The Manchester China Institute (MCI) at Ģ����Ƶ successfully hosted the Manchester International Arbitration Training Programme (MIATP) from 1 to 7 September 2026, bringing together more than 40 participants from leading universities and legal institutions across China, Ireland and Hong Kong for a week of learning, discussion and professional exchange in international arbitration.

Participants included representatives from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, Sun Yat-sen University, Tongji University, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Hunan Normal University and Trinity College Dublin, alongside members of the Hong Kong Bar and senior lawyers from the Shanghai Lawyers Association and Guangzhou Lawyers Association.

The programme was formally opened by Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of Ģ����Ƶ, who welcomed participants to the University. Professor Lei Chen, Director of the Manchester China Institute, introduced the programme and highlighted the importance of international collaboration, knowledge exchange and supporting the next generation of arbitration professionals.

Over the course of the week, participants engaged in lectures, interactive workshops, practical exercises and networking opportunities delivered by an internationally distinguished faculty of judges, King's Counsel, barristers, arbitrators, legal practitioners and academics. Faculty members included Sir Bernard Rix, Sir Christopher Vajda KC and Sir Bernard Eder, among many other leading experts in the field.

Hosted by the Manchester China Institute, the programme drew upon Ģ����Ƶ's academic strengths while providing a platform for international exchange and professional development. Through discussions on arbitration agreements, arbitral procedures, investment arbitration, enforcement of awards and practical advocacy skills, participants gained valuable insights into the evolving landscape of global dispute resolution.

Beyond the classroom, the programme offered opportunities for participants to build professional networks with peers and experts from different jurisdictions. Social activities, including the programme gala dinner at Manchester Museum and organised visits to Manchester City's Etihad Stadium, encouraged meaningful dialogue and fostered new professional connections among those with a shared interest in international arbitration and dispute resolution.

At the conclusion of the programme, participants received certificates of attendance and joined a growing international network of professionals, academics and students committed to advancing arbitration and dispute resolution worldwide.

Fatty liver disease, they find, has been overlooked in current approaches to assessing cardiometabolic health, despite growing evidence that it can play a central role in facilitating damage across different organs.

The condition which affects up to one in three adults worldwide and known technically as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is already one of the world's fastest-growing health problems and is expected to affect more than half of adults globally by 2040.

Many scientists argue that the liver should be recognised alongside the heart, kidneys and metabolic system in a new framework they call cardiovascular-renal-hepatic-metabolic (CRHM) syndrome.

The review, published in Current opinion in nephrology and hypertension, highlights evidence showing that people with fatty liver disease face increased risks of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and early death, particularly when liver scarring, known as fibrosis, develops.

The studies they assessed, which involved millions of patients, found that fatty liver disease can predict heart and kidney complications independently of traditional risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

And having both liver and kidney disease appears to create a particularly dangerous combination.

A fatty liver releases substances into the bloodstream that promote inflammation, damage blood vessels, interfere with how the body uses energy.

That can influence the health of other organs through harmful fat deposits, chronic inflammation, hormonal signalling and changes in the gut microbiome amongst other things.

The review also points to a wave of new treatments that could transform care for patients affected by the interconnected conditions.

Drugs originally developed for obesity and type 2 diabetes are now showing benefits across the liver, heart and kidneys simultaneously.

Semaglutide, best known as a weight-loss treatment, has become the first medicine to demonstrate benefits, while newer drugs including tirzepatide and retatrutide are producing promising results in clinical trials.

The researchers say routine liver screening should become part of kidney and cardiovascular assessments, particularly in patients with obesity, diabetes or other metabolic risk factors.

They also call for major clinical trials and healthcare services to move beyond treating diseases organ by organ and instead adopt integrated approaches reflecting how these conditions interact in the real world.

Dr Will Marshall clinical research fellow at Ģ����Ƶ and senior author of the study, said: "For many years we have viewed heart disease, kidney disease and liver disease as separate conditions managed by different specialists.

“The evidence now shows that these organs are deeply interconnected through shared biological pathways driven by obesity, insulin resistance and chronic inflammation.”

Dr Marshall, who is also based at Salford Royal added: “Fatty liver disease is not simply a consequence of metabolic ill health, it is an active contributor to it.

“Recognising the liver as a core component of cardiometabolic disease could help clinicians identify high-risk patients earlier, improve treatment decisions and ultimately prevent thousands of serious complications and premature deaths."

