As the global population continues its rapid increase (or spirals out of control, depending on your point of view), pollution and air quality are positioning themselves front and centre when it comes to climate change debates - right up there with single use plastics.

The first human corneas have been 3D printed by scientists at Newcastle University. It means the technique could be used in the future to ensure an unlimited supply of corneas. As the outermost layer of the human eye, the cornea has an important role in focusing vision. Yet there is a significant shortage of corneas available to transplant, with 10 million people worldwide requiring surgery to prevent corneal blindness as a result ...

A technique which revolutionises cell culture by allowing the continuous production and collection of cells, has been developed by scientists at Newcastle University. The process removes the limit on the number of cells that can be grown in a culture dish. The research published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces reports how the Newcastle team have developed a coating that allows individual stromal cells to 'peel away' ...

It is now possible to measure the magnetic field strengths of the hottest planets in the galaxy, new research has shown. Studying a class of planets known as 'hot Jupiters', experts from Newcastle University, UK, have shown the planets' magnetic field is responsible for the unusual behaviour of the atmospheric winds which move around it. Instead of moving in an eastward direction as has always been assumed, new observations have shown the winds v...

A breakthrough in understanding human skin cells offers a pathway for new anti-ageing treatments. For the first time, scientists at Newcastle University have identified that the activity of a key metabolic enzyme found in the batteries of human skin cells declines with age. A study, published online in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, has found that the activity of mitochondrial complex II significantly decreases in older ...

By Dr Yvonne Heubner, a transport expert and part of the Newcastle University team responsible for taking forward the Science Central project. Cities are growing rapidly. According to UN estimates, the world’s urban population grows by two people every second, 7,200 every hour. This means that within two decades, nearly 60% of the world’s population will be city dwellers. In Europe, this figure is already higher; four out of five peo...

By Professor Roberto Palacin, Senior Research Associate, Railway Systems Research Group, Newcastle University. As the world’s population becomes increasingly urbanised, it is estimated that the number of journeys measured in passenger-kilometres will triple by 2050. Roads simply can’t absorb this increase.