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News story: Researchers solve mystery behind DnaA protein's role in DNA replication initiation

In a breakthrough discovery, published in Nature Communications, scientists from Queen Mary University of London in collaboration with researchers at Newcastle University and The Francis Crick Institute have unraveled the intricate mechanism behind how DnaA, the master initiator of DNA replication in bacteria, specifically opens replication origins, the gateways to DNA duplication. This fundamental understanding sheds light on the crucial process that underpins the growth and reproduction of nearly all bacterial cells.

News story: Dr Tarek Anous and Dr Hossein Heidari have been named among the 75 UKRI Future Leaders Fellows

Dr Tarek Anous, a Lecturer in Mathematical Sciences at Queen Mary University of London and Dr Hossein Heidari, a Lecturer at UCL East, has been awarded a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowship (FLF). 

News story: Perovskite technology: Shining the spotlight on the future of affordable solar power

"Solar power has disrupted the future of renewable energy. As photovoltaic technology blazes a trail to cheaper, cleaner electricity, the UK now has the potential to power 100 million LED bulbs at once," writes Professor Joe Briscoe, Professor of Energy Materials and Devices.

News story: Professor Sir Harry Bhadeshia talks about the wonders of metallurgy on The Life Scientific

In a captivating episode of BBC Radio 4's The Life Scientific, Professor Sir Harry Bhadeshia delves into the fascinating world of metallurgy and unveils the remarkable impact of his work on our lives. 

News story: 3D printing gets a boost: New study provides insights into solute transport and solidification mechanisms in additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, is a rapidly growing technology with the potential to revolutionize many industries. However, AM parts can be susceptible to defects, such as porosities and cracks, which can limit their performance and reliability. 

News story: Queen Mary to host livestream of Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

This year, Queen Mary University of London is delighted to host a livestream of the Royal Institution Christmas lectures, a series of engaging and informative talks aimed at young people aged 11-17. The lectures will explore the fascinating world of artificial intelligence (AI) and will be delivered by Professor Mike Wooldridge, a leading expert in the field. Attendees will be able to watch the lectures livestreamed directly from the Royal Institution, as they happen on the 12th, 14th, and 16th of December. 

News story: New James Webb Space Telescope observations reveal potential for earth-like planets in harsh environments

A new study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters suggests that planets like Earth, including those with water, could form even in the harshest known star-forming environments. These environments, drenched in intense ultraviolet radiation from massive stars, were previously thought to be too hostile for planet formation. 

News story: A new study unveils the link between musical preferences and our inner moral compass

A new study, published in PLOS ONE, has uncovered a remarkable connection between individuals' musical preferences and their moral values, shedding new light on the profound influence that music can have on our moral compass.  

News story: A spectrum of possibilities: insights into the evolution of far-red light photosynthesis

A collaborative study led by Dr. Christopher Gisriel at Yale University and Dr. Tanai Cardona at Queen Mary University of London, published in Frontiers in Plant Science, offers new insight on the origin and evolution of a unique type of photosynthesis that enables some bacteria, specifically cyanobacteria, to harness far-red light. 

News story: Immune mechanism found in osteocyte cells, leading to two new drug targets that could prevent the spread of breast and prostate cancer to bones

Queen Mary University of London researchers have discovered a new immune mechanism in osteocytes, the most common type of bone cell, that could lead to new drugs for breast and prostate cancer.

News story: Storing the most dangerous materials on earth: how modelling is unlocking the potential of nuclear power

"Nuclear power is the world’s second largest source of low-carbon power," writes Professor Kostya Trachenko, Professor of Physics at Queen Mary University London. And with the world searching for new sustainable energy innovations, it could hold the key to tackling the climate emergency."

News story: “Do bumble bees play?” awarded the “Pineapple Science Award”

Dr Samadi Galpayage, a recent Queen Mary University of London PhD graduate, and her team including Professor Lars Chittka, a world-renowned expert on bee behaviour, have been awarded the 12th “Pineapple Science Award” in Biology for their work on bumblebee play. 

News story: Research Group wins ERC Synergy grant for development of revolutionary colorectal cancer screening and treatment system

A leading expert in medical robotics and artificial intelligence at Queen Mary University of London, Professor Kaspar Althoefer, is part of a research group that has been awarded €10m highly competitive European Research Council (ERC) Synergy grant.

News story: Queen Mary University of London professor elected Fellow of the American Physical Society

Ginestra Bianconi, Professor of Applied Mathematics at Queen Mary University of London, and Alan Turing Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute has been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) for 2023. The American Physical Society was formed to advance the knowledge of physics to benefit humanity. Since 1921, the APS Fellowship signifies peer recognition of exceptional contributions to physics through original research, innovative applications, teaching, and leadership.  

