HAYLEY DUNNING
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Imperial College London

For Imperial College London I am Media Manager for the Faculty of Natural Sciences. The role combines press officer duties, where I take enquiries from the media and create and distribute press releases, and science news editor, creating news and multimedia features and curating the science news page. I also manage Imperial’s monthly podcast.

I originally filled the role temporarily as a secondment from the Natural History Museum March-June 2015, going back to it permanently from September 2015.

Links to all stories are categorised below, oldest to newest, or you can see a full list of my most recent stories.​
​
* Stars denote my favourites!
Physics
2023
  • Scientists find first evidence that black holes are the source of dark energy
2022
  • Fastest-ever study of how electrons respond to X-rays performed
  • ​Quantum versus conventional computing: a closer race than you think
  • Strongest magnetic fields in the universe aid the search for magnetic monopoles
  • ‘Nanomagnetic’ computing can provide low-energy AI, researchers show
  • Imperial receives £7.64m to keep UK at the forefront of particle physics
  • Solar storms can be predicted a day in advance, shows mission to the Sun
  • Comet-mapping mission gets the go-ahead
  • Ultrafast lasers used to probe next-generation solar cells
  • World’s most sensitive dark matter detector starts collecting data
  • ‘Life-like’ lasers can self-organise, adapt their structure, and cooperate
  • Imperial researchers scoop £1.75m of funding for quantum physics projects
  • Satellite mission confirms cornerstone of general relativity is unshakeable
  • Ion beam cancer therapy facility gets a £2m development boost
  • Research, enterprise and education excellence recognised by Institute of Physics
  • Spiderweb-like lasers can emit light in controlled colours
  • New era of exoplanet exploration begins with ‘remarkable’ JWST study of WASP-39b *
2021
  • £7.2m quantum network will develop technology to probe Universe’s mysteries
  • Solar Orbiter: one year in space *
  • New result from the LHCb experiment challenges leading theory in physics
  • Ship tracks show how aerosols affect clouds fast and slow
  • Plasma physicists lay out a manifesto for the data-driven future of the field
  • Imperial instrument ready to head to Jupiter after challenging lockdown build
  • Throwing an ‘axion bomb’ into a black hole challenges fundamental law of physics
  • New insight into how plasma heats up could help optimise fusion reactions
  • Two dark matter detector heavyweights join forces to build new observatory
  • Physics students take first-year project to peer-reviewed paper
  • Serendipitous double flyby of Venus provides unprecedented science opportunity
  • Mini space mission launches with Imperial kit on board
  • Major nuclear fusion milestone reached as ‘ignition’ triggered in a lab *
  • When the solar wind hits Earth’s magnetosphere, a surprising stillness ensues
  • Imperial to build instrument for new NASA mission to study the solar wind
2020
  • World’s most powerful particle accelerator one big step closer
  • Sun explorer spacecraft successfully launches with Imperial kit on board
  • First science data from Solar Orbiter shows Imperial instrument working well
  • How to design for a move to Mars
  • Solar Orbiter scientists on seeing rocket launch: “I will remember it forever”
  • Saturn’s ‘energy crisis’ solved with data from Cassini’s final mission
  • Strongest evidence yet that neutrinos explain how the universe exists
  • Closest-ever images of the Sun reveal ‘campfires’ near the surface
  • Rare Higgs boson events allow researchers to probe deeper mysteries of physics
  • Layer of nanoparticles could improve LED performance and lifetime
  • Astronomers find hints of life on Venus
  • Dark matter even more elusive than previously thought
  • Imperial completes new space mission instrument despite lockdown challenges
  • Unique ultraviolet aurora spied at comet visited by Rosetta
  • Scientists plan new groundbreaking facility to transform UK cancer treatment
  • Solar storms could be more extreme if they ‘slipstream’ behind each other
  • Solar Orbiter’s first science data shows the Sun at its quietest
  • Artificial intelligence improves control of powerful plasma accelerators
2019
  • How Cassini changed our view of Saturn and its moons
  • Non-toxic salt water battery prototype can charge in seconds
  • Common scents don’t always make the best perfumes, suggests mathematical study
  • Global team of scientists finish assembling next-generation dark matter detector
  • Lab-based dark energy experiment narrows search options for elusive force
  • Imperial instrument cleared to study the Sun after extensive spacecraft testing
  • New satellite looking at how Earth is losing its cool gets the go-ahead
  • Earliest cluster of forming galaxies discovered 13 billion light-years away
  • Solar Orbiter spacecraft heads to launch site on its way to the Sun
  • Satellite tracking shows how ships affect clouds and climate
  • Imperial among UK institutions building parts for new £30m neutrino detector
  • Closest-ever approach to the Sun gives new insights into the solar wind
  • Deeper understanding of irregular heartbeat may lead to more effective treatment
  • Ultrashort x-ray technique will probe conditions found at the heart of planets
2018
  • More evidence Earth-like planets could sustain life as their atmospheres probed
  • Intense laser experiments provide first evidence that light can stop electrons
  • ‘Digistain’ technology offers revolution in detailed cancer diagnosis
  • Experiments underway to turn light into matter
  • Ocean warming can predict land warming with simple model
  • Fleet of spacecraft spot long-sought-after process in the Earth’s magnetic field
  • X-rays from tabletop lasers allows scientists to peer through the ‘water window’
  • New measurements of Higgs boson deepen our understanding of the origin of mass
  • “The universe is incredibly simple” says renowned physicist at annual lecture