· This paper is a peer reviewed narrative review which cites 55 references in its bibliography, covering epidemiological studies, clinical trials, meta-analyses, guidelines, reviews, and expert commentaries.

• The study Integrating the liver into the cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome: pathophysiology and therapeutic implications is published in journal DOI 10.1097/MNH.0000000000001225

A “peculiar” new species of Jurassic squid-like animal has been unearthed in Wyoming, USA, following the discovery of two exceptionally rare fossils dating back around 160 million years.

The newly named species, Wyoteuthis linsterorum, has been identified as a type of ancient cephalopod, called a belemnite, cousins of modern squid and octopus. They say unusually thick, barrel-shaped skeleton makes it the "chunkiest” or “fattest" belemnite ever discovered.

An international team of researchers from the USA, UK and New Zealand, including Dr Dean Lomax, Honorary Research Fellow at Ģ����Ƶ, describe the discovery in the journal today.

Belemnites are among the most common fossils found worldwide and are recognised by their bullet-shaped remains, known as a rostrum or guard. Millions have been discovered in Wyoming's Sundance Formation, an ancient inland sea that once covered the western USA.

Co-author and Wyoming palaeontologist, Jessica Lippincott, said in Wyoming, they are nicknamed “squid butts”.

The chunkiest belemnite ever discovered

Most Wyoming belemnites are bullet-shaped measuring around 5 to 10 centimetres long and only 1 to 2 centimetres wide. By contrast, the newly discovered species had an unusually broad, barrel-shaped rostrum around 10 centimetres long but up to six centimetres wide, making it the thickest belemnite ever recorded.

Researchers estimate the living animal would have reached around 60 centimetres in total length including its arms.

The work was instigated by Wyoming palaeontologist and co-author Bill Wahl, who has spent much of his career searching for fossils in Wyoming and said this belemnite “stuck out like a sore thumb”. He brought together an international team of researchers to investigate the remarkable specimens, including belemnite expert Alexey Ippolitov, now at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

Using computed tomography (CT) scanning, the team were able to examine the fossils without damaging them, revealing internal features that confirmed the animal belonged to an ancient family of belemnites previously thought to have disappeared millions of years earlier.

PhD student, Ippolitov said he was "deeply surprised" to discover a fossil from such a well-studied group that differed so radically from anything previously known. After more than 200 years of palaeontological research on belemnites, he said, discoveries like this are exceptionally rare.

Ippolitov explains: “A possible explanation is that their relatively large size gave them an advantage when hunting co-occurring smaller belemnites of the genus Pachyteuthis. Modern squid, after all, are hardly picky when it comes to prey: they readily hunt not only other species of cephalopods, but sometimes even their own kind.”

30 years in the making

The discovery was almost 30 years in the making. The first specimen was unearthed in the late 1990s by Dr Burkhard Pohl, founder of the Wyoming Dinosaur Center, after he spotted a belemnite much bigger than any he had seen before. The fossil sat unstudied in the museum's collection draw for many years until a second specimen was discovered by fossil collector Cliff Linster near Ten Sleep, Wyoming, and donated to the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in 2019. Together, the two fossils provided the evidence needed to identify and formally describe the new species.

Honouring a fossil collector's legacy

The name Wyoteuthis translates to “a squid from Wyoming”, while the species name, linsterorum, honours Cliff Linster and his family. Cliff discovered one of only two known specimens of the new species and donated it for scientific study.

Co-author and Wyoming palaeontologist, Jessica Lippincott, said: “After spending years fossil hunting in Wyoming and collecting countless fossils of the common Pachyteuthis belemnites here in Wyoming, this one is unlike anything I have ever seen! It goes to show that we are still finding new species of fossils all the time, and people who rockhound or collect invertebrate fossils can also contribute to science.”

Cliff Linster passed away in June this year. He knew researchers were studying his remarkable discovery and was excited to see it formally described. The Linster family are no strangers to finding amazing fossils, perhaps most famously the dinosaur Bambiraptor.

