From the discovery of missing Gaelic manuscripts to a new magnetism lab, the Glasgow Guardian surveys this month’s findings and innovations at the University of Glasgow.
As per usual, the Glasgow Guardian takes a dive into the monthly academic research and results at the University of Glasgow. This February, the College of Medical and Life Sciences continues to flourish with its breakthrough advancements, alongside the state-of-the-art innovation that the Engineering department is very familiar with. Most notably, the Gaelic and Scottish literature faculty’s groundbreaking findings take the spotlight this month, making BBC headlines.
56 Gaelic manuscripts missing since the 1960s have been rediscovered by university Professor Roibeard Ó Maolalaigh. The manuscripts contain 18th and 19th-century works of poetry, letters and sermons in Gaelic and English. Whilst researching private papers, Professor Ó Maolalaigh uncovered the historically valuable manuscripts, which police investigations had declared as a dead end. The discovery of such an essential historic source will now open new doors for Gaelic studies, and provide current researchers and scholars with a cultural and literary understanding of Scotland’s writers including poets Rob Donn Mackay and Alasdair Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair.
Professor Ó Maolalaigh told the Glasgow Guardian, “These manuscripts are key resources for the study of eighteenth and 19th-century Gaelic literature, language and history – particularly Gaelic poetry and song. They will enable scholars to supply new editions and readings of previously edited texts as well as editions of texts and poets whose work has not yet been studied or published. In summary, they will enhance our understanding of these periods.”
“They are fundamental for the study of Gaelic poetry and song and the ways in which literature was collected and preserved by a number of famous Gaelic scholars and collectors such as the Rev, Donald MacNicol (1735-1802) and the Rev. Alexander Irvine (1773-1824).”
“They contain materials of relevance to the Ossianic controversy. The survival of correspondence and other data such as the names of informants provide valuable insights into social networks of the time,” Ó Maolalaigh adds.
The manuscripts are currently preserved at the National Library of Scotland’s reading rooms for academics to access an essence of Scottish history dating back 200 years ago.
The University of Glasgow’s School of Health and Wellbeing has also witnessed extraordinary findings surrounding the correlation between mortality rates and young adults with learning disabilities. New research suggests that these young adults, between ages 25-34, are 9 times more likely to die from treatable causes. The study gathers data from over 14,000 individuals with learning disabilities and found that over-25-year-olds with learning disabilities are dying 15 years younger than the average adult.
Epilepsy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pneumonia are just a few examples of treatable causes of death, and stresses the importance for governmental authorities to turn the attention to communities with learning disabilities, in order to prevent the issue of early death rates in Scotland. Down syndrome was also recorded as the most common cause of death among adults with learning disabilities. Not only does the research foreground an explanation for the poor numbers of adult deaths and the faults of the healthcare system, but it most importantly places pressure on the Scottish government to commit to prioritising its people’s health.
Dr Ewelina Rydzewska-Fazekas, Honorary Research Fellow at the University, is the lead author of the study.
“These findings highlight that the health inequalities experienced by adults with learning disabilities in Scotland are not primarily linked to older age or neighbourhood deprivation, but that other underlying factors may need to be addressed to improve life expectancy for this group,” Rydzewska-Fazekas says.
Further studies are producing stellar advancements in the College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences. A study co-led by the University of Glasgow demonstrates the diagnostic and treatment inequalities of biliary tract cancer in Europe. Increasingly affecting people under 60, the study acknowledges the limited information about biliary tract tumours among health professionals and the public. The inequalities of diagnosis and treatment lie within the eligibility of patients to targeted therapies, which is assessed through genomic profiling.
Chair in Hepatobiliary Oncology Professor Chiara Braconi is an author of the study and illuminates the gulf between the demand and the delivery of treatments for patients.
Braconi explains, “In Scotland, we are not currently able to implement international guidelines, given the lack of NHS reimbursement for molecular profiling for patients with Bile Duct Cancer, which means that our patients can miss out on therapeutic opportunities that could be beneficial and could impact on their life expectancy.”
Pioneering efforts are also excelling in the James Watt School of Engineering. On 24 February 2025, the School opened a new magnetism lab, and is predicted to be one the leading centres for UK magnetic research. With a £250,000 investment, the lab intends to shield external magnetic fields to advance research in medical technology. The lab includes a MuRoom (a magnetically safeguarded room), which will assist in producing devices that will improve the monitoring of organ activity, locating weak biomagnetic waves from the heart, brain, and muscles. The devices may seem small in scale, but alongside the partnership with leading academics, it is the first step in creating significant transformations in the medical tech industry.
