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Fungi are the rainforest ‘diversity police’

By Guest PostFebruary 4, 2014Environmentbelize, biodiversity in rainforests, chiquibul forest reserve, diversity police, fungi, fungicide amistar, nerc, oomycetes, owen lewis, oxford university, rainforest, sarah gurr, sheffield university, university of exeter

A new study has revealed that fungi, often seen as pests, play a crucial role policing biodiversity in rainforests.

The research, by scientists at Oxford University, the University of Exeter and Sheffield University, found that fungi regulate diversity in rainforests by making dominant species victims of their own success.

Fungi spread quickly between closely-packed plants of the same species, preventing them from dominating and enabling a wider range of species to flourish. (more…)

Schizophrenia in the limelight: film-industry technology provides insights into social exclusion

By Guest PostJanuary 30, 2014Health3d, array, film industry technology, gestures, illness, infrared camera, mary lavelle, nodding, nonverbal communication, pat healey, posture, rose mccabe, schizophrenia, social exclusion, social stigma, symptoms, university of exeter

The first 30 seconds of a social encounter is crucial for people with symptoms of schizophrenia for establishing contact with people, according to new research carried out at Queen Mary University of London and the University of Exeter Medical School.

Using motion capture technology more commonly found in the film industry, the researchers studied social interactions of patients in a group and analysed the patterns of verbal and non-verbal communication. (more…)

Glaciers existed in Britain as late as Georgian era

By Guest PostJanuary 27, 2014Environment9th millennium, bc, beryllium 10 isotope, Britain, British Geological Survey, cairngorm mountain range, climate, cosmogenic dating, east kilbride, edinburgh, geography, georgian era, glacier climate model, glaciers, highlands, jez everest, katie brady, little ice age, martin kirkbride, numerical, plymouth university, scotland, scottish highlands, scottish mountains, simulate, small glaciers, snowy mountains, stephan harrison, technique, university of dunde, university of exeter

New evidence indicates glaciers present 11,000 years later than believed

Research led by a scientist from the University of Exeter has shown that Britain was home to small glaciers within the last few centuries – around 11,000 years later than previously thought.

Dr Stephan Harrison of Geography has established that small glaciers almost certainly existed in the Cairngorm mountain range in Scotland as recently as the 18^th century, contrary to the long held belief that Britain’s last glaciers melted around the 9^th millennium BC. (more…)

Bat’s sea crossing is first from UK to mainland Europe

By Guest PostJanuary 22, 2014Nature, Scienceautumn, bat, bat conservation trust, bat migration, blagdon near bristol, continental europe, discovery, fiona mathews, lisa worledge, mainland europe, mammal, nathusius pipistrelle, north sea, old historical records, sea crossing, uk, university of exeter

A tiny bat found in the Netherlands is believed to provide the first direct evidence that British bats migrate over the sea between the UK and mainland Europe.

The bat, a Nathusius’ pipistrelle, flew from Blagdon near Bristol across the country and over the North Sea before settling in a farm building near the coast in Friesland – a direct journey of 596 kilometres (370 miles).

Bat experts in both countries are working together to learn more about this remarkable journey and its implications for bat conservation and offshore windfarms. (more…)

Scandalous bodies and our relationship with food

By Guest PostJanuary 21, 2014Culture, Healthalcohol consumption, attitude, body shape, corinna wagner, extravagant lifestyle, georgian period, goddesses of health, government, honest british, king george, late georgian england, medicine, mid victorian period, model, modern day phenomenon, monarchy, mulligatawny soup, obesity, over indulgence, pathological bodies, persian delicacies, physical perfection, political culture, self control, self discipline, the english malady, thomas king chambers, university of exeter, victorian, vitriolic public condemnation

Attitudes toward over-indulgence, obesity and body shape were being hotly debated and used for political purposes as early as the 19^th century, a new book claims. ‘Pathological Bodies’, by Dr Corinna Wagner from the University of Exeter, shows that body consciousness is not just a modern-day phenomenon.

Instead, medical warning about excessive eating and drinking, and public attitudes about self-control and discipline emerged more than 250 years ago, when the perceived decadence of the Georgian period gave way to the more moderate and austere approach adopted by the Victorians. (more…)

Enormous scale of Nile ‘mega lake’ revealed

By Guest PostJanuary 19, 2014Environment, Sciencedavid haberlah, east africa, eastern sahara desert, egypt, exposure, isotope beryllium 10, lake baikal, lake michigan, lake tanganyika, nile mega lake, shoreline deposits, Siberia, sudan, surface area, tim barrows, university of exeter, US, valley, white nile river

The eastern Sahara Desert was once home to a 45,000 km²freshwater lake similar in surface area to the largest in the world today.

A study led by the University of Exeter has revealed that the mega lake was probably formed more than one hundred thousand years ago in the White Nile River Valley in Sudan.

Dr Tim Barrows of the University of Exeter and colleagues used a dating approach based on exposure to cosmic rays to measure the amount of the isotope beryllium-10 in shoreline deposits. Its abundance can be used to calculate how long rocks or sediments have been exposed at the surface of the earth. (more…)

Arctic study shows key marine food web species at risk from increasing CO2

By Guest PostDecember 10, 2013Environmentarctic marine life, arctic ocean, arctic regions, arctic study, atmosphere, carbon dioxide, catlin arctic survey, ceri lewis, changing climatic, copepods, crustaceans, helen findlay, increasing co2, marine food web, novel data, ocean acidity, oceanic conditions, pnas, range of ph, risk, university of exeter

A research expedition to the Arctic, as part of the Catlin Arctic Survey, has revealed that tiny crustaceans, known as copepods, that live just beneath the ocean surface are likely to battle for survival if ocean acidity continues to rise.

The study found that copepods that move large distances, migrating vertically across a wide range of pH conditions, have a better chance of surviving.

The increasing level of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is changing ocean chemistry leading to seawater moving down the pH scale towards acidity. Some areas of the Arctic Ocean are already experiencing the fastest rates of acidification on the planet and, combined with sea-ice loss and warming temperatures, the impacts of climate change are likely to hit Arctic marine life first. (more…)

Microplastics make marine worms sick

By Guest PostDecember 4, 2013Environment, Natureantimicrobials, chemical additives, chemical transfer, debris in marine, energy level, harmful chemicals, marine life, marine lugworms, marine plastic pollution, marine worms, mark anthony browne, microplastic, ocean sediments, organism, plastic rubbish, plasticisers, plastics, plymouth university, professor tamara galloway, sick, solid waste pollution, stephanie wright, university of exeter, wadden sea

Tiny bits of plastic rubbish could spell big trouble for marine life, starting with the worms, say a team of researchers from the University of Exeter and Plymouth University who report their evidence in a pair of studies in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on December 2.

The marine worms play a key ecological role as an important source of food for other animals.

Work by Stephanie Wright from Biosciences at the University of Exeter found that if ocean sediments are heavily contaminated with microplastics, marine lugworms eat less and their energy levels suffer. A separate report, from Mark Anthony Browne on work performed at Plymouth University, shows that ingesting microplastic can also reduce the health of lugworms by delivering harmful chemicals, including hydrocarbons, antimicrobials and flame retardants to them. (more…)

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