sadness situations, LLM and human responses worked equally well.

• Simply acknowledging someone’s feelings (e.g., “I totally understand why you feel sadâ€�) did not fully explain why LLM responses were sometimes more effective. Adding or removing this emotional validation did not make a difference to how helpful the messages were.

• What mattered most was “Actionable supportâ€� – clear practical suggestions that people could use (such as breathing techniques, step-by-step reframing, or practical next steps). These specific suggestions improved emotional outcomes regardless of whether the message came from a human or an AI.

Co-author , Lecturer in Psychology at The University of Manchester, said: “Our findings suggest that what makes emotional support effective is less about who provides it, and more about how it is delivered. Providing people with specific, actionable steps, rather than general reassurance, is a key ingredient for effective support, whether that comes from a person or a chatbot.

She added: “While a human might typically suggest going for a walk or making a cup of tea, an AI chatbot tends to go further, for example acknowledging the person’s feelings and offering step-by-step strategies such as breathing techniques or specific ways to reframe a thought. Training human supporters – whether professionals or members of the public – to provide this kind of structured, actionable guidance could meaningfully improve the quality of everyday emotional support.�

Co-author , a PhD researcher at The University of Manchester, said: “We found that AI can emulate the supportive strategies that humans use, and at times even outperform human supporters in improving a person’s emotional state – though this is not universal. The effect depends on the type of emotion and what outcome you are looking at.�

She added: “We are not saying that humans should or can be replaced by AI. But our findings do show that when people choose to use AI for emotional support, it can be genuinely helpful, and understanding why it works can help us improve how both humans and AI provide that support.�

The research comes amid growing public interest in AI as an emotional resource. Recent surveys suggest that 66% of 25- to 34-year-olds in the UK have turned to AI chatbots instead of loved ones to discuss emotional problems, and in the US, 20% of young adults aged 18–21 have used ChatGPT to manage their emotions, with 92.7% of those users finding the advice helpful.

Dr Sarah Walker, co-author of the study from Durham University's School of Education, said: "What's key here is that we're not suggesting AI should replace human support. But when people do turn to it, it can help, and understanding why tells us something useful. Concrete, actionable steps work better than general reassurance, and that is something all of us can get better at offering. However, we also need to think about the human cost of actionable support as well.

“When AI suggests a walk or a breathing exercise, the suggestion is where its involvement ends. When a person offers the same thing, it usually comes with their presence as well. We don't just suggest the walk, we go on it. That kind of support takes real time and effort, and the people closest to us are often stretched thin. So to me, this work is less about AI replacing us and more of a reminder that what we want from each other in hard moments is often more than the people we love can give."

• “ DOI 10.1037/emo0001712

• Fathers who undertook solo caregiving became more confident and capable parents.

• Early childcare experiences helped fathers better understand the emotional, practical and mental load of caring for children.

• Mothers were often able to return to work earlier or pursue career progression because they had confidence in their partner's caregiving abilities.

• Couples were more likely to view childcare as a shared responsibility rather than primarily the mother's role.

• Many fathers continued to organise work around family responsibilities years after their leave ended.

• Some fathers became more open about caregiving responsibilities at work and more willing to prioritise family life over career progression.

Rethinking careers and parenting

"Our research shows that fathers' solo caregiving can have long-lasting effects on how couples organise work and family life years later,â€� said Professor Emma Banister from the Work and Equalities Institute at Alliance 91Ö±²¥ Business School. "The fathers we spoke to developed confidence and skills through caring for their child alone, and those experiences continued to shape their decisions about work and parenting long after their leave had ended."

Challenge to traditional gender roles regarding paid and unpaid work

The study also found evidence that fathers who had taken sole responsibility for childcare were more likely to challenge traditional expectations about parenting and work.

Several participants reported openly discussing childcare commitments with colleagues and managers, rejecting the idea that caregiving should be hidden or secondary to paid work.

The researchers argue that organisations and policymakers should do more to support fathers who want to take an active role in childcare.

Implications for parental leave policy

The researchers say the findings strengthen the case for expanding dedicated leave for fathers.

While Shared Parental Leave was introduced in the UK in 2015 to encourage more equal parenting, uptake remains relatively low because of affordability, eligibility restrictions and the way the system is structured.

The study suggests that creating more opportunities for fathers to undertake solo caregiving could help promote greater gender equality both at home and in the workplace.

