Squeezing in the micro-domain
Researchers from Universities of Bristol and Düsseldorf have found a method to measure the pressure inside microscopic objects such as cells in our bodies.
News in 2013
Celebrating Bristol’s brain power
Ever wondered how your brain controls movement or creates memories? The wonders and complexities of the human brain are being explained at a free festival of neuroscience, organised by the University of Bristol to give a unique insight into the power of our cleverest organ.
Solving the Internet capacity crunch: first demonstration of a multicore fibre network
The University of Bristol's High Performance Networks Group in collaboration with the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) have demonstrated successfully for the first time a multicore fibre-based network, which will form the foundation for the future Internet infrastructure.
Bristol congratulates eminent physicists on Nobel Prize in Physics 2013
Eminent scientist Professor Peter Higgs, one of the world's leading theoretical physicists and the man after whom the Higgs boson is named, has been awarded jointly with Professor Francois Englert the Nobel Prize in Physics 2013.
Top bands return to The Anson Rooms after major refurbishment
The Anson Rooms, one of Bristol’s best-loved music venues, is reopening with a bang next week after a major refurbishment. It will welcome back live music for the first time in over a year when its autumn line-up kicks off with Johnny Flynn and The Sussex Wit on Monday [14 October].
Ultrahaptics – it’s magic in the air
A team from the University of Bristol’s Interaction and Graphics (BIG) research group have developed a solution that not only allows people to feel what is on an interactive surface, but also receive invisible information before they touch it.
First flight for radiation detector
Researchers at the University of Bristol have collaborated on a flying radiation detector that could be used to help with nuclear decommissioning and clean-up at sites such as Fukushima and Sellafield and which was recently tested in a specially designed experimental area at the National Physical Laboratory.
Cracking the carapace – the challenges of tortoise medicine and surgery
A talk on Wednesday 9 October, organised by the Small Animal Practice at the University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences, will provide owners with essential information about how to care for their tortoise properly to keep it in good health.
Bristol dominates STEM Ambassador Awards
The University performed strongly in the regional 2013 STEM Ambassador Awards, winning for outreach work by members of the School of Experimental Psychology and the School of Geographical Sciences.
BBC programme celebrates University architect
A documentary on the famous Bristol architect Sir George Oatley is being broadcast tonight [07 October] to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth in 1863. Professor Mark Horton, of the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at Bristol University, will give an insight into Oatley’s work and life on Inside Out West, BBC1 at 7.30pm.
Bark at Ee, the University has a Gromit!
One of the hugely popular Gromit Unleashed statues has been bought by the University of Bristol, helping to raise £2.3million for Bristol’s Children Hospital and ensuring the colourful creature will remain in the city for people to enjoy.
Vice-Chancellor “honoured” to receive knighthood
Professor Sir Eric Thomas, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, said he was “honoured” to receive his knighthood from Princess Anne at a service held in Windsor Castle. Sir Eric was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the Queen’s Birthday Honours earlier this year for services to higher education.
Bristol awarded share of £19.5 m for quantitative social science training
Bristol is one of fifteen UK universities selected to receive a share of £19.5 million in an ambitious project to address the critical shortage of social scientists with the quantitative skills needed to evaluate evidence and analyse complex data.
EU research project will improve the exploitation of open access data for water sectors
A collaborative European research project that includes researchers from the University of Bristol aims to tackle water concerns by exploring and exploiting the significant and currently insufficiently used potential of open data thanks to funding of €6 million by the European Commission.
How ants investigate the housing market when searching for their ideal home
An immediate and chronic concern for many of us is how the British housing market influences our whole economy: surprisingly ants also have issues over the value of new homes, researchers from the University of Bristol have found.
Autistic kids have poorer sleep quality than their peers right up to their teens
Children with autistic spectrum disorders have poorer sleep quality than their peers right up to their teens, reveals research conducted by an international team including researchers from Bristol. The findings, published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, show total sleep duration is shorter and punctuated by more frequent waking at night and this poor-quality sleep may affect daytime learning and behaviour.
Concerns over mercury levels in fish may be unfounded
New research from the Children of the 90s study at the University of Bristol suggests that fish accounts for only seven per cent of mercury levels in the human body. In an analysis of 103 food and drink items consumed by 4,484 women during pregnancy, researchers found that the 103 items together accounted for less than 17 per cent of total mercury levels in the body.
New research links individual animal behaviour with social spacing
New research by the universities of Bristol and Princeton has found certain animal species are capable of co-ordinating their spatial behaviour to cover terrain by maintaining areas of exclusive use while sharing other regions of space with their neighbours.
Outstanding interest-only mortgages put older people at risk
One in three over 70’s with mortgages have interest-only mortgages with no linked investment and 13 per cent of older people with mortgages are struggling to make repayments on their home. These are the findings from new research led by academics at the University of Bristol’s Personal Finance Research Centre and the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC–UK) – a leading think-tank on demographic change.