  • Scientists spot erupting jets of material as black hole tears a star apart
  • Ground broken on upgrades to the Large Hadron Collider
  • Molecular oxygen in comet’s atmosphere not created on its surface
  • UK delivers super-cool kit to aid the global hunt for dark matter
  • Surprise slow electrons are produced when intense lasers hit clusters of atoms
  • Physicists fight laser chaos with quantum chaos to improve laser performance
  • Just seven photons can act like billions
  • Jupiter mission reaches next milestone as Imperial instrument is ready to test
  • Latest insights into Saturn’s weird magnetic field only make things weirder
  • Quantum ‘compass’ could allow navigation without relying on satellites *
  • Enormous ‘ghost’ galaxy spotted hiding next to the Milky Way
  • Powerful aurora-forming mini explosions seen behind the Earth
  • First ‘piggyback’ kit for monitoring space weather launched
  • Young star caught forming around another star
2017
  • Fledgling stars try to prevent their neighbours from birthing planets
  • Researchers uncover secret of nanomaterial that makes harvesting sunlight easier
  • Imperial instrument ready to study the Sun *
  • Technology that could detect cancer more accurately wins Innovation Award
  • Miniature landscape of solar cells bags physicist top photo prize
  • Cassini spacecraft begins its final dance with Saturn
  • Clouds’ response to pollution clarified with new climate analysis
  • Physicists allow people to explore cosmology with taste *
  • Physicists squeeze extra data from superfast x-ray probes using machine learning
  • Surprise organic molecule detection paints complex picture of Saturnian moon
  • Saturn’s ‘weird’ magnetic field perplexes scientists
  • Physicists shed light on rarely seen 16th-century metal-working technique *
  • Scientists closer to explaining why matter persists over antimatter
  • Cassini spacecraft bids farewell after 13 years exploring Saturn
  • Galaxy-spotting telescope that studied star formation celebrated by scientists
  • Electron behaviour under extreme conditions described for the first time
  • Imperial hosts two-day celebration of Cassini mission success
  • 10 years of the trapped rainbow: the revolution of slow light *
  • Duo of titanic galaxies caught in extreme starbursting merger
  • New way to write magnetic info could pave the way for hardware neural networks
  • Squeezing light into a tiny channel brings optical computing a step closer
  • European satellite confirms general relativity with unprecedented precision
  • Solid start in the quest for an elusive particle
2016
  • 106-year-old theory of light demonstrated with metamaterial model
  • Gravitational wave detection heralds a ‘new era of cosmological observation’
  • Ultrafast method for measuring ultrafast lasers reveals complex waveforms
  • Jupiter’s X-ray aurora is sparked by the solar wind
  • Physicists receive Royal Society award to widen access to 3D imaging technique
  • Unplanned Venus experiment reveals surprises in the atmosphere
  • Rare materials that shrink when heated could lead to more stable electronics
  • Spacecraft fly through explosive magnetic phenomenon to understand space weather
  • Proton beam therapy and physics to be explored in research collaboration
  • Number of habitable planets could be limited by stifling atmospheres
  • Large Hadron Collider gets upgraded ‘brain’ to handle billions of collisions
  • Prototype gravitational wave detector exceeds expectations
  • Light and matter mixed in a tiny golden trap *
  • The Big Bang might have been just a Big Bounce *
  • Nature’s weirdest particles in the spotlight at Neutrino 2016 conference
  • Scientists discover light could exist in a previously unknown form *
  • Evidence mounts that neutrinos are the key to the universe’s existence
  • Experiment at the Large Hadron Collider ready to find magnetic monopoles
  • Scientists confirm the universe has no direction *
  • New data on weird state of matter could help the development of fusion power
  • Fathers of Higgs boson detectors awarded particle physics prize
  • Physicists make it possible to 3D print your own baby universe *
  • Single-molecule graphene switches bring minute electronic devices a step closer
  • Theory that challenges Einstein’s physics could soon be put to the test *
​2015
  • Large Hadron Collider prepares to probe more mysteries of the universe
  • More than 200 ancient galaxy clusters discovered
  • First results from comet-landing mission revealed
  • New ultrafast laser technique set to probe fundamentals of chemical reactions
  • First T2K measurement of antineutrino identity-shifting behaviour announced
  • Solar wind monitoring mission passes the first hurdle
  • New tool could predict large solar storms more than 24 hours in advance *
  • Shock waves at Saturn could reveal secrets of exploding stars
  • Neutrinos scoop the Nobel Prize in Physics 2015
  • 3D microscopy technique allows scientists to trace dangerous heart waves
  • Q and A with winning neutrino scientists as experiments pocket $3 million prize
  • Lasers could rapidly make materials hotter than the Sun
  • General relativity anniversary: the past, present and future of spacetime (feature) *
  • General relativity anniversary: a celebration with Imperial physicists
  • General relativity anniversary: What happens if you fall into a black hole? (animation)
  • Saturn’s magnetic bubble explosions help release gas
  • Space mission to test gravitational wave detector lifts off
  • Difficult birth for the universe provides clues to particle physics mystery
Life Sciences
​2023
  • Forests recovering from logging act as a source of carbon
  • Microbes that co-operate contribute more carbon emissions
  • Research shows how human cells are protected when the immune system switches on
  • Woodcocks have the brightest white feathers ever measured *
2022
  • New £10m centre to explore links between organisms and their microbiomes
  • Disease predictions can be improved by factoring in mosquito predators
  • Genes that may be helping bumblebees adapt to environmental change pinpointed