"The benefits we observed weren't simply about fathers spending more time with their children - it was the experience of taking responsibility for childcare independently that appeared to make the difference,� said Professor Ben Kerrane of Manchester Metropolitan University. “That experience helped reshape how couples thought about parenting, careers and family responsibilities, with effects that were still visible five years later.�

Publication details

The study was published in journal Human Relations.

DOI:

Graeme studied Biomedical Sciences with 91Ö±²¥, and it was while here that he took up rowing. That turned out to be a turning point in his life, and a few years later, his intense training and selection pathway for the 2012 London Olympics meant that he missed out on celebrating the completion of his degree.

Fourteen years and a spectacular sporting career later, which saw Graeme selected for Rio 2016, and competing in Tokyo and Paris, The University thought it only right that he had the opportunity to finish his degree properly – he is, after all, a recent inductee into our Sporting Hall of Fame.

Watched on by his parents, his son, and his soon-to-be Wife, Lucy, Graeme commented,

Following his ceremony, Graeme was invited to a reception with a few of the members of the current 91Ö±²¥ Rowing Club.

This new Long Baseline Multistatic Radar (LBMR) capability for real-time space object characterization transforms existing radio-frequency infrastructure, including radio telescopes and satellite communications antennas, into a powerful dual-use system for Space Domain Awareness.

As the number of satellites being launched every year grows towards the tens of thousands, space is becoming increasingly congested. At the same time our reliance on services provided from space is becoming increasingly clear. For these reasons it is essential to boost our capabilities of monitoring, tracking and characterising objects in orbit.

Radar is a powerful tool for monitoring objects in orbit, but observing distant regions such as geostationary orbit (36,000 km) requires high power transmitters and the most sensitive receivers. Radio telescopes like the Lovell Telescope and e-MERLIN are designed to detect the faint natural radio emissions from stars and galaxies, while large deep-space communications antennas routinely receive extremely weak signals from distant spacecraft. By using these assets as geographically distributed radar receivers, the sensitivity of existing radar systems can be increased by more than tenfold ,enabling the detection of smaller objects at much greater distances.

To make this capability useful for space operations, the radar echoes received at the radio telescopes need to be collected, processed and analysed in real time. This has now been demonstrated in a new project funded by the UK Space Agency at a live event recently held at the European Space Agency at Harwell, in the UK.

Key stakeholders from the government, defence and industry in the UK and Australia were able to see the radar detections and measurements live on screen. This is a world first for this type of radar technique and a major milestone in moving LBMR from research towards operational capability, reflecting the shared leadership and complementary expertise of partners across the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.

The University of Manchester is a key member of this project, and the use of the 76-m Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank is central to obtaining the sensitivity improvement which this approach offers. Using additional e-MERLIN antennas (supported by STFC) adds flexibility, resilience and the future potential for real-time orbit determination.

This project was funded by the UK Space Agency through its International Bilateral Fund and led by the University of Birmingham. Originating from within two NATO- Research Task Groups (STO SET-293 and SET-340), which have involved the University of Manchester from the outset in 2020, the project has brought together partners from the three nations to overcome key challenges in synchronisation, distributed sensing and real-time processing. Beyond proving a new capability for monitoring space objects, LBMR provides a platform for continued innovation, international collaboration and the development of the specialist skills needed to help protect critical space infrastructure and ensure the safe, secure and sustainable use of space.

Dr Chris Blount at the UK Space Agency said: “The Long Baseline Multistatic Radar (LMBR) project has been a fantastic example of innovation and collaboration by incredible UK and international talent, and an exemplar case of the capability multiplication through collaboration the International Bilateral Fund (IBF) seeks to achieve. The LBMR team have taken the thorny challenge of real time on-demand monitoring of space objects on geostationary orbit, and through proactive partnering and an innovative application of existing world class UK assets, have been able to demonstrate a state of the art, dual use by design, capability. This has been achieved without the extensive investment, time, and effort a dedicated facility would have otherwise needed, and even surpasses the capability such a facility would yield. This is exactly the innovation and engineering excellence UKSA and the IBF seeks to promote, and is a key step towards a capability to make the UK and our international partners safer and better able to respond to the challenges of a congested and contested space.�

Professor Simon Garrington, a radio astronomer at the Jodrell Bank Observatory, University of Manchester, UK, said: “The 76-m Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank makes a superb radar receiver for this type of work. We are very keen to realise its full potential in contributing to monitoring objects in orbit, protecting UK assets in space, and making space safer. Our e-MERLIN array is also being used in this work and is a unique UK capability for high precision measurements of objects in orbit�.