Co-author and British palaeontologist, Dr Dean Lomax, an Honorary Research Fellow at Ģ����Ƶ and an 1851 Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, in the UK, dug up dinosaurs with Cliff and his wife, Sandy, when he was a teenager. He said: “I met Cliff and Sandy in 2009, when I spent a week digging up a dinosaur bonebed on their property in northern Montana. I have fond memories of that dig, listening to Cliff share his passion for fossils, including this belemnite. I’m honoured to help name this fossil after Cliff. It’s bittersweet that he didn’t get to see it published, but it’s wonderful that we can immortalise him and his family name in the history of palaeontology. The find is incredibly rare, which might be due to some ecological adaptations to the environment at the time. Perhaps its rarity is a result of narrow specialization.”

Dr Lomax is also the author of the recently published book, “The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs”, which highlights Wyoming fossils, and he has spent time collecting fossils and excavating plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs in Wyoming’s Sundance Formation.

Both specimens are on display at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis, Wyoming USA.

Publication details

The new study has been published in the international journal, Papers in Palaeontology.

DOI:

At a time when governments and organisations are introducing new AI rules and standards, including under the EU AI Act, the study suggests that many current efforts to govern AI focus on producing documents, policies and reports that demonstrate ethical commitment.

However, the findings indicate that unless organisations also change how AI is developed in practice, these measures may amount to little more than a box-ticking exercise.

Professor Caroline Jay, who supervised the research, said: "This is not a story about bad companies or bad engineers. It is a story about the difference between the appearance of ethical practice and the substance of it. The infrastructure of AI ethics has grown faster than the technology it was designed to govern. What this research shows is that the infrastructure is largely aimed at the wrong level."

The study argues that meaningful change must address the way AI projects operate day to day, including how ethical concerns are raised, who is responsible for addressing them and whether careful testing and safety work are recognised and rewarded.

It also calls on regulators to look beyond whether organisations have produced the correct documentation and examine whether ethical safeguards are being followed in practice.

The research forms part of a wider doctoral project examining the relationship between AI engineers’ intentions, public perceptions of AI and the outcomes produced by AI systems.

The researchers now plan to test these findings through a larger-scale survey involving a broader engineering population. They hope the work will help inform future AI governance approaches by focusing greater attention on the organisational conditions that shape how AI systems are developed and deployed.

Biological ion channels, which have angstrom-scale constrictions, can respond to multiple signals from their surroundings and regulate the movement of ions across cell membranes. Inspired by this principle, researchers investigated whether naturally occurring angstrom-scale channels in vermiculite could also exhibit responsive ion transport when exposed to different external stimuli, e.g., mechanical, electrical and chemical signals.

Depending on the conditions applied, the channels altered both the amount and direction of ion flow, showing behaviours similar to the ion gating behaviour in biological channels.

The clay channels naturally favour positively charged ions. The team found that by changing the acidity of the surrounding solution, they were able to influence this selectivity. Pressure and electrical voltage also altered how ions travelled through the channels, revealing a complex interplay between the different stimuli.

Dr Raj Kumar Gogoi, first author of the study added, “We observed that applying pressure and voltage together could change the behaviour of the flowing ions in ways not seen when either stimulus was applied alone. Under certain conditions, the direction of the pressure-driven current could even reverse, highlighting the sensitivity of the system to multiple environmental inputs.”

To understand these observations, the researchers combined laboratory experiments with computational modelling. Prof Narayana R Aluru, from University of Texas-Austin, said "The experimental observations could not be fully explained using conventional models. We introduce a modified surface-charge regulation model, where pressure, voltage and ion concentration influence the distribution of ions inside the channels and modify the charge at the channel surface, which in turn affects ion transport.”

Unlike conventional models, which typically consider surface charge as a function of ion concentration alone, the new approach incorporates the combined effects of voltage, pressure and concentration, to describe how these coupled factors influence ion transport in highly confined channels The findings suggest that naturally layered materials could offer a versatile platform for studying and controlling ionic transport at extremely small scales. The authors say future applications could include adaptive nanofluidic systems, energy conversion devices and bioelectronic platforms, though these applications were not explored in the present study.

The research was conducted by scientists from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, National Graphene Institute and Photon Science Institute at Ģ����Ƶ; the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; and the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin.

Funded by (EPSRC), and in partnership with researchers from Imperial College London and the University of Leeds, the programme will use atomic-scale materials engineering to unlock new capabilities in future secure communications systems, ultra-sensitive quantum sensors and scalable quantum computing – all areas recognised as strategically important to the UK's future economic prosperity, security and technological resilience.��

The five-year EPSRC Programme Grant will bring together researchers to address one of the most significant challenges facing modern technology: how to engineer materials with such precision that their properties can be controlled at the level of individual atoms to realise new devices and capability.��

Materials underpin every advanced electronic and optical device. However, translating breakthroughs made at the atomic scale into technologies that can be manufactured reliably and at scale remains a major challenge.��

MEAD will exploit deterministic single-atom doping and isotopic engineering to create materials with entirely new functionalities, crucially demonstrating they can be manufactured and deployed in devices for future technologies.

