News in 2021
- Bristol biologist awarded New Phytologist Tansley Medal 5 January 2022 Dr Tommaso Jucker, a NERC Independent Research Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences, has won the 2020 New Phytologist Tansley Medal, an annual award that recognises an outstanding contribution to plant science by an early career researcher.
- Academics celebrate 10 years of the Dwarf Mongoose Research Project 14 December 2021 A University of Bristol project set up to monitor wild groups of dwarf mongooses in South Africa has marked its ten-year milestone.
- Newly discovered fish songs demonstrate reef restoration success 8 December 2021 Whoops, croaks, growls, raspberries and foghorns are among the sounds that demonstrate the success of a coral reef restoration project.
- Resilience of vertebrate animals in rapid decline due to manmade threats, study finds 18 November 2021 Global change is eroding life on earth at an unprecedented rate and scale. Species extinctions have accelerated over the last decades, with the concomitant loss of the functions and services they provide to human societies.
- Flowering plants: an evolution revolution 17 November 2021 Researchers at the University of Bristol have identified the huge impact of flowering plants on the evolution of life on Earth.
- Rapidly evolving species more likely to go extinct, study suggests 10 November 2021 Researchers at the University of Bristol have found that fast evolution can lead to nowhere.
- World changers: Bristol students head to COP26 climate conference 3 November 2021 University of Bristol students at COP26 have said the conference is “one of the very last chances” to avert a climate disaster.
- Mongooses give bullies the cold shoulder, scientists find 2 November 2021 Dwarf mongooses remember which groupmates have picked fights with others during the day and later shun the aggressors during pre-bedtime socialising sessions, according to new research.
- Researchers shed light on blind spot of shark attacks 1 November 2021 Scientists have found more evidence to support the mistaken identity theory’ in juvenile white sharks during surface attacks on humans.
- Giant pandas’ distinctive black and white markings provide effective camouflage, study finds 29 October 2021 The high-contrast pattern of giant pandas helps them blend in with their natural environment.
- Birds learn to avoid plants that host dangerous insects, researchers have found 8 October 2021 Scientists have discovered that birds know to avoid the plants where toxic animals dwell.
- The smarter the bird, the more mental stimulation it needs in captivity, a study has found 6 October 2021 Researchers have discovered that intelligent birds have unique welfare needs in captivity.
- Feeling a spark: flowers release their perfume in response to electricity of a bee's touch 21 September 2021 New research has found that the electrical charge created by visiting bumblebees stimulates some flowers to release more of their sweet-smelling scent. This is the first time a plant has been shown to use the presence of pollinators as a cue to emit more of its attractive perfume - increasing its chances of being visited.
- Moth wingtips an ‘acoustic decoy’ to thwart bat attack, scientists find 10 September 2021 Wingtips of certain species of silkmoth are structured to reflect sound and throw off attackers, according to a new study.
- Plants evolved ability to actively control water-loss earlier than previously thought 27 August 2021 New research has shed light on when plants first evolved the ability to respond to changing humidity in the air around them, and was probably a feature of a common ancestor of both flowering plants and ferns.
- Giraffes are as socially complex as elephants, study finds 3 August 2021 Scientists at the University of Bristol have discovered evidence that giraffes are a highly socially complex species.
- Newly-hatched pterosaurs may have been able to fly 26 July 2021 Newly-hatched pterosaurs may have been able to fly but their flying abilities may have been different from adult pterosaurs, according to a new study.
- Tropical fly study shows that a mother’s age and diet influences the health of her offspring 20 July 2021 The female tsetse fly, which gives birth to adult-sized live young, produce weaker offspring as they get older, and when they feed on poor quality blood.
- University of Bristol’s 900 laboratories receive green status in world first 12 July 2021 The University of Bristol has become the first university in the world to achieve institutional Green Labs Certification.
- Sharp size reduction in dinosaurs that changed diet to termites 7 July 2021 Dinosaurs were generally huge, but a new study of the unusual alvarezsaurs show that they reduced in size about 100 million years ago when they became specialised ant-eaters.
- Come and discover the fascinating relationship between pollinating insects and flowers 2 July 2021 How do bees visualise and interact with flowers? A summer art and science exhibition that uses a blend of the most innovative interactive technology, including augmented reality (AR), inspiration from 17th century Dutch flower paintings, and the latest scientific research on the symbiotic relationship of plants and insects, opens at the University of Bristol's Botanic Garden next week [Tuesday 6 July].
- Scientists reveal how plants become good neighbours in times of stress 30 June 2021 Scientists from the University of Bristol and the John Innes Centre have discovered how plants manage to live alongside each other in places that are dark and shady.
- Dinosaurs were in decline before the end, according to new study 30 June 2021 The death of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago was caused by the impact of a huge asteroid on the Earth. However, palaeontologists have continued to debate whether they were already in decline or not before the impact.
- The humidity of flowers acts as an invisible attractor for bumblebees 22 June 2021 As well as bright colours and subtle scents, flowers possess many invisible ways of attracting their pollinators, and a new study shows that bumblebees may use the humidity of a flower to tell them about the presence of nectar, according to scientists at the Universities of Bristol and Exeter.
- Palaeontologist, infectious disease mathematical modeller, anaesthetist and ecologist receive Queen’s Birthday Honours 14 June 2021 University of Bristol academics Professor Mike Benton, Dr Ellen Brooks Pollock, Professor Tim Cook and Professor Jane Memmott have all received awards in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours list which recognises the achievements and service of people across the UK.
- Scientists develop the ‘evotype’ to help unlock the power of evolution for better engineering biology 9 June 2021 Scientists from the University of Bristol have pioneered a new approach to help biological engineers both harness and design the evolutionary potential of new biosystems. Their concept of the ‘evotype’ lays a foundation for the next generation of stable, safe and self-improving biotechnologies.
- Fascination of Plants Day: What are the important questions for plant science research? 19 May 2021 What are the most important challenges for plant science research? Today [18 May] is the first-ever virtual Fascination of Plants Day and researchers from the University of Bristol and The New Phytologist would like to find out from members of the public and academia, farmers, policy makers, funding bodies and industry what issues plant science research should tackle.
- Herbivores developed powerful jaws to digest tougher plants following the Mass Extinctions 17 May 2021 The evolution of herbivores is linked to the plants that survived and adapted after the ‘great dying’, when over 90% of the world’s species were wiped out 252 million years ago.
- University of Bristol students to showcase innovative research in interactive online festival 14 May 2021 Control tiny robots, design a house on Mars and explore medieval manuscripts - these are just some activities on offer at this year’s Research without Borders: The University of Bristol’s Public Festival of Postgraduate Research, which returns on Wednesday 19 May in a new online format.
- Sex cells in parasites are doing their own thing 12 May 2021 Researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered how microbes responsible for human African sleeping sickness produce sex cells.
- Rooted tree key to understanding bacterial evolution, new study suggests 7 May 2021 An international team of researchers led by Dr Tom Williams from the University of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences have found a new way to interpret the evolution of bacteria.
- New study sheds light on the deep evolutionary origins of the human smile 7 May 2021 The origins of a pretty smile have long been sought in the fearsome jaws of living sharks which have been considered living fossils reflecting the ancestral condition for vertebrate tooth development and inference of its evolution. However, this view ignores real fossils which more accurately reflect the nature of ancient ancestors.
- Insights from colour-blind octopus help fight human sight loss 5 May 2021 University of Bristol research into octopus vision has led to a quick and easy test that helps optometrists identify people who are at greater risk of macular degeneration, the leading cause of incurable sight loss.
- Bristol researchers feature on Attenborough Netflix series 23 April 2021 University researchers feature on a Netflix series narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
- Know your ally: Cooperative male dolphins can tell who's on their team 23 April 2021 When it comes to friendships and rivalries, male dolphins know who the good team players are. New findings, published in Nature Communications by University of Bristol researchers, reveal that male dolphins form a social concept of team membership based on cooperative investment in the team.
- Festival presents unique opportunity to hear from world-leading researchers tackling today's global challenges 21 April 2021 Reaching net zero carbon dioxide emissions, eliminating hunger and poverty, tackling misinformation and vaccine hesitancy, decolonisation, and overcoming the digital divide are among key topics set to take centre stage at the inaugural University of Bristol Festival of International Research and Partnerships, which starts next week.
- Unusual fossil reveals last meal of prehistoric pollinator 19 April 2021 An amber fossil of a Cretaceous beetle has shed some light on the diet of one of the earliest pollinators of flowering plants.
- Sex cells in parasites are doing their own thing 14 April 2021 Researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered how microbes responsible for human African sleeping sickness produce sex cells.
- Snappy evolution was behind the success of ancient crocodiles 24 March 2021 New research led by the University of Bristol has revealed that crocodiles once flourished on land and in the oceans as a result of fast evolution.
- New study investigates how life on land recovered after “The Great Dying” 17 March 2021 Over the course of Earth’s history, several mass extinction events have destroyed ecosystems, including one that famously wiped out the dinosaurs. But none were as devastating as “The Great Dying,” which took place 252 million years ago during the end of the Permian period.
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