Science news

Traffic in Kolkata, India. Image courtesy of Getty Images.

Academics to help design electric vehicle specific to the Indian market in a bid to improve the country’s uptake of clean transport tech

Loughborough University academics have been awarded funding to help with the design and development of a four-wheeled electric vehicle for research, teaching and outreach in India.

Taking fish oil tablets for four weeks improves ‘night vision’ – new study

Fish oil supplements can significantly improve ‘night vision’, according to a new study.
Sustainable Home logo.

SUSTAINABLE HOME: Experts share top tips for being more environmentally friendly this Christmas in new video series

FIVE Loughborough experts are sharing their tips and tricks for making your home more sustainable this Christmas as part of a new video series.
A vector of a football player

Loughborough London experts team up with Chelsea FC Academy to teach AI how to ‘think’ and make split-second decisions on the go

A Loughborough University London academic is to develop ground-breaking algorithms that will equip AI systems with the ability to ‘think’ and respond to busy, ever-changing environments – such as driving on the road - much faster than humans.

a city on a phone vector

Mobile phones can help cities be more energy efficient, study suggests

Mobile phone data could be used to make urban buildings more energy efficient, a new research paper has found.

Electric car illustration.

Virgin Media owner announces plans for 1,200 on-street electric vehicle chargers – and Loughborough research will determine where they go

Liberty Global, the owner of Virgin Media, has unveiled plans to help revolutionise on-street electric vehicle (EV) charging – and Loughborough academics will play a crucial role in making the vision a reality.
Brain illustration.

Loughborough London academic to develop AI systems that can ‘think’ and respond to dynamic environments faster than any human being

A Loughborough University London academic is to develop ground-breaking algorithms that will equip AI systems with the ability to ‘think’ and respond to busy, ever-changing environments – like complex road junctions - much faster than human beings.

Flooding in Asia.

Rivers are changing all the time, and it affects their capacity to contain floods

The rainfall that has inundated the North of England is the latest in a long line of flood events that are becoming the country’s new normal.

photo of Gardens team taking cuttings from the original Isaac Newton tree at Woolsthorpe Manor

Annual scientific lecture to coincide with planting of Newton apple tree descendant

A prestigious annual lecture hosted by the University will be commemorated with the planting of a direct descendant from Sir Isaac Newton’s apple tree.

A robot hand holding an apple

Experts examine how technology is being used to improve food manufacturing and outline the next steps for the industry

From using satellites to track asparagus crops, to measuring the lean meat percentage of pork using a high-tech camera, companies across the food manufacturing supply chain are embracing emerging technologies in new and interesting ways.

Electric plane illustration.

Electric planes are here – but they won’t solve flying’s CO2 problem

The UK government plans to ban the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars by 2040. Clearly the plan is for all citizens to be driving electric or hybrid-electric cars, or – better still – riding bicycles.

Tom and the team on Mount Everest

Loughborough lecturer to give talk on climbing Mount Everest

Dr Tom Matthews, a Lecturer in Climate Science, will be giving his talk ‘Going to Extremes: Climbing Everest to measure the weather’ on Wednesday 27 November.
A woman cooking with biomass and an electric alternative in the background.

Loughborough-led programme awards £1.3m to projects and innovators in a bid to accelerate the transition to clean cooking on a global scale

More than £1.3m has been awarded to six clean cooking innovators and 22 projects thanks to a Loughborough University-led research programme that looks to find innovative, clean and modern alternatives to biomass fuels, such as charcoal and wood.

A vector of a man running.

Research to explore how the physical fitness of Ministry of Defence Police officers is affected by age and gender

Loughborough University and the Defence Police Federation are collaborating on new study to determine whether Ministry of Defence (MOD) officers will be able to meet the fitness standards expected by the force as they age.

Loughborough joins forces with Asia counterparts

Loughborough University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Korea Paralympic Committee Icheon Training Centre (KPC) as a commitment to developing research into Para sports science.

Electric vehicle charge point

Academics part of £39m Ford project that looks to bring the next generation of electrified vehicles to the market faster

Loughborough University is working on a collaborative industry research project to develop digital engineering tools that will help bring the next generation of electrified commercial vehicles to the market much faster.

Researchers to investigate increase of private tuition

Researchers at Loughborough University are encouraging parents and secondary school pupils to take part in a study to investigate the increase of private tuition.
Signal Crayfish

How tiny creatures are reshaping the very rivers they live in

What shapes a river? People typically imagine large-scale processes such as storms and floods or human modifications like dams or fortified banks.

Politicians shaking hand.

Research on President Trump’s greetings looks to provide new insight into how politicians construct their public personas

A Loughborough University academic has examined US President Donald Trump’s greetings as part of a study that aims to provide fresh insight into how politicians construct their public personas through every day social interaction.
photo of female students from the School of Science

School of Science receives Athena SWAN bronze award for gender equality

Loughborough University is pleased to announce that the School of Science has received the bronze Athena SWAN award.
Purple nanobots image.

Academic awarded £1.25m to design ‘living’ micro-machines that self-assemble in biological environments

More than £1.25m has been awarded to a Loughborough University theoretical physicist to design an unprecedented class of self-assembling and self-motile micro-machines.

A polar bear on ice.

UK Arctic Science Conference: Experts from all over the world visit Loughborough to discuss the icy region that is becoming a hot topic

From atmospheric physicists to anthropologists, to political scientists and ecologists, more than 110 researchers from different fields and parts of the world gathered at Loughborough University earlier this month to discuss Arctic matters.

Nature’s most beautiful performances could inspire the next generation of artificial intelligence

Scientists have discovered a possible driving force behind some of nature’s most beautiful displays paving the way for more complex and autonomous AI.
AI voice recognition device

Research to explore how AI and voice technologies help people with disabilities live independently

A group of Loughborough University academics have been awarded funding to examine how AI-voice-based technologies, such as the Amazon Echo, help people with disabilities live independently and explore how they may shape the future of social care.

Eye vector design.

Eye-tracking tests may be key to predicting who will develop Alzheimer’s disease, study finds

NEW research has found that it may be possible to predict if people with mild memory and thinking impairments will go onto develop Alzheimer’s disease using eye-tracking technology.