  • ​AI for life sciences research gets boost from the financial markets
  • ​Body measurements for all 11,000 bird species released in open-access database
  • Researchers identify 1,044 underused plants that could combat vitamin deficiency
  • Automatic audio loggers successfully used to map the sound of Norway
  • ​Disease biology pioneers receive Wellcome Trust funding
  • COVID-19 poo test for bats may help pandemic monitoring and conservation efforts
  • Bacterial intimacy insights could help tackle antimicrobial resistance
  • Sleep triggered by stress can help mice cope with later anxiety
  • Museum collections indicate bees increasingly stressed by changes in climate *
  • Insights into two rare types of photosynthesis could boost crop production
  • 'Silent’ mutations help bacteria to evade antibiotics
  • Mosquitoes that can’t spread malaria engineered by scientists
  • Q&A: Helping the BBC film bumblebees in the Arctic
  • Tiny Antarctic creatures provide US$8.6 billion of carbon storage via their poo
  • Sewage overspill in the Thames likely does not lead to COVID-19 risk, says study
  • Dormant microbes can ‘switch on’ to cope with climate change
  • Study shows logged tropical forests are surprisingly vibrant and need protection
2021
  • Nobel laureate discusses science and ethics of genome engineering in lecture
  • AI analysis of how bacteria attack could help predict infection outcomes
  • Crucial step in formation of deadly brain diseases discovered
  • Photosynthesis could be as old as life itself *
  • Artificial intelligence can help spot traces of natural selection
  • Team investigating the evolution of bacterial ‘tails’ wins prestigious grant
  • ​Simple genetic modification aims to stop mosquitoes spreading malaria
  • Islands give rise to evolutionary giants and dwarfs
  • Major fly pest genetically modified in the lab to produce more males
  • Atlas of malaria parasite gene activity provides targets for drugs and vaccines
  • 70-year-old coffee-killing fungus brought back to life to fight the disease
  • ‘Mosquito smoothie’ innovation boosts future malaria vaccine potential
  • Malarial mosquitoes suppressed in experiments that mimic natural environments
  • Bee flight suffers under temperature extremes
  • Bacterial warfare provides new antibiotic target
  • Discovery of mobile disease detectors in plants could boost crop resilience
  • Insight into power generation in photosynthesis may lead to more resilient crops
  • "Is that a bacon sandwich?" - Fruit flies react to smells while asleep *
  • Research reveals how ‘chaperone’ proteins deal with immune system overreactions
  • ​Owl unseen for 150 years photographed in the wild for the first time
  • Key step in how bacteria acquire drug resistance revealed
  • Long-range four-stranded DNA structures found to play a role in ageing disease
  • Visually stunning tree of all known life unveiled online *
  • How a virus transforms immune cells into cancer uncovered by researchers
2020
  • Scientists find new way to sustainably make chemicals by copying nature’s tricks
  • Global database of all bird species shows how body shape predicts lifestyle
  • For bacteria, your community determines whether you evolve or not
  • Pesticides impair baby bee brain development
  • Researchers shed new light on how malaria parasites evade mosquitos’ defences
  • Bacteria ‘factories’ used to discover potential new malaria drugs
  • Malaria mosquitoes eliminated in lab by creating all-male populations
  • 45,000 bird wing measurements reveal where the best fliers live
  • 50 billion years of evolutionary history threatened by human activity
  • Mapping coronavirus in sewage could reveal disease hotspots
  • Scientists reveal why tummy bugs are so good at swimming through your gut *
  • More flowers and pollinator diversity could help protect bees from parasites
  • Herbivores, not predators, most at risk of extinction
  • Ancient bony fish forces rethink of how sharks evolved *
  • Genome of Alexander Fleming’s original penicillin-producing mould sequenced
  • Deforestation squeezes top predators in forest streams
  • Severe COVID-19 infection linked to overactive immune cells
  • Inexpensive and rapid tests can distinguish between Chagas disease parasites
  • Hole-punching bacteria could be engineered to attack pathogens
  • Severe infections wreak havoc on mouse blood cell production
  • ‘Trojan horse’ bacteria could help defeat antibiotic-resistant infections
2019
  • School biology teaching given a helping hand with molecular game and software
  • Lack of sleep is not necessarily fatal for flies *
  • Pesticides found to affect bees’ genes
  • Only 149 trees of a wild apple species found alive
  • Starving bacteria can eject their tails to save energy and stay alive
  • Scientists trial drones to protect coffee plants from devastating fungal disease
  • Livestream the sounds of the rainforest and hear what changes logging makes *
  • Pesticide exposure causes bumblebee flight to fall short
  • New film of immune system killing bacteria could point to new therapies
  • Birds outside their comfort zone are more vulnerable to deforestation
  • Strange bacteria hint at ancient origin of photosynthesis
  • What a group of bizarre-looking bats can tell us about the evolution of mammals *
  • Researchers reveal how bacteria behind hospital infections block out antibiotics
  • Older male sparrows seem to father more chicks by getting more sperm to the egg
  • ‘Poisoned arrowhead’ used by warring bacteria could lead to new antibiotics
  • Krill’s role in global climate should inform fishing policy in Antarctica
  • Female mosquitoes that have mated are more likely to transmit malaria
  • Bacteria may contribute more to climate change as planet heats up
  • Scientists and schoolkids find family soups have antimalarial properties
  • Wildlife in tropics hardest hit by forests being broken up
2018
  • How bacteria turbocharged their motors
  • 10 years measuring membranes at the Diamond Light Source
  • We still don’t know how strange celibate animals evolve
  • Why do older male birds father more illegitimate children?
