News in August
-
Radiocarbon dating and CT scans reveal Bronze Age tradition of keeping human remains
1 September 2020
Using radiocarbon dating and CT scanning to study ancient bones, researchers have uncovered for the first time a Bronze Age tradition of retaining and curating human remains as relics over several generations.
-
Implant choice more important than surgeon skill for hip replacement success
31 August 2020
A study analysing over 650,000 hip replacement patients across England and Wales over 14 years sought to investigate why one hospital has consistently been identified as having better than expected outcomes compared to other settings. The findings have shown that the outstanding hip implant survival results seen in one centre in the UK are associated with implant choice more than surgeon skill.
-
Dr Tommaso Jucker awarded British Ecological Society's Founders' Prize
28 August 2020
Dr Tommaso Jucker, NERC Independent Research Fellow and Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences, has received the BES Founders' Prize for 2020.
-
Devastating hurricanes could be up to five times more likely in the Caribbean if tougher global warming targets are missed
27 August 2020
Global warming is dramatically increasing the risk of extreme hurricanes in the Caribbean, but meeting more ambitious climate change goals could up to halve the likelihood of such disasters in the region, according to new research.
-
Ceramic cooking pots record history of ancient food practices
27 August 2020
Analysing three components of ceramic cooking pots ― charred remains, inner surface residues and lipids absorbed within the ceramic walls ― may help archaeologists uncover detailed timelines of culinary cooking practices used by ancient civilisations.
-
Two different techniques can effectively treat lower tract symptoms
25 August 2020
New research has shown two procedures to treat men with an enlarged prostate gland are both effective. The trial compared the current ‘gold’ standard treatment of TURP (Transurethral Resection of the Prostate) to a laser technique called ThuVARP (Thulium Laser Transurethral Vaporesection of the Prostate).
-
Three quarters of patients report long-term effects of coronavirus
24 August 2020
Three quarters of a group of patients who received care for coronavirus at Bristol's Southmead Hospital were still suffering ongoing symptoms three months later, a study published on the pre-print server medRxi has found.
-
Meet the new University Challenge team as they prepare for Paxman
24 August 2020
A team from The University of Bristol will go head-to-head with University of Oxford’s Corpus Christi College in the first round of this year’s new season of University Challenge.
-
Report reveals young people felt less anxious and more connected to school in lockdown
24 August 2020
Younger teenagers in the South West of England felt less anxious and more connected to school when they were away from it during the COVID-19 global pandemic public lockdown, a first-of-its-kind study has found.
-
Singing is no more risky than talking finds new COVID-19 study
20 August 2020
The performing arts has been badly affected during the coronavirus pandemic with live musical performances cancelled for many months because singing was identified as a potential "higher risk" activity. New collaborative research has shown that singing does not produce very substantially more respiratory particles than when speaking at a similar volume. The findings, published on the pre-print server ChemRxiv, are crucial in providing COVID-19 guidance for live musical performances and the safe distancing of performers and audience.
-
Academic Ranking of World Universities names Bristol 8th in UK
19 August 2020
The University of Bristol has been ranked 8th in the UK and at 64th in the world, maintaining its climb of 10 places from last year, according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) published today.
-
Researchers extend recruitment to COVID-19 vaccine trial
19 August 2020
Researchers at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW), North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and the University of Bristol have begun a new round of recruitment to a clinical trial of a vaccine pioneered in the UK which could protect against COVID-19.
-
Zebra stripes and their role in dazzling flies
19 August 2020
The mystery of why zebras have their characteristic stripes has perplexed researchers for over a century.
-
New study to consider how touchscreens affect pre-schoolers’ play
18 August 2020
A new research project will look at how touchscreens affect the way two and three year olds play and what impact this has on children’s development.
-
Bristol welcomes Government announcement on A-level results
17 August 2020
We know how challenging this year has been for students receiving results, as well as their parents, carers and teachers, and we welcome the Government’s decision that A-level results will be determined by teacher-predicted grades.
-
High intensity physical activity in early adolescence could lead to stronger bones in adulthood
17 August 2020
High intensity physical activity in early life might help maximise peak hip strength and prevent osteoporosis in later life, according to a study from University of Bristol researchers published in JAMA Network Open today [17 August].
-
New diagnostic criteria shine light on early dementia mimics
17 August 2020
Experts estimate up to one third of people attending specialist memory clinics could have a condition that is commonly mistaken for early dementia.
-
Nuclear materials researcher awarded Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship
14 August 2020
Dr Peter Martin has been awarded a five-year Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship.
-
South Africa research team to establish ‘hub’ for discovery of new antibiotics
13 August 2020
An international research collaboration, which includes the University of Bristol, has received funding to discover and accelerate the development of new antibiotics.
-
Step change in our ability to unlock secrets of the past with radiocarbon dates
12 August 2020
Radiocarbon dating, a technique widely used in archaeology and geoscience, is set to become more accurate than ever after an international team of scientists have shared much-anticipated new calibration curves based on data from ancient trees, lake and ocean sediments, cave deposits and more.
-
New study shows nutrition labelling is improving nation’s diet
12 August 2020
Households eat more healthily when retailers display clear nutritional information on own-brand food products, say researchers.
-
Ancient North American reptiles lived on an island archipelago in South Wales
12 August 2020
A recent study, led by the University of Bristol has uncovered fossils of dwarf reptiles that lived in South Wales 205 million years ago and were closely related to North American animals that lived 15 million years earlier.
-
Luke Jerram’s Palm Temple installed at University of Bristol
11 August 2020
A spectacular installation by internationally renowned artist Luke Jerram is now on permanent display outside the main entrance of the University of Bristol’s School of Chemistry.
-
What patients want most from their GP is trust and respect, finds study
11 August 2020
Relationships between GPs and patients are changing. It is becoming more difficult for patients to see their preferred GP. In a study by researchers from the University of Bristol's Centre for Academic Primary Care, patients reported that, regardless of whether they were able to see the same GP or not, what they most wanted is to be trusted and respected by their GP.
-
How fish stocks will change in warming seas
11 August 2020
New research highlights the future effects of climate change on important fish stocks for south-west UK fisheries.
-
A quarter of puppies are taken from their mothers prematurely
10 August 2020
One in four people acquired their puppies before the advised age of eight weeks old, according to new findings from Dogs Trust's pioneering dog welfare study 'Generation Pup'.
-
Metallic blue fruits use fat to produce colour and signal a treat for birds
10 August 2020
Researchers have found a common plant owes the dazzling blue colour of its fruit to fat in its cellular structure, the first time this type of colour production has been observed in nature.
-
UK-Irish collaboration awarded £1.6 million to uncover the secrets of quantum thermodynamics
4 August 2020
The QuamNESS consortium unites researchers in University of Bristol, Queens University of Belfast and Trinity College Dublin with the support of a grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Science Foundation Ireland (EPSRC-SFI) to explore the thermodynamics of quantum machines and technologies.
-
BILT Academic Fellow Dr Norman named National Teaching Fellow
4 August 2020
Dr James Norman, Associate Professor in Sustainable Design, has been named a National Teaching Fellow by Advance HE.