News in 2021
- Source of large rise in emissions of unregulated ozone destroying substance identified 16 December 2021 New research, led by the School of Chemistry, University of Bristol and Peking University, has discovered that emissions coming from China of the ozone-destroying chemical, dichloromethane, have more than doubled over the last decade.
- Pioneering measurement techniques on display at COP26 hold key to effectively combat climate change 10 November 2021 Leading atmospheric scientists are measuring emissions of the most dangerous greenhouse gases at COP26 and sharing them live online to highlight how rigorous measurement and detailed data reporting are essential in the fight against climate change.
- Collaborative COVID-19 lockdown effort delivers major boost for vaccine innovation in Bristol 21 October 2021 Faster vaccine development could be a step closer thanks to £4 million investment to Imophoron Ltd, a Bristol University biotech start-up developing a novel, next generation rapid-response vaccine platform called ADDomer™. Imophoron will use the investment to bring ADDomer vaccines to clinical stage, initially targeting three viruses, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), COVID-19, and mosquito-borne Chikungunya.
- Dr Colin Western, 1957 - 2021 7 October 2021 Dr Colin Western, Reader in Chemistry, died on 21st September 2021. Professors Andrew Orr-Ewing and Mike Ashfold offer this appreciation.
- Major advance in race for SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor drugs 30 September 2021 A new advance towards the development of drugs specifically designed to inhibit a key SARS-CoV-2 enzyme is reported in the Royal Society of Chemistry's leading journal, Chemical Science. The international team, led by scientists from the Universities of Oxford and Bristol, has designed new peptide molecules and shown that they block (inhibit) the virus’s main protease [Mpro] - a prominent SARS-CoV-2 drug target.
- Understanding enzyme evolution paves the way for green chemistry 15 September 2021 Researchers from the School of Chemistry, University of Bristol have shown how laboratory evolution can give rise to highly efficient enzymes for new-to-nature reactions, opening the door for novel and more environmentally friendly ways to make drugs and other chemicals.
- Decline in CO2 cooled earth’s climate over 30 million years ago, scientists find 15 September 2021 New research led by the School of Chemistry, University of Bristol demonstrates that a decline in the concentration of atmospheric CO2 played a major role in driving Earth’s climate from a warm greenhouse into a cold icehouse world around 34 million years ago. This transition could be partly reversed in the next centuries due to the anthropogenic rise in CO2.
- Entos, Inc. announces a $53m funding raise to develop its AI-driven platform for pharmaceutical discovery 2 September 2021
- Protocells spring into action 25 June 2021 A University of Bristol-led team of international scientists with an interest in protoliving technologies, has today published research which paves the way to building new semi-autonomous devices with potential applications in miniaturized soft robotics, microscale sensing and bioengineering.
- Trio of Bristol scientists win prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry prizes 8 June 2021 Professor Jonathan Reid, Professor Carmen Galan, and Professor Michael Ashfold, who are all based in the School of Chemistry, have been named the winners of three prizes from the Royal Society of Chemistry, celebrating the most exciting chemical science taking place today.
- EPSRC Programme Grant 8 June 2021 Professor Andrew Orr-Ewing and Dr Tom Oliver, both from the School of Chemistry, have been awarded a 6-year, £7.9M Programme Grant by EPSRC entitled 'Ultrafast Photochemical Dynamics in Complex Environments', together with co-investigators from UCL, Imperial College, Oxford, and Durham.
- Scientists pioneer creation of programmable artificial tissues from synthetic cells 13 May 2021 Scientists have created new artificial tissues that mimic some of the complex characteristics and abilities of living tissues, paving the way towards unprecedented advances in medicine, soft-robotics, and micro-engineering.
- Bristol awarded record number of European grants for ‘excellent’ science, third highest in Europe 23 April 2021 The University will receive €13M for globally significant research into anti-microbial resistance, artificial reproduction, futuristic materials, quantum mechanics, the philosophy of evolution and a truth taskforce to combat misinformation.
- Ancient pottery reveals the first evidence for honey hunting in prehistoric West Africa 14 April 2021 A team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol, with colleagues from Goethe University, Frankfurt, has found the first evidence for ancient honey hunting, locked inside pottery fragments from prehistoric West Africa, dating back some 3,500 years ago.
- New research will disrupt solar and expedite efforts toward Net-Zero target 23 February 2021 A team of researchers, led by chemists from the University of Bristol's School of Chemistry, has received significant funding from the UKRI to revolutionise the fabrication and application of photovoltaic devices, used to produce solar energy.
- Research shows emissions of banned ozone-depleting substance are back on the decline 11 February 2021 Global emissions of a potent substance notorious for depleting the Earth’s ozone layer – the protective barrier which absorbs the Sun’s harmful UV rays – have fallen rapidly and are now back on the decline, according to new research.
- Aerosol generating procedures in respiratory care found to be less risky than previously thought 8 February 2021 In August 2020, the AERATOR group was awarded an NIHR-UKRI grant to study a range of potentially aerosol generating procedures (AGP’s) that are commonly performed across the NHS.
- School of Chemistry welcome Phil Bates as Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence 4 February 2021 Phil Bates has been awarded an Entrepreneur in Residence Award from The Royal Society.