News

• Bristol landmarks go green as the European spotlight falls on city 23 January 2015 Two of Bristol’s best-known landmarks will be aglow with green tonight [23 January] as the city launches its year in the spotlight as European Green Capital 2015.
• Is glass a true solid? 22 January 2015 Does glass ever stop flowing? Researchers at the University of Bristol and Kyoto University have combined computer simulation and information theory, originally invented for telephone communication and cryptography, to answer this puzzling question.
• Sampling the ‘grounding zone’ in Antarctica 22 January 2015 Using a specially designed hot-water drill to cleanly bore through a half mile of ice, a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded team of researchers, including Professor Martyn Tranter of the University of Bristol, has become the first ever to reach and sample the ‘grounding zone’, where Antarctic ice, land and sea all converge.
• New worldwide estimates for herpes simplex virus type 2 published 21 January 2015 New global estimates for herpes simplex virus type 2 show that over 400-million people worldwide were infected with the virus in 2012. The estimates underline the extent to which herpes simplex virus type 2 – the virus which causes genital herpes – is widespread throughout the world causing a significant burden of disease. The research, led by University of Bristol academics and the World Health Organisation [WHO], is published in the journal PLOS ONE.
• Bristol geologist who modernised volcanology wins 2015 Vetlesen Prize 20 January 2015 Professor Stephen Sparks of the University of Bristol, a geologist whose work has improved understanding of how volcanoes work and our ability to forecast deadly volcanic eruptions, will receive the 2015 Vetlesen Prize, an award considered to be the Nobel Prize of the earth sciences.
• Study advances knowledge of relatively unknown blood borne bacteria 20 January 2015 Haemoplasmas are a group of blood borne bacteria found in a wide range of mammals, including domestic and wild cats, and can cause severe anaemia. The findings of a new study have significantly advanced researchers’ knowledge of immunity for these pathogens.
• Poorer parents are just as involved in their children’s activities as better-off parents 20 January 2015 Poorer parents are just as involved in education, leisure, and sports activities with their children as better-off parents, a new study involving University of Bristol academics has found.
• Bristol team battle it out in University Challenge quarter finals 19 January 2015 The University of Bristol’s journey on University Challenge continues tonight [19 January], when its team goes head-to-head with the University of Liverpool in the quarter finals.
• Bristol academic to head Rothamsted Research farmland site 16 January 2015 Professor Michael Lee, an expert in ruminant nutrition in the School of Veterinary Sciences, has been appointed Head of Site at North Wyke, Rothamsted Research’s site for grassland systems research.
• Timber project to explore Shropshire’s medieval heritage 16 January 2015 A group of ancient timber-framed buildings in a North Shropshire village will be studied as part of a local history project led by Dr George Nash, Visiting Fellow at the University of Bristol, and villager Alastair Reid. The village heritage team in the small hamlet of Tilley, 1.5km south of Wem, has been awarded £65,500 by the Heritage Lottery Fund for the three year project.