UCL in the media
UK in ‘worse state’ to deal with pandemic than before Covid, say experts
Professor Sir Michael Marmot (UCL Institute of Health Equity) said the impact of Covid confirmed his predictions that such a pandemic “would expose the underlying inequalities in society and amplify them”.
Battleground state Democrats back Biden despite age concerns
Dr Katie Gaddini (UCL Political Science) said voters may be sticking to Biden despite their concerns due to a fear of the alternative.
How software errors melted down the world’s computer systems
Dr Marie Vasek (UCL Computer Science) said the widespread computer meltdowns showed how reliant technology systems are on a small number of companies’ software.
Can Britain’s “mission-led” government defy gravity?
Matthew Holdhouse writes in the Economist that Sir Kier Starmer's "mission-led" approach to government was partly inspired by the work of Professor Mariana Mazzucato's (UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose) “Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism”.
Starmer is too soft on business, says top economist
Labour has adopted Professor Mariana Mazzucato's (UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose) idea of state-led ‘missions’ for the economy but she believes bosses should not get taxpayer support without something in return.
Is Biden’s re-election bid rapidly approaching its end?
Senior Democrat leaders are accustomed to strong-arming their subordinates into compliance, but Joe Biden is not someone who can be easily bossed around and clearly feels he's earned the right to the nomination, says Dr Thomas Gift (UCL Political Science).
Outcry over severity of Just Stop Oil sentences
“The judge’s characterisation of climate breakdown as a matter of opinion and belief is completely nonsensical and demonstrates extraordinary ignorance," says Professor Bill McGuire (UCL Earth Sciences) on the sentencing of five Just Stop Oil activists this week.
How CrowdStrike caused massive Microsoft outage
"What's happened here, almost certainly, is not malicious, it's a series of unfortunate accidents," says Professor Steven Murdoch (UCL Computer Science) on the major global IT outage today.
How will AI affect government and politics?
“Automation is a complex phenomenon – in government, it involves multiple levels of administration, shared standards, changing legislation, very low acceptable cost of failure,” says Dr Michael Veale (UCL Laws).
Why can't scientists agree on what causes Alzheimer’s?
Dr Rob Howard (UCL Psychiatry) and Dr Ashvini Keshavan (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) comment on an article that does a deep dive into why scientists can’t agree on the cause of Alzheimer’s disease and where that leaves the crucial quest for new treatments and tests.