From the cow pats of Bristol to a pioneering evolutionary biologist
Bristol graduate Professor Geoffrey Parker, famed as a pioneering thinker in the field of natural selection, is being honoured by the University today [15 July].
News in 2011
Nationwide mission to save conkers from alien invaders gets underway
Conker fans from across the country are being called upon to help save the beloved trees from a perilous moth which is threatening their beauty.
Dr Patricia Sanchez-Baracaldo wins Daphne Jackson Fellowship
Dr Sanchez-Baracaldo will continue her work on the evolution of cyanobacteria as well as study how evolutionary events have played a role in regulating the global environment and past climatic events. This is a joint fellowship with the School of Geographical Sciences at Bristol.
Dr Michael Pocock appointed to RCUK Public Engagement with Research Advisory Panel
Dr Michael Pocock has been appointed a member of the RCUK Public Engagement with Research Advisory Panel. His appointment is "in the light of [his] knowledge and reputation" in public engagement.
Professor Gary Foster elected as a member of University Council
Professor Gary Foster has been elected to the University Council, which is the governing body of the University, dealing with policy, finance and senior staff appointments.
Professor Gary Foster Elected a Fellow of the Society of Biology
Professor Gary Foster has been elected a Fellow of the Society of Biology.
Wheat genome project gains funding boost from CIRC
Research into the wheat genome by scientists at the University of Bristol is one of six projects to be awarded funding by the £7million Crop Improvement Research Club (CIRC), the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) announced today at Cereals 2011, the leading technical event for the arable industry.
Adjustable valves gave ancient plants the edge
Controlling water loss is an important ability for modern land plants as it helps them thrive in changing environments. New research from the University of Bristol, published today in the journal Current Biology, shows that water conserving innovations occurred very early in plants’ evolutionary history.
The Festival of Nature at the Harbourside, FREE event, 18-19 June
The Festival of Nature returns to Bristol Harbourside to unleash the city's wild side this summer on the weekend of 18-19 June.
WOMAD comes to Bristol Zoo - 11th June
As part of its 175th Anniversary celebrations, Bristol Zoo will be hosting evening of music, dance and workshops from around the world on Saturday 11th June
World Wars camouflage technique could have benefits in modern warfare
Painting army vehicles with high contrast geometric patterns – ‘dazzle camouflage’ – affects the perception of their speed and thus could make them less susceptible to rocket propelled grenade attacks, according to new research from the University of Bristol.
Holger Goerlitz continues as a visiting research fellow
Holger Goerlitz has won a Research Fellowship of the German Research Foundation which the starts today to continue work at the School of Biological Sciences.
Ocean acidification leaves clownfish deaf to predators
Baby clownfish use hearing to detect and avoid predator-rich coral reefs during the daytime, but new research from the University of Bristol demonstrates that ocean acidification could threaten this crucial behaviour within the next few decades.
£1.3m research on urban insects begins in Bristol
The gardens of Westbury-on-Trym will play a key part in a new £1.3 million research project led by the University of Bristol into how urbanization is affecting bees, flies and other pollinating insects across the UK.
New Leverhulme Fellow for Biological Sciences
Congratulations to Christos Ioannou, who has won a highly competitive Leverhulme Fellowship to come to the School of Biological Sciences.
James Foster wins best poster prize
Congratulations to James Foster who won the best poster prize at the recent Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Easter meeting at the Angela Ruskin University, April 26th - 29th. James presented some of his recent work on polarization signals in flowers and polarization vision in bumble bees.
Biologists run the Bristol 10k
Congratulations to the 12 biologists who ran the Bristol 10k on Sunday. They joined over 11,200 others, running in near perfect weather conditions around the Harbourside of Bristol and through the Avon Gorge.
New research fellow
Welcome to new research fellow, Dr Rick Bruintjes
Funding successes for research on bats in buildings
Gareth Jones, Stephen Harris and Emma Stone awarded bat research grants
Orly Razgour wins prize for best student talk
Orly Razgour wins prize for best student talk at Ecological Genetics Group meeting
Giant tortoises show rewilding can work
Exotic species can be used to restore important functions in ecosystems that were lost following the extinction of key species, according to a new study of giant tortoises on a small island in the Indian Ocean. The study was carried out by an international team of researchers led by the University of Bristol.