News story: The source of the solution: how interdisciplinary research is helping us understand the scale of plastic pollution

Plastic pollution has now been detected in clouds, raising the prospect of 'plastic rainfall'. The shocking findings are the latest indication of the serious global impact of plastic waste. How can we tackle and limit some of the worst potential impacts of microplastics?

News story: New organ-on-a-chip model of human synovium could accelerate development of treatments for arthritis

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have developed a new organ-on-a-chip model of the human synovium, a membrane-like tissue that lines the joints. The model, published in the journal Biomedical Materials, could help researchers better understand the mechanisms of arthritis and develop new treatments for this group of debilitating diseases. 

News story: Tropical ecosystems more reliant on emerging aquatic insects, study finds, potentially putting them at greater risk

A team of researchers from Queen Mary University of London and the University of Campinas in Brazil has found that tropical forest ecosystems are more reliant on aquatic insects than temperate forest ecosystems and are therefore more vulnerable to disruptions to the links between land and water. 

News story: Queen Mary University of London announces 10 new Professorial positions in the Faculty of Science and Engineering

Queen Mary University of London is pleased to announce 10 new permanent academic positions in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. These positions will further strengthen the faculty's rapidly expanding, world-leading research following an excellent performance in the latest UK Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) in which the university was ranked 7th in the UK based on research quality (i.e., outputs/publications).

News story: Queen Mary researchers win EPSRC manufacturing grant to develop scalable manufacturing technologies for single-crystal perovskite optical and electronic devices

A Queen Mary Team, led by Dr Lei Su, Reader in Photonics at the School of Engineering and Materials Science, has been awarded a highly competitive £1m EPSRC Adventurous Manufacturing Grant that supports high-risk and adventurous ideas.

News story: One-hour training is all you need to control a third robotic arm

One-hour training is enough for people to carry a task alone with their supernumerary robotic arms as effectively as with a partner, study finds. 

News story: Material Matters exhibition shows new batteries and pressure sensors developed from tyre wear particles

Dr Maria Crespo-Ribadeneyra, Lecturer in Green Energy at Queen Mary University of London, in collaboration with The Tyre Collective, a startup capturing tyre pollution from vehicles, developed batteries and pressure sensors from tyre wear particles. Their work is currently on display at Material Matters, one of the UK's leading exhibitions of innovative materials in the OXO Tower Gallery.

News story: Freshwater connectivity can transport environmental DNA through the landscape

A new paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B used environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to analyze fish and zooplankton communities. The study found that the movement of water between freshwater bodies, or freshwater connectivity, can transport eDNA. This highlights the potential of eDNA to provide a comprehensive view of freshwater biodiversity.

News story: Professor Kostya Trachenko releases new book on theory of liquids

A new book by Queen Mary University of London Physics Professor Kostya Trachenko, "Theory of Liquids," provides a theory of the most important properties of liquids, such as their energy and heat capacity. This book explains the recent developments in theory, experiment, and modeling that have enabled us to understand the behavior of excitations in liquids and the impact of this behavior on energy, heat capacity, and other basic properties. 

News story: QMUL Researchers win ERC Starting Grants for groundbreaking research

Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) is celebrating two major research wins, with two academics awarded prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants for their groundbreaking, ambitious research. Overall, ERC awarded 400 grants to early-career researchers across Europe, including 32 in the UK. 

News story: Sir Colin Humphreys appears on BBC Radio 4's The Life Scientific

On Tuesday, August 29, Professor Sir Colin Humphreys was a guest on the BBC Radio 4 programme The Life Scientific. Hosted by Professor Jim Al-Khalili, the programme explored Humphreys' life and work as a materials scientist and engineer.

News story: New study finds ways to suppress lithium plating in automotive batteries for faster charging electric vehicles

A new study led by Dr. Xuekun Lu from Queen Mary University of London in collaboration with an international team of researchers from the UK and USA has found a way to prevent lithium plating in electric vehicle batteries, which could lead to faster charging times. The paper was published in the journal Nature Communications. 

News story: How a cup of water can unlock the secrets of our Universe

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have made a discovery that could change our understanding of the universe. In their study published in Science Advances, they reveal, for the first time, that there is a range in which fundamental constants can vary, allowing for the viscosity needed for life processes to occur within and between living cells. This is an important piece of the puzzle in determining where these constants come from and how they impact life as we know it. 