Turning atomic-scale research into future technologies

The programme will draw on an extensive network of national research facilities and expertise across the three partner institutions, underpinned by more than £150 million of existing infrastructure investments in advanced materials characterisation, semiconductor fabrication and quantum technologies. Together, these facilities provide a unique environment for translating fundamental scientific discoveries into technologies with real-world impact.

Professor Neil Alford of Imperial College London said: "Many of the technologies that society will depend on in the coming decades will require levels of precision and performance that cannot be achieved using today's materials alone. MEAD is about creating the materials, devices and measurement capabilities needed to unlock the next generation of communications, quantum technologies and sensing systems."

Professor Edmund Linfield of the University of Leeds added: "The UK is already globally renowned in areas such as quantum technologies, semiconductor engineering and advanced materials. MEAD brings these strengths together with a shared ambition to create technologies that will support future economic growth, scientific discovery and national capability."

Developing next generation devices

The programme's scope includes:

• Design and fabrication of quantum devices based on precisely engineered semiconductor materials, including advanced "qudits", which can carry more information than conventional quantum bits. Using the fabrication capabilities of the Bragg Centre for Materials Research at the University of Leeds, and selective deterministic ion implantation at Ģ����Ƶ, MEAD will create devices with previously unachievable levels of atomic control, providing a pathway towards more scalable and efficient quantum computing systems.
• Development of highly sensitive "masers", the microwave equivalent of lasers, in work led by Imperial College London. These devices are capable of amplifying extremely weak signals with exceptionally low noise, making them attractive for both advanced communications and quantum technologies. They are likely to play a vital role in future terrestrial communications systems that are less reliant on satellites, offering greater resilience in an increasingly connected world.
• Investigation of new approaches to measuring motion, gravity and environmental changes by harnessing the properties of quantum systems. The programme will aim to generate sensing performance improvements of up to five orders of magnitude beyond current state-of-the-art technologies.
• Development of new AI-powered imaging and characterisation techniques capable of helping scientists identify and analyse materials at the scale of individual atoms. This will provide insight into how atomic-scale changes influence device performance, accelerating the development of future technologies.

Leading UK materials expertise

Today’s announcement builds on Manchester, Imperial and Leeds’ long-standing leadership in advanced materials engineering and quantum technologies, with recent research highlights including:

• Highly 28Si enriched silicon by localised focused ion beam implantation, Nature Communications,
• A High-Resolution Versatile Focused Ion Implantation Platform for Nanoscale Engineering, Advanced Engineering Materials,
• “Maser-in-a-shoebox”: A portable plug-and-play maser device at room temperature and zero magnetic field, Applied Physics Letters,
• Exploring the spin dynamics of a room-temperature diamond maser using an extended rate equation model, Journal of Applied Physics,
• Analysis of plasmon modes in Bi2Se3/graphene heterostructures via electron energy loss spectroscopy, Scientific Reports, 10.1038/s41598-024-81488-7
• Optimizing Hot Electron Harvesting at Planar Metal–Semiconductor Interfaces with Titanium Oxynitride Thin Films, Applied Materials and Interfaces,

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 ����貹��’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 ����貹��’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 ����貹��’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 ����貹��’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 .

In the new study, published in , researchers developed a graphene device that allowed them to test this question directly. The device consisted of two twisted graphene bilayers separated by less than a nanometre but kept electronically separate. This design enabled the team to weaken interactions between electrons in the magic-angle graphene layer and observe how superconductivity responded. The international collaboration involved researchers from the , the Henry Royce Institute, Washington University in St Louis, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Antwerp, Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science and the National University of Singapore.

Magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene, created by stacking two sheets of graphene with a rotational offset of approximately 1.1 degrees, has become one of the most intensely studied quantum materials over the past decade. However, researchers have continued to debate what causes its superconductivity. While some theories propose that electrons themselves drive the pairing responsible for superconductivity, others suggest a more conventional mechanism involving vibrations of the atomic lattice.

