April 2026 news

A smart phone screen with the Instgram icon

Teen girls feel pressure to be ‘perfect’ on Instagram, so many choose not to post at all – new study

Teenage girls are feeling such intense pressure to appear “perfect” on Instagram that many avoid posting altogether, new research shows.

Loughborough spin-out secures £325k to accelerate drug testing with lab-grown human muscles

A Loughborough University spin-out that aims to revolutionise drug testing using lab-grown human muscles has been given a significant funding boost.
Images from the study showing particle arrangements (blue) and their patterns (red), generated using the new method, which rapidly maps phase diagrams and identifies crystal structures – including quasicrystals (g and h). Original figure and caption at: https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/nbvt-fgjy

Scientists develop rapid method to uncover hidden structures in materials – including elusive quasicrystals

An international team of scientists, including researchers from Loughborough University, has developed a method to dramatically speed up the discovery and design of advanced materials.
Adriano Randi holding his award with Alex Turner and David Bains.

R3V Tech CEO Dr Adriano Randi wins Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year at East Midlands Leadership Awards

Dr Adriano Randi, CEO and co-founder of Loughborough University spin-out R3V Tech, has won Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year at the East Midlands Leadership Awards 2026. The accolade recognises his entrepreneurial leadership in taking a clean-chemistry innovation from lab to real-world deployment.
Aerial view overhead flooded houses after a cyclone and rain in Mozambique.

How AI’s language barrier limits climate disaster responses

An opinion piece authored by Professor Nina Dethlefs, School of Science at Loughborough University, and Ifeoluwa Wuraola and Dr Daniel Marciniak, of the University of Hull, for The Conversation.

Chagos Islands deal shelved – legal expert explains what happens next

The UK government has shelved legislation to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after the US government withdrew its support for the deal.
The Vatican flag and the Star and Stripes flying together

Trump’s exchange with Pope Leo reflects deep rooted tensions between the Vatican and the United States: 4 essential reads

President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV, the U.S.-born head of the Catholic Church, had an unusual and acrimonious public exchange over the weekend.
A female cricketer hits the ball

The Hundred has helped level the playing field for women’s cricket

Cricket’s newest competition is helping close the gender gap in the sport by bringing new audiences to women’s matches and changing perceptions about the women’s game, according to new research.
Newly elected Hungarian President, Péter Magyar.

Could Viktor Orbán be back in 2030? Why Péter Magyar has a fight on his hands after landslide win

The mood was jubilant among liberals and pro-Europeans in Hungary and beyond on April 13 as Péter Magyar led the Tisza party to a landslide election victory. His win ended the 16-year administration of Viktor Orbán’s pro-Russian Fidesz party. Given the high turnout and margin of victory, giving Tisza a two-thirds constitutional majority in parliament, the jubilant mood seems justified.
beth durant poses in the new team england kit

Team England reveals kit ahead of 2026 Commonwealth Games

With 100 days to go until the opening ceremony, Team England has unveiled its Glasgow inspired kit for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. 
a close up of a football in a fire machine in sports tech

New research identifies previously unreported pressure wave energy transfer to the brain from football headers

A new study has identified a previously unreported mechanism of energy transfer to the brain from football headers – a finding that could prove significant in understanding the mechanics of headers and inform future research into long-term player health.
Pope Leo XIV waving

‘I’m not a politician’: why the clash with Pope Leo could prove dangerous for Donald Trump

“I am not a politician; I speak of the Gospel.” Pope Leo XIV’s recent remarks, made during his apostolic journey to Africa, immediately suggest that his clash with Donald Trump operates on a different level to the US president’s usual political spats.
Smartphone screen with lots of social media apps

EXPERT COMMENT: Social media content is increasingly shaping how people understand their health

Professor Stefania Vicari is a sociologist at Loughborough University who explores how social media shapes public understanding of health, examining issues of trust, expertise and the growing influence of online voices on health behaviours and decision-making.
Artist’s impression of silica–gold nanoparticles acting as “light concentrators”, focusing energy into tiny hotspots to boost terahertz emission. The effect was studied using ultrafast laser pulses. Image generated by Dr Vittorio Cecconi using Adobe Firefly.

Tiny ‘light-concentrating’ particles boost terahertz technology, study shows

Scientists have found a way to boost terahertz technology using particles thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand.