News in March
- Applications open for Kevin Elyot Award 2023 20 March 2023 We are delighted to announce that we are now welcoming applications for the Kevin Elyot Award 2023, created in memory of the acclaimed actor and writer.
- Genetic causes of three previously unexplained rare diseases identified 16 March 2023 Using a new computational approach developed to analyse large genetic datasets from rare disease cohorts, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and colleagues including the University of Bristol, have discovered previously unknown genetic causes of three rare conditions: primary lymphedema (characterised by tissue swelling), thoracic aortic aneurysm disease, and congenital deafness.
- Pioneering survey into censorship of the climate crisis in global storytelling 16 March 2023 For the first time ever authors, journalists, film makers and scientists from across the world are being asked to share their experiences of pressure to remove or soften the exploration of the climate crisis in their work.
- High blood caffeine level might curb amount of body fat and type 2 diabetes risk 15 March 2023 A high blood caffeine level might curb the amount of body fat a person carries and their risk of type 2 diabetes, suggests research by the Karolinska Institute, University of Bristol and Imperial College, London, and published in the open access journal BMJ Medicine.
- New research shows recovering tropical forests offset just one quarter of carbon emissions from new tropical deforestation and forest degradation 15 March 2023 A pioneering global study has found deforestation and forests lost or damaged due to human and environmental change, such as fire and logging, are fast outstripping current rates of forest regrowth.
- Memories could be lost if two key brain regions fail to sync together, study finds 15 March 2023 Learning, remembering something, and recalling memories is supported by multiple separate groups of neurons connected inside and across key regions in the brain. If these neural assemblies fail to sync together at the right time, the memories are lost, a new study led by the universities of Bristol and Heidelberg has found.
- Major study will use philosophical expertise to highlight patient voices in healthcare research and practice 15 March 2023 The Universities of Bristol, Nottingham, and Birmingham have been awarded a major £2.6 million Wellcome Discovery Grant for a six-year project which will use philosophical expertise to help bring patient voices into healthcare research and practice.
- One of the first people to have a transfusion of lab-grown red blood cells says: 'why wouldn’t you do it?' 15 March 2023 One of the first people to be transfused with red blood cells grown in a laboratory has spoken about her experiences.
- 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.
- Predicting overheating in Thoroughbred racehorses 14 March 2023 Hotter, more humid weather conditions and a history of overheating may be factors in predicting whether a Thoroughbred racehorse will suffer an incident of exertional heat illness (EHI), according to new research led by the University of Bristol and published today [14 March] in Scientific Reports. The findings, based on data from British racecourses, could be used to reduce the risk of racehorses experiencing EHI, particularly given the warming climate and more frequent hot race days.
- Landmark quantum breakthrough paves way for world-first experimental wormhole to help unravel deepest mysteries of universe 13 March 2023 One of the first practical applications of the much-hyped but little-used quantum computing technology is now within reach, thanks to a unique approach that sidesteps the major problem of scaling up such prototypes.
- Cow dung possible sustainable material of the future, study finds 13 March 2023 Livestock dung could be used to create the next generation of cellulosic materials, according to a new report.
- Promoting safer sleeping for babies in England: new report 13 March 2023 Change is needed to the way safer sleep information is communicated, if risks to babies from unsafe sleeping practices are to be reduced, according to a new report from the universities of Oxford, UCL, Bristol and Newcastle. This was prompted by the government, in the wake of sudden death in infancy data, in an attempt to identify what type of support was needed to reduce the incidence in all families.
- Delaying treatment for localised prostate cancer does not increase mortality risk, trial shows 12 March 2023 Active monitoring of prostate cancer has the same high survival rates after 15 years as radiotherapy or surgery, reports the largest study of its kind today. The latest findings from the ProtecT trial, led by the Universities of Bristol and Oxford, are presented today [12 March] at the European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Milan and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
- Specialists across Africa given plant-health training boost 10 March 2023 The University of Bristol’s CONNECTED Network has trained 21 plant scientists from 11 countries in ‘Vector and Virus Diagnostics’ in Nairobi, Kenya.
- Sea temperatures control the distributions of European marine fish 10 March 2023 An analysis extending from southern Portugal to northern Norway highlights the importance of temperature in determining where fish species are found.
- Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence awarded to propel Bristol’s MedTech innovation pipeline towards translation 9 March 2023 Dr Taj S Mattu has been awarded a Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR) at the University of Bristol.
- ‘Once in a lifetime opportunity’: Four student teams head to university Euro champs for first time 9 March 2023 Four University of Bristol teams have for the first time qualified for the European University Sports Association (EUSA) Championships.
- Bristol welcomes UK Space Agency CEO to mark ‘Space West’ launch 8 March 2023 Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of UK Space Agency, visited the University to meet some of the academics at the heart of research into next-generation space technology.
- Participants needed for study to investigate bovine tuberculosis in farm workers 8 March 2023 Do you work with bovine tuberculosis (bTB)-infected cattle? If so, researchers at the University of Bristol are inviting people to take part in the ZooTB study.
- Genetic variation that protected against Black Death still helps protect against infection but increases autoimmune disease 7 March 2023 The same genetics that helped some of our ancestors fight the plague is still likely to be at work in our bodies today, potentially providing some of the population with extra protection against respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, according to research led by scientists at University of Bristol. However, there is a trade-off, where this same variation is also linked to increased autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.
- Bristol student rides wave of academic success with study showing surfing boosts mental health 7 March 2023 Pioneering research showing the mental health benefits of surfing by a University of Bristol student has led to an exciting partnership with The Wave to expand the study.
- Bristol awarded ESRC Impact Acceleration funding of £1.25 million 7 March 2023 The University of Bristol is of one of 32 research organisations across the UK to have been awarded a share of the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC’s) Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAAs) funding totalling £40 million.
- Pioneering study shows flood risks can still be considerably reduced if all global promises to cut carbon emissions are kept 7 March 2023 Annual damage caused by flooding in the UK could increase by more than a fifth over the next century due to climate change unless all international pledges to reduce carbon emissions are met, according to new research.
- New guidance on hip fracture services will improve recovery for thousands of patients 6 March 2023 A new 'toolkit' for senior doctors and hospital managers, that will help make changes to their organisational arrangements and improve the quality of hip fracture care across the UK has been launched by The Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) in collaboration with researchers from the University of Bristol.
- New tool to value health of urban developments 3 March 2023 A new tool to value the health effects of urban development proposals has been revealed by researchers at the Universities of Bristol and Bath and published in Frontiers in Public Health.
- Animals best to supress individual personalities for group efficiency 2 March 2023 Social animals should limit individuality to conform with the behaviour of the group, a University of Bristol study has found.
- Record 45% of funding raises led by women at SETsquared Bristol 2 March 2023 A record 45% of total funds raised by companies at tech incubator SETsquared Bristol were led by women, according to their 2022 impact results.
- Bristol graduates are fourth most targeted by top employers 2 March 2023 The UK’s most successful employers are eager to get Bristol graduates on their books, a new report has found.
- University of Bristol appoints Chief Financial Officer 2 March 2023 The University of Bristol has appointed a Chief Financial Officer, in a newly-created role reporting directly to the Vice-Chancellor and President. This significant senior appointment comes at a key moment for the institution, with its ambitious strategy for 2030 entering a key delivery phase.
- Importance of early-life factors identified in new lung health study 2 March 2023 New insights into the importance of early-life factors on lung health have been unveiled in the most comprehensive study of its kind, led by the Universities of Bristol and Essex.
- University of Bristol’s Smart Internet Lab welcomes £6m boost for the communications technologies of tomorrow 1 March 2023 Future communication systems including 6G, faster internet access and cloud computing have received £6m investment from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) – part of UK Research and Innovation.
- Depression linked to immune response in some people 1 March 2023 A link between depression and changes in counts of several types of immune cells in the blood has been revealed by researchers at the University of Bristol's MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit. These findings, published in Molecular Psychiatry, suggest that changes to different components of our immune system — both the innate and adaptive immune response — could play a role in causing depression.
- International consortium awarded €4.5M to build next-generation hardware platform that enhances computing efficiency 1 March 2023 A consortium from industry and academia involving the University of Bristol has been awarded €4.5M by the EU, UK and Switzerland to build a next-generation hardware platform which will transform industries from electrical vehicles to industrial processing and manufacturing.
- Pioneering research reveals schools are around 20 times more likely to give priority to local rather than disadvantaged pupils 1 March 2023 On the day parents across the country discover which secondary school their child can attend, a new report exposes how entry rules are thwarting social mobility especially at the most sought-after state schools.
- Physical activity can help mental health in pre-teen years 28 February 2023 Regular physical activity can improve adolescents’ mental health and help with behavioural difficulties, research suggests.
