A new study has revealed that global warming is resulting in the spread of crop pests towards the North and South Poles at a rate of nearly 3 km a year.
The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change and carried out by researchers at the University of Exeter and the University of Oxford, shows a strong relationship between increased global temperatures over the past 50 years and expansion in the range of crop pests.
Currently 10-16% of global crop production is lost to pests. Crop pests include fungi, bacteria, viruses, insects, nematodes, viroids and oomycetes....
Volunteering may be good for your health, reveals a large systematic review and meta-analysis published in the open access journal BMC Public Health .
Volunteering can improve mental health and help you live longer, finds the study which pools and compares data from multiple experimental trials and longitudinal cohort studies. Some observational evidence points to around a 20 per cent reduction in mortality among volunteers compared to non-volunteers in cohort studies. Volunteers also reported lower levels of depression, increased life satisfaction and enhanced well-being, although...
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has appointed an academic from the University of Exeter to Chair the South West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC). Professor Robert Van de Noort’s appointment is a reflection of his extensive research in the dynamics of coasts, rivers and peatlands, and how people have interacted with these landscapes over a period of more than 10,000 years, in addition to his various roles across the sector. The Regional Flood and Coastal Committees were set up under the Floods and Water Management Act 2010 and play an important local role...
91% of University of Exeter students in their final year are satisfied with the quality of their university course.
The latest National Student Survey (NSS) has found that 85% of students are satisfied with their degree, meaning the University of Exeter has maintained its top 10 position for its ninth year, since the survey’s launch.
The University of Exeter usually scores highly on league tables and, in 2012, was deemed “Sunday Times University of the Year 2012/13”.
Professor Janice Kay, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter, said:
Exeter communities are set to benefit from an initiative launched by the University of Exeter Students’ Guild. The Guild is proud to announce the launch of the Students’ Green Unit which will be established this month after the Guild won a £300,000 funding boost from the NUS (National Union of Students) Green Fund.
The Students’ Green Unit will provide a framework for students to develop and lead sustainability initiatives locally, nationally and internationally. The Students’ Guild prides itself on successful reduction of its environmental impact and pursuit of sustainability, and...
An opportunity to experience the unfolding excavations at the largest Roman village ever found in Devon is open to members of the public on Sunday 18 August, at the site near Ipplepen in South Devon. The site is of tremendous importance and has produced excitement in the archaeological world and beyond. The systematic excavation of the site originally began in the summer of 2012. Previously unknown, the Romano-British site was discovered as a result of metal detected Roman coin found by Mr. Phillip Wills and Mr Dennis Hewings which was recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme. A...
A test to predict which patients are most at risk from the Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infection has been developed, offering potential benefits to patients, hospitals and health services around the world.
A Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infection is one that can affect the digestive system and most commonly affects people staying in hospital. It is not generally a problem for healthy people but may infect those on antibiotics with an imbalance of ‘good bacteria’ in the gut.
A research paper published on 2 August 2013, in BMC Infectious Diseases has for the first time...
Scientists have found that bacteria have the potential to teach valuable investment lessons. The research, published in the journal Ecology Letters , takes advantage of the fact that bacteria, like humans, have limited resources and are constantly faced with investment decisions. Bacteria though are successful with their investments and have colonised every inch of the surface of our planet.
The researchers, from the Universities of Exeter and Sydney, used mathematical models and lab-based synthetic biology, to predict bacterial investment crashes and boom-bust cycles. The study...
The University of Exeter today announced that IBM (NYSE: IBM ), the world's largest IT and consulting services company, will be one of the first University of Exeter Strategic Corporate Partners. The partnership will look at growing the global knowledge base by bringing together the best minds in industry and academia to solve some of the world’s biggest problems. Projects supported by the partnership include initiatives addressing water management, climate change, sustainability and health. Other areas of collaboration include smart metering, analytics and the management of big data....
The summer holidays got off to a ‘flying’ start for local youngsters when EDDC’s Countryside Team joined other local organisations with a rural theme at the annual Natural Seaton Festival.
The event was organised by the Seaton Visitor Centre Trust to celebrate the geological and ecological wealth of the town.
The first EDDC Countryside event of the weekend was Meet the Bats led by Fiona Mathews, Senior Lecturer in Mammalian Biology at Exeter University. Eleven of our 15 native species of bat have been recorded on the Axe Estuary Wetlands in Seaton, and electronic bat...