Professor Gaven Smith, CB FREng – University of Manchester and former CTO, GCHQ, UK said: “This is a compelling example of how research facilities and skills can be applied to the challenge of protecting important UK assets in space against a range of natural (eg space debris) and potentially hostile threats. The need for these capabilities is becoming increasing urgent, and this application of radio telescopes shows how powerful capabilities can be developed rapidly and cost-effectively within the UK, by leveraging our research base.�

Prof Marco Martorella, LBMR project leader, Chair in RF and Space Sensing at the University of Birmingham, UK, said: "The successful demonstration of the Long Baseline Multistatic Radar marks an important step towards an operational Space Domain Awareness capability. Beyond its immediate operational potential, LBMR provides a unique platform to advance radar technologies, validate new sensing concepts, and train the next generation of RF and radar engineers. Building and retaining this expertise is essential to developing the capabilities needed to detect, track and identify space objects, helping to protect critical space infrastructure and ensure the safe and sustainable use of space for the future.�

Chris Saunders, a senior mission concepts engineer at UK-headquartered space company, Goonhilly, said: “This project has been a fantastic demonstration of multi-national collaboration across academia and industry, demonstrating the value of leveraging existing satellite communications infrastructure to protect our critical assets in space. Goonhilly looks forward to building upon the successful LBMR concept, as it continues to develop day/night, all-weather, RF-based Space Domain Awareness capabilities.�

Mr. Gregory Hogan, Chair of NATO SET ‘LBMR for Space Domain Awareness’ Research Group, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, US, said: “This multi-nation live demonstration highlights the advanced capability that can be achieved through Allied partnership. By augmenting US radars with partner nation radiotelescopes significant increases were achieved in sensitivity for detecting and characterizing satellites at Geosynchronous distances, greatly enhancing the SDA mission.

Ken Smart, Space Domain Awareness Lead at CSIRO, Australia, said: “The success of the Long Baseline Multistatic Radar demonstration relied on bringing together complementary capabilities from across the United Kingdom, United States and Australia. CSIRO's contribution of the Mopra radio telescope and expertise in radio astronomy and signal processing extended the geographic reach of the network and provided an independent receiving capability from the Southern Hemisphere. Together, the partners demonstrated how existing scientific and communications infrastructure can be combined to deliver a powerful new approach to Space Domain Awareness, while strengthening international collaboration on the technologies needed to help ensure the safe, secure and sustainable use of space.�

Phoebe Ryder, PhD Student at University of Manchester, UK: “For me as a young scientist, it has been really valuable to join an international team which brings together experts in space radar, satellite communications and radio astronomy. This project has been a great opportunity to combine curiosity-driven research with real world needs to produce a demonstration of a useful and novel capability. Working with the UK Space Agency, and other stakeholders, has given me invaluable insight into the applications of this research, and hopefully some opportunities for a future career in this really interesting and important area.�

Dr. Jason Guicheteau, Chair of NATO Sensing Technology (SET) Scientific Technical Committee, US, said: “The successful live demonstration of the LBMR is a testament to the power of allied collaboration, showcasing the transition of foundational science into a tangible, operational capability originating out of NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO) research task groups."

• Multiple agencies share responsibility for tackling economic crime, in some cases creating uncertainty over leadership and accountability

• Competing priorities and budget pressures can limit organisations' ability to devote resources to economic crime investigations

• The broad and evolving nature of "economic crime" makes it difficult to define priorities and measure success

• Outdated technology and poor data-sharing arrangements continue to hamper investigations and intelligence gathering

• The UK's response relies heavily on cooperation between organisations with different responsibilities, cultures and objectives

Economic crime has become one of the UK's biggest crime threats

The researchers say economic crime encompasses a vast range of offences, from online fraud and investment scams to money laundering, bribery and sanctions evasion.

However, a key issue identified by the study was ambiguity surrounding the term ‘economic crime’ - which lacks clear boundaries and scope - and how different threats should be prioritised.

The research found that political priorities and major world events can rapidly reshape which forms of economic crime receive attention and resources. As a result, agencies can find themselves responding to an ever-expanding range of threats, stretching already limited resources.

