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News in 2013

Some of the items collected during last year's Big GIVE

Bristol students turn castoffs into vital charity funds

23 May 2013

Students at the University of Bristol will be part of a huge scheme to convert unwanted items into £50,000 of vital income for local charities. The University’s Sustainability team has joined forces with the Students’ Union (UBU) to launch this year’s ‘Big GIVE’ which covers 21 university-owned halls and UNITE properties, collecting items from over 5,000 students to support 20 local charities.

Image of a pill packet

Molecular modelling to help create better, safer drugs

23 May 2013

How our bodies break down the common drugs ibuprofen, diclofenac and warfarin is the subject of a new study from the University of Bristol, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The research should ultimately help predict how new drugs will be metabolized in the body, potentially helping avoid adverse drug reactions in future.

Josiane Smith, President of the Bristol Social Enterprise Society with the NACUE award

Student social entrepreneurs win top honours

23 May 2013

A group of social entrepreneurs from the University of Bristol has won top honours for its work to help students start their own businesses. The Bristol Social Enterprise Society was praised by the National Association of College and University Entrepreneurs (NACUE) for the variety of events and funding opportunities it has organised to incentivise its peers.

Image of Deportivo Woodland Road 2 celebrating their victory

Sporting success for students in Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies

23 May 2013

Deportivo Woodland Road 2 – a six-a-side football team made up of students from the Department of Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies – has won the 26th edition of the annual Copa Sandino.

Close-up view of a pet cats face

Cat owners need better information about when to neuter their cat

22 May 2013

A new study from the University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences ‘Bristol Cats' study cohort has shown that 85 per cent of pet cats are not neutered by the recommended age possibly due to cat owners needing better information about when to neuter their cat.

Image of a tractor on overgrown land

Unkempt, weedy land unintentionally boosts wildlife

22 May 2013

Parts of the farm landscape that look overgrown and ‘scruffy’ are more important in supporting wildlife than they first appear, according to new research published today in Ecology Letters.

Generic image of a pregnant woman with a glass of milk

Iodine deficiency during pregnancy adversely affects children’s mental development

22 May 2013

A study of around 1,000 UK mothers and their children, published in The Lancet, has revealed that iodine deficiency in pregnancy may have an adverse effect on children’s mental development. The research raises concerns that the iodine status of pregnant women is a public-health issue that needs to be addressed.

Great George being rung manually

Great George to chime for anniversary of University’s Royal Charter

22 May 2013

Great George, the nine-and-a-half-ton bell in the tower of the University of Bristol’s Wills Memorial Building, will ring for five minutes at 1.30pm today [Wednesday, 22 May] to mark the anniversary of the University’s Royal Charter.

Synchrotron X-ray Tomography Microscopy (SXRTM) image of benthic foraminifera, unicellular, deep-sea floor dwelling calcifiers, which lived during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (~55 Ma), a past analog for future global warming related to high CO2 levels, and related ocean acidification. Their calcification increased unexpectedly during ocean acidification. Images generated using AvizoTM.

Unexpected Effects of Ocean Acidification on Deep-sea Organisms

22 May 2013

About 55.5 million years ago, geologically rapid emission of a large volume of greenhouse gases at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary (PETM) led to global warming of about 5oC, severe ocean acidification, and widespread extinction of microscopic organisms living on the deep-sea floor (foraminifera). A study of survivors of the extinction provides unique insight into the response of deep-sea calcifiers to past episodes which resemble the potential future consequences of fossil fuel CO2 emissions. The organisms, contrary to expectations from experiments, actually increased the thickness of their shells during ocean acidification, with organisms living buried within the sediment able to survive better than forms living on the sediment surface. The research, by scientists from the University of Bristol (UK) and Yale University (USA), is reported in this week's early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science.

Philip Bruland's winning entry showing walkers and cyclists crossing the old railway bridge near the CREATE centre

Snap happy and healthy: photography winners in the spotlight

21 May 2013

The winners of an inaugural competition to capture the essence of health and wellbeing on camera have been revealed, with staff and students at the University of Bristol exercising their photographic skills to produce some colourful and thought-provoking images.