Human use of artificial light is causing Spring to come at least a week early in the UK, researchers at the University of Exeter in Cornwall have found.
New research led by a team of biologists based at the University’s Penryn campus highlights for the first time and at a national scale the relationship between the amount of artificial night-time light and the date of budburst in woodland trees.
The study, the result of a long term collaboration with independent environmental consultants Spalding Associates, in Truro, made use of data collected by citizen scientists from...
A GP in Exeter has a new role championing health research and encouraging doctors to increase the opportunities for their patients to take part in clinical research studies conducted in the county.
Dr Lisa Gibbons – a GP and partner at St Thomas Health Centre - has been appointed as the Clinical Research Specialty Lead for primary care in the South West peninsula.
Lisa, who has practised at the health centre in Cowick Street for almost two years, has been involved in health research throughout her medical training and she says she has seen the positive impact of research...
PEOPLE in the South West suffering from high blood pressure are being given the chance to take part in a major clinical research trial which could herald a ‘new era’ in the treatment of the life-threatening condition.
The ‘WAVE IV’ trial at the Royal Devon and Exeter Foundation Trust is testing a new one-hour, one-off non-invasive treatment which aims to reduce blood pressure permanently, cutting the patient’s risk of stroke and heart attacks and eliminating the need for on-going medication.
Principal investigator for the study, Dr Andrew Sharp, Consultant Cardiologist and...
Researchers from the University of Exeter have pioneered an innovative new technique to make flexible screens more effective and efficient.
A team of Engineers and Physicists from Exeter have discovered that GraphExeter – a material adapted from the ‘wonder material’ graphene - can substantially improve the effectiveness of large, flat, flexible lighting.
By using GraphExeter, the most transparent, lightweight and flexible material for conducting electricity, instead of pure graphene, the team have increased the brightness of flexible lights by up to almost 50 per cent....
The rising concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide has passed a symbolic threshold early due to the fastest annual increase on record
The human-caused rise in atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is being given an extra boost this year by the natural climate phenomena of El Niño, say climate scientists in a paper published in yesterday's edition of the journal Nature Climate Change. As a result, 2016 will be the first year with concentrations above 400 parts per million all year round in the iconic Mauna Loa carbon dioxide record.
Researchers at the University of Exeter who are working on an initiative to curb traffic congestion in and around the city are issuing a final call for help from commuters.
Over 2,000 people have already responded to an online survey at www.commute-exeter.com which is aimed at anyone over the age of 17 who commute into or within Exeter to work or for study.
Experts from the University’s Geography department are now leading a last push to get as many people as possible to complete the 10-minute survey which closes at 5pm on Sunday June 19. As an added incentive participants...
Urban birds are less afraid of litter than their country cousins according to a new study co-authored by a University of Exeter academic.
The research, which highlights one way in which birds adjust to urban settings and published in the journal Animal Behaviour, shows that corvids - the family of birds which includes crows, ravens and magpies - are more likely to show fear in relation to unfamiliar objects than other birds.
However, if they and other bird species have previously encountered similar objects they are able to overcome some of their fear.
A citizen science website game akin to “big brother for crickets” allows participants to take part in important hands-on research using insects to understand the ageing process.
Biologists at the University of Exeter have set up the online interactive project, to put a fun twist on an appeal for help from the public in analysing hundreds of thousands of hours of video footage.
People taking part in the Cricket Tales game, which involves watching snippets of video and labelling various cricket behaviours and experiences such as mating, fighting and being attacked by...
Local artists from Exeter teamed up with Race for Life's Battle HQ this weekend to capture the attention of the ladies of Exeter, and encourage them to sign up for Cancer Research UK's Race for Life. The artists are urging mums, daughters, sisters and friends to choose a Race for Life 5k, 10k or Pretty Muddy event and make it their mission to take part at Westpoint Exeter on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th July. Capturing the power and passion of Race for Life, local performers Kathy Giddens, Kara-Jade Gelder, Maddie Whittaker and Arbor donned the stage in Princesshay Square dressed in...
An illegal trade in marine turtles is continuing despite legislation and conservation awareness campaigns, a pioneering study has shown.
The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Exeter in the Cape Verde islands, 500 km off the West Coast of Africa, and one of the world’s leading nesting sites for the protected loggerhead species, found that the biological impact of the trade has been previously underestimated and that turtles are still being harvested and consumed.
The authors suggest that conservation interventions need to be refined and reassessed and...