The authors argue that while the broad label of economic crime helps attract political attention and funding, it can also obscure important differences between offences that require very different responses.

Outdated systems slowing investigations

Participants in the study also highlighted concerns about the technological tools available to investigators. Some reported that basic collaboration and data-analysis capabilities lag behind those available in the private sector, with information-gathering processes that should take days sometimes taking months.

The researchers found that these limitations can make it more difficult to identify emerging threats, share intelligence and coordinate action across agencies.

What is needed

The researchers say the enabling conditions needed to tackle the problem are:

• A shared definition of economic crime, clear enough to guide prioritisation yet flexible enough to serve both political and operational purposes

• Data-sharing arrangements and intelligence infrastructure that allow partners to act and build understanding simultaneously

• Clear incentives and dedicated resourcing that allow partners to commit meaningfully beyond their core organisational mandates

• Clear delineation of roles and responsibilities across agencies, with recognised leadership

• Formalised but flexible accountability arrangements that create soft mechanisms for ensuring participation without undermining partner autonomy

Why this matters

Fraud is now one of the most common crimes affecting people in the UK, while money laundering enables a wide range of serious criminal activity, from organised crime to corruption.

The findings also have wider relevance for governments around the world that are increasingly relying on multi-agency partnerships to tackle complex forms of crime that cross organisational and national boundaries.

What the researchers say

"The National Economic Crime Centre was created to bring together the many organisations involved in tackling economic crime, recognising the need for a collective response� said Professor Nicholas Lord. “However, coordinating agencies with different responsibilities, priorities and resources is not straightforward, and certainly needs more than goodwill.�

"What emerges from this study is a picture of a system that depends heavily on cooperation between organisations,� added Professor Elisa Bellotti. “The challenge is not simply understanding economic crime itself, but creating the conditions that allow different institutions to work together effectively in responding to it.�

Publication details

The study was published in the Journal of Economic Criminology.

DOI:

The scroll was formally presented to the University during a visit by two of Rutherford’s great grand-daughters. The historic Rutherford gift has also inspired new named physics chair at 91Ö±²¥

The gift strengthens the University's connection with one of the most influential scientists in history and the continuing leadership in the fields he helped create.

To mark the gift, the University has established the Ernest Rutherford Chair in Physics, a new named professorship within the Department of Physics and Astronomy. The chair will recognise leading researchers working in fields closely associated with Rutherford's scientific achievements, including nuclear, particle and accelerator physics. The new chair joins a distinguished group of named professorships in Physics at 91Ö±²¥, including the Langworthy Chair, one of the oldest physics chairs in the world, the Regius chair in Physics established by royal patronage, and the Lovell Chair in Astrophysics.

Rutherford is widely regarded as the “father of nuclear physicsâ€�. During his time at 91Ö±²¥ between 1907 and 1919, he transformed the University's Physics Laboratory into one of the world's leading centres of scientific discovery.

Among the breakthroughs achieved in 91Ö±²¥ were the discovery of the atomic nucleus, the identification of the proton and the first artificial nuclear reaction, which is often referred to as “splitting the atomâ€�. These achievements laid the foundations of our modern world, gave rise to the fields of nuclear and particle physics and led to innumerable technological, industrial and societal impacts

Professor Chris Parkes, Head of The University of Manchester Physics and Astronomy Department, said: "Rutherford's years in 91Ö±²¥ changed our understanding of the physical world forever, shaping our understanding of atoms. The discoveries made here have shaped our world today and continue to influence scientific research more than a century later.

"We are delighted that Lord Rutherford's descendants have chosen 91Ö±²¥ as the home for this important historical document. It is a powerful recognition of the University's role in preserving and celebrating Rutherford's remarkable legacy and our continuing world leadership in research in the fields of nuclear and particle physics"

Jenny Joy and Caroline Roberts descendants of Rutherford, added: “We wanted this scroll to be seen and used as part of his legacy as it has hardly ever seen the light of day, and it is a valuable stunning historical document in its own right�

During their visit, members of Rutherford's family took a tour of the Physics department, including seeing his original desk and visiting modern facilities that continue the 91Ö±²¥ tradition of cutting-edge research in his areas of interest.

It was in the University's former Physics Laboratory – now known as the Rutherford Building – that Rutherford led a team of pioneering scientists whose work revolutionised our understanding of the atom.

