university of exeter – Page 3 – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Noise pollution impacts fish species differently

By Guest PostAugust 12, 2014Environmentangriffspunkte fuer entzuendungen, daniela schuster, entzuendungshemmer, fish species, impact, john mackey, justin okano, lesotho, noise pollution, ship noise, steve simpson, university of exeter

Acoustic disturbance has different effects on different species of fish, according to a new study from the Universities of Exeter and Bristol which tested fish anti-predator behaviour.

Three-spined sticklebacks responded sooner to a flying seagull predator model when exposed to additional noise, whereas no effects were observed in European minnows.

Lead author Dr Irene Voellmy of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences said: “Noise levels in many aquatic environments have increased substantially during the last few decades, often due to increased shipping traffic. Potential impacts of noise on aquatic ecosystems are therefore of growing concern.” (more…)

Jerusalem Unbound: a City in Conflict

By Guest PostAugust 2, 2014Politicsantidote for partisanship, arab, catholics, echo chamber effect, Jerusalem, juan nogueira, northern ireland, palestinians, Politics, robert fares, storing solar power, texas households, university of exeter, utility grid

A new book, Jerusalem Unbound, plots the history and examines the underlying factors that make a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians so difficult.

Written by Professor Mick Dumper, a University of Exeter politics expert with over 25 years of experience of Jerusalem, the book explores why religious property in ethnically mixed cities attract conflict and argues that holy sites are particularly difficult in peace negotiations as they cannot be exchanged or traded like other properties. It also compares Jerusalem with other divided cities like Belfast and Beirut and draws out lessons that can be learnt from the way these cities are managed. (more…)

Exeter scientist reveals secrets of Scotland’s basking sharks in new report

By Guest PostJuly 18, 2014Nature5 methoxy leoligin, aaron dollar, basking sharks, czech play, human robot relations, leoligin, malaria impfstoff, matthew witt, paris vault, pieter abbeel, robert howe, scotland, sea, siddhartha srinivasa, standard in robotics, therapie von herzinfarkt, university of exeter

Seas between the islands of Skye and Mull on Scotland’s west coast are highly important for basking sharks, according to a report published by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).

Each year large numbers of basking sharks are seen in an area of the Sea of the Hebrides which is currently being assessed as part of the Scottish Marine Protected Areas Project.

The report sets out findings from the first two years of a project which aims to reveal some of the mysteries surrounding the world’s second largest fish. The project is a joint venture between SNH and the University of Exeter, and is the first known to use satellite tagging technology to track the near real-time movements of basking sharks. (more…)

Scientists unravel the genetic secrets of nature’s master of mimicry

By Guest PostJuly 8, 2014Naturecognitive health, florian mehring, Germany, harro von senger, harvard konzept, imperial college London, jena, konflikte vermeiden, listiges verhalten, liu birong, michael forster, monarch butterflies, mysterious source, nairobi, Nature, Paris, professor, richard ffrench constant, scientists, sinologe, tanpan, university of exeter

Scientists investigating how one of the greatest shape shifters in the natural world is able to trick predators to avoid being eaten have identified the gene behind the fascinating feat.

The African Swallowtail butterfly, also known as the ‘Mocker Swallowtail’ or the ‘Flying Handkerchief,’ can appear to change both colour and shape.

Males of the species fly boldly around the tree tops, their rapid flight making them look like shaking handkerchiefs, however females lurk in the bushes and pretend to be examples of Monarch butterflies that are nasty to eat. (more…)

Mobile phones negatively affect male fertility, new study suggests

By Guest PostJune 21, 2014Healthbernd herkner, concentration, dickeren bauch, electromagnetic radiation, fiona mathews, fleischfresser, infertility, kidney infections, landwirbeltiere, marcus clauss, mobile phones, radio frequency, semen, sperm quality, university of exeter

Men who keep a mobile phone in their trouser pocket could be inadvertently damaging their chances of becoming a father, according to a new study led by the University of Exeter.

Previous research has suggested that Radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) emitted by the devices can have a detrimental effect on male fertility. Most of the global adult population own mobile phones, and around 14% of couples in high and middle income countries have difficulty conceiving. (more…)

Gone with the Wind 75th anniversary talk

By Guest PostJune 11, 2014Entertainmentamy schumer, atomically thin transistors, blow job, civil war, comedian, dendrochronologist, election 2016, matthew meko, paul krusic, pinus heldreichii, soumaya belmecheri, university of exeter, valerie trouet

The epic film Gone with the Wind marks its 75^th anniversary this year. Scarlett O’Hara, the ultimate southern belle and heroine, forms the basis of a re-released book Scarlett’s Women:Gone with the Wind and its Female Fans which explores the film and why it appeals to a wide female fan base.

A free talk will be given by the book’s author, Professor Helen Taylor, on Thursday 12 June at 6pm in the University of Exeter’s Bill Douglas Cinema Museum. There will also be a screening of the film on Saturday 14 June. (more…)

Exeter scientists carry out pioneering analysis of four billion-year-old Mars meteorite

By Guest PostJune 3, 2014Scienceacacia longifolia, akazienart, beeinflussen, chemical composition, christiane werner, christine hellmann, doug jones, eingewanderte pflanzen, hamiltons rule, ilmenite, jens oldeland, juan aragon, martian meteorite, mathematical simulations, maureen long, mineralogy, north africa, penryn campus, sahara desert, seisconn project, socially enforced nepotis, the hole story, university of exeter, wilson cycle, yale geophysicist, zircon

Scientists from the Camborne School of Mines have conducted a ground-breaking analysis of a Martian meteorite that dates back to the formation of the Earth.

Dr Gavyn Rollinson used pioneering technology to map the mineralogy of a section of the meteorite – which was discovered in North Africa and is around 4.4 billion years old. (more…)

Decolonisation of British and French Empires

By Guest PostMay 7, 2014Politics20th century, british, cold war, damaging effects, election year, empire, Europe, french, heliothis subflexa, heliothis virescens, historian, pattern, revolutionizing politics, ruth edge, second world war, seong gyu lee, stan freck, university of exeter, world war

Britain’s impending withdrawal from Afghanistan and France’s recent dispatch of troops to the troubled Central African Republic are but the latest indicators of a long-standing pattern.

Since 1945 most British and French overseas security operations have taken place in places with current or past empire connections. Most of these actions occurred in the context of the contested end of imperial rule or decolonisation. Some were extraordinarily violent; others, far less so. (more…)

Tag Archives: university of exeter