  • Pollution hits the fungi that nourish European trees *
  • New type of photosynthesis discovered
  • Collecting bacterial communities from puddles helps solve ecosystem riddles
  • Sister species of birds reveal clues to how biodiversity evolves
  • Combining different malaria vaccines could reduce cases by 91 per cent
  • Stubborn sparrows may have sung the same songs for hundreds of years
  • City bees outbreed their country cousins
  • Bacteria can ‘divide and conquer’ to vanquish their enemies
  • Immune cells can switch from ‘gang members’ to ‘police officers’
  • How plants use carbon affects their response to climate change
  • Removing malaria-carrying mosquitoes unlikely to affect ecosystems, says report
  • The more pesticides bees eat, the more they like them *
  • Marine ‘biodiversity crisis’ tackled with new database of conservation plans
  • Drugs that stop mosquitoes catching malaria could help eradicate the disease
  • Mosquitoes that can carry malaria eliminated in lab experiments *
  • New way to look at cell membranes could change the way we study disease
  • Oxygen could have been available to life as early as 3.5 billion years ago
2017
  • Malaria infection depends on number of parasites, not number of mosquito bites
  • Global alien bird species movements mapped for the first time
  • Technique that revolutionised biology wins its inventors big science prize
  • Imperial to lead new £3m London consortium for structural biology
  • Atomic map of malaria drug gives it new life
  • Malaria parasites soften our cells’ defences in order to invade
  • Scientists collaborate on aquatic ecology experiments across Europe
  • Drones that detect early plant disease could save crops
  • A lead candidate for immunotherapy may increase tumour growth in certain cancers
  • Female fruit flies become more aggressive towards each other after sex
  • Malaria elimination project wins $17.5m funding boost
  • First-ever look at DNA opening reveals initial stage of reading the genetic code
  • Unlock molecular secrets with mobile game BioBlox2D
  • How birds fly determines the shape of their eggs *
  • Why T. Rex and elephants lumber behind cheetahs
  • Young scientists bring their anti-malaria invention to Imperial *
  • Trigger for weapons of bacterial warfare uncovered
  • Sustainable fish farming is possible for the majority of coastal countries
  • Bacterial machines that help create defensive ‘mats’ mapped by researchers
  • When collecting bird sperm, method matters
  • Leaf size shrinks with latitude to avoid cold snaps
  • Birds’ unique skulls linked to young dinosaur brains
  • Sexually aroused male flies unable to sleep after close encounters with females *
  • Mini robotic labs for testing fly behaviour invented by Imperial researchers
  • Herbivores help protect marine ecosystems from climate change
  • Global biodiversity conservation does save species, but could be done smarter
  • Fragmented forests create animal winners and losers
  • Imperial stem cell and leukaemia expert wins prestigious medal
  • Medium-sized carnivores most at risk from environmental change
  • Who’s the boss: researchers reveal how to analyse animal hierarchies
  • Toxic agents behind Parkinson’s disease seen at work for the first time
  • Leukaemia treatment can be made more effective by using a drug for iron overload
2016
  • Don’t blame grey squirrels: their British invasion had much more to do with us *
  • ‘Holy grail’ bacteria for crop farming debunked by scientists *
  • Logging helps black rats invade rainforests
  • The immune system’s cell-splitters revealed in unprecedented detail
  • Bee brains as you have never seen them before
  • Top predator trout may be able to adapt to warmer waters
  • Photosynthesis more ancient than thought, and most living things could do it
  • Nanoscale images reveal bacteria motor parts in unprecedented detail *
  • Fish diversity receives a boost when species evolve live births
  • Malaria scientists aim to look ‘under the bonnet’ of the parasite with new grant
  • Fastest-ever molecular imaging reveals reaction crucial for vision
  • Steps that lead to genes being switched on revealed in atomic simulation
  • For cells, some shapes are easier to swallow than others
  • Sparrows with unfaithful ‘wives’ care less for their young *
  • Plants’ ability to slow climate change depends on their fungi
  • Stopping deforestation will not end tropical species losses
  • Wildlife in hedgerows suffers when next to roads or pavements
  • Logged rainforests can be an ‘ark’ for mammals, extensive study shows
  • A new way to create synthetic proteins could lead to more flexible designs
  • Activity of Huntington’s disease gene curbed for six months in mice
  • Parkinson’s disease protein plays vital ‘marshalling’ role in healthy brains
  • Great white sharks and tuna share genetics that makes them super predators
  • A new light protection mechanism discovered in plants
  • Impact of pesticide on bumblebees revealed by taking experiments into the field
  • Leukaemia cell movement gives clues to tackling treatment-resistant disease *
  • Overlooked molecules could revolutionise our understanding of the immune system *
  • Sampling species’ DNA trails is leading to better environmental monitoring
  • Big data on ecology and evolution explored in new Centre for Doctoral Training
  • First movie of energy transfer in photosynthesis solves decades-old debate
2015
  • Big data study reveals the impacts of changing landscapes on biodiversity
  • Logging means ants, worms and other invertebrates lose rainforest dominance
  • Partially logged rainforests could be emitting more carbon than assumed
  • Imperial bee expert gives his take on latest research on harms from insecticides
  • Photosynthesis study gets a musical makeover
  • Biologists chart revolutions in pop music by treating songs like organisms
  • Biologists to engineer bacteria for vaccine delivery
  • New app puts the world’s biodiversity in the palm of your hand
  • Fly around your family tree with a new interactive website
  • Nature lovers can get involved with citizen science across the UK thanks to OPAL
  • Homeless lizards get a new lease of life on Silwood Park Campus
  • Probing cells’ recycling centres reveals new drug targets
  • All-female animals adapt without sex by stealing foreign DNA
  • Modified mosquitoes could help fight against malaria *
  • New £4.5m project aims to use bacteria to supply nitrogen to plants
climate change, Energy, and environment
2023
  • Sewage overspills result from lack of infrastructure investment, research shows
2022
  • Q&A: How might fishing be impacting the carbon cycle?
