News in May
- Origins of Welsh dragons finally exposed by experts 30 May 2024 A large fossil discovery has helped shed light on the history of dinosaurs in Wales.
- Biobased building materials less sustainable than concrete in South Africa, experts find 29 May 2024 Scientists at the University of Bristol have discovered that mycelium composites, biobased materials made from fungi and agricultural residues, can have a greater environmental impact than conventional fossil-fuel-based materials due to the high amount of electricity involved in their production.
- Caterpillars can detect their predators by the static electricity they emit 24 May 2024 Caterpillars respond defensively to electric fields similar to those emitted by their natural predators, scientists at the University of Bristol have found.
- Five Bristol academics awarded funding to work with Catapult Centres via Researcher in Residence scheme 31 May 2023 Five Bristol academics have recently won funding from the national Research in Residence (RiR) funding competition which funds academics to work on an innovation project in partnership with the Catapult Network.
- Bristol quantum expert lands prestigious fellowship 31 May 2023 Bristol Physicist Dr Giulia Rubino has been awarded the esteemed Royal Commission 1851 Research Fellowship.
- Record-breaking student weightlifter called up for Commonwealth Championships 31 May 2023 A medical student who recently broke two British weightlifting records has been picked to represent England at the Commonwealth Championships.
- Majority of consumers care what kind of data they share with retailers and service providers, finds new study 31 May 2023 Consumers value their personal data including the one collected by retail stores, service providers and loyalty schemes. The University of Bristol-led research, published in PLOS ONE, found 96% of people would protect their personal data from being shared by retailers and online services for commercial gain if they had a choice.
- Bristol part of £42 million boost for mental health research to unlock new treatments 30 May 2023 The University of Bristol is part of a £42.7 million 'Mental Health Mission' announced by the Government to accelerate research into mental health conditions, including those impacting children. The research will develop radical new treatments, improve the speed and accuracy of diagnosis and increase the use of technology to free up clinician time.
- Architecture award for Senate House student hub development 30 May 2023 The University of Bristol’s Senate House student hub has won an architecture award following a major refurbishment project.
- Bristol quizzers ready for historic University Challenge final 28 May 2023 Minds are being steadied and buzzing hands honed for the University of Bristol’s first ever University Challenge final.
- Strong cultural regions slowed Britain’s urbanisation, new research finds 25 May 2023 Regional cultural boundaries in England and Wales put a brake on the rapid urbanisation which took hold across Britain in the 19th and early 20th century, research has revealed.
- Tim Harrison, 1959–2023 25 May 2023 Tim Harrison FRSC MRSSAf, Director of Outreach and School Teacher Fellow in the School of Chemistry, passed away in January. His friends and colleagues from Bristol and beyond offer a tribute.
- Most effective ways of foraging can attract predators, scientists find 25 May 2023 Animals using the most efficient methods of searching for resources may well pay with their lives, scientists at the University of Bristol have discovered.
- What’s in a name? Why the words used for family members have a much bigger story to tell 24 May 2023 The words different cultures use to describe family members have revealed some intriguing insights - including why in Balto-Slavic languages there is a complicated relationship between in-laws and weasels. University of Bristol researchers have published a new study in PLOS ONE exploring the links between kinship names in different languages.
- Propellers are louder over ground, researchers find 24 May 2023 The effects of the ground on propeller noise have been measured experimentally for the very first time by researchers in the Aeroacoustics research team at the University of Bristol.
- Blood cells with therapeutic benefit to treat disease raises funding to progress technology 23 May 2023 New technology to develop red blood cells that carry additional proteins within them to provide therapeutic benefit which can reach all parts of the body, has received funding to progress the innovation.
- ‘It’s an incredible feeling!’ - Bristol into its first University Challenge semi-final tonight 22 May 2023 The University of Bristol is into the semi-finals of University Challenge for the first time.
- £1.5 million investment to bring Bristol spin-out Halo Therapeutics first antiviral spray into clinic 22 May 2023 Clinical trials of an easy-to-use home therapeutic treatment for SARS-CoV-2 (coronaviruses) are underway following a £1.5 million investment into University of Bristol spin-out, Halo Therapeutics.
- Dizzy with success: University of Bristol among top institutions for spinout companies 22 May 2023 Bristol has been recognized as one of the top cities in the UK for producing university spinout companies.
- £2 million awarded for healthy ageing in sub-Saharan Africa 22 May 2023 New research hopes to improve the health and wellbeing of older people living in sub-Saharan Africa, thanks to a £2 million National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Global Research Professorship award.
