InterDigital Europe joins Bristol Is Open’s programmable city project7 December 2015InterDigital, Inc., a mobile technology research and development company, has announced that InterDigital Europe has joined the Bristol Is Open programmable city project. Bristol Is Open is a joint venture between the University of Bristol and Bristol City Council.
New radio series explores animal welfare and animal rights7 December 2015What is the moral status of animals? This question is one that can polarise and divide and will be addressed in a unique way by Christine Nicol, Professor of Animal Welfare at the University of Bristol as part a four-part series called Would You Eat an Alien?, on BBC Radio 4 starting this week [Wednesday 9 December].
Bristol academic contributes to major report on religion in public life7 December 2015A University of Bristol academic has contributed to a major report published today by the Commission on Religion and Belief in Public Life convened by the Woolf Institute and chaired by Baroness Butler-Sloss.
Discovery of stress-induced emotional fever in fish4 December 2015Fish react emotionally to stress, indicating a degree of consciousness, a ground-breaking new study, led by scientists at the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture and co-authored by Professor Toby Knowles of the University of Bristol, has found.
Sharing the testimonies of victims of unconsented sterilisation in Peru 4 December 2015The Quipu Project, a transmedia documentary project which highlights the experiences of over a quarter of a million people (mainly women, but including around 20,000 men) who were sterilised in Peru in the mid-1990s, launches on Thursday 10 December with events in Bristol, England and Lima, Peru.
Bristol academics support international climate talks 3 December 2015Academics from the University of Bristol Cabot Institute are representing the University at the Conference of Parties (COP21), the United Nations climate change conference in Paris.
Professor David Smith, 1951-20152 December 2015David Smith, Professor of Engineering Materials at Bristol, died last month. His colleagues and friends Martyn Pavier and Chris Truman offer a remembrance.
£4.6M boost for future biomedical research leaders2 December 2015The future of biomedical research in the UK will receive a vital boost thanks to a new collaborative PhD training programme worth £4.6 million. Largely funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), the new award to the GW4 Alliance – comprising the University of Bristol, University of Bath, Cardiff University and the University of Exeter – will fund more than 50 postgraduate research students over the next three years.
Engineering academic elected a Fellow of the IEEE1 December 2015A University of Bristol academic has been elected a Fellow of the world’s largest and most prestigious professional association for the advancement of technology.
Dogs needed for study to investigate neck pain1 December 2015Owners of one of the UK’s most popular dog breeds, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, are being asked by researchers at the University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences to take part in a study to investigate a novel method of assessing neck pain in dogs.
Revealed – the single event that made complex life possible in our oceans1 December 2015The catalyst that allowed the evolution of complex life in Earth's oceans has been identified by a University of Bristol researcher.
Up to 800 million years ago, the Earth’s oceans were deprived of oxygen. It was only when microorganisms called phytoplankton, capable of performing photosynthesis, colonised the oceans – covering two thirds of our planet – that production of oxygen at a massive scale was made possible.
Which came first: the sponge or the comb jelly?30 November 2015Bristol study reaffirms classical view of early animal evolution.
Whether sponges or comb jellies (also known as sea gooseberries) represent the oldest extant animal phylum is of crucial importance to our understanding of early animal evolution.
Study finds nutrition lacking in vending machine products30 November 2015A study by researchers at the University of Bristol examined the nutritional value of foods sold from campus vending machines, and the dietary habits and body weight of students who use the machines.
University welcomes new Chevening scholars30 November 2015Bristol’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Hugh Brady, welcomed the new cohort of Chevening scholars at a reception hosted by the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law last week.
Smart Internet Lab could change our future30 November 2015A new research centre that could become a world leader in communications, digital and autonomous systems research will be launched at the University of Bristol today [Monday 30 November].
University of Bristol Chancellor to step down after 13 years30 November 2015The University of Bristol’s Chancellor, The Right Honourable the Baroness Hale of Richmond, has announced that she will retire from the role at the end of next year.