His influence extended far beyond his own discoveries. Rutherford’s work established 91Ö±²¥ as an international centre of scientific excellence, allowing the University to attract many renowned scientists to continue his legacy. He is also well known for mentoring many of the leading physicists of the twentieth century. The historic scroll will be preserved within the University's collections, ensuring that future generations can continue to learn about the scientist whose discoveries in 91Ö±²¥ changed the world.

She added: "While I welcome the child-focused courts that the government has introduced, the family justice system has an opportunity to move from seeing children as passive recipients of adult decisions to recognising them as active participants. If children's voices are consistently heard, respected and acted upon, family courts will be better protect their safety, wellbeing and long-term health."

Recommendations

The researchers are calling for major reforms to private family law proceedings, including:

• Ensuring children's voices are routinely and meaningfully heard throughout family court proceedings.

• Embedding the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child more fully into domestic law.

• Reforming family court practice so children's views genuinely influence decisions affecting them.

• Providing specialist training for judges, legal professionals and safeguarding practitioners on children's rights, trauma, coercive control and child sexual abuse.

• Introducing stronger safeguards against technology-facilitated abuse, including the misuse of children's medical information.

• Expanding access to child-centred, trauma-informed interventions such as play therapy and specialist counselling.

The authors conclude that meaningful reform will require not only legislative change but also a cultural shift across the family justice system towards recognising children as equal rights holders whose lived experiences should guide judicial decision-making.

Publication details

The paper was published in the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law.

This study was supported by a grant from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Participatory Research Fund to Dr Elizabeth Dalgarno, Principal Investigator. The findings remain the responsibility of the research team.

DOI:

Claims in the study that people affected by parental alienating behaviours showed greater signs of stress, PTSD and depression are also challenged by the team from The University of Manchester and the University of New Brunswick.

Lead author doctoral researcher Nic Robson, along with Dr Elizabeth Dalgarno, both from The University of Manchester, and Professor Linda Neilson from The University of New Brunswick, have published a in the Journal of Family Trauma, Child Custody and Child Development of February's study led by Professor Ben Hine.

The researchers found a lack of evidence in the Hine study that the behaviours were identified by a dependable sample of the UK public, and a lack of evidence that the identified parenting behaviours were actually connected to parental alienation.

The authors of the rebuttal contend that methodological standards typically associated with academic or scientific research were not met. Other limitations identified by the researchers included:

• Reliance on online responses submitted to a marketing agency.
• Use of discredited or outdated measures, or selection of items from established psychological scales without validation.
• Limited reporting on methodology, sampling and data collection procedures.
• Absence of research methods that would enable analysis of cause and effect.
• Methodologies that failed to establish that behaviours attributed to parental alienation were not actually connected to family conflict or abuse.the first half of your story here.

The Hine study, covered by calls for policy and legal reforms, including the development of school programmes to teach children how to identify so-called “parental alienating behaviours.�

The study has also been cited within official raising questions about the robustness of the evidence appraisal and guideline development process of the guidance, particularly given the methodological concerns with the Hine study that have since been identified.

"The Hine study states that parental alienating behaviours cause children to become allied strongly with one parent, rejecting the other without justification during a high-conflict separation or divorce," said lead author Nic Robson, a PhD researcher from the University of Manchester. “However, the assertion is based on a controversial concept of parental alienation which has been criticised by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls, the Family Justice Council in the UK, and other bodies.�

Previous by Dr Dalgarno showed many parents accused of parental alienation are often female victims of domestic abuse who often report being subjected to biased family court proceedings.

The women in Dr Dalgarno's study said parental alienation claims were raised against them when they attempted to safeguard their children.

"The authors of the Hine study also acknowledged a correlation between the alleged parental alienating behaviours and domestic abuse among parents, yet no investigation appears to have occurred to determine if there was a causal relationship between the two," Robson said.

This points, Robson, Neilson and Dalgarno say, to a flawed report that identifies negative behaviours of parents reported by a group of online respondents that may or may not have been associated with behaviours the Hine study researchers were attempting to measure.

Robson added: “Unfortunately, while the authors presented some selected data, they did not provide adequate information about the scales they used, the survey questions, the complete dataset, or an in-depth analysis of their results.

“Consequently, it is difficult to work out if the omissions were intentional, indicative of selective reporting, or a reflection of the limitations of the survey.�

Dr Neilson said: “We strongly urge professionals and policymakers to base decisions on scientifically validated methods and rigorously tested evidence.

