News in January
- Deputy Prime Minister visits business hub to announce expansion 30 January 2015 An enterprise hub run by the University of Bristol has received a £4million boost from the Government, as announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg during a visit.
- Chemistry in a trillionth of a second 29 January 2015 Chemists at the University of Bristol, in collaboration with colleagues at the Central Laser Facility at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) and Heriot-Watt University (HWU), can now follow chemical reactions in liquids with unprecedented, atomically resolved detail on sub-picosecond timescales (1 picosecond = 10-12s) – matching the time intervals between molecular collisions.
- Steve Croker, 1958-2014 29 January 2015 Steve Croker, former Teaching Laboratory Manager in the School of Chemistry, died on 12 December 2014. Professor Nick Norman pays tribute to an inspirational leader with a positive attitude in all aspects of life.
- Bristol awarded share of £40 million investment for UK synthetic biology 29 January 2015 The University of Bristol has been awarded a share of £2.2 million as part of a new £40 million investment for UK synthetic biology. Business Secretary Vince Cable announced the multi-million investment at the Manchester Institute for Biotechnology, where researchers are using the technology to investigate how to use bacteria in place of fossil fuels to produce the chemicals we need to manufacture a wide variety of everyday products from credit cards, to nappies, to Tupperware tubs.
- Manchester United’s rising stars help Bristol researchers revolutionise heart health 28 January 2015 A new research project, led by University of Bristol academics, to identify the effects of exercise on young people’s hearts has been announced today [Wed 28 Jan 2015]. Manchester United’s Academy players are being put through their paces having their hearts monitored by the latest imaging technology to give invaluable insights into how young people’s hearts work while doing exercise.
- Bristol gets smarter with launch of ground-breaking innovation project 27 January 2015 Bristol is set to see the launch of its first joint venture between the city council and the University of Bristol. In a move to combine University research and advanced technology with council owned infrastructure, the company will develop an innovative high-performance, high-speed network in Bristol.
- Bristol landmarks go green as the European spotlight falls on city 26 January 2015 Two of Bristol’s best-known landmarks were aglow with green as the city launched its year in the spotlight as European Green Capital 2015.
- Site of Brunel’s ss Great Britain ‘shipwreck’ located in Northern Ireland 26 January 2015 Archaeologists have located the exact position where the ss Great Britain was grounded for nearly a year during her fifth voyage to New York in 1846.
- 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.
- Antiquity of dairying on Emerald Isle revealed 16 January 2015 As dairy farmers across Europe anxiously await the lifting of EU milk quotas in April this year, new research from the University of Bristol has revealed the antiquity of dairy farming in a region famous for its dairy exports: Ireland.
- UK’s first independent research to monitor fracking 15 January 2015 Two University of Bristol academics are part of a UK consortium, led by the British Geological Survey (BGS), which will carry out research at two proposed hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) sites in Lancashire.
- Get Bristol buzzing! 14 January 2015 'Get Bristol Buzzing', an initiative to make life better for pollinating insects in Bristol, launches today as part of the city’s year as European Green Capital.
- Get hands-on with Digital Bristol Week 14 January 2015 Experts from the University of Bristol will be sharing their expertise and advice as part of Digital Bristol Week – a free programme of training, events, workshops and panels organised by the BBC.
- Pitcher plants ‘switch off’ traps to capture more ants 14 January 2015 Insect-eating pitcher plants temporarily ‘switch off’ their traps in order to lure more prey into danger, new research from the University of Bristol and the University of Cambridge has found.
- Jaw mechanics of a shell-crushing Jurassic fish revealed by University of Bristol undergraduate 13 January 2015 The feeding habits of an unusual 200-million-year-old fish have been uncovered by a University of Bristol undergraduate in a groundbreaking study which has been published in Palaeontology, a leading scientific journal, this week – a rare achievement for an undergraduate student.
- Campaign captures the many faces of Bristol 12 January 2015 From students to staff, academics to alumni, many people from many walks of life play a vital role in making the University of Bristol such a vibrant community. A unique, year-long campaign called 52 Faces of Bristol has been capturing this diversity.
- Hong Kong history project launched 12 January 2015 A new project, hosted at the University of Bristol and funded by the Hatton Trust, which aims to encourage and facilitate the study of the history of Hong Kong in the UK will be launched this week.
- Registration for second University MOOC now open 8 January 2015 The University of Bristol’s second Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), Cultural Studies and Modern Languages: An Introduction, launches on Monday 16 February 2015. Registration is now open on the FutureLearn website, with the course already reporting a high level of enrolment.
- Rapid weight gain in first three months of life increases asthma risk 8 January 2015 Babies who gain weight rapidly in the first three months of life are more likely to develop asthma and for it to persist into adolescence. This is according to the latest research from the University of Bristol’s Children of the 90s study, which analysed information on height, weight and asthma symptoms in almost 10,000 people in the study at various points in time from birth to age 17.
- Letter to government calls for employment tribunal fees to be axed 7 January 2015 Leading trade unionists, lawyers and academics have called on the government to abolish employment tribunal fees, saying the controversial policy is denying workers access to justice.
- New technology enables ultra-fast steering and shaping of light beams 6 January 2015 A team of engineers has developed a new acousto-optic device that can shape and steer beams of light at speeds never before achieved. The new technology will enable better optical devices to be made, such as holographs that can move rapidly in real time.
- New treatment offers hope for headshaking in horses 6 January 2015 At present there are no consistently safe and effective methods for the treatment of headshaking in horses. The condition, a neuropathic facial pain syndrome, often leaves affected horses impossible to ride and dangerous to handle, and can result in euthanasia. A new study has found a treatment called percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS) could reduce signs of the condition in horses. The same PENS therapy is used in people to manage neuropathic pain.
- University of Bristol ranked top five for research in the UK 6 January 2015 The University of Bristol is ranked among the top five institutions in the UK for its research, according to new analysis of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 which takes into account the percentage of staff submitted.
- Bristol research among most-read science news in 2014 5 January 2015 News generated about research from the University of Bristol is among the most-read in the world, according to the latest statistics announced by the EurekAlert! global news service.