Dr Julien Barrier, the lead author of the study, explained: “To make a difference, we had to solve two issues. First, to build a device in which the screening layer sits extremely close, a fraction of a nanometre, to the superconducting graphene while remaining electronically separate. Second, we had to make that screening layer tuneable. To this effect, we used a twisted graphene bilayer in atomic contact to the magic-angle graphene”.

Professor Alexey Berdyugin from the National University of Singapore, the corresponding author of this study, added: “When we switched on the screening, we were surprised to find that superconductivity was completely suppressed. This provides clear experimental evidence that superconductivity in this system originates from strong electron-electron interactions. This behaviour offers a new opportunity to better understand the mechanisms underlying superconductivity in other materials with strong electronic interactions, including high-temperature superconductors.”

Professor Sir Andre Geim, the corresponding author of this work, said: "Personally, I am interested only in high-temperature superconductivity – preferably at room temperature or above. This study was done at temperatures so low that even helium turns liquid. But unless we understand what makes superconductivity work, we are unlikely ever to reach room-temperature superconductivity, let alone make this remarkable phenomenon commercially useful. Our study takes only a tiny step - but still a step - in that direction, helping to nail down the mechanism of exotic superconductivity in graphene. Rome was not built in a day.”

The team found that increasing the carrier density in the neighbouring graphene bilayer progressively weakened superconductivity in the adjacent magic-angle graphene. At sufficiently high carrier densities, superconductivity was completely suppressed.

The researchers also observed that correlated insulating states, another characteristic feature of magic-angle graphene, disappeared under the same conditions. Measurements showed that the superconducting critical temperature could be reduced by more than an order of magnitude through screening.

The effect was substantially stronger than reported in earlier screening experiments. According to the researchers, the enhanced response resulted from the exceptionally small separation between the superconducting layer and the screening layer, allowing Coulomb interactions to be modified much more effectively.

To understand the observations, the team compared the experimental results with theoretical modelling. Conventional phonon-mediated superconductivity would be expected to remain largely unchanged or increase slightly when Coulomb interactions are screened. Instead, the researchers observed the opposite behaviour, indicating that conventional phonon pairing does not explain the superconductivity in this class of materials.

While the authors emphasise that the work does not identify a single definitive pairing mechanism, several unconventional theories remain consistent with the results, including mechanisms based on collective electronic interactions. However, the findings place much tighter constraints on future theories seeking to explain superconductivity in magic-angle graphene.

Professor Berdyugin concludes: “In this study, we introduced a method for screening electron-electron interactions over scales as short as 0.3 nm, which turned out to be crucial for controlling superconductivity in magic-angle graphene. We anticipate that this unprecedented level of short-range screening could also help clarify many other debated phenomena.”

The international team, led by at Manchester and Professor Nicholas Chilton at the Australian National University, combined cyclopentadienyl ligands, which help create rigid molecular structures, with amide ligands, which form particularly short dysprosium-nitrogen bonds. The resulting molecules adopted near-linear structures with ligand angles approaching 172°, a geometry believed to contribute in part to their exceptional magnetic behaviour.

Alongside magnetic hysteresis temperatures of up to 92 K, the new materials were able to store magnetic information for a hundred seconds up to a temperature of 40 K, indicating significantly improved retention of magnetic memory compared with earlier dysprosium-amide systems.

Professor David Mills continued: “Controlling the geometries of lanthanide compounds is notoriously difficult as the chemical bonding is non-directional. Therefore, although near-linear dysprosium compounds have long been predicted to give the best SMMs, we are only now able to use carefully selected combinations of ligands to consistently deliver these target molecules.”

The ability to create SMMs with magnetic memory effects at higher temperatures widens the opportunity for these molecules to be used for high-density data storage devices, which is important for the ever-increasing amount of data storage required in for our technological age.

References to selected previous papers from these research groups can be found below:
Soft magnetic hysteresis in a dysprosium amide-alkene complex up to 100 Kelvin, Nature.
Molecular magnetic hysteresis at 60 K in dysprosocenium, Nature.
Magnetic hysteresis up to 73 K in a dysprosium cyclopentadienyl-amide single-molecule magnet, J. Am. Chem. Soc.

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 Ģ����Ƶ, 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

Developed in response to a growing concern for the wellbeing of young people in the UK, the #BeeWell programme listens to young people about their wellbeing, and drives action in response to what they say. Since launching in 2021, #BeeWell has listened to the voices of nearly 200,000 young people across Greater Manchester, and Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton, working with over 320 secondary schools, and hundreds of partners across these regions to act on the data and improve young people’s wellbeing.