“Anyone reading the report of the Hine study should exercise caution, however especially in connection with policies and practices that shape clinical or legal work.�

Dr Dalgarno added: "The concept of parental alienation remains highly contentious due to its lack of scientific validation and empirical evidence supporting its reliability as both a psychological construct and a measurable phenomenon.

Allegations of parental alienation are frequently employed by fathers with histories of abuse as a legal strategy to dismiss or deflect serious claims of child sexual abuse, domestic violence, and coercive control."

• Dalgarno and Robson are both core voluntary members of the , a global research collective exploring the health, social, human rights and economic impacts of domestic abuse and violence on women and children. Linda Neilson is Professor Emerita and a research associate of the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research at the University of New Brunswick, Canada.
• The paper Methodologies and Moon Landings: A critical review of parental alienating behaviour research, is published in the , DOI:

In December 1990 Makagbeh Princess Sesay crossed into neighbouring Guinea (Guinea-Conakry ) in a truck with her family after fighting forced them to flee their home during the Liberian civil war.

Her father died in Liberia, not long after the civil war began. After that, she also lost her mother in a small Guinean border town called Koyama, located near the Liberia–Guinea border.

Left to navigate life as a refugee, she grew up in communities hosting thousands of displaced Liberians in the towns of Macenta, Guéckédou and Kissidougou.

She witnessed first-hand the hardships faced by refugee families, including poverty, food shortages, poor sanitation, limited access to healthcare and disrupted education.

In Guéckédou, she witnessed vicious attacks by Liberian rebel forces in 2000 and many people died across the whole town in appalling circumstances.

Yet those experiences would ultimately inspire her future career.

While living in Columba refugee Camp in Guinea Princess (Makagbeh) volunteered with humanitarian organisations helping some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

She worked with Action Against Hunger on health education, hygiene campaigns, nutrition programmes and community surveys.

She also received training through the International Rescue Committee, which supported refugee education and health projects.

Meanwhile, she worked with CARE International, helping coordinate food distributions that provided vital support to thousands of displaced families.

Seeing the difference these organisations made sparked a lifelong interest in improving health and wellbeing.

After over 10 years in Guinea, Princess was resettled to Norway in 2003 through a United Nations refugee programme.

The move offered a fresh start and the chance to continue her education.

Determined to give back, she chose to study public health after seeing how access to clean water, nutrition, healthcare and health education could transform lives.

That journey eventually brought her to 91Ö±²¥ College in 2015, where she got a distinction in level three health and social care.

After a few years working as a carer, she started in 2023 at The University of Manchester, where she has now graduated with a BSc in Public Health.

Her studies allowed her to connect her personal experiences with academic research into global health inequalities.

She said: “My journey has taken me from fleeing a civil war in Liberia to living in a refugee camp in Guinea and now graduating from The University of Manchester.

“Losing both of my parents at a young age was incredibly difficult, but the support I received from humanitarian organisations and the communities around me gave me hope and determination.

“Growing up as a refugee showed me how important healthcare, education, sanitation and nutrition are to people's lives. 91Ö±²¥ing Public Health has helped me understand these challenges in greater depth and strengthened my desire to support vulnerable communities and work towards reducing health inequalities around the world.â€�

Now a University of Manchester graduate, Princess hopes to use her education and experiences to improve public health and support disadvantaged communities both in the UK and internationally.

That might include going back to refugee camps in Africa or elsewhere.

Her lecturer and academic advisor Sam Aston from The University of Manchester, said: “Princess’s remarkable journey is a testament to her resilience and determination to fulfil her dream at 91Ö±²¥. The passion and compassion that she has shown for public health have driven her to turn her experiences into a purposeful education.

“We are immensely proud of her achievement and excited to see the difference she will make in improving health for vulnerable communities.�

• Princess serving meals to children alongside a French representative from the humanitarian organization Action Contre La Faim (Action Against Hunger).
• Princess standing beside cooking oil boxes wearing blue cap during a refugee food distribution exercise.
• Princess besides a CARE truck

The awards were presented during this summer’s graduation celebrations in Whitworth Hall, bringing together students, staff, alumni and civic leaders to celebrate achievement, leadership and service.

Honorary degrees are the University's highest awards, recognising individuals whose work reflects our values and creates meaningful impact locally, nationally and globally. This year's honorary graduands have made significant contributions across fields including journalism, music, higher education, business leadership, social justice and international development.

