New miracle jab restores people's hearing in trial — plus four more of the biggest tech & science stories this week
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The Independent
29-07-2025
- The Independent
Tool could help improve your fitness in just 30 minutes
An early trial suggests a small device that stimulates a major nerve connecting the heart and brain could help improve fitness. The device, clipped to the outer ear, sends gentle electrical pulses to increase the activity of the vagus nerve, which regulates heart function. Wearing the stimulator for just 30 minutes a day for a week increased oxygen intake during exercise by 4 per cent in healthy volunteers. The study, led by researchers at University College London and Queen Mary University of London, involved 28 healthy volunteers and was published in the European Heart Journal. While larger trials are needed, researchers hope the device could one day be used to improve fitness, reduce inflammation, and potentially aid people with heart conditions.
The Independent
29-07-2025
- The Independent
Urgent cervical cancer plea issued to women
More than 3,000 women in the UK are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, with approximately a third of eligible women overdue for screening. A study led by Queen Mary University of London and King's College London suggests that offering at-home self-tests for HPV could prevent up to 1,000 cervical cancer cases each year. The research, conducted across 13 GP practices in West London, found that 52 per cent of women accepted and returned a self-sampling kit when offered in-person at an appointment. Uptake was significantly lower for postal offers, at 12 per cent for kits and 5 per cent for letters offering a kit. Home-testing kits for HPV are set to be rolled out in England for those overdue for cervical cancer screening, providing an alternative to internal examinations.
Telegraph
29-07-2025
- Telegraph
Nerve simulator worn on ear is a ‘physical fitness boost'
Clipping a device to your ear for just half an hour a day could improve fitness, a study suggests. Wearing the stimulator that zaps a major nerve connecting the heart and brain increased oxygen intake during exercise, researchers found. They hope it could one day be used to help people who are not very active. The device sends gentle electrical pulses to increase the activity of the vagus nerve, which plays a key role in regulating heart function. The study, led by researchers at University College London and Queen Mary University of London, involved 28 healthy volunteers. Half were given the nerve stimulator to wear for 30 minutes every day for a week, while the other half were given a dummy device. Following a two-week break, the groups swapped devices. All of those taking part in the trial had an exercise test at the beginning and end of the week they wore the stimulator. The trial, published in the European Heart Journal, found those wearing the nerve stimulator were able to exercise more intensely than when wearing the dummy device. After a week, the stimulator increased oxygen intake during exercise by four per cent. It also boosted maximum breathing rate by an average of four breaths per minute, and maximum heart rate by four beats per minute during exercise. Gareth Ackland, a professor of perioperative medicine at Queen Mary University of London School of Medicine, said: 'Maintaining physical activity is essential for every aspect of cardiovascular, emotional, and cognitive health. 'The outcome of the trial is consistent with the significant body of evidence pointing to an important role of the brain in optimising exercise performance and regulating the activity of the immune system, helped by the vagus nerve'. Blood samples were also taken from five people, with researchers suggesting wearing the nerve stimulator for a week helped reduce inflammation. Prof Ackland added: 'We will need to carry out larger trials to confirm our findings, but the results of this study in healthy volunteers suggest that increasing vagus nerve activity can improve fitness and reduce inflammation, potentially offering new approaches to improve heart health.' Professor Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation, which funded the study, said: 'This early study suggests that a simple technology, which harnesses the connection between the heart and the brain, can lead to improvements in fitness and exercise tolerance. 'While more research is needed involving people with cardiovascular disease, this could one day be used as a tool to improve wellbeing and quality of life for people with heart failure.'
