Happy Halloween: A history of witches and witchcraft
The history of witches and witchcraft is something that has fascinated and frightened people throughout history.
News in October
Downing Street recognition for Parkinson's researcher
Dr Emily Henderson, a University of Bristol Honorary Consultant Senior Lecturer, and Consultant at the Royal United Hospitals in Bath, met the Prime Minister Theresa May at a Downing Street reception yesterday [30 October] in recognition of her research into Parkinson's, and to mark the 200-year anniversary since James Parkinson first described the condition.
Scientists pinpoint genetic risk factors for asthma, hay fever and eczema
A major international study has pinpointed more than 100 genetic risk factors that explain why some people suffer from asthma, hay fever and eczema.
The advent of “green” cattle
Implications of livestock farming on climate change should not be drawn from aggregate statistics, reveals a study based on a new method of carbon footprinting for pasture-based cattle production systems that can assess the impacts of individual animals.
Centralised care needs to be improved to ensure children with cleft lip and palate have best outcomes
Around 1,000 children are born with cleft lip and/or palate in the UK each year, with many children requiring long-term multi-disciplinary care. A University of Bristol study, which assessed whether the centralisation of cleft lip and palate care services improved child outcomes, 15 years after centralisation took place, is published. The study found centralisation has improved patient outcomes but highlights more work is needed in some areas.
Academic secures funding to better understand how bones respond to stress during growth
A University of Bristol academic has been awarded one of only four APEX awards from The Royal Society.
'Bandit-masked' feathered dinosaur hid from predators using multiple types of camouflage
Researchers from the University of Bristol have revealed how a small feathered dinosaur used its colour patterning, including a bandit mask-like stripe across its eyes, to avoid being detected by its predators and prey.
John Anthony Burrow, 1932 – 2017
Professor John Burrow, Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the Faculty of Arts, passed away earlier this week. Former colleagues pay tribute to his life and career.
Bristol researchers to explore Mars and its environment
Three academics from the University of Bristol will explore Mars and the microgravity environment, thanks to funding from the UK Space Agency in the latest round of the Aurora Science Programme and the Human Spaceflight and Microgravity programme.
University of Bristol climbs three places in global league table
The University of Bristol has risen three places to 73rd in the world, according to the US News Best Global University Rankings.
Academics awarded ‘Research Paper of the Year’ by the Royal College of General Practitioners
A paper led by researchers from the University of Bristol’s Centre for Academic Mental Health has been awarded Research Paper of the Year Award 2016 from the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).
Santander renews agreement with the University of Bristol as it celebrates 10 years of partnership and £1 million of support
The University of Bristol has signed a new three-year partnership agreement with Santander Universities which will build on a decade of partnership working and philanthropic support.
Fruit for thought: Student cider making and apples at the core of the community
Students at the University of Bristol have swapped cider drinking for cider making, in traditional Westcountry style.
How to ensure volunteers fill the holiday hunger gap
With up to 3.2 million children facing the prospect of not having enough food to eat during half term, new research has highlighted the importance of volunteers in filling the ‘holiday hunger’ gap.
Bristol named as UK’s smartest city
Bristol has overtaken London as the UK’s leading 'smart city' according to the second UK Smart Cities Index, commissioned by Huawei UK and conducted by Navigant Consulting. The report is based on evaluations of 20 cities and their strategies, key projects and overall readiness in using digital technology to improve crucial civic services from transport infrastructure to healthcare.
Poetry and dance engage Bristol schools at Black History event
Pupils from Bristol schools visited the University of Bristol for a series of themed activities marking Black History Month and celebrating diversity.
Key discoveries offer significant hope of reversing antibiotic resistance
Two recent studies led by the University of Bristol provide significant new hope in the fight against antibiotic resistance. By identifying what makes some bacteria resistant to the most commonly prescribed antibiotics, and how this can be reversed, the findings have demonstrated potentially life-saving consequences and could help reverse the tide of antibiotic resistance.
The fortunes and misfortunes of Miss Fanny Fust
Historians and English academics from the University of Bristol have been working with Openstorytellers, a Frome-based charity that supports people with learning difficulties, to research and recreate the story of one of Bristol’s lesser known historical figures.
Bristol Vision Institute team wins Video Compression Grand Challenge
A research team from the Bristol Vision Institute (BVI) has been awarded a key technology prize for its work on video compression.