As a global-civic university, The University of Manchester is committed to advancing social responsibility, inclusive growth, equality and innovation. This year's honorary graduates exemplify those ambitions through their leadership, creativity and dedication to improving lives and communities.

Honorary graduates 2026
Ìı

Tim Booth

Tim Booth is an acclaimed singer-songwriter, performer and author best known as the frontman of the band James. Over a career spanning more than four decades, James has sold more than 25 million records worldwide and earned recognition as one of Britain's most successful and enduring bands, receiving the Ivor Novello Legendary Award for songwriting. A former drama student in 91Ö±²¥, Booth has also worked as an actor and novelist. His creative work across music, literature and performance has inspired audiences around the world.

Nick Robinson

Nick Robinson is one of Britain's best-known political journalists and broadcasters. A presenter of BBC Radio 4's Today programme since 2015, he previously served as Political Editor for BBC News and ITV News. Over a distinguished career spanning several decades, he has become renowned for his political analysis and incisive interviewing. Beyond journalism, Robinson has made a significant contribution to charitable causes in the North West through his support for East Cheshire Hospice, helping to raise millions of pounds for services supporting patients, families and carers.

Michelle Cox MBE

Michelle Cox MBE is a nationally recognised healthcare leader, race equality consultant and former community nurse who has spent more than 30 years improving patient outcomes and tackling health inequalities across the NHS. Awarded an MBE in 2026 for services to nursing, she is a Queen's Nurse and Fellow of both the Queen's Institute of Community Nursing and the Royal College of Nursing. Through her consultancy work, she supports organisations to embed inclusive leadership, address systemic inequalities and strengthen workplace culture. Her influence extends internationally through nursing development initiatives in Africa and she continues to be a powerful advocate for equity in healthcare.

Dr John Cater CBE

Dr John Cater CBE is one of the most influential figures in UK higher education. As Vice-Chancellor of Edge Hill University for more than 30 years, he led its transformation into one of the country's most successful modern universities, overseeing significant academic growth and investment. A respected national voice on higher education and teacher training, he has played a leading role in shaping sector policy and governance. He was appointed CBE in 2015 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to higher education and public service.

Sarfraz Manzoor

Sarfraz Manzoor is an award-winning journalist, author, broadcaster and screenwriter whose work has explored identity, belonging and contemporary Britain for more than three decades. A graduate of The University of Manchester, he has written for leading national media organisations including the BBC, The Guardian and The Times. His memoir Greetings from Bury Park inspired the internationally acclaimed film Blinded by the Light, which he co-wrote. Through his writing and broadcasting, he has helped foster understanding across cultures and communities and is widely recognised as one of Britain's leading contemporary commentators.

H.E. Bineta Diop

H.E. Bineta Diop is a globally respected advocate for women's rights, peace and security whose work has influenced policy and practice across Africa and beyond. Founder and President of Femmes Africa Solidarité, she has spent more than four decades championing women's participation in peacebuilding, conflict prevention and leadership. A former Special Envoy of the African Union Commission on Women, Peace and Security, she has helped shape landmark agreements and frameworks promoting gender equality. Her achievements have earned international recognition, including being named among TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People.

Sue Sanders

Sue Sanders is a pioneering educator and equality campaigner whose work has transformed LGBT+ inclusion and education in the UK. As CEO of Schools OUT UK, she has spent decades promoting inclusive curricula and challenging prejudice. In 2004, she co-founded LGBT History Month, which is now recognised nationally and internationally. She has also developed educational resources, advised government and policing bodies on hate crime and co-founded the international OUTing the Past festival. Her contribution to equality, diversity and education has been recognised through numerous national awards.

A shared commitment to impact

Together, this year's honorary graduates demonstrate the power of leadership, creativity, scholarship and service to create positive change. Their achievements reflect many of the values that underpin 91Ö±²¥ 2035, including social responsibility, inclusive growth, global engagement and the pursuit of knowledge for public benefit.

In a new , researchers found unusually high levels of urea — a waste chemical normally flushed out in urine — in the brains of people with frontotemporal dementiaÌı (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The study, published in this month’s edition of the journal Molecular Omics and mainly funded by the Lee Trust in New Zealand, raises fresh questions about how the brain clears harmful substances.

Previous work by the same group had already shown this ‘toxic waste’ build-up in five other dementias, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s-related dementia, but this is the first time it has been confirmed in FTD and ALS.