News story: Queen Mary University of London launches Proud to be an Engineer campaign

Queen Mary University of London is launching a public engagement campaign called Proud to be an Engineer and looking for engineers who would like to participate. The campaign is part of the university’s commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, and is designed to raise awareness of the challenges faced by underrepresented engineers and to inspire the next generation of engineers from all backgrounds. 

News story: Queen Mary University of London to conduct research project to improve cyber security for small businesses

Maria Bada, Lecturer in Psychology at the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, will play a key role in a new research project aimed at improving cyber security for small businesses.

News story: Recovery of biodiversity in rivers across Europe is slowing down, study finds

A new study by an international team of scientists has revealed that while European river systems have seen significant improvement in biodiversity since the 20th century, progress has slowed since 2010. 

News story: Queen Mary University of London to Host iGGi Con 2023: A Conference and Showcase for Research in Digital Games

On September 13-14, 2023, Queen Mary University of London will host the annual iGGi Con, organised by the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Intelligent Games and Game Intelligence (iGGi). The conference will provide an excellent opportunity for the games industry and the wider public to connect with researchers presenting their innovative work and findings. Registration for the conference is now open, and early registration is recommended as places are limited. 

News story: Queen Mary academic awarded Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship from the Royal Academy of Engineering

Dr Emmanouil Benetos, School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, has been announced as a recipient of the prestigious Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship to research resource-efficient machine listening.

News story: Queen Mary Researchers Create Innovative Sensor to Enhance Robots' Tactile Capabilities

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London, along with collaborators from China and USA have developed an L3 F-TOUCH sensor to enhance tactile capabilities in robots, allowing it to "feel" objects and adjust its grip accordingly. 

News story: New Study Reveals Reptiles’ Spontaneous Association Between Vision and Hearing

An international research team from Queen Mary University of London, UK and the Rovereto Civic Museum Foundation, Italy has made a groundbreaking discovery regarding reptiles and their ability to match visual and auditory information.

News story: Dr Jessica Agnew-Blais' study to bridge knowledge gap in ADHD wins UKRI grant

Queen Mary University of London's Dr Jessica Agnew-Blais is leading a new study that aims to provide a better understanding of Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), particularly how it progresses over time, and will gather much-needed new evidence on how ADHD presents in girls and women. The study is part of three projects that have been awarded £2.4m by the Medical Research Council (MRC) to bridge the knowledge gap in ADHD. 

News story: Refurbishment project progressing well on 4th floor of Landin Building

On Wednesday 12th July, Professor Wen Wang, Vice-Principal for Science & Engineering, visited the refurbishment project taking place on the 4th floor of the Landin Building along with all the Heads of School within the Faculty of Science & Engineering to observe the progress of the project. 

News story: Soft Robotics Revolutionise Minimally Invasive Surgery

Professor Kaspar Althoefer from Queen Mary University of London has made groundbreaking advancements in the field of soft robotics for minimally invasive surgery

News story: Professor Andrew Livingston Honored at International Conference on Membranes

This Friday, the International Conference on Membranes (ICOM) celebrates the remarkable contributions of esteemed scientist Professor Andrew Livingston, Vice Principal for Research and Innovation at Queen Mary University of London.

News story: New fossil flying reptile ‘Elvis’ takes flight.

A new 145-million-year-old pterosaur (extinct flying reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs) was named today by a team of British, American and German researchers. 

News story: Queen Mary scientists win Leverhulme grant for inter-school astrobiology initiative

Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) is delighted to announce that its inter-school astrobiology initiative has been awarded a prestigious Leverhulme Trust Research Project grant.

News story: Revolutionary Self-Sensing Electric Artificial Muscles

In a study published recently in Advanced Intelligent Systems, researchers from Queen Mary University of London have made significant advancements in the field of bionics with the development of a new type of electric variable-stiffness artificial muscle that possesses self-sensing capabilities. This innovative technology has the potential to revolutionize soft robotics and medical applications. 

News story: ‘Electronic skin’ from bio-friendly materials can track human vital signs with ultrahigh precision

Queen Mary University and University of Sussex researchers have used materials inspired by molecular gastronomy to create smart wearables that surpassed similar devices in terms of strain sensitivity   

News story: Euclid space mission is set for launch – here’s how it will test alternative theories of gravity

Dr Tessa Baker, Reader in Cosmology at Queen Mary University of London, has co-written for The Conversation on the European Space Agency’s upcoming Euclid mission.

News story: Inspiring more women to be engineers

To mark Women in Engineering Day (June 23), meet some of the trailblazing women in engineering at Queen Mary.  

News story: Queen Mary to develop wireless technology to beam down solar power from space

Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) has been awarded £960,000 from the UK government to investigate wireless technology for spaced-based solar power (SBSP).  