  • ​London produces up to a third more methane than estimates suggest
  • Kenya launches 2050 Calculator to advance climate change mitigation
  • Fossil fuel companies’ projections won’t meet Paris Agreement climate goals
  • River longer than the Thames beneath Antarctic ice sheet could affect ice loss
  • Smartphone users to help simulate cyclones and predict effects of climate change
  • Low-traffic neighbourhoods reduce pollution in surrounding streets
2021
  • Hurricanes and typhoons moving 30km closer to coasts every decade
  • Ditching the car for walking or biking just one day a week cuts carbon footprint
  • Lakes isolated beneath Antarctic ice could be more amenable to life than thought
  • Waste carbon from steel production can be recycled into new products
  • No evidence that London’s Cycle Superhighways worsen traffic congestion
  • ​Scientists improve how global climate progress can be calculated
  • The next 20 are years crucial in determining the future of coal
  • Global satellite data shows clouds will amplify global heating
  • Future of UK Treescapes Programme launches with £10.5 million for new research
  • Major UN report concludes world is off-track to fight climate change
  • Climate change goals are in reach if pledges are fulfilled, says new report
  • We need bolder action on air pollution following new WHO guidelines, say experts
  • Children will face huge increases in extreme climate events in their lifetimes
  • Reducing air pollution: how can changing behaviours help?
  • How we recover from COVID-19 disruption will affect how we meet climate targets
  • Climate change action will improve health and save lives now and in the future
  • Increasing hydrogen energy requires all technologies to be pushed forward
  • ​Experts push for stricter air pollution standards in new environment legislation
  • ​Updated climate commitments fall far short, but net-zero pledges provide hope
  • New climate pledges significantly more likely to prevent worst of global heating
2020
  • Climate change increases the risk of wildfires confirms new review
  • Mediterranean rainfall immediately affected by greenhouse gas changes
  • Countries must work together on CO2 removal to avoid dangerous climate change​
  • Could Africa have a sustainable palm industry?
  • Cloud computing could be producing hidden greenhouse gas emissions
  • Offshore wind power now so cheap it could pay money back to consumers
  • Countries transitioning to zero carbon should look at more than technology cost
  • Thousands chasing London allotments as supply dwindles
  • ‘Blue Planet II’ may not have caused a change in plastic preference
  • Fraction of money earmarked for COVID-19 recovery could boost climate efforts
  • Silica the best environmental alternative to plastic microbeads, finds study
  • Ice sheet uncertainties could mean sea level will rise more than predicted
2019
  • Batteries predicted to become the cheapest option for storing electricity
  • Wildfire research centre to launch with £10m from the Leverhulme Trust
  • Extreme rainfall events are connected across the world
  • Eating insects makes sense. So why don’t we? *
  • The best marine protected areas also promote human wellbeing
  • Plants could remove six years of carbon dioxide emissions – if we protect them
  • Vintage film of Antarctic glaciers hints at early ice shelf collapse
  • Putting a price on carbon pollution alone unlikely to help reach climate goals
  • Shifting the focus of climate-change strategies may benefit younger generations
  • How can more walking be encouraged in cities?
  • Study explores how to make conservation initiatives more contagious
  • Households could make big emissions reductions with the right Government support​
  • Capturing carbon dioxide to make useful products could become big business
  • Medics and environmental policy experts rank parties on climate pledges
2018
  • Ozone at lower latitudes is not recovering, despite Antarctic ozone hole healing *
  • Open Air Laboratories empower a million new citizen scientists to explore nature
  • Global conservation goals may fall short without protection of intact forests
  • Prince Albert of Monaco: ‘Blue economy’ must be a priority to conserve the ocean
  • Running on renewables: how sure can we be about the future?
  • Global carbon emissions could be cut 3% by following the UK’s example *
  • Actual fossil fuel emissions checked with new technique
  • Small changes in rainforests cause big damage to fish ecosystems
  • Conservation efforts could be improved with more accurate species loss estimates
  • Don’t wait for a unicorn: investing in low-carbon tech now will save money
  • ‘Deforestation-free’ palm oil not as simple as it sounds
  • Construction delays make new nuclear power plants costlier than ever
  • Transforming our lives can limit global warming to 1.5C without new technology
  • How to save Antarctica (and the rest of Earth too) *
  • Greener energy generation alone will not help us reach climate goals
  • Promoting cycling in cities can tackle obesity
  • Using ‘shade balls’ in reservoirs may use up more water than they save
  • Wind and solar power could provide more than a third of Europe’s energy by 2030
  • Cycling is the healthiest way to get around cities
  • First annual Green Great Britain Week launches at Imperial
  • Cause of long, potentially damaging channels on Antarctic ice shelves found
  • Swapping coal for carbon-capture technologies could boost US employment
2017
  • Floating plastic pollution from Europe and the US is accumulating in the Arctic
  • Best ways to remove greenhouse gases to be investigated with new £2m grant
  • Wind turbines can pick up the slack on coldest days
  • New way to predict when electric cars and home batteries become cost effective
  • European cooperation could provide more stable wind power
  • Health impacts of climate change already felt today
  • Wave energy needs EU funds and innovation to deliver low-carbon power for UK
  • Explore the environment in your area with interactive citizen science map
  • Students help international effort to track pollution across Europe
  • Carbon capture is helped by oil revenue, but it may not be enough
  • Untouched forests fight climate change, but face threats
2016
  • To clean up ocean plastics focus on coasts, not the Great Pacific garbage patch *
