Here's a batch of fresh news and announcements from across Imperial.
From a new instrument that measures the impact of pollution on people's health to a new network for synthetic cell research, here is some quick-read news from across Imperial.
Measuring harmful pollution particles
Researchers from the School of Public Health have developed a new instrument that measures how harmful the tiny particles in the air are for people's health. The instrument assesses how much damage the particles can potentially cause, by simulating how the body would chemically respond to them.
Established approaches involve sampling onto filters over 24-hour periods, but the new instrument measures continuously, every five minutes. This allows for more accurate and timely data and allows scientists to see what pollution sources are most important. When it was tested in central London it demonstrated that the impact of different sources could be identified, even at particle concentrations known to be within the World Health Organization's 'safe' levels.
Dr Steven Campbell, who led the study, said: "Understanding how air pollution forms and harms people is a key part of Imperial's work in addressing the impact of pollution on people's health, globally. This new instrument will be invaluable for that."