Leadership for the next phase

Laura and Marie bring a track record from central government and the voluntary sector. They are joining #BeeWell following work as a senior civil service jobshare team at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport where they were co deputy directors for grants, risk, assurance and counter fraud

Laura Clayton brings social research, organisational transition experience, expertise in grant-making and risk management. She led research into wellbeing and engagement at Historic England, supporting its shift to a self-sustaining charity model. She also served as lead trustee for Otakar Kraus Music Trust, helping expand music therapy services for young people with additional needs.

Marie-Elise Howells brings policy and delivery experience across central government, education, and community organisations. At the Department for Education, she led work on special educational needs, school infrastructure, and early years education. At DCMS she led work on community resilience, volunteering, and youth connection, before job sharing with Laura. She has spent two decades as a trustee and governor across local and national education and youth charities.

Laura and Marie��said, "We’re beyond thrilled to join #BeeWell at a crucial moment for young people across the country. We've been inspired by the rigour, commitment, passion and collaboration shown by the team and by partners. We can't wait to work alongside staff, partners, and young people - from the Isle of Wight to Rochdale and beyond - to make sure every child gets what they need to thrive in their local area."

They succeed��James Robertson, who served as National Director since autumn 2023 and is moving to Japan for family reasons.

James said,"It has been a pleasure and privilege to be #BeeWell’s first National Director and to spearhead its development over the last three years. Thanks to the hard work of all the team and the generous support of The National Lottery Community Fund, #BeeWell is in great shape to expand its reach and its impact in the period ahead under Laura and Marie’s leadership."

David Gregson, #BeeWell Patron said: “Laura and Marie will be outstanding leaders of #BeeWell, building on the tremendous base that James has built. Their experience of both operational delivery and policy making at the highest levels, makes them ideally placed to take #BeeWell’s work to a new level to grow. We are thrilled that they have chosen to join #BeeWell as it enters this next phase.”

To find out more about #BeeWell’s work with schools and partners, please visit:����and��

Contact #BeeWell comms team on��Beewellprogramme@manchester.ac.uk.

Researchers at Ģ����Ƶ and Manchester Metropolitan University have developed a laboratory method that transforms sheep bone into a realistic model of osteoporosis, providing a potential alternative for early-stage testing of orthopaedic implants and treatments.

The study, published in JBMR Plus, describes how researchers used a controlled demineralisation process to alter the structure and mechanical properties of sheep bone, creating samples that closely resemble osteoporotic human bone.

Osteoporosis affects an estimated 500 million people worldwide and contributes to around 2.7 million hip fractures each year. The development of new implants and treatments requires extensive testing, often involving human cadaveric bone or animal studies, both of which can be costly, time-consuming and subject to regulatory constraints.

To address this challenge, the research team investigated whether sheep femurs sourced from the food chain could be converted into a representative model of osteoporotic bone. Sheep bone shares similarities in size with human bone and is more readily available for laboratory research.

The researchers treated sheep femurs with hydrochloric acid for different periods, removing minerals from the bone and causing progressive changes to its internal structure and strength. They then measured how the process affected bone density, architecture and mechanical performance.

The team found that longer demineralisation times resulted in weaker, more porous bones, closely mirroring the deterioration seen in osteoporosis. Young's modulus, a measure of stiffness, fell from 110.7 MPa in untreated samples to 57.7 MPa after 96 hours of demineralisation. Volumetric bone mineral density decreased by around 33%, while porosity increased by approximately 30% compared with untreated bone.

Microscopic analysis also revealed significant changes in the trabecular structure, the network of bone tissue that helps provide strength and support. As demineralisation increased, trabecular thickness decreased while trabecular separation increased, both hallmarks of osteoporotic bone.

According to the researchers, the resulting bone properties fall within ranges reported for human osteoporotic trabecular bone. This suggests the model could provide a useful and cost-effective tool for investigating osteoporosis and evaluating orthopaedic technologies before progressing to more complex testing.

The researchers note that the approach aligns with the principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement, often known as the 3Rs, which aim to minimise the use of animals in research where suitable alternatives are available.

The study was conducted by researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University and Ģ����Ƶ. Lead author, Fahad Alabdah returned to Saudi Arabia as a lecturer at the University of Hail.

Titled '', the review compares six fuel cycle pathways of varying complexity, from the simplest once-through cycle where all spent fuel is treated as waste, to more advanced options incorporating multiple stages of recycling.

To make the comparison accessible, the authors present the six options as a ‘Tube map’, modelled on the London Underground - a first for the field.

Today’s nuclear reactors already compare well with renewable technologies when it comes to many sustainability metrics. However, this review finds that closing the fuel cycle could improve sustainability further still, delivering benefits for natural resource use, environmental footprint, management of high-level radioactive waste, and energy security.

Co-author Professor Robin Taylor, of the Dalton Nuclear Institute and the UK National Nuclear Laboratory, said: “Closing the fuel cycle does come with real challenges, including those around safety, security, and cost. However, by drawing on the UK’s own experience as a case study, our review finds that these challenges can be addressed and do not necessarily rule out the benefits of reusing nuclear fuel”.

Co-author Dr William Bodel, of the Dalton Nuclear Institute, added: “Our review shows that while nuclear energy is already a sustainable source of low-carbon energy, successfully closing the fuel cycle could enhance this further. Visualising various fuel cycle options together is hard given the amount of information which needs to be presented simultaneously. Harry Beck’s 1930s London Underground map does an excellent job at communicating complicated information, so applying its design here seemed a good solution to aid visual understanding.”

Read the full review:

The review was authored by:

• Dr William Bodel
• Professor Anthony Banford
• Professor Gregg Butler
• Professor Francis Livens
• Professor Robin Taylor

With an award of £127.5k available per project, our devolved funding calls are for bold, interdisciplinary projects that tackle urgent resilience challenges across society, tech, defence, and more.

What we're looking for:

• A human-centred systems approach
• Projects that are theoretically motivated or based on empirical evidence, and which align with one or more of
• Total project duration of 9 months
• Be led by an organisation that is eligible for UKRI funding

Important dates:

• Expressions of interest close: 02 October 2026
• Shortlisting decisions announced: End of October 2026
• Full application stage opens: End of October 2026

We look forward to receiving your submissions!

Dr David Buil-Gil, Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Criminology in the Department of Criminology, was recognised for his article, The Structure of Unstructured Time and Crime: A Spare Time Model, published in The British Journal of Criminology in 2025.

The award will be presented at the ESC Conference in Warsaw, Poland, in September 2026.

Research on spare time and crime

The award-winning article examines the relationship between unstructured spare time and crime and considers the implications for crime prevention.

In its citation, the judging panel highlighted the article's combination of theoretical development and statistical analysis, noting that the research offers a new perspective on how spare time may influence criminal behaviour and crime trends.

The panel also pointed to the study's relevance for policies and interventions that encourage structured activities and positive social engagement among groups at higher risk of offending.

Award for innovative criminology research

The judging committee said: "Dr Buil-Gil's article offers an original contribution to criminological research and demonstrates a high standard of scholarship.

"The committee was impressed by both the conceptual development of the work and its careful empirical analysis. It makes an important contribution to current debates about crime prevention and criminological theory."

Ģ����Ƶ the award

The ESC Young Criminologist Award recognises an outstanding article by a European criminologist who was 35 years old or younger when the article was published. The nominee must be the sole author of an article on a criminological topic published in a peer-reviewed journal in a European language within the three calendar years preceding the year of the proposed award.

The jury consists of two current or past at-large members of the Executive Board of the ESC and the Past-President. Each year, one member of the jury will be replaced by a new member. The ESC Executive Board is responsible for constituting the jury.

The article was nominated by Thiago R. Oliveira (Ģ����Ƶ), Iain Brennan (University of Hull) and Fernando Miró-Llinares (Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche).

Ģ����Ƶ Dr David Buil-Gil

Dr David Buil-Gil is Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Criminology and Research Director in the Department of Criminology at Ģ����Ƶ. His research focuses on crime measurement, quantitative methods, cybercrime, crime prevention and comparative criminology. He works with policymakers, statistical agencies and criminal justice organisations in the UK and internationally to improve understanding of crime and its causes.

Further information about David's research is available on his University research profile:

Publication details:

DOI:

Through a series of interactive workshops and hands-on challenges, pupils gained first-hand experience of the technologies shaping our future. Activities ranged from an Energy Grid Game exploring the complexities of modern energy systems to designing, building and testing remote-controlled robots, demonstrating how robotics can support work in challenging environments.