Earth’s first ecosystems were more complex than previously thought, study finds27 November 2015Computer simulations have allowed scientists to work out how a puzzling 555-million-year-old organism with no known modern relatives fed, revealing that some of the first large, complex organisms on Earth formed ecosystems that were much more complex than previously thought.
‘Rising star’ Tom collects two international engineering awards in one week27 November 2015A University of Bristol PhD student, responsible for creating a unique technology that uses ultrasound to create tactile sensations in mid-air, is celebrating after winning two top awards in the space of a week.
Bristol Brain Centre opens at Southmead Hospital27 November 2015The new Bristol Brain Centre, which brings together expertise from North Bristol NHS Trust and the University of Bristol, opened at Southmead Hospital on November 25.
The centre is the first of its kind in the country to bring together research teams in the areas of multiple sclerosis, dementia and movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s.
Bristol postgraduates reap research rewards27 November 2015Six Bristol postgraduates have been awarded prizes for the exceptional quality of their research degree theses in the academic year 2014/15.
David Higgins, 1935-201526 November 2015David Higgins, former Head of the Italian Department, died earlier this year. Felicity Firth offers a remembrance.
Big bucks for big questions26 November 2015The University of Bristol’s Particle Physics Group has been awarded a £3.5 million grant by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) to support the group’s work at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and elsewhere for the next four years.
The future is bright for Bristol after enterprise hub is named best in world25 November 2015A national university business incubator, with offices in Bristol’s Engine Shed, has been named as the best in the world after creating 9,000 new jobs and contributing £3.8 billion to the UK economy. SETsquared, which is a partnership between the universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey, was awarded the top accolade by UBI Global today [25 November].
Passive smoking is associated with earlier delivery and lower birth weight24 November 2015It has been known for more than 50 years that a mother who smokes whilst pregnant is more likely to give birth to her baby prematurely. But what if a mother doesn’t smoke but lives with someone who does? New research by academics from the University of Bristol has found women exposed to passive smoking, on average, deliver their babies earlier and with lower birth weights compared to unexposed women.
No substantive evidence for ‘pause’ in global warming24 November 2015There is no substantive evidence for a ‘pause’ or ‘hiatus’ in global warming and the use of those terms is therefore inaccurate, new research from the University of Bristol has found.
From lab bench to backbench 23 November 2015Two academics from the University of Bristol will be swapping a lab coat for legislation when they visit the House of Commons for a week in Westminster. The week (23-26 November) is part of a unique pairing scheme run by the Royal Society- the UK’s national academy of science, with support from the Government Office for Science.
A row-bot that loves dirty water23 November 2015Taking inspiration from water beetles and other swimming insects, academics at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) have developed the Row-bot, a robot that thrives in dirty water. The Row-bot mimics the way that the water boatman moves and the way that it feeds on rich organic matter in the dirty water it swims in.
University enterprise leader secures top position23 November 2015Nick Sturge, Director of the Engine Shed enterprise hub and the University of Bristol’s SETsquared Centre, has been named as the new Institute of Directors’ (IoD) South West regional chairman.
Polarization vision gives fiddler crabs the edge in detecting rivals23 November 2015Fiddler crabs use polarization vision to sense the approach of rivals, scientists at the University of Bristol have found. The research, carried out in Panama, is the first field-based evidence that animals use polarization vision to enhance the detection of objects.
Asylum seekers enjoy landmark moment20 November 2015Bristol-based asylum seekers enjoyed a real landmark moment in the city yesterday [19 November] when they visited the University of Bristol’s Wills Memorial Building.
Royal award recognises global impact of Bristol’s volcanology research19 November 2015The University of Bristol has been awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher Education – the highest accolade for any academic institution – in recognition of its world-leading research in volcanology.
Fossil fireworm species named after rock musician19 November 2015A muscly fossil fireworm, discovered by scientists from the University of Bristol and the Natural History Museum, has been named Rollinschaeta myoplena in honour of punk musician and spoken word artist, Henry Rollins.