  • Climate models hindered by inaccurate UV satellite measurements
  • Pigeon patrol gives air pollution study a flying start
  • Scientists predict extensive ice loss from huge Antarctic glacier *
  • New tool can calculate renewable energy output anywhere in the world
  • New grant will allow citizen science network to bring people closer to nature
  • Global methane emissions are rising faster than any time in the past 20 years
  • Greenland’s ice sheet closely tracks global climate changes
2015
  • Scientists need to be smart about environmental targets
  • Warm ocean water is making Antarctic glacier vulnerable to significant melting
  • Extra carbon dioxide good for plants but bad for our water supply
  • Calculator shows planned emissions cuts can’t prevent dangerous global warming
  • Solar subsidy cuts will deny UK industry reduced wholesale electricity prices
Chemistry and maths
2023
  • New maths research to bring big benefits for business, industry, and the public​
  • Professor Ed Tate appointed to the GSK Chair in Chemical Biology
2022
  • Predictive software pioneer wins premier UK Young Scientist award
  • Cheaper solar cells could be on the way thanks to materials created at Imperial
  • Cheaper hydrogen fuel cell could mean better green energy options
  • Sustainable way to make breast cancer drug could boost South African production
  • Recycled gold from SIM cards could help make drugs more sustainable *
2021
  • Rare quadruple-helix DNA found in living human cells with glowing probes
  • Exposure to misinformation could make people refuse a COVID-19 vaccine
  • Cancer drugs could be delivered in molecular cages unlocked by light
  • Cardiovascular disease could be diagnosed earlier with new glowing probe
  • Printable circuits bring low-cost and high-performance wearables a step closer
  • Imperial launches a new era of digital chemistry
  • Metal-based molecules show promise against the build-up of Alzheimer’s peptides
  • Quick way to create molecular cages could revamp search for new materials
  • Imperial academic wins AstraZeneca prize in synthetic chemistry
  • ‘Wonder material’ phosphorene nanoribbons live up to hype in first demonstration
  • ​A new platform for controlled design of printed electronics with 2D materials
2020
  • HIV ‘hotspots’ not necessarily major drivers of new infections
  • Tailor-made vaccines could almost halve rates of serious bacterial disease
  • Smart design of new materials could improve energy storage technologies
  • Annual lecture explores the probability of coin tosses, atoms and forest fires
  • Artificial fog helps lasers shine brighter
  • New materials could make greener fast-charging batteries
  • New mathematical principle used to prevent AI from making unethical decisions​
  • Formation of quadruple helix DNA tracked in live human cells for the first time *
  • New way to tackle disease-causing proteins wins €20k in innovation competition
  • Imperial mathematician scoops $3m Breakthrough Prize
  • Largest global vaccine confidence survey reveals hesitancy hotspots
  • Size determines how nanoparticles affect biological membranes
  • Acoustics network gets £1.3m boost to help meet the UK’s Grand Challenges​
  • Double detection of cell changes could diagnose disease earlier
  • Imperial startup wins £4.5m investment to develop new cancer drugs
  • New book argues official statistics need to live up to their promise
2019
  • Black-hole mathematician wins exceptional young scientist award
  • Elephantiasis and river blindness could be eliminated faster with new molecule
  • Bringing electricity and chemistry together with a £1.6M project
  • First-of-its-kind automatic chemistry facility opens at Imperial
  • Advanced chemistry made possible with new suite of start-of-the-art instruments
  • The story of chemistry comes to life as Imperial celebrates ChemFest
  • Screening for rare but important disease ‘biomarkers’ gets an accuracy boost
  • Decoy antibiotics could get around bacteria’s defences
  • Washable, wearable battery-like devices could be woven directly into clothes
  • Gene mutation to cope with modern diets may help protect against diabetes
  • Researchers build artificial cells that sense and respond to their environment *
  • Researchers identify a new way to target treatment-resistant cancers
  • New maths reveals how diseases progress and bacteria develop drug resistance
2018
  • Blurring the boundaries between living and non-living with new PhD programme
  • Simple arsenic sensor could save lives
  • Artificial and biological cells work together as mini chemical factories
  • Collaboration could help botanic compound tackle breast cancer and stroke
  • Reading of biological molecules improved up to 100x by doubling the sensors
  • New class of drugs could help tackle treatment-resistant cancers
  • Mini tractor beams help arrange artificial cells into tissue structures *
  • Molecule that acts on human cells might provide hope for irresistible cold cure *
  • Artificial cells-in-cells triggered by light act as mini chemical reactors
  • Managing inheritance of deadly genetic diseases a step closer with new study
  • Printable solar cells a step closer with new design principles
  • Draw-your-own electrodes set to speed up development of micro detection devices
  • Cells decide when to divide based on their internal clocks
  • Nanoscale tweezers can perform single-molecule ‘biopsies’ on individual cells
  • Answering the mystery of what atoms do when liquids and gases meet
2017
  • Alternative solar cells ramp up efficiency and stability
  • Researchers collaborate with company to speed up the design of metamaterials
  • Explosions, Nobel Prizes and poems: a history of the Department of Chemistry *
  • Data set to improve engineering through new £10m programme
  • Q&A with Ghanaian science luminary promoting maths in the developing world *
  • Predictive policing research gets a boost from £3m grant
  • Imperial students collaborate on drug discovery for neglected diseases *
  • Next-gen solar cells could be improved by atomic-scale redesign
  • Smart detectors set to monitor urban bat life
  • Self-assembling nanoparticle arrays can switch between a mirror and a window
  • Copying nature’s lock-and-key system could improve rapid medical diagnostics
  • Artificial cell design gets a boost with the launch of FABRICELL