Poetry in Motion: former poet laureate reads from new collection
Former poet laureate Sir Andrew Motion will be reading from his stunning new collection of poems at a special event organised by the Bristol Poetry Institute on Friday [4 October], taking place at 6pm in the Wills Memorial Building.
Festival launch for poetry anthology inspired by Bristol's art
The Echoing Gallery, an anthology of poems inspired by works of art in Bristol, featuring some of the finest contemporary poets living in or associated with the city, will be launched at the Bristol Poetry Festival next Wednesday [2 October].
Bristol scientists contribute to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group I, which assesses the physical scientific aspects of the climate system and climate change, has presented its contribution to the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report in Stockholm today.
Study reveals dramatic fall in death rates after hip replacements
Mortality rates in the first 90 days following hip replacement surgery have halved according to a study led by Professor Ashley Blom from the University of Bristol's School of Clinical Sciences.
Festival atmosphere at harbourside Freshers’ Fair
Students at the University of Bristol have taken over Bristol Harbourside as the annual Freshers’ Fair is held in the city centre for the first time. Millennium Square, Waterfront Square and the Amphitheatre have been transformed into a bustling marketplace of stalls, live music and performances from societies, sports clubs, University services and local businesses.
The Bristol Dinosaur build begins
Bristol's very own dinosaur Thecodontosaurus will start to come to life this Tuesday when local artist Robert Nicholls and University of Bristol dinosaur expert Pedro Viegas begin work on a full-size replica of the beast at M Shed.
Small changes can yield big results for workplace giving
Charities are constantly searching for innovative, low cost ways to maximise their fundraising revenues. Insights from behavioural economics may offer some solutions. Small, seemingly trivial changes such as including a picture of a colleague on marketing material, asking donors to opt-out rather than opt-in to annual donation increases and giving sweets to potential donors have all proved to be successful methods to encourage workplace giving and to increase donor sign up.
Lottery funding plays an important role, helping charities to thrive
New research from the Centre for Market and Public Organisation (CMPO) demonstrates the importance of grant income – in this case grants from the Community Fund (one of the predecessors to the Big Lottery Fund) – to many charities.
Study finds link between commonly prescribed statin and memory impairment
New research that looked at whether two commonly prescribed statin medicines, used to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or ‘bad cholesterol’ levels in the blood, can adversely affect cognitive function has found that one of the drugs tested caused memory impairment in rats.
Explore, make and create the digital world
Members of the public have the opportunity to learn more about the Raspberry Pi and have fun at the same time at an event organised by students from the University of Bristol’s Faculty of Engineering this Saturday, 28 September.
Users needed to test Green Doors app
The University of Bristol’s Department of Computer Science has been working with Bristol Green Doors to produce an Android and iPhone smartphone application for this year’s open homes event and members of the public are being asked to test it over the weekend [28 and 29 September].
Law student’s essay wins international award
Divyesh Menon, a recent graduate of the University of Bristol Law School, has won the Law category of the Undergraduate Awards .
Vet School academics to feature on BBC Two series The Wonder of Dogs
Dr John Bradshaw and Dr Rachel Casey from the University's School of Veterinary Sciences will feature on the BBC Two series The Wonder of Dogs.
Do anaesthetics trigger stress?
New research, carried out in collaboration between the University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences and AstraZeneca Brixham Environmental Laboratory, could improve the welfare standards of millions of fish used by scientists around the world.
Religion and liberalism under scrutiny in new collection
A new book on the challenges of religious diversity, edited by academics at Bristol, is being published thanks to a bequest by an alumnus and friend of the University.
Law professor awarded accolade for excellence in social sciences research
A University of Bristol law professor has been awarded a prestigious accolade for demonstrating excellence in her contributions to social sciences research.
Academics needed for Radio 4 quiz show
BBC Radio 4 is planning to record an episode of its funny, lively and dynamic quiz show 3rd Degree at the University of Bristol.
Vet School academic to feature on BBC One's Countryfile
Dr John Bradshaw, Visiting Fellow and Honorary Director of the Anthrozoology Institute in the School of Veterinary Sciences, will feature on BBC One's Countryfile on Sunday 22 September.
Live demonstration of SDN-enabled optical circuit switching at ECOC 2013
A live demonstration of a hybrid packet-optical circuit switched software-defined network (SDN), developed by the University of Bristol and Polatis, Inc, will take place at Europe’s largest optical communications event next week [22- 26 September].
£1.8million for new research on Italian cultures and the study of Modern Languages
A new research project looking at how modern Italian culture has developed around the world has been awarded £1.8million by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). From the insights it develops into transnational Italian cultures, the project will forge a new framework for the discipline of Modern Languages as a whole.
Why some parents think your partner isn’t good enough
It is common for parents to influence mate choice — from arranged marriages to more subtle forms of persuasion — but they often disagree with their children about what makes a suitable partner. A new study has found an evolutionary explanation for why some parents try to control who their children pair up with.