- Isambard 3 receives £10 million investment creating one of world’s TOP500 supercomputers 22 May 2023 The UK’s GW4 Alliance, which brings together the universities of Bristol, Bath, Cardiff and Exeter, together with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), NVIDIA and Arm, have been awarded £10 million by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to develop Isambard 3, creating a new, TOP500-class supercomputer service for AI and high-performance computing (HPC).
- Professor Athimalaipet Ramanan elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences 19 May 2023 Athimalaipet V Ramanan, FRCPCH, FRCP, Professor of Paediatric Rheumatology at Bristol Medical School, is among the latest group of influential biomedical and health scientists from UK institutions to be elected to the Academy.
- Pioneering research exposing scale and danger of forced marriages calls for urgent reform to protect victims 18 May 2023 A study has revealed for the first time that the crime of forced marriage remains rife in England and Wales.
- Neuroscience researchers awarded £2.1 million to study the biological changes that occur in schizophrenia 17 May 2023 The award from the Medical Research Council will help scientists understand how genetic mutations in multiple different genes lead to common biological and cognitive changes and identify new therapeutic targets.
- Academic lands British Academy fellowship for project on pivotal female French filmmaker 16 May 2023 A multi-lingual academic from the University of Bristol is one of seven exceptional early career researchers granted fellowships by the British Academy and the Wolfson Foundation.
- Students test pioneering satellite at European Space Agency 15 May 2023 For these students, it really is rocket science.
- Leave the pub feeling smarter with Bristol’s Pint of Science Festival 15 May 2023 Come and quench your thirst for knowledge with scientific talks on everything from artificial intelligence to animal behaviour through to quantum physics.
- Professor Frankie MacMillan receives teaching prize from the Physiological Society 12 May 2023 Frankie MacMillan, Professor of Biomedical Science Education in the School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, has been awarded the 2024 Otto Hutter Teaching Prize Lecture by the Physiological Society.
- Leading ecologist from the University of Bristol elected as Royal Society Fellow 12 May 2023 A University of Bristol academic who has provided insight into how networks of interactions between species impact the environment has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.
- Major study of food allergy in children with eczema launched 12 May 2023 Parents of young children with eczema are being asked to consider taking part in a major new food allergy study run by researchers at the Universities of Bristol, Manchester, and Southampton.
- ‘Weightless’ electric trailers among 6 ideas given £70,000 at University pitching event 12 May 2023 A tap-to-rent electric trailer that attaches to a bike or e-scooter was one of six business ideas awarded a total of £70,000 at this year's University of Bristol Innovation Showcase.
- Artificial intelligence provides new insight into preventing human disease 11 May 2023 A molecular machine, which plays an essential ‘cargo’ role in controlling the delivery of proteins to the surface of human cells, and is implicated in several diseases, has been identified in a landmark study using artificial intelligence (AI). The research, led by an international team of scientists, is published today [11 May] in Cell.
- Innovative project bringing theatre production to life shortlisted for award 11 May 2023 An innovative partnership project that uses 3D augmented reality (AR) technology to help bring the art of theatre production to life for young people was among the nominees for a prestigious award.
- Culprit behind destruction of New York’s first dinosaur museum revealed 11 May 2023 A new paper from the University of Bristol rewrites the history of the darkest, most bizarre event in the history of palaeontology.
- Research reveals majority of gig economy workers are earning below minimum wage 11 May 2023 As the cost of living continues to spiral, a new report shows more than half of gig economy workers in the UK are paid below the minimum wage.
- Report reveals people with physical disabilities and health conditions are at much greater risk of homelessness 10 May 2023 A new national report has exposed for the first time how people with a disability or experiencing ill health are significantly more likely to find themselves homeless.
- Can aspirin reduce heart attack and stroke risk in patients with pneumonia? 9 May 2023 A pneumonia trial – the largest ever – will investigate whether aspirin can reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke in patients who are admitted to hospital with pneumonia.
- Bereavement researcher to attend Royal Garden Party 9 May 2023 The founding director of Good Grief Festival whose University of Bristol research has supported thousands of people through serious illness and bereavement will attend one of the first Garden Parties of King Charles III and The Queen’s reign in recognition of her work.
- Ivan Laver, 1946-2023 5 May 2023 Ivan Laver, former Workshop Manager in Mechanical Engineering, passed away in late April. His friends Peter McKeighan and Troy Swankie offer a remembrance.
- Bristol’s biggest bell rings in the King’s Coronation 4 May 2023 Bristol’s biggest bell will ring out across the city as part of Coronation celebrations on Saturday (6 May).