  • Fields medallist mathematician joins Imperial
  • Leading causes of ‘avoidable blindness’ identified as cases set to increase
  • The world’s first 3D printed steel bridge will be a ‘living laboratory’
  • Early disease diagnosis could be dramatically improved with new detection system
2016
  • Detection of molecules important for healthcare could soon be 1000 times faster
  • Artificial photosynthesis a step closer with new process
  • Newly created ‘sandwich rings’ could lead to better computers *
  • Genes find their partners without matchmakers
  • Mapping signal paths in proteins could reveal new direction for drug development
  • New sensor material could enable more sensitive readings of biological signals
  • Spinning semen provides a measurement of fertility *
  • Why pints spill but straws don’t: researchers uncover the science of spilling *
  • Award-winning mathematician returns to Imperial for a celebration of statistics
2015
  • Protein-mapping technique could pave the way for new drugs
  • Scholarship programme builds bridges between farmers and leading researchers
  • Scientists discover why next-gen solar cells break down in days
  • Professors in Mathematics and Chemistry honoured with Royal Society Fellowships
  • Researcher wins grant to untangle the wires of bacterial metabolism
  • Strategies for tackling drug-resistant bugs put to the test by maths models
  • Imperial chemist receives WISE award for eco-plastics start-up
Medicine, engineering, and earth science
I cover these topics for colleagues if they are on leave or need extra help
​

Earth science
  • Fossil parasite discovery reveals missing evolutionary step
  • Ancient ‘Kite Runner’ kept its young on a tether
  • Underwater volcano behaviour captured by timely scientific expedition
  • Volcanoes fed by ‘mush’ reservoirs rather than molten magma chambers *
  • Dinosaurs were thriving before asteroid strike that wiped them out *
  • First day of dinosaur extinction recorded in rocks at asteroid impact site
  • Traces of ancient rainforest in Antarctica point to a warmer prehistoric world
  • Asteroid impact, not volcanoes, made the Earth uninhabitable for dinosaurs
  • Rare ‘boomerang’ earthquake observed along Atlantic Ocean fault line
  • InSight mission unveils the interior of Mars
  • Study of Antarctic ice’s deep past shows it could be more vulnerable to warming
  • Possible organic compounds found in Mars crater rocks

Health and medicine
  • Scientists closer to understanding how the ear perceives speech
  • Car drivers are four kilograms heavier than cyclists, new study reveals
  • A handful of nuts a day cuts the risk of a wide range of diseases *
  • The brains of alcohol dependents and binge drinkers may recover differently
  • Six ways Imperial researchers are working to eliminate malaria *
  • Personalised heart disease diagnosis gets a boost with new collaboration
  • New COVID-19 project will use the power of smartphones to search for treatments
  • Being male or overweight can lead to more serious COVID-19 hospital admissions
  • Disease-carrying mosquitoes could be common in Europe by 2030
  • Mobile data shows high compliance with lockdown rules across the UK
  • Kawasaki-like syndrome linked to COVID-19 in children is a new condition
  • Whole-town study reveals more than 40% of COVID-19 infections had no symptoms
  • COVID-19 pandemic could significantly increase HIV, TB and malaria cases
  • More deaths from yellow fever expected in Africa because of climate change
  • Blood test could diagnose baby brain damage just hours after birth
  • COVID-19 less deadly and causes milder symptoms in children
  • COVID-19 hotspots projected with new website
  • Precise mapping shows how brain injuries inflict long-term damage
  • Genes that make children susceptible to severe Kawasaki disease identified
  • Warmer temperatures lessen COVID-19 spread, but control measures still needed
  • COVID-19 antibodies persist at least nine months after infection
  • No ‘safest spot’ to minimise risk of COVID-19 transmission on trains
​
Engineering
  • Cities of the future could be built by robots mimicking nature
  • Supercomputers use graphics processors to solve longstanding turbulence question
  • 'Flying fish' robot can propel itself out of water and glide through the air *
  • Stretchy and squeezy soft sensors one step closer thanks to new bonding method​
  • New green materials could power smart devices using ambient light
  • Imperial engineer to develop AI clinician to help frontline health workers
  • Simulation of self-driving fleets brings their deployment in cities closer
  • CO2 monitoring recommended to manage COVID-19 spread in schools and offices
  • Affordable device for fixing broken bones piloted in Gaza, Sri Lanka and Ukraine
College and campus
​ 2022
  • Imperial biochemist elected to Australian Academy of Science
  • Prof Faith Osier appointed Co-Director of Imperial’s Institute of Infection
  • Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours recognise Imperial academics
  • Spin-controlling materials team win prestigious Horizon Prize
  • Permeable paving and quantum computing: Imperial's Future Leaders Fellows
  • Royal Society awards Imperial physicist for his dedication to equity in science
  • Two Imperial academics awarded Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships
2021
  • Imperial academic delivers Royal Institution Christmas Lecture
  • Space plasma and exoplanet experts receive Royal Astronomical Society awards
  • Two Imperial women awarded Rising Talents fellowships from UNESCO and L’Oreal
  • Five Imperial academics given Institute of Physics awards and fellowships
2020
  • Imperial physicist and chemist honoured in premier young scientist awards
  • Tributes paid to Professor Walter Hayman at the launch of his last book *
  • Imperial academic named as new Director of £22m energy research centre
  • Cancer drug discovery technologies get a £4.5m boost
  • New Stephen Hawking Fellow appointed to share the wonder of science
  • Growing plants without soil amongst frontier projects backed by President’s fund
  • Britain's first astronaut shares her thoughts on confinement and isolation
  • Future research and innovation leaders backed through flagship fellowships
  • Bumper crop of researchers win Royal Society of Chemistry awards