News story: “Gene-ius fish: diving into human mental health with zebrafish” at the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition

Studies in zebrafish which could give insight into the neurobiology underlying mental health disorders and addiction in humans are going on show at the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition from July 4th – 9th, 8am-6pm.

News story: Scientists discover air quality monitoring stations are collecting urgently needed biodiversity data

An international team of researchers has discovered that thousands of ambient air quality monitoring stations around the world are unwittingly recording more than just atmospheric pollutants and dust: they are also likely collecting biodiversity data in the form of environmental DNA (eDNA). 

News story: Social media posts can be used to track individuals’ income and economic inequalities

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London analysed 2.6 million posts on popular social media network Nextdoor and accurately predicted individuals’ income by solely examining the posts they’ve published.

News story: From small to large: a study of gravitational waves using scattering amplitudes of subatomic particles

Queen Mary Professor Gabriele Travaglini was recently awarded a Leverhulme Research Fellowship and has written the following article for the Leverhulme Trust Newsletter.  

News story: New research identifies which cells in horses’ tendons are affected by ageing, leading to injury

A group of researchers including Queen Mary Professor Hazel Screen have been exploring what causes tendon damage in horses and have discovered that a particular region of the tendon called the interfascicular matrix (IFM) seems to be the source of ageing changes. As horse and human tendons are similar, these significant findings can now help us understand the cell populations that drive tendon injury in humans to identify and test new treatments.

News story: Methane must fall to slow global heating – but only 13% of emissions are actually regulated

Dr Paul Balcombe and Maria Olczak from Queen Mary University of London have co-written for The Conversation on new research they have conducted into methane emissions and global regulations.

News story: Scientists urge crackdown on methane emissions with only 13% regulated

New research from Queen Mary University of London shows that only around 13% of global methane emissions are regulated, despite methane emissions causing at least 25% of current global warming.

News story: Queen Mary is home to Central London’s only remotely controlled observatory open to students

In 2022, a allowing everyone with a computer and an internet connection to operate the observatory dome, three telescopes and state-of-the-art CCD cameras remotely.

News story: Meet some of Queen Mary’s inspiring environment experts

As people around the world unite to mark Earth Day (22 April) and call for a greener future, learn about some of the Queen Mary academics working to protect our planet. 

News story: First crowdsourcing platform for music description calls on public to support AI research

AI researchers at Queen Mary University of London and UPF in Barcelona are building a dataset that will enable the development of better music description tools – but they need music fans’ help.

News story: Engineering the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) - the largest optical telescope in space

In a seminar at Queen Mary, NASA’s Dr Raymond Ohl explained what makes the JWST’s architecture so unique.

News story: Bumblebees learn new “trends” in their behaviour by watching and learning

A new study has shown that bumblebees pick up new “trends” in their behaviour by watching and learning from other bees, and that one form of a behaviour can spread rapidly through a colony even when a different version gets discovered.

News story: Q&A with Dr David Hone: ‘Dinosaurs are a great gateway into science’  

Dr David Hone will appear on Dinosaur with Stephen Fry airing this Sunday 26th February on Channel Five. In this Q&A we find out more about the programme and David's career to date. 

News story: Queen Mary academic elected as a research fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering

Dr Evangelia Kyrimi, Lecturer in AI and Data Science in the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at Queen Mary University of London, was announced as one of three new research fellows by the Royal Academy of Engineering.

News story: Celebrating Science and Engineering at Queen Mary University of London

On 8 February, Queen Mary’s Faculty of Science and Engineering was joined by a host of distinguished guests to celebrate A Night of Science and Engineering.

News story: Queen Mary Academic awarded €1.9m from European Research Council to investigate planet forming discs   

Dr. Thomas Haworth from the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences has been awarded almost two million euros under the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator (2022) Grant to investigate how planet forming discs evolve in different environments.    

News story: Scientists discover the evolutionary secret behind different animal life cycles

Researchers show a link between the time of activation of dozens of genes in the embryo and how the life cycles of animals evolved.

News story: Queen Mary professor elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has elected Queen Mary’s Professor Lars Chittka as a fellow.

News story: A Q&A with Professor Sir Harry Bhadeshia: “I discovered that steel is complicated.”

Professor Sir Harry Bhadeshia will deliver his inaugural lecture at Queen Mary Presents on 8 February 2023.  

News story: New research on bees shows current safety tests of insecticides are inadequate

Queen Mary researchers have revealed unexpected variation in bee neural receptors, challenging current safety assessments of insecticides, which work by targeting these receptors.