The programme was conceived and coordinated by CDT PhD students Frankie Hough and Ahmad Al-Fatly, with support from a dedicated team of volunteers from across the University and partner institutions. Their enthusiasm, expertise and commitment helped create an engaging and inspiring experience for everyone involved.

The Summer School demonstrated the important role that early career researchers play in inspiring future generations and sharing the real-world impact of research.��

Frankie Hough, STEM Ambassador, is particularly passionate about encouraging young people to engage with science and engineering: “Creating and delivering a project from scratch and watching a group of students grow not only in their knowledge of fusion and its career paths, but also in confidence and enthusiasm, has been an amazing experience.��

"It has been great connecting the two Fusion CDTs at Ģ����Ƶ and working together to deliver something that has had a measurable impact on how students perceive the field of fusion.”

Aneeqa Khan, Fusion CDT lead, said that: “The Fusion Academy Summer School was a great success! It was really inspiring to see all the hard work that our PhD students from the Fusion Power and Fusion Engineering CDTs put in pay off.��

"From applying for funding, to designing novel activities showcasing the latest in fusion research, they did an absolutely brilliant job in inspiring the next generation!”

View in photos.

Read more about .

Ģ����Ƶ and the Fear and Belonging in Minority Buddhist Communities Research Project Team invite you to a launch event for ‘grasp, grasp’ by Sian Fan, with an artist Q&A led by Chris Wright, former Executive Director of FutureEverything.

The event takes place on Wednesday 30 September, 6.30-8.15pm, at . Tickets are free (limited capacity, advance booking required).

‘grasp, grasp’ is a digital artwork which draws on the anonymised life stories of members of two different Buddhist communities, collected by University of Manchester academics Erica Baffelli and Jane Caple.

The work is a web-based experience filled with emotive photography and soundscapes, which traverses multiple pathways. It changes shape, operating in different sequences and moving in different directions, inviting viewers to reflect on the ephemerality of emotions.

Without attempting to pin it down, the work hopes to assert the complicated beauty of human experience. It seeks to form a blurry vision of lives lived, that, with your gaze soft and your grip gentle, you can find yourself enveloped within.

Doors at the venue will open at 6.30pm, with the live stream beginning online at 7pm. The artist presentation will be followed by a drinks reception for guests attending in person.

Sian Fan is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist. Her work combines movement, the body and technology to explore embodiment, identity, and human experience in the digital age. She is particularly interested in popularised depictions of Asiatic bodies in movies, anime and video games; in folkloric stories both modern and traditional; and in the thresholds of human identity where one exists as both and neither at the same time. Read more at .

For more information and to book tickets, visit .

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 Ģ����Ƶ 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:

Reinforcement learning (RL) is a powerful paradigm for policy optimisation in sequential decision making, it is used to train an intelligent agent (policy) to make optimal decisions by maximising some long-term reward. While online RL learns a policy by actively interacting with an environment and collecting new data through exploration and exploitation, offline RL learns a policy from a fixed, pre-collected dataset without further interaction with the environment. A typical challenge in offline RL is distributional shift, where the learned policy may encounter scenarios not covered by the offline data. This paper tackles distributional shift and integration of labelled (with rewards) data and unlabelled (without rewards) data in offline RL.

The proposed method, called semi-pessimistic pseudo labelling (SPL), makes it possible to take advantage of the unlabelled data to find a better policy than would be possible only using the labelled data. This improves the reliability of decision-making by improving estimation and accounting for uncertainty while remaining computationally efficient. The authors provide theoretical guarantees for the method and demonstrate its effectiveness through simulations, standard reinforcement learning benchmarks, and an application to adaptive deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease. By making better use of available data, the approach has the potential to improve AI systems in healthcare and other high-stakes domains.

You can find the full ‘Semi-pessimistic Reinforcement Learning’ paper here.

Jin Zhu^1,2, Xin Zhou³, Jiaang Yao⁴, Gholamali Aminian⁵, Omar Rivasplata⁶, Simon Little⁴, Lexin Li³∗, Chengchun Shi¹∗
¹London School of Economics and Political Science, ²University of Birmingham, ³University of California at Berkeley, ⁴University of California at San Francesco, ⁵The Alan Turing Institute, ⁶University of Manchester. *Corresponding authors.