research

Fire One

Fewer things and avoid the screens for 2021 in the South West, according to new research

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Mon, 01/11/2021 - 8:15pm

New YouGov research sponsored by Fibre One, the indulgent 90 calorie treat, has revealed that adults in South West England would like fewer possessions, to spend less time worrying and prefer to spend time on traditional hobbies than using screens.

In a new poll of 192 adults in the South West, the research revealed that after a difficult 2020 for all, nearly half of (41%) would like to spend less time worrying. Across Britain, a concerning 61% of young people would like to spend less time worrying (18-24 year olds). One in five (20%) would like to spend less time working, while...

bumblebees, bees

Big bumblebees learn locations of best flowers

Big bumblebees take time to learn the locations of the best flowers, new research shows.

Meanwhile smaller bumblebees – which have a shorter flight range and less carrying capacity – don't pay special attention to flowers with the richest nectar.

University of Exeter scientists examined the "learning flights" which most bees perform after leaving flowers.

Honeybees are known to perform such flights – and the study shows bumblebees do the same, repeatedly looking back to memorise a flower's location.

"It might not be widely known that pollinating insects...

Exeter experts recognised as being among world’s most influential scientists 

Leading academics from the University of Exeter have been recognised as being amongst the world’s most influential researchers, according to a prestigious new ranking.

Fourteen scientists from Exeter, and a further three who are affiliated to the University, feature in an authoritative new list of the most highly cited researchers worldwide, produced by Clarivate Analytics.

Now in its seventh year, the ranking identifies researchers who demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field or fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the...

Study reveals physical demands of two-hour marathon

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Tue, 11/24/2020 - 3:08pm

Elite runners need a specific combination of physiological abilities to have any chance of running a sub-two-hour marathon, new research shows .

The study is based on detailed testing of athletes who took part in Nike's Breaking2 project – an ambitious bid to break the two-hour barrier.

Professor Andrew Jones , of the University of Exeter, said the findings reveal that elite marathon runners must have a "perfect balance" of VO2 max (rate of oxygen uptake), efficiency of movement and a high "lactate turn point" (above which the body experiences more fatigue).

The...

Nightingale Hospital, Exeter

Hundreds of people in South West needed to take part in new COVID-19 vaccine study

Hundreds of volunteers from the South West will from today be invited to join a leading phase three COVID-19 vaccine study, as the number of people who have signed up to take part in vaccine research hits 9,220 across Devon, Cornwall and parts of Somerset.

The study will test the safety and effectiveness of a promising new vaccine, developed by US biotechnology company Novavax, across a broad spectrum of people, including those from a variety of age groups and backgrounds. Phase 3 studies involve many thousands of people, giving researchers insights into the effects of a vaccine...

Share your experiences of loneliness and Covid-19 as part of a major new project to help people feel less alone

People can share their experiences of the isolating impact of the coronavirus pandemic as part of a major new project designed to collect stories of loneliness and community.

The Lockdown Blues is an online scrapbook where anyone can contribute their thoughts, feelings, or reflections on loneliness in any format – including poems, songs, paintings, stories, sketches, videos, letters or even a few brief notes.

It is hoped the website will encourage both empathy about the impact of loneliness and creativity, and reading, writing, and creating will help visitors to the...

Pioneering spin-out company’s test identifies fungal lung disease in COVID-19 patients

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Wed, 07/29/2020 - 1:08am

A revolutionary point-of-care test developed by experts from a University of Exeter spin-out company has been used to safely diagnose a lethal fungal lung disease during the Coronavirus pandemic.

The ground-breaking company, ISCA Diagnostics, has created a simple, affordable and rapid test to detect pulmonary aspergillosis.

A frequently fatal lung disease, which usually attacks immune deficient individuals such as cancer patients and bone marrow transplant recipients, it has also recently emerged as a super-infection of Coronavirus patients in Intensive Care Units known...

Research to reveal the evolutionary reasons why we get by with a little help from our friends

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Tue, 07/21/2020 - 3:41pm

The quest to discover why friendship plays such a pivotal role in social and mental well-being has been given a significant boost, it has been announced.

Professor Lauren Brent, an expert in animal behaviour from the University of Exeter has been awarded substantial funding to help uncover the evolutionary origins of friendship and social bonds.

Prof Brent has received a €2 million grant to conduct ground-breaking new research to investigate not only social bonds are so important to the health and longevity of so many species, but also why evolution allows social...

£1 million award could identify a new form of genetic diabetes

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Mon, 06/29/2020 - 11:25pm

An award of almost £1 million will help scientists at the University of Exeter unravel the genetics mysteries of a rare form of diabetes, and could help identify a new form of the condition.

Dr Kash Patel, of the University of Exeter Medical School, has secured the funding under the Wellcome Clinical Research Career Development Fellowship.

Over five years, Dr Patel will study Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY), a rare genetic form of diabetes which can be passed down through families. It is caused by a defect in one of 14 genes, many of them discovered at the...

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