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Love or kill thy neighbour? New study into animal social behaviour

By Guest PostMarch 11, 2014Naturealtruism, animal social behavior, bacteria in biofilms, cornwall, evolution, evolution of spite, florence debarre, kill thy neighbor, love, mathematical framework, penryn campus, social behavior, university of exeter

A theoretical study led by the University of Exeter has shed new light on the conditions that lead to the evolution of spite or altruism in structured populations.

Understanding the way in which social behaviours such as altruism – when animals benefit others at their own expense – develop is a long-standing problem that has generated thousands of articles and heated debates.

Dr Florence Débarre of Biosciences at the University of Exeter led a study, published in Nature Communications, which presents a comprehensive framework that applies to a large class of population structures and identifies the crucial elements which support the evolution of social behaviour. (more…)

Study uncovers why almost winning is just as good for some gamblers

By Guest PostMarch 5, 2014General, Sciencechanges in brain, frequency range, gambler, gambling history, magnetoencephalography, meg, natalia lawrence, ofc, orbitofrontal cortex, payline, simon dymond, swansea university, university of exeter, winning

A new study led by the University of Exeter and Swansea University has pinpointed the changes in the brain that lead gamblers to react in the same way to near-misses as they do to winning.

The research shows that near-misses are underpinned by increases in the brain’s electrical activity, particularly in the theta frequency range – known to be involved in processing win and loss outcomes.

They found that these increases in theta are linked to both how severe someone’s gambling history is and how susceptible they might be to developing a future gambling problem. (more…)

Climate change won’t reduce winter deaths

By Guest PostFebruary 27, 2014Environmentclimate change, death rate, factor, flu activity, flu like illnesses, hugh montgomery, michael depledge, national statistics, number of deaths, philip staddon, risk, uk, university of exeter, winter deaths

Climate change is unlikely to reduce the UK’s excess winter death rate as previously thought. A new study, published in Nature Climate Change, debunks the widely held view that warmer winters will cut the number of deaths normally seen at the coldest time of year.

Analysing data from the past 60 years, researchers at UCL and the University of Exeter looked at how the winter death rate has changed over time, and what factors influenced it. (more…)

Legal harvest of marine turtles tops 42,000 each year

By Guest PostFebruary 25, 2014Natureannette broderick, blue ventures conservation, cites, frances humber, global threat, green turtle, harvest, international trade, iucn, marine turtles, red list, sources of protein, sustainable level, threatened species, turtle populations, turtle products, university of exeter

A new study has found that 42 countries or territories around the world permit the harvest of marine turtles – and estimates that more than 42,000 turtles are caught each year by these fisheries.

The research, carried out by Blue Ventures Conservation and staff at the University of Exeter’s Centre for Ecology and Conservation, is the first to comprehensively review the number of turtles currently taken within the law and assess how this compares to other global threats to the creatures. (more…)

Report shows lack of knowledge about World War One’s global impact

By Guest PostFebruary 21, 2014Politicsahrc, british council, catriona pennell, centenary battlefield, conflict, consequences of war, egypt, first world war, france, global impact, historian, Israel, john worne, lack of knowledge, lasting legacy, middle east, nazis in germany, ottoman empire, palestinians, russia, tours project, united nations, university of exeter, western front, world war one, ww1

A widespread lack of understanding of the global scale and impact of the First World War has been revealed in a new report. Research by the British Council in the UK and six other countries shows that knowledge of the conflict – which began 100 years ago – is largely limited to the fighting on the Western Front.

University of Exeter historian, Dr Catriona Pennell, acted as historical consultant to the report ‘Remember the World as well as the War’. It explores people’s perceptions and knowledge about the First World War and highlights the truly global nature of the conflict and its lasting legacy. This links closely with Dr Pennell’s various research projects, including the ‘First World War in the Classroom’, an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded project that seeks to establish how the First World War is taught in English Literature and History classrooms in England, and will provide the data set that will inform the nature and content of the Institute of Education’s WW1 Centenary Battlefield Tours Project. (more…)

Satellite tracking identifies Atlantic Ocean risk zones for leatherback turtles

By Guest PostFebruary 18, 2014Natureatlantic ocean, equatorial atlantic, exclusive economic zones, iconic species, leatherback turtles, matthew witt, penryn campus, phil doherty, professor brendan godley, risk zone, sabrina fossette, satellite tracking, seaturtle, swansea university, university of exeter, website

The last large populations of the leatherback turtle are at risk because their migratory routes in the Atlantic Ocean clash with the locations of industrial fisheries, a new study shows.

Researchers used data from satellite transmitters attached to the turtles to track their movements across the Atlantic Ocean. These movements were then overlapped with information on high pressure fishing areas to identify where the turtles are most susceptible to becoming entangled and where they may drown. (more…)

New book explores challenges for democracy in North Africa

By Guest PostFebruary 16, 2014Politicsalgeria, arab spring, arab world, ben ali, challenges for democracy, democracy, explore, Facebook, islam, islamist ennahda, jacopo granci, libya, lise storm, maghreb region, mauritania, middle east expert, morocco, new book, north africa, party politics, president bouteflika, regime, tunisia, Twitter, university of exeter

The uncertainties surrounding the long-term prospect of democracy being fully embraced by North African nations embroiled in the Arab Spring rebellions are the focus of a fascinating new book.

The book, called ‘Party Politics and the Prospects for democracy in North Africa’, explores whether traditional political parties have adapted in response to growing demands for democracy in the region in recent years.

Author Dr Lise Storm, a Middle East expert from the University of Exeter examines whether a less authoritarian approach has been integrated, or whether existing parties have simply reinvented themselves to meet today’s expectations. (more…)

Seasonal awareness a traditional way of life

By Guest PostFebruary 8, 2014Cultureannual cycle, Britain, candlemas eve, church, ecology, english rural traditions, februus, latin februa, pagan god, professor nick groom, seasonal awareness, traditional, underworld, university of exeter, way of life

A celebration of the traditional connections between human lives, the seasons and the natural world form the basis of a new book by University of Exeter academic, Professor Nick Groom.

The book, called ‘The Seasons: An Elegy for the Passing of the Year’, is an urgent plea for English rural traditions not to be forgotten, and investigates not only how society is becoming cut off from the rhythms of the natural world, but also the ways in which the annual cycle has been celebrated for centuries. (more…)

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