Collaborative partnerships
Universities of Exeter and Oxford
New research by the University of Exeter and University of Oxford provides the first evidence that a child’s sex is associated with the mother’s diet. Published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, the study led by Dr Fiona Mathews shows a clear link between higher energy intake around the time of conception and the birth of sons. The findings may help explain the falling birth-rate of boys in industrialised countries, including the UK and US.
Read the full story: 'You are what your mother eats'.
Universities of Exeter, Singapore and Sharjah
Leadership experts at the University of Exeter are to help develop the skills of government officials in Sharjah, one of the United Arab Emirates. The new leadership programme is a collaborative initiative between the Universities of Exeter, Singapore and Sharjah, and its participants will all be senior officials from departments of the Government of Sharjah. Some 20-25 top government officials will take part every two years. Exeter has world-class leadership expertise to offer through its Centre for Leadership Studies, and was selected to offer the course against competition from universities in different parts of the world. The new programme will see top government officials undertake training and practical leadership experiences in Exeter, Sharjah and Singapore.
Read the full story: 'From Exeter to Sharjah - equipping leaders with the skills to succeed'.
University of Exeter and surgeons at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital (RD&E)
Hip replacement patients in the South West are set to benefit from an innovative training aid developed by engineers at the University of Exeter. In conjunction with surgeons at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital (RD&E), a University team has applied cutting-edge engineering technologies to develop a set of replica hip joints. The hospital will use these unique models to train surgeons to accurately assess the extent of bone damage prior to hip replacement surgery.
Read the full story: 'South West hip patients to benefit from University training models'.
Universities of Exeter and Coventry
Researchers from the Universities of Exeter and Coventry have developed the first new technique for diagnosing malaria able to challenge the rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) currently used in the field. Early results, now published in the Biophysical Journal, suggest that the technique could be as effective as RDTs but far faster and cheaper, making it a potentially viable alternative. The team is now working on a non-invasive version of the device, which with the assistance of a team from the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Department of Biomedical Research in Amsterdam, it is planning to trial in Kenya later this year.
Read the full story: 'Exeter engineers create new technique for malaria diagnosis'.
University of Exeter, St Andrews and CNES (French Space Agency)
The European team running the CoRoT space mission has found a new planet orbiting a star slightly larger than the Sun. CoRoT-Exo-4b is a planet around the same size as Jupiter. It takes 9.2 days to orbit its host star, which is one of the longest orbiting periods of any transiting planet ever found. The team found that the star is rotating at the same pace as the planet's orbit. This is surprising as the planet is thought to be too low mass and too distant from its star to have had much effect on its rotation.
Dr Suzanne Aigrain, from the School of Physics, who led the analysis of the photometric data, said: "We don’t know if CoRoT-Exo-4b and its star have always been rotating in synch since their formation about 1 billion years ago, or if the star became synchronized later."
Read the full story: 'CoRoT discovery challenges the definition of extra-solar planets'.
University of Exeter, Met Office, Brazilian Institute for Space Research
A study by leading UK & Brazilian scientists has identified a link between reducing sulphur dioxide emissions from burning coal and increasing sea surface temperatures in the tropical north Atlantic, resulting in a heightened risk of drought in the Amazon rainforest.
A team from the University of Exeter, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Met Office Hadley Centre and Brazilian National Institute for Space Studies used the Met Office Hadley Centre climate-carbon model to simulate the impacts of twenty-first century climate change on the Amazon rainforest. Lead author Professor Peter Cox of the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, sums-up the consequences of the study: “These findings are another reminder of the complex nature of environmental change. To improve air quality and safeguard public health, we must continue to reduce aerosol pollution, but our study suggests that this needs to be accompanied by urgent reductions in carbon dioxide emissions to minimize the risk of Amazon forest dieback.”
Read the full story: 'Amazon under threat from cleaner air'.
University of Exeter and Cornwall Wildlife Trust
A study by the University of Exeter and Cornwall Wildlife Trust has revealed a disturbing rise in the number of whales, dolphins and porpoises found dead on Cornish beaches. The number found stranded on beaches in Cornwall has increased with a sharp rise in the last eight years. After analysing nearly 100 years of data, the researchers believe this could, in part, be due to more intensive fishing. Dr Brendan Godley of the School of Biosciences on the University of Exeter’s Cornwall Campus said: “Many people were shocked by the recent graphic images of the mass dolphin strandings in Cornwall; the cause of which is still a matter of conjecture. We feel that the important message is that strandings have increased in recent years and that the majority are attributable to bycatch in marine fisheries. This is clearly a major issue that needs to be addressed by all stakeholders from Government and the fishing industry in addition to conservation organisations.”
Read the full story: 'Study shows rise in dolphin, whale and porpoise deaths'.
Research led by UK and Australian scientists sheds new light on the extinction of Australia’s prehistoric animals
Research led by UK and Australian scientists sheds new light on the role that our ancestors played in the extinction of Australia’s prehistoric animals. The study, which was carried out by a team including a scientist from the University of Exeter provides the first evidence that Tasmania’s giant kangaroos and marsupial ‘rhinos’ and ‘leopards’ were still roaming the island when humans first arrived. The findings suggest that the mass extinction of Tasmania’s large prehistoric animals was the result of human hunting, and not climate change as previously believed. Professor Chris Turney, lead author of the paper from the School of Geography, Archaeology and Earth Resources said: “Ever since Charles Darwin’s discovery of giant ground sloth remains in South America, debate has ensued about the cause of early extinction of the world’s megafauna. It is sad to know that our ancestors played such a major role in the extinction of these species – and sadder still when we consider that this trend continues today.”
Read the full story: 'New evidence implicates humans in prehistoric animal extinctions'.