Lesley Hart, 1965-2017
Lesley Hart, a Security Officer in the University Security Team (Estates), sadly passed away on 15 October. Simon Ramsden and other colleagues in Security Services offer a tribute.
Harp at ee! Now the Clifton Suspension Bridge can play its own tune
One of the UK’s most famous bridges has been turned into a musical instrument, capable of playing music composed from its own structural data.
Kidney failure's effects on the psychosocial health and lifestyle of young adults
Kidney failure is associated with lower quality of life in young people and limited employment, independence, and relationships compared with healthy peers, according to an analysis led by the University of Bristol and published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).
Bob Walker, 1951–2017
Bob Walker, the former head of the Systems Research and Computing Team in IT Services, died on 30 May at the age of 66. Former colleagues pay tribute to his career.
BBC and UK universities launch major partnership to unlock potential of data
BBC Research and Development has announced a five-year research partnership with eight UK Universities including Bristol to unlock the potential of data in the media. The Data Science Research Partnership will be at the forefront of machine learning in the media industry, helping create a more personal BBC that can inform, educate and entertain in new ways.
Fathers with learning disabilities 'left out of support', study finds
Fathers with learning disabilities are often let down by statutory services, which neglect to support them around parenting or focus only on mothers, a study has found.
Winners of the prizes for the Best Doctoral Research Theses 2016/17
Six University of Bristol postgraduates have been awarded £500 prizes for the exceptional quality of their research degree theses.
Think Big: University welcomes future leaders to inaugural International Scholars Reception
Over 100 scholars, representing 36 countries, attended the University of Bristol’s inaugural International Scholars Reception at the Wills Memorial Building this month.
48-million-year-old wax discovered in a bird fossil
Researchers have analysed a well-preserved preening gland in a 48-million-year-old bird fossil and discovered original oil and wax molecules within it.
Electroplating: the birth of a single nucleus caught ‘in camera’
Electroplating, or electrodeposition, is one of the most important processes in chemistry, in which a metal cation in solution can be reduced to its elemental form by applying an electrical potential to an electrode.
Nanoantenna arrays power a new generation of fluorescence-based sensors
Researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Bedfordshire, in collaboration with multinational company ABB, have designed and tested a series of plasmonic nanoantenna arrays that could lead to the development of a new generation of ultrasensitive and low-cost fluorescence sensors that could be used to monitor water quality.
The science of seeing differently
The truths about the brain and its perceptions will be explored by neuroscientist and founder of Lab of Misfits Studio at a free University of Bristol public lecture next month.
Bristol academics become Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences
Three social scientists from the University of Bristol have been honoured as Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences.
University spin-outs announced as winners of major venture capital initiative
Two University of Bristol spin-out companies, Zeetta Networks and KETS Quantum Security, have been announced as winners of a major venture capital initiative led by BT, the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) and Facebook, which will provide them with access to investors with funds totalling £125 million.
Accountant switches track to pursue a PhD at Bristol
Now a research associate in the School of Chemistry, Dr Julie Dunne started her career in a completely different field.
Ancient DNA evidence finds no trace of early contact between Easter Islanders and South Americans
Easter Island has long been a source of intrigue and mystery. How did such a small community of people build so many impressively large statues?
University of Bristol secures funding to grow small businesses
The University of Bristol is one of five universities in the south of England to receive a share of £5 million from the government for a project to tackle the challenge of scaling-up small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to innovate and grow.
Student recovering well after confirmed case of meningitis at the University of Bristol
We’re working closely with Public Health England (PHE) following the confirmed diagnosis of bacterial meningitis (Meningococcal B) in one of our students yesterday.
Rainfall trends in arid regions buck commonly held climate change theories
The recent intense hurricanes in the Atlantic have sharply focused attention on how climate change can exacerbate extreme weather events. Scientific research suggests that global warming causes heavier rainfall because a hotter atmosphere can hold more moisture and warmer oceans evaporate faster feeding the atmosphere with more moisture.
Risk factors for heart health linked to marital ups and downs
Risk factors for heart health seem to be linked to changes over time in the quality of marital relationships — at least for men — finds a University of Bristol study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
Vulnerable adults in custody face inconsistent services, study finds
Vulnerable adults who are taken into police custody face a postcode lottery around the provision of 'appropriate adults' who help safeguard their rights and welfare while detained, a new study has found.