  • Imperial researchers receive Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships
  • Imperial artist wins award for combining physics and art
  • Three Imperial academics win Institute of Physics awards
  • Imperial academic scoops a Samsung AI Researcher of the Year Award
  • Blue Plaque unveiled for Nobel Prize-winner Abdus Salam
2019
  • Imperial wins funding to train hundreds of PhD students at six new centres
  • Imperial professor honoured with plaque from the Association of Jewish Refugees
  • Climate champion Jo Haigh retires after 35 years at Imperial *
  • Centre for Synthetic Biology gains an Entrepreneur in Residence
  • Professor Tom Welton elected Royal Society of Chemistry president
  • Physicists to hold free global online-only conference
2018
  • Imperial physicist wins first-of-its-kind science prize
  • “Don’t be afraid to get lost” says Nobel laureate at Imperial lecture
  • Eminent physicist Professor Sir Tom Kibble memorialised with new portrait
  • Imperial partners with Agilent to boost molecular research and innovation
  • Imperial professors pay tribute to their former teacher Stephen Hawking
  • Imperial Festival is open! Get your science fix at this year’s event
  • Top honours for three Imperial chemists
  • Climate and materials experts elected as Fellows of the Royal Society
  • Outstanding research projects and people recognised in 2018 President’s Awards
  • Future of farming explored at the launch of new College network
  • Imperial’s scientific glassblower talks about his life’s work before retirement *
  • Four academics awarded Institute of Physics medals
  • Royal Society medals go to three Imperial academics
  • Expanded Centre for Synthetic Biology launches at Imperial
2017
  • Top astronomical prize for space mission leader
  • Fund for European research partnerships awards first nine grants
  • Inventions and innovations showcased at the Imperial Festival
  • Professor Sir Gordon Conway honoured with top geographical prize
  • Imperial researchers awarded Royal Society of Chemistry prizes
  • Three Imperial researchers elected Fellows of the Royal Society
  • Imperial’s everyday heroes celebrated with photo exhibition
2016
  • Top physicist John Pendry takes a slice of $1 million Dan David prize
  • Britain’s first astronaut celebrates 25 years since her pioneering mission
  • Researchers look to the future of imaging science at the World Economic Forum
  • Imperial professor set to steer the UK Space Agency *
  • Stephen Hawking talks black holes and the quantum world at sell-out lecture *
  • Imperial scientists help to define the fourth industrial revolution
  • Imperial recognised for openness on animal research
2015
  • Former astronaut Helen Sharman finds a new space at Imperial *
podcast
2023
  • Sonifying malaria research *
2022
  • Fishing and the carbon cycle 
  • LGBT+ history month and extended version *
  • 9 things you can do for your health and the planet
  • Making malaria history
  • HIV vaccine progress
  • Saving Brazil’s forests
  • Black & Found
  • What’s new at the Large Hadron Collider
  • Helping the BBC find bees in the Arctic
  • Improving homes to tackle the energy crisis
  • Can we avoid hangovers?
2021
  • Better breast cancer surgery
  • TfL testing for coronavirus
  • Coronavirus variants
  • Helping London breathe
  • AI to predict organ failure ​*
  • Supporting the world’s sustainability goals
  • Science and spoken word collide in poetry project
  • Living with sickle cell disease and extended version *
  • First-year project to peer-reviewed paper
  • A new way to do quantum computing  and extended version *
  • Simple HIV test
  • Women’s hearts *
2020
  • Designing for Mars
  • A green economic recovery
  • COVID-19’s impact on emerging economies
  • Neurodiversity network
  • Poet in residence *
  • Privacy in contact tracing
  • Millionaire mathematician and extended version Breakthrough Prize winner Martin Hairer
  • Cooking with hyperfoods
  • Levelling up Christmas dinner
2019
  • Next-generation vaccines 
  • Have a safe flight
  • Tune into the rainforest *
  • Climate champion retires
  • Alcohol marketing and children
  • Spoken-word scientist
  • Future of space travel with Britain's first astronaut *
  • Human-robotic interactions in space
  • A voyage through CERN and extended version The forefront of particle physics at CERN
  • Reducing baby brain injuries
2018
  • Making maths connections
  • Keeping the lights on in Cameroon
  • The Parenting Science Gang *
  • Hunting an asteroid crater
  • 50 years of glassblowing
  • Sparrow songs
  • Imperial during the First World War
  • Shopping habits
2017
  • Diet drinks and weight
  • Comedy with the Lol-LaB
  • Research adventures on Everest *
  • Cassini’s farewell *
  • Exploring caves and extended version On expedition with the caving club *
  • A tour around the Imperial universe
  • Alumni authors
  • Antibiotics amnesty on film
  • How environment affects health
2016
  • Ebola vaccine diaries episode 2 *
  • Ebola vaccine diaries episode 3 *
  • Five years since Fukushima
  • Searching for the Northern Lights
  • Mission to the ice giants *
  • Diamond solar cells
  • Wall of knowledge
  • Silwood Park field trip
  • Steering UK space
  • Mammals on the edge
  • Rosetta’s last mission and extended version: Rosetta comet-chasing mission comes to a dramatic end *
  • How planets are born *
  • The future of biotechnology
  • Urban cosmic dust *
2015
  • ​Ocean water melting Antarctic ice sheet
  • Expedition to sample the Chicxulub crater
  • Expansion of the OPAL citizen science programme
  • The chemist who went to space *
  • Using 3D printing to improve joint surgery
  • The Heart and Lung Convenience Store
  • Ebola vaccine diaries episode 1 *
interactive features
  • Mission to the Sun - How we are going to get a better look at our star than ever before
  • 8 innovative ways Imperial is tackling malaria
  • Dr Cristina Banks-Leite - As part of a series on the people behind our world-leading research, we meet an Imperial ecologist whose work is helping preserve biodiversity in Brazil's precious forests
  • Silwood Park at 75 - Dive into the past, present and future of Imperial's unique rural campus
Top image credit: Thomas Angus/Imperial College London
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