Frontotemporal dementia typically affects people under 65 at a rate of around 15.1 cases per 100,000 each year, while ALS is rarer at about 2.1 new cases per 100,000, yet both conditions are incurable and often fatal.

FTD is the second most common form of early-onset dementia and affects areas of the brain linked to behaviour and personality, while ALS attacks the nerve cells that control movement, leading to progressive muscle weakness.

Despite their differences, the two diseases are closely linked, with studies suggesting up to 15 per cent of ALS patients also develop FTD and around half show some level of cognitive problems.

Scientists also know the diseases share key biological features, but exactly what drives them remains unclear and there are still no effective treatments. the first half of your story here.

Using highly sensitive lab techniques, the team measured urea levels in different parts of the brain and compared people with the diseases to those without in people who had donated their bodies to scientific research after death.

They discovered that in people with FTD, this ‘toxic waste’ was not just in the most damaged areas but spread in both damaged areas and relatively sparred areas, while in ALS it was mainly concentrated in regions controlling movement.

The scientists say the findings suggest the brain may struggle to get rid of waste properly, potentially poisoning nerve cells over time and worsening disease.

The results add to growing evidence that the same problem has already been seen in several other conditions, hinting at a shared weakness in how the brain handles waste.

“This is exciting because it suggests we might be looking at a common problem underlying several different brain diseases, rather than separate conditions with completely different causes,� said the study’s lead author from The University of Manchester.

He added: “If we can work out why this waste is building up and how to clear it, we may be able to slow or even stop these diseases, opening the door to new treatments for conditions that currently have very few options.�

• The paper Elevated urea levels in human frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis post-mortem brain tissue: evidence of a multi-dementia pathogenic mechanism is published in ,

The TEMPEST trial led by University of Manchester researchers tested the drug – called trientine - in 154 adults with the condition in a year‑long, placebo‑controlled .

The trial was funded by a partnership between the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR 91Ö±²¥ Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) supported the trial.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - which affects around 1 in 500 people worldwide- causes thickening and scarring of the heart muscle.

The condition is sometimes asymptomatic, but other patients suffer from breathlessness, fatigue, chest pain and blackouts.

A small minority of people have an increased risk of developing a dangerous heart rhythm, which can lead to sudden death.

In the trial, treatment with trientine led to a reduction in heart muscle thickening. The effect was greater in patients with greater heart muscle thickening at the beginning of the trial.

It is a potentially new way of treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and potentially heart muscle thickening caused by other conditions.

However, the researchers say, larger studies are required to confirm how well it works and whether it improves how people feel and function.

from The University of Manchester said: “This trial suggests trientine may be a promising option for people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

“People with more advanced disease seemed to benefit the most, but larger studies are needed to confirm this.

“There were few side effects, and the drug was generally well tolerated.�

Copper is an essential mineral involved in key processes in the heart muscle, including energy production, protection cells from damage, and controlling scarring.

When copper levels are low in cells, the heart struggles to make energy and the heart muscle can thicken. At the same time, loose copper outside cells can cause harmful stress on the cells and trigger scar tissue to form.

Trientine has been used for more than 50 years to treat a rare inherited condition that affects how the body handles copper. It improves the availability of copper within cells and binds and removes copper outside cells.

This study follows earlier research in animals showing that trientine improves the heart’s energy production, reduces harmful stress on cells and reduces heart muscle thickening and scarring.

In a previous small study in people with diabetes related heart problems, trientine led to a reduction in heart muscle thickening.

First author and PhD student, from The University of Manchester added: “These findings provide the first evidence that targeting copper could open a new chapter in treating all patients with this condition.�

The trial is part of the NIHR 91Ö±²¥ Biomedical Research Centre’s (BRC) , which aims to develop new ways to diagnose and treat heart disease.

Professor Danny McAuley, Scientific Director of NIHR Programmes, said:
"These promising results offer hope to patients, demonstrating how Trientine - a drug targeting copper metabolism - can treat this potentially fatal inherited heart condition.

“Once again this shows how MRC and NIHR's key partnership can drive life-changing research. Together we are addressing complex clinical challenges and translating cutting-edge ideas into evidence-based treatments as part of the government’s mission for fewer lives to be lost to the biggest killers."

• The paper Trientine for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: a phase 2 trial, published in European Heart Journal is published in the .