News
- Top nuclear waste scientist joins University of Bristol 26 September 2023 Professor Neil Hyatt, an internationally-renowned leader in the field of radioactive waste management, is set to begin a three-year role at the University of Bristol.
- New research reveals extreme heat likely to wipe out humans and mammals in the distant future 25 September 2023 A new study shows unprecedented heat is likely to lead to the next mass extinction since the dinosaurs died out, eliminating nearly all mammals in some 250 million years time.
- Pioneering research sheds surprising new light on evolution of plant kingdom 4 September 2023 A new study has uncovered intriguing insights into the evolution of plant biology, effectively rewriting the history of how they evolved over the past billion years.
- Plesiosaurs doubled their neck-length by gaining new vertebrae 4 September 2023 Their lengthy necks, used for chasing fast-moving fishes, developed quickly over a five million period around 250 million years ago.
- The modern sea spider had started to diversify by the Jurassic, study finds 17 August 2023 An extremely rare collection of 160-million-year-old sea spider fossils from Southern France are closely related to living species, unlike older fossils of their kind.
- Whale like filter-feeding discovered in prehistoric marine reptile 8 August 2023 A remarkable new fossil from China reveals for the first time that a group of reptiles were already using whale-like filter feeding 250 million years ago.
- Large pterosaurs were better parents than their smaller, earlier counterparts, study finds 19 July 2023 Small pterosaurs were born with comparatively strong, large wings, which meant they could leave the nest swiftly, while larger, cumbersome baby pterosaurs required parental protection from predators, scientists have discovered.
- Beak shape can predict nest material use in the world’s birds, study finds 10 July 2023 The material a bird selects for its nest depends on the dimensions of its beak, according to researchers.
- Humans’ ancestors survived asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs 27 June 2023 A Cretaceous origin for placental mammals, the group that includes humans, dogs and bats, has been revealed by in-depth analysis of the fossil record, showing they co-existed with dinosaurs for a short time before the dinosaurs went extinct.
- Study of deep-sea corals reveals ocean currents have not fuelled rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide 26 June 2023 Pioneering analysis of deep-sea corals has overturned the idea that ocean currents contributed to increasing global levels of carbon dioxide in the air over the past 11,000 years.
- Modern horses have lost their additional toes, scientists confirm 21 June 2023 The distant ancestors of modern horses had hooved toes instead of a single hoof, which vanished over time, according to researchers.
- Which came first: the reptile or the egg? 12 June 2023 The earliest reptiles, birds and mammals may have borne live young, researchers from Nanjing University and University of Bristol have revealed.
- Ancient herbivore’s diet weakened teeth leading to eventual starvation, study suggests 9 June 2023 A team of researchers from the University of Bristol have shed light on the life of the ancient reptile Rhynchosaur, which walked the earth between 250-225 million years ago, before being replaced by the dinosaurs.
- Pioneering research sheds new light on the origins and composition of planet Mars 24 April 2023 A new study has uncovered intriguing insights into the liquid core at the centre of Mars, furthering understanding of the planet’s formation and evolution.
- Researchers discover significant deep-sea coral reefs in Galápagos expedition 24 April 2023 Scientists from the University of Bristol are part of an expedition which has made a ground-breaking discovery of extensive, ancient deep-sea coral reefs within the Galápagos Marine Reserve (GMR).
- Swimming secrets of prehistoric reptiles unlocked by new study 18 April 2023 The diverse swimming techniques of the ancient reptiles that ruled the Mesozoic seas have been revealed for the first time by scientists at the University of Bristol.
- Small and simple key to evolution success of mammals 12 April 2023 Ancestors of modern mammals evolved into one of the most successful animal lineages by starting out small and simple, researchers have found.
- University of Bristol scientists will plunge to Titanic depths on submarine as part of a Galapagos science mission 29 March 2023 A team of researchers will voyage more than a mile beneath the Pacific Ocean in submersible The Alvin, famous for diving to the wreck of RMS Titanic in 1986.
- Extinction vulnerability during ancient biodiversity crises is unpredictable 15 March 2023 Evidence from past extinctions cannot be used as a definitive way of predicting future biodiversity loss, scientists have found by using AI.
- Dinosaur claws used for digging and display 27 February 2023 Dinosaur claws had many functions, but now a team from the University of Bristol and the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) in Beijing has shown some predatory dinosaurs used their claws for digging or even for display.