Mark Viney wins Wellcome Trust funding to study the molecular basis of parasitism
Congratulations to Professor Mark Viney for winning a grant from the Wellcome Trust to study the molecular basis of parasitism in the nematode Strongyloides ratti.The award is for 3-years (£248,000), and is in collaboration with Jonathan Wastling, Liverpool and Matt Berriman, Wellcome Trust Sanger Centre.
Leverhulme grant awarded to study plant-pollinator interactions
A Leverhulme Trust grant of £220K has been awarded to Professor Daniel Robert, Professor Simon Hiscock and Dr. Heather Whitney to study the interactions of plants with their insect pollinators.
David Attenborough at the 2010 Communicate conference - interview trancript now online
The summary of the 2010 Communicate conference "Connecting with Nature", organised by the Bristol Natural History Consortium is now downloadable as a PDF.
Sophie Holles awarded Commendation of Excellence for her Masters
Sophie Holles has recently been awarded a Faculty of Science Commendation of Excellence in a Master's Thesis.
Two free exhibitions of science-inspired art open in Bristol
The next ten days will see the opening of not just one, but two exhibitions of science-inspired art in Bristol, all part of the University of Bristol’s Changing Perspectives series.
Ticks are on the march in Britain
The prevalence of ticks attaching to dogs in Great Britain has been mapped by scientists as part of a national tick survey. The findings reveal that the number of dogs infested with the blood-sucking parasites was much higher than expected. The study also confirms that a European tick species now exists in Great Britain.
Clean sweep of poster prizes by Irene Voellmy
At the Natural Systems & Processes Poster Session, featuring over 120 contributions from postgraduate students in Biological Sciences, Earth Sciences, Engineering and Geographical Sciences, Irene Voellmy won all three prizes: best poster (as voted for by staff), best poster (as voted for by postgrads), and most memorable poster.
Nothing can stop the zebra
PhD student James Bradley's research on zebra migrations is the main feature in this month's Smithsonian Magazine.
Teaching Awards to School of Biological Sciences Staff
Sue Holwell and Marc Holderied win University Teaching Awards.
£680K for "ARKive In Your Pocket" Audiovisual Wildlife Experience
The government-backed Technology Strategy Board has awarded £680K to facilitate the "ARKive In Your Pocket" Audiovisual Wildlife Experience.
Fox tactics could inspire territorial design
A new study into the exclusion tactics adopted by urban foxes suggests that the transient nature of animal territory is a result of a complex system of individual-level interactions.
Professor Keith Edwards and Dr Gary Barker awarded BBSRC research grant
Professor Keith Edwards and Dr Gary Barker awarded BBSRC research grant to develop wheat molecular marker database
Food forensics: DNA links habitat quality to bat diet
All night long, bats swoop over our landscape consuming insects, but they do this in secret, hidden from our view. Until recently, scientists have been unable to bring their ecosystem out of the dark but thanks to new genetic techniques, researchers from the University of Bristol and Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, Canada, have been able to reconstruct the environment supporting these elusive creatures.
Dr Andy Radford awarded Royal Society Research Grant
A £15,000 grant to examine how social information use can affect the stress of decision making has been awarded to Dr Andy Radford from the School of Biological Sciences.
Noise distracts fish from their dinner
We all struggle to concentrate when there are roadworks taking place outside our window. New research from scientists at the University of Bristol demonstrates that fish suffer the same problem, becoming distracted from normal feeding behaviour when noise is added to their environment.
Biodiversity conservation in a changing world, Public talk, 9th March
Protecting the world’s biodiversity will be the subject of a free public talk hosted by the University of Bristol in partnership with Bristol Zoo Gardens this month [Wednesday 9 March].
Professor Keith Edwards and Dr Gary Barker awarded wheat breeding research grant
The £1.5 million grant is part of a £7 million LoLa (Longer and Larger) award from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
Shining a light on trypanosome reproduction
Compelling visual evidence of sexual reproduction in African trypanosomes, single-celled parasites that cause major human and animal diseases, has been found by researchers from the University of Bristol.
Systems & Processes Poster Session to take place in March
A postgraduate poster session, organised jointly between the Faculties of Science and Engineering, will be taking place on 21 March 2011 in the Wills Reception Room from 